Building on Industry 4.0, the new Industry 5.0 phase encourages deeper human-machine collaboration and promises to improve responsiveness and sustainability. A key milestone will be fully autonomous production - or lights-out manufacturing - explains Beth Ragdale, product manager at Beckhoff Automation UK.

Today's sophisticated industrial robots embody millennia of imagination and decades of engineering effort, as the experts at Yamaha explain.

Technological advancements in robotics are reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace and the adoption of automation has become a critical step for business success. Despite this, a substantial number of companies are hesitating to integrate automation into their operations. The experts at igus explore the reasons for this hesitation, and the solutions.

Stephen Hayes, managing director of automation and control technology specialist, Beckhoff UK, explains that by optimising traditional coding practices, businesses of all sizes can overcome this skills gap to reap productivity and efficiency gains.

Clever, intelligent, but more commonly recognised as 'smart' – a simple definition of an essential component increasingly used in today's food and beverage manufacturing applications and acknowledged as a bridge to the digital future from analogue to IO-Link. The experts at Baumer consider the technical definition of a smart sensor.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly made its way into people's personal and professional lives; in the constantly evolving landscape of manufacturing, it's a game-changer. Manufacturers like igus are navigating the complexities of the Fifth Industrial Revolution where AI stands at the forefront, driving unprecedented advancements in efficiency, precision, and innovation but emphasising the importance of maintaining human creativity within this.

In the realm of automation and control systems, choosing the right controller can significantly impact the efficiency and performance of your application. The experts at maxon delve into the advantages of maxon's MACS range compared to standard PLCs and microcontrollers.

Stephen Hayes, managing director of automation and control specialist, Beckhoff UK, explains how automation can help food and beverage manufacturers cater to the low- and no-alcohol market.

The Health and Safety Executive estimates that over two million people in Great Britain are exposed to unacceptable levels of noise at work, with food and drink production being amongst the biggest culprits. Many of the processes that emit the most noise happen during manufacturing, but there are ways that plant managers can reduce it, as Tom Cash, director at automation parts supplier Foxmere, explains.

Automation can enhance jobs, making them safer and quicker for humans. Nevertheless, reaping these benefits means closing a wide automation skills gap, explains Stephen Hayes, managing director at automation specialist Beckhoff UK.