Robotics centre restructures to boost customer service

The Doncaster-based centre, which recently secured additional cash from regional development agency (RDA) Yorkshire Forward designed to tide it over until next spring, is hoping the restructuring will help it to achieve financial self-sufficiency by next autumn.

CenFRA, which helps manufacturers explore the benefits of increased automation, has been supported by Yorkshire Forward since its launch in 2007. However, questions were raised about its future after it emerged that a three-year contract with the RDA was not going to be renewed.

But md Steve Blazye told FoodManufacture.co.uk that CenFRA was now in a position to implement an ambitious new business plan and was now recruiting two to three engineers this year to help it diversify into new markets and boost support for existing clients.

Outlook much more positive​

He added: “The mood is good out there. People are willing to spend money again if they can see a clear return, so the outlook is much more positive than it was this time last year.“​

The introduction of simulation techniques enabling firms to ‘virtually’ evaluate the merits of automating production processes before making investments had also proved successful, not least because it helped managers present something more concrete to their Boards and banks when trying to secure funds, he said.

The challenge was trying to encourage some firms that had looked at robots a decade ago and dismissed them to look again, he said.

“A huge amount has changed over the last few years in terms of the technology, but also in terms of affordability. I think a lot of people still think investing in robotics and automation will be prohibitively expensive, but that’s just not the case anymore.”​

The new divisions are: CenFRA Assist, CenFRA Simulations, CenFRA Solutions, CenFRA Bespoke and CenFRA Technical.

• CenFRA Assist,​ which will offer government-funded audits, will be the first point of contact for customers.
• CenFRA Simulation ​will promote CenFRA's technical modelling systems, which help firms ‘virtually’ evaluate the merits of automating production processes before making costly investments.
• CenFRA Solutions ​will largely deal with project management and be responsible for guiding customers from the audit and simulation stages through to implementation, covering everything from writing up buying specifications to liaising with equipment suppliers, supervising installations, training and maintenance.
• CenFRA Bespoke ​will help firms explore automation solutions not currently available as off-the-shelf applications.
• CenFRA Technical ​will supply technical and industry knowledge.