Flexible by design - Autonomous robotics and the next step for UK manufacturing
26/06/2026 ABB Robotics
As factories deal with shorter runs, more product variants and constant pressure to improve output, autonomous robotics is moving automation beyond fixed, repetitive tasks. Julian Ware, UK & Ireland Sales Manager for ABB Robotics UK Ltd, explains how ABB's Autonomous Versatile Robotics concept is helping manufacturers build greater flexibility into production.
Industrial robots have long been valued for offering the speed, accuracy, consistency and reliability that modern manufacturing depends on.
However, their traditional strengths have also defined their limitations. In many factories, robots have been installed in fixed locations, programmed around known part positions and expected to follow closely defined routines. While this model works extremely well when products, processes and material flows remain stable, it is less well suited to situations where product ranges change frequently, batch sizes shrink or parts arrive in less predictable orientations.
This is where a new generation of autonomous systems is increasingly demonstrating value. ABB's Autonomous Versatile Robotics (AVR) approach brings together perception, mobility, dexterity and decision-making to create robotic systems that can understand more about their surroundings and adapt within defined operating conditions. Rather than treating every variation as a programming problem, AVR enables robots to respond to real-world changes and continue working effectively.
Why versatility matters for UK manufacturers
The UK manufacturing base is highly diverse, with many companies producing specialist components, custom products or multiple versions of the same item. For these operations, automation has not always been straightforward. A line that runs several product variants, for example, may need regular changeovers, new fixtures, revised robot paths or manual intervention to keep production moving.
By combining AI-enabled vision, 3D mapping, force sensing, advanced motion control and navigation technologies, autonomous robotics can identify objects, interpret sensor information and adjust their actions to suit the task. They can recognise whether a feature is fixed or moving, distinguish between expected item types and alter handling strategies as conditions change.
The result is automation that is ideally matched to the variation found in factory applications. For an automotive supplier, this could mean managing a wider mix of component variants without repeated mechanical changes. For a consumer goods producer, it could mean adapting more easily to different packaging formats, SKUs or seasonal product runs.
Mobile robots that fit around changing operations
The same shift is taking place in intralogistics. Autonomous mobile robots are no longer limited to heavily engineered routes or environments that rely on fixed markers. Technologies such as Visual SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping), allow mobile robots to build and update maps without the need for markers or other navigational aids. This makes it easier to deploy them in dynamic production and warehouse spaces where layouts, people and material flows can change.
When combined with fleet-management software, this capability gives manufacturers a more flexible way to organise internal transport. ABB's Flexley Tug and Flexley Mover autonomous mobile robots, for example, can be assigned to different material movements, towing tasks or production areas without major infrastructure changes. A robot used for line feeding during one shift can be moved on to finished-goods transport or another internal logistics role during the next.
This is particularly valuable for manufacturers that need to balance efficiency with responsiveness. Instead of building automation around one fixed layout, mobile robots can be redeployed as demand, staffing or production priorities shift.
Lowering the skills barrier
Versatility is only useful if manufacturers can put it to work without adding unnecessary complexity. For many small and medium-sized companies, robots have historically been seen as difficult to specify, program and maintain.
This perception remains a significant barrier to investment. ABB's most recent survey involving 250 UK businesses found that 40 percent of respondents had concerns about adopting robots. In many cases, those concerns were linked to a shortage of people with the skills and experience needed to program, operate and manage robotic systems.
The answer has been to make programming as easy as possible to minimize the need for specialist skills. Modern interfaces allow operators to configure applications through visual tools, simplified programming or demonstration-based methods that reduce the complexity, effort and time required to set up and commission a robot. Lead-through teaching, for instance, enables a user to physically guide a robot through an operation so that it can learn the required movement. Software such as ABB's RobotStudio AI Assistant builds on this idea by allowing users to describe and refine applications using conversational inputs.
These tools do not remove the need for engineering knowledge, particularly in safety, process design and integration. They do, however, make it faster to set up, adjust and redeploy robots, helping manufacturers get more value from their automation investments.
Applications already showing the value
The benefits of autonomous versatility can be seen across several areas of industry. In automotive supply chains, mobile robots are already supporting line feeding, kitting and movement between process stages, helping factories cope with constantly changing parts and build sequences.
Consumer goods and logistics operations present another strong use case, with products that can vary by size, shape, packaging type and presentation, often on a daily basis. Robotic systems that can handle unknown or randomly placed items are therefore well suited to high-mix, high-throughput environments. ABB's Robotic Fashion Inductor and Robotic Parcel Inductor functional modules are designed for these conditions, handling unstructured item flows while achieving picking accuracy of more than 99.5 percent.
This ability to work with greater uncertainty opens opportunities in areas that were previously difficult to automate economically. It also supports more resilient operations, because production teams can respond more quickly when product mixes, customer demand or labour availability change.
Productivity gains beyond the robot cell
The productivity case for AVR is not limited to the speed of an individual robot. The wider value comes from reducing downtime, shortening commissioning, improving utilisation and making it easier to reconfigure operations.
In mobile robot applications, ABB combines Visual SLAM with AMR Studio fleet-management software to monitor robot activity in real time, allocate missions intelligently and manage traffic flow. This can reduce commissioning time by up to 20 percent, helping manufacturers bring automation into service more quickly.
Autonomous systems are also designed to operate in shared spaces with people, allowing manufacturers to rethink layouts that would previously have required fully separated automation cells. The aim is not to replace human capability, but to use robotics to take on repetitive, physically demanding or time-sensitive tasks while people focus on higher-value activities.
Building a more adaptable industrial base
UK manufacturers are under pressure on several fronts, from skills shortages and rising operating costs to global competition and the constant need to improve productivity while remaining agile.
Autonomous versatile robots offer a practical way to address these challenges. By giving robots greater awareness, mobility, adaptability and ease of reconfiguration, they make it possible to automate processes that were previously too variable, complex or changeable for conventional robotic systems.
For manufacturers that need to respond quickly to shifting market demands while making better use of people, equipment and factory space, autonomous versatile robots represent an important step forward, opening new possibilities to perform established tasks faster and adapt with confidence as production requirements change.
Print this articleFor more information, please contact:
Michelle Jocelyn
ABB Robotics
ABB Limited
Orion House
Maidstone Road
Kingston
Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire
MK10 0BD
Tel: +44 (0)1908 350300
Email: michelle.jocelyn@gb.abb.com
Web: https://www.abb.com/robotics
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