UK manufacturing is lagging behind international counterparts in adoption of technologies such as robotics and AI, and a new report from Make UK and Sage reveals that nearly half of UK manufacturers identify a lack of technical skills as their biggest hurdle to improving their use of advanced automation. Those projects which do start often stall after implementation stage, because companies cannot find the help and advice they need to make the technologies work well. Noting that countries where all SME innovation funding and advice is held under one easy-to-access ‘umbrella hub’ have dramatically higher success rates, Make UK is calling on Government to embed targeted funding for digital skills needed in manufacturing and engineering to accompany the existing £100m already set aside for engineering skills.