OAL, a leading robotics and automation specialist, has obtained a £5 million Innovation Loan from Innovate UK. The funding will enable the deployment of over 1,000 robotic systems across the UK food manufacturing industry by 2030, directly tackling ongoing labour shortages.
Fenceless Robotics for Safer, Flexible Automation
This five-year initiative focuses on the commercial rollout of fenceless robotics—compact systems engineered to work safely alongside human operators on production lines, eliminating the need for traditional protective caging. These robots excel in space-limited environments, making them ideal for food factories.
Persistent Challenges in UK Food Manufacturing
The sector employs more than 430,000 workers, many performing repetitive manual tasks like picking, placing, and palletising. Manufacturers face difficulties recruiting and retaining staff, with estimates indicating over 100,000 hard-to-fill positions. Compared to other industries, food production lags in automation due to the size, complexity, and integration challenges of conventional robots.
Leadership Perspectives
Jake Norman, managing director of OAL, stated: “Labour remains one of the biggest structural challenges in food manufacturing, yet traditional automation is often too large or inflexible to adapt to changing demands – be they consumer- or retailer-led. Fenceless robotics addresses this head on. We can rapidly deploy robots into space-constrained environments to automate pick and place and palletising tasks. This transformational technology gives manufacturers a real competitive advantage and reduces their exposure to labour shortages. We’re thrilled to secure the support of Innovate UK to accelerate this vital project.”
Jonathan Walker, innovation lead at Innovate UK, added: “In industries like food processing robotics and automation can increase productivity by filling vacancies rather than replacing jobs. The conditions are generally unpleasant for people to work in due to temperature, hygiene requirements and repetitive tasks but well suited to a properly designed robot. It is great to see UK companies innovating in this space and I’m pleased that Innovate UK are able to support.”
Job Creation and Economic Impact
The project will generate more than 100 new positions at OAL in areas such as engineering, software development, systems integration, and technical sales, boosting innovation and employment in the sector.
