British manufacturers lagging behind international competitors on automation
The report by Make UK and Sage said nearly half of British manufacturers identify a lack of technical skills as the biggest hurdle to improving their use of innovative advanced technologies.
Projects which do start often stall after implementation stage, because companies cannot find the help and advice they need to make the technologies work well.
Seamus Nevin, chief economist at Make UK said: 'Time and again, we hear from small and medium-sized manufacturers that they're keen to adopt new technologies, but are being held back by fragmented support, complex funding systems, and a lack of accessible, appropriate digital skills training.
'If we want to unlock a £150 billion boost to UK GDP by 2035, we must make it easier for SMEs to adopt automation and AI.'
A Government spokesperson said: 'We are taking a range of actions to remove the barriers holding back growth and unleash the potential of AI in our economy, including through the AI opportunities action plan.
'Our modern industrial strategy has also introduced ambitious plans to drive growth and investment across the UK, and our Plan for Change will ensure our country continues to be the best place to invest and do business.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
16 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Majority of public back housing and developments in their area
A majority of people back the idea of new housing or developments where they live, new data has indicated. The poll of 2,005 people conducted by Public First in July found that 55% of respondents would 'generally support new buildings or developments or buildings being built in my local area'. The research found that Labour backers (72%) and young people aged 25-34 (67%) were most likely to be 'Yimby' (yes in my backyard). Reform backers (44%) and people in the East of England (44%) were the most likely groups to say that they generally oppose development in their locality, the poll found. Overall, 33% of people said that they would generally oppose development. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to put 'builders not blockers first' and 'overhaul the broken planning system'. In December, the Prime Minister announced new mandatory targets for councils when it comes to housebuilding. He said at the time: 'Our plan for change will put builders not blockers first, overhaul the broken planning system and put roofs over the heads of working families and drive the growth that will put more money in people's pockets.' In its report, The Quiet Yes, released on Thursday, Public First argued that a 'more representative planning system' is needed. The policy research organisation recommended that councils bring in changes to surveys and research on public opinion on building plans and questions about how residents would want councils to spend certain money earmarked for development. Jack Airey, director of housing and infrastructure at Public First, said: 'Most people instinctively support new development, yet their voices go unheard. 'Our research finds the public understand the housing shortage and back new homes, but the planning system doesn't reflect that reality. 'Councils and Government should build on this majority view, creating a representative planning system that unlocks support for new homes and the infrastructure communities need.' Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has said that Labour are 'overhauling the broken planning system'. She said: 'With investment and reform, Labour is delivering the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, unleashing a social rent revolution, and embarking on a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing in this country.'
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
E20: India's biofuel drive is saving billions but also sparking worries
India's drive to blend more biofuels with petrol has helped the country cut millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and save precious dollar reserves. But it has also sparked worries among vehicle owners and food policy experts about its potential impact on fuel efficiency and food security. Last month, India achieved its objective of blending 20% ethanol with petrol, known as E20, five years ahead of its target. The government views this as a game changer in reducing carbon emissions and trimming oil imports. Since 2014, ethanol blending has helped India cut 69.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and saved 1.36 trillion rupees ($1.5 bn; £1.1 bn) in foreign exchange. A study by Delhi-based think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) shows that carbon dioxide emissions from road transport in India will nearly double by 2050."The demand for fuel is only going to increase and shifting to ethanol-blended petrol is absolutely necessary to cut down emissions," Sandeep Theng from the Indian Federation of Green Energy, an organisation that promotes green energy, told the BBC. But many vehicles in India are not E20-compliant, making their owners sceptical about the benefits of the Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India magazine, said that ethanol has a "lower energy density than petrol and is more corrosive". This results in lower mileage and exposes certain vehicle parts to a greater risk of wear and Sorabjee added that some manufacturers like Honda have been using E20 compliant material since 2009, but many older vehicles on Indian roads are not E20 compatible. While there is no official data on the impact of of E20 fuel on engines, consumers routinely share anecdotes about their vehicle's deteriorating mileage on social standard insurance policies in India also don't provide cover for damage due to the use of non-compliant fuel, a top executive at online insurance platform Policybazaar, who wanted to stay anonymous, told the BBC."Consumers need to take add-on policies but even those claims can be denied or downgraded based on fine print of the policy," he federal petroleum ministry has described these concerns as "largely unfounded".In a post on X, the ministry said that engine tuning and E20-compatible materials could minimise the drop in mileage. It also advised replacing certain parts in older vehicles, saying the process was inexpensive and "easily done during regular servicing of the vehicle". Mr Sorabjee told the BBC that while milage concerns are real, they are a "not always as bad as made out to be".The bigger concern, he said, was the potential damage to vehicle materials due to the corrosive properties of vehicle manufacturers are offering ways to mitigate this. Maruti Suzuki, India's biggest four-wheeler maker, is reportedly likely to introduce an E20 material kit that could cost up to 6,000 rupees ($69; £51). The kit will reportedly replace components like fuel lines, seals and gaskets. Bajaj, a leading Indian two-wheeler maker, has advised using a fuel cleaner that could cost around 100 rupees ($1.15; £0.85) for a full tank of not all vehicle-owners are convinced. Amit Pandhi, who has owned a Maruti Suzuki car in Delhi since 2017, is unhappy that petrol pumps don't offer the choice to opt for a blend other than E20."Why should I be forced to buy petrol that offers less mileage and then spend more to make the materials compliant?" he 2021, a document on India's transition to E20 published by Niti Aayog, a government think tank, had highlighted some of these concerns. It recommended tax benefits for buying E20 compliant vehicles, along with a lower retail price for the government has defended its decision to not pass the recommendations, saying that at the time of the report's relase, ethanol was cheaper than petrol."Over time, procurement price of ethanol has increased and now the weighted average price of ethanol is higher than cost of refined petrol," the petroleum ministry said earlier this month. It's not just consumers - the government's blended fuel push has also raised concern among climate researchers and food policy experts. Ethanol is produced from crops like sugarcane and maize, and expanding its use means diverting farm produce into manufacturing more 2025, India would need 10 billion litres of ethanol to meet its E20 requirements, according to government estimates. The demand will balloon to 20 billion litres by 2050, according to Bengaluru-based think tank Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP).Right now, sugarcane is used to produce about 40% of India's ethanol. This puts India in a bind. It has to choose between continuing its reliance on sugarcane - which has a higher yield for ethanol but is water-intensive - or using food crops like maize and rice to produce the the shift comes with its own challenges. In 2024, for the first time in decades, India became a net importer of maize, using large amounts of the crop to make ethanol. Ramya Natarajan, a research scientist at CSTEP, said the diversion of produce had a significant impact on the poultry sector, which now has to spend more to buy corn for this year, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) approved an unprecedented allocation of 5.2 million tonnes of rice for ethanol production. The rice in FCI stocks is earmarked to be given to India's poor at a subsidised policy could lead to an "agriculture disaster in a couple of years", said Devinder Sharma, a farming sector expert. "In a country like India, where 250 million people go hungry, we cannot use food to feed the cars," Mr Sharma meet the demand for ethanol through corn and sugarcane in a 50-50 ratio - as outlined by Niti Aayog - India would have to bring in an additional eight million hectares of land under maize cultivation by 2030, unless there is a drastic increase in yield, according to even that could lead to problems."If farmers replace rice or wheat cultivation with maize, that would be sustainable because we have enough surplus of these crops. But we need other crops like oilseeds and pulses too," Ms Natarajan Natarajan added that continuing with the E10 blend - petrol mixed with 10% ethanol - would have been a more ideal however, is planning to go even beyond E20. "The country will now gradually scale towards E25, E27, and E30 in a phased, calibrated manner," Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri said BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
China serves plan for competitive tennis ecosystem
HONG KONG, Aug 21 (Reuters) - China has unveiled a detailed plan to build and implement a tennis ecosystem, from boosting the number of top professional players and creating Chinese tournament brands to expanding the availability of courts and infrastructure across the country. In a document released on Wednesday night, China's official sporting body said it would encourage cities, businesses, schools and villages to "vigorously develop tennis" and build a new training system to develop top talent. The document said China would strive to "cultivate more than 10 high-level professional players (ranked in the top 100 in the world) and more than 100 professional players and coaches active in international competitions". China has seen growing enthusiasm for tennis since Zheng Qinwen, 22, became the first Chinese player to win an Olympic tennis singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics last year. Chinese tennis players have also become more visible at Grand Slam tournaments and on the ATP tour, including Zhang Shuai, Zhang Zhizhen and Wu Yibing. Chine aims to establish 10 "strong tennis provinces" and "100 strong tennis cities" with youth training centres and tens of thousands of youth tennis clubs, the document said. China will strengthen the "tennis tournament economy" to expand the flow of tennis tournaments and drive the growth of tennis consumption, as well as promoting tennis leisure and tourism routes. It called for "deepening the integration of tennis tournaments and urban development to drive local economic development", the sale of tennis themed cultural and creative products.
