MTC Robotics & Automation conference strengthens UK drive for productivity and innovation
Business challenge
Product Innovation
Process Innovation
Digital Transformation
Growth & Scaling
Skills & Training
Sector
Manufacturing
Technology or capability
Automation & Robotics
MTC welcomed more than 575 attendees to its fifth annual Robotics & Automation conference, Powering your future, bringing together industry leaders, technology developers, vendors, integrators and manufacturing users to explore how robotics and automation can improve productivity, accelerate innovation and strengthen UK competitiveness.
Held over two days in Coventry, the conference connected the future of robotics innovation with the practical steps needed to accelerate adoption across industry.
Day one focused on the technologies, partnerships and ecosystem conditions needed to build UK robotics capability, including the role of AI-enabled automation and emerging technologies in creating long-term industrial value.
Day two shifted the focus to real-world deployment, helping manufacturers understand how to overcome barriers, scale automation with confidence and unlock measurable productivity gains. Opening the conference, Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, underlined the importance of advanced manufacturing and automation in driving regional and national growth, reinforcing the West Midlands’ role as a centre for industrial innovation.
Day two keynote speaker Kevin Bampton, CEO of the British Occupational Hygiene Society, explored the protective and enabling role of robotics in creating safer, healthier and more inclusive workplaces. His session highlighted how automation can help reduce risk while enabling people with reduced mobility or capacity to participate more fully and productively in work.
Across the programme, attendees engaged with more than 40 exhibitors, technology providers and peers to explore applied use cases, emerging technologies and practical routes from early-stage exploration to deployment.
Improving productivity is one of the UK’s biggest industrial challenges, and robotics and automation are central to addressing it. What we are seeing is a shift from interest to action - businesses are looking for practical ways to adopt these technologies and realise value quickly. Bringing together industry, technology and expertise in one place helps accelerate that journey and turn ambition into measurable impact.
Mike Wilson, Chief Automation Officer at MTC
To learn more about how MTC can support your automation journey please visit our Robotics & Automation web page or contact the team at automation@the-mtc.org
