Making it Smarter: Global lessons for Accelerating Automation & Digital Adoption in UK Manufacturing
18.08.2025
The UK is falling behind global leaders in robotics and AI - but we don’t have to.
Our new report, Making it Smarter: Global Lessons for Accelerating Automation and Digital Adoption in UK Manufacturing, produced by Make UK in partnership with Sage, explores how targeted innovation and digital investment - especially in SMEs - could add £150 billion to the UK’s GDP by 2035.
What You’ll Learn
- Why the UK ranks just 24th in global robotics density
- How leading nations like South Korea, Singapore, and Switzerland are transforming SME manufacturing through targeted support
- What’s stalling UK automation and how to fix it - including the digital skills gap
- The role of government strategy in enabling high-value innovation
Download the full report below and discover the roadmap to a smarter, more competitive UK manufacturing sector.
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.
“Other countries are accelerating ahead by putting smaller firms at the heart of national strategies – with long-term support that’s simple to access, reliable, and rooted in real business needs. From South Korea to Switzerland, governments have created clear, SME-focused strategies that simplify innovation funding, offer long-term tax incentives, and ensure every business can access practical support.
“These policies work not just delivering improvements in economic growth, but also in more environmentally friendly processes with fewer defects, higher profit margins, and creating more higher skills, better paying jobs.
