New name and headquarters for KUKA in the UK as part of expansion push

Now called KUKA Robotics UK, the company is housed in a new 10,300 sq ft premises in Wednesbury, West Midlands, which is home to its 18-strong sales, service, training and technical support team. The company, which has taken over the robot supply business from friction welding machine maker Thompson, is led by managing director Jeff Nowill, with the sales, service and finance teams headed by Ian Walker, Ken Pinkney and Gary Hughes, respectively. It is a subsidiary of KUKA Roboter, Europe's largest robot manufacturer, which has been represented in the UK since 1974. Initially, it supplied robots to British car makers but, in the last three decades, has expanded into other sectors such as food and beverage processing, metal working and plastics. The new headquarters in Great Western Street includes an assembly hall, modern training centre, spares facility and conference room. "Our new name and premises represent an exciting phase. The move marks the start of plans to expand our operations and provide an even greater focus on customer service and support," said managing director Jeff Nowill. The company had already signed agreements with a number of new automation system integrators as part of its expansion strategy, which could also include the creation of new jobs in the future, he said. "Demand for robotic automation is growing rapidly and more companies are turning to robots to transform labour-intensive tasks into productivity-boosting processes," added Mr Nowill. Imag: (l to r): finance director, Gary Hughes; managing director, Jeff Nowill; general sales manager, Ian Walker; and service manager, Ken Pinkney.