Interview with Andrew Norcliffe, Managing Director - Machine Automation (B&R Industrial Automation), UK & Ireland
Andrew Norcliffe is the new Managing Director for Machine Automation in the UK and Ireland. With extensive industry experience, he aims to drive B&R’s success through innovation and future-focused solutions.
Q: Can you introduce B&R Industrial Automation?
B&R Industrial Automation is the Machine Automation division within the Robotics and Discrete Automation business of ABB. Historically Austrian privately owned, we were acquired in July 2017 and now operate in over 70 countries worldwide aligned with the wider ABB company. Global management, research & development, and manufacturing is in Salzburg, Austria, and in the UK our headquarters office is in Peterborough, with staff in Milton Keynes, and Dublin, Ireland.
Our customers are machine builders and integrators who rely on a technically advanced, scalable, and reliable automation platform as the backbone of their own products.
Q: What are your products?
Rather than products, we prefer to think around solutions comprising three elements. Obviously core automation hardware is important around motion, control, hmi ux, material transport and vision. These are programmed by a software development ecosystem that is powerful, yet simple to use, and flexible in scope. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, is our industry and application competence. A perfect mix of hardware + software + expertise.
Q: What industry segments are you active in?
We’ve been close-to-customer for over 46 years, so there’s very few industries where we haven’t been successful. Perhaps a better way to look at this question would be to ask what industry segments will be important to the competitiveness of UK and Ireland manufacturing in the future. These include medical device assembly, CPG and F&B adaptive manufacturing & packaging, and mobile machine automation.
Q: B&R is known for innovation; can you provide some examples?
Innovations highlight B&R's commitment to advancing automation technology and providing efficient, flexible solutions for various industries. These ensure our customer businesses stay competitive and adapt to changing market conditions.
Recent examples include Trak technology for flexible material transport, integrated machine vision combining cameras, lighting and image processing on the device, cool running with high power-density servo drives, and advanced software tools for application code generation.
Q: What are the driving forces behind Machine Automation right now?
It starts really with global mega trends, that we can broadly classify into five areas:
1. Individualised customer - demands pulling through the manufacturing chain “what I want, how I want it, when I want it” drives SKU proliferation and short manufacturing runs.
2. Labour scarcity and cost – this is well discussed, with the reality that automation is replacing vacancies not people in many industries, as well as closing the productivity gap.
3. Digitalization and AI – effective use of data generated along the lifetime of a product, also at specific instances in time for control and planning.
4. Sustainability – product circularity, net zero, biodegradable packaging, reducing energy usage are all key themes that need to be considered.
5. Uncertainty – without reducing into cliches, the only thing we do know is that the future will comprise of global affects that we may not know of.
In response, machine builders and integrators must consider machine and line designs that are adaptable and flexible, as well as meeting productivity and quality metrics.
Q: Why is the integration of Machine Automation and Robotics important for manufacturing companies?
This really talks directly to the concept of mechatronics, being the integration of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and control engineering to design and create machine and lines. Put more simply, to do existing things better or realise machine designs previously not possible. Together Machine Automation and Robotics offers an industry leading range of products that enable our customer to evolve and succeed in their own market spaces, supporting end-user manufacturers.
Q: What future developments do you think will take place in robotics and machine automation? Will AI play a role?
ABB spends USD $1.5 billion annually to drive the realisation of new products and solutions in response to the global mega trends I mentioned earlier, so for Machine Automation, innovation will absolutely continue. Looking at AI specifically, we are already introducing AI enabled products with real-world benefits such as:
• Integrated machine vision cameras with deep learning to optimise applications around pattern recognition and inspection in manufacturing.
• Our Automation Studio programming environment is now available with AI tools to speed code development and support collaboration across teams.
• Service solutions for our Trak technology using operating data to analyse running conditions to support predictive, pro-active maintenance that reduces costs and maximises uptime.
Q: How do you see Machine Automation and Robotics supporting our customers in the UK and Ireland?
Naturally, from the customer needs perspective as we work more closely together and invest in people and operations in both countries. Automation and robotics will absolutely grow in importance as manufacturing industries evolve, and we look forward to supporting our customers at every step of their journey.
