Tell us about what you do at Automa8

“A lot of the business that I do is with integrators and suppliers to try and manage clients’ expectations. Quite often, clients will believe that automation can do anything and that by throwing money at it, it will achieve what they need. And sometimes they need to understand the risks and pitfalls of potentially trying to automate too much or go too far or not understand that if the process they’re putting automation into is unsustainable, then that investment will not give dividends.”

In those 15 years that you’ve had Autom8, how have you seen the market or the industry change?

“The industry has changed significantly. When I was first in automation, automation was a bit of a dirty word. It was seen as being the bad boy coming in and taking people’s jobs. But I think as time’s gone on, there was a change, and it became quite clear that automation is necessary, and that adding automation and moving people into more valued roles has a place in business.

So often there’s a requirement for automation, but it can’t be justified over the year or 18 months that somebody in the finance department believes is necessary. And typically this isn’t the model that is used in, say, Germany or Italy where they plan and integrate over a much longer period. That facilitates them being able to justify a higher investment over a longer period, which means they get better kit, more automation, more consistency, and therefore their business moves forward while many companies here are left in a frustrated position.”

Is this from a desire to want things done quickly?

“I think they want it to be amortised too quickly. If we were looking at a simple calculation of say, £100 over a year, it’s not the same as £100 over five years. So the benefits you get from your automation in a five-year investment will outweigh your £100 investment in the first order, so you’d be paying that off and getting the benefit, whereas, if you try and do it too short-term, that benefit isn’t available because you’re too busy looking at the bottom line.

The UK is one of the lowest investors in automation and robotics in the whole of Europe. We’re absolutely dwarfed by the Germans and the French, because they justify their type of amortisation over a significantly long period. Part of it is that a lot of German companies in particular are family-owned, and so there’s a longer termism approach. Whereas we tend to have more of the shareholder ownership where we’ll make the investment, but we want it paid back in 18 months. And I think that that curtails a more long-term approach for getting the right equipment that would give you a better return on your investment.”

How would you explain your role on Cortha projects?

“The role is sort of as an intermediary, in some respects. It’s managing the expectation of the client and making them appreciate that there’s a significant value in using a vision specialist. In my experience, a lot of automation companies and end clients have been sold a dream. The salesperson will come in, do a quick demo, make it look very simple, and make the sale. The client thinks, ‘Great, job done. I just need to mess about on this handset and get it working.’

A lot of vision systems are limited to some extent and vastly affected by the variety of lighting, problems, parts and changes that need somebody with good expertise and experience to understand what can go wrong. It’s about justifying why you would be buying or working with a company like Cortha to not waste money going out and buying a clever yellow box that, in actual fact, is going to give you many hours of frustration and possibly never really deliver what it can do. That doesn’t mean to say that equipment isn’t used by Cortha – it means they know how to use it more effectively and understand the implications and how they should manage it.

It’s also about getting that understanding across to clients that getting experts involved might initially appear to be an expensive option, but in truth, it’s protecting the business from making expensive errors. And it’s certainly true that poor installation and integration can potentially affect the effectiveness of that equipment for years and years to come.

I have seen machines running that have been built by the end user and I’ve queried why they appear to be in crawl mode. They say, ‘That’s production speed,’ and I think… ‘My god, the opportunity – that system could be running at three times the rate!’ Not only would they be making three times more, but they had a suite of about eight machines that they didn’t need.”

How do you step in and resolve common causes of tension or frustration between technical teams and clients?

“A common theme is communication. An appreciation by both sides as to what’s going on in the other camp. From the supplier’s point of view, they should be really understanding that the client is potentially inexperienced in buying automation and in specifying. Quite often, the specification is the weak link in this. I often work with clients to develop a robust specification to make sure that they genuinely get what they think they want. It’s about digging into their background and requirements to understand what they’re trying to achieve.

Quite often, I get called into businesses that have had automation that’s not performing as well as they would like it. So we ask, ‘What did you ask for? What has been provided? Where’s it gone wrong? Where’s the misunderstanding? Can it be put right?’ And in some cases, quite often, it can be. So without a shadow of a doubt, the best approach is keeping everybody informed and updated. If something happens that you didn’t expect, explain it. Have a plan, implement the plan, put it right, maintain the relationship. That’s the key thing. Because once the relationship goes, you’re in a really dodgy place.”

How do you go about translating complex concepts in a way that they can understand?

“I like things simple. I like them logical. And I do like to get them down to the brass tacks. Boil the complexity down to something that you believe you can put across clearly. I think it’s getting that key message across so that the fundamentals are understood – and not only the fundamental processes, but also the fundamental risks of something not being right. So justifying why you’re pushing clients gently into the right area to make sure that their expectation is met. And then once the spec’s written and signed off, the supplier looks at that and says, ‘Can I achieve this? Can I meet this spec?’ If they can’t, then either they walk away, or they tick what they can do and they deliver it.

But with bespoke automation, whatever you’re doing, you’ve probably never done it before. So you’re always breaking new ground, there’s always an inherent risk, so in my opinion, faults and problems will always occur. The mettle of the business is in the ability not to walk away, but to grasp it and come up with a viable, practical solution that has as little detrimental effect on both sides.”

Is that something you have to do collaboratively, as a team?

“Yeah, it’s all about keeping it together as a team. I often come across clients who place an order for something then sit back and wait for delivery. But there’s so much more that needs to be going on. There needs to be engagement, and there needs to be an inquisitive mind – learning as much as they can about the equipment. It’s about taking ownership. I’ve been to installations where clients have just not really accepted that they are responsible for this piece of kit. So the slightest thing goes wrong, they pick up the phone, say, ‘your machine’s not working.’ The reality is, a sensor has gone down, and if they’d applied a bit of logic and a bit of common sense to it, they could have sorted that out themselves within an hour or two. So it’s that ownership element that’s so important, and the inquisitiveness of understanding what it is you bought.”

Can you share an example of a time when your involvement with the Cortha team helped get a project back on track?

“My experience with the team at Cortha has been very positive. I think they have the best interest in heart. I think they’re tenacious.

There was a big installation project where I was called in independently to audit the system and see whether the supplier had delivered on what he promised to deliver. And the answer to that was, broadly speaking, yes, but it could it be further optimised. And part of that audit was to provide a list of potential things that they could do to improve the efficiency of the system. One of those was installing optical character recognition and vision systems. So I brought Paul in and he was able to justify to the client why they needed a specialist to do this work. His experience in doing high speed interrogation of complex shapes and patterns facilitated them making an investment and then furthermore installing that equipment to make that whole system work so much more smoothly.

So there was a gap in the ability of the system to recognise the product, and by integrating vision systems, as well as the sensors they already had, they could significantly improve the output of that machine and make it much more reliable. And it was a difficult environment, a big, open environment, with windows and light coming in, from different angles, and trucks going around, and all sorts of activity, which all can have an effect on vision systems. It’s those kinds of understandings about filters and shielding and guarding that all come to play to make a more robust system. And I think Paul’s probably got the scars, along with the hardware-worked experience to achieve a good product, a good service. Ultimately, what he provides is a service, he’s meeting the needs of his client. And I know he does that and he cares. This is a company that genuinely tries to deliver on the aspirations of the client.”

Mark’s perspective reinforces something we strongly believe at Cortha: successful automation is about clarity, collaboration, and long-term thinking. With the right expertise and open communication, complex projects become far more manageable and far more successful.

Planning an automation or vision project? Contact us to see how Cortha and our trusted partners can help you invest confidently and deliver lasting results.