A survey has revealed that three quarters of Australian manufacturers plan to invest in automation in the future, with robotics listed as the most popular type.
Collaborative robot developer Universal Robots commissioned the survey as it wanted to canvas the views of various online groups within the Australian manufacturing community.
These groups include the Australian Manufacturers Forum, the Australian Furniture Association Industry Forum, the First 500 group of SME business owners, the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council, and The AiG Australian Manufacturing LinkedIn group.
Among those respondents looking to invest in automation, an overwhelming majority (57 per cent) plan to invest in robotic solutions in the future, while 36 per cent plan to invest in automation via materials handling.
A quarter of respondents plan to spend on Internet of Things solutions, while just over one fifth will invest in logistics.
According to the findings, Australian manufacturers want to automate processes in order to improve business efficiency, reduce production time, improve quality, reduce staff costs, and free up staff to work on value-add tasks.
