CKF Systems Ltd is a automation and robotics systems specialist based in Gloucester. The company has managed to secure £2.5 million worth of contracts in the first quarter of 2017 and is said to be embracing a change in attitude following Brexit. After the referendum in June of last year in which Britain decided to leave the European Union, companies have been looking within the UK for the engineering expertise that is required for investment projects.

The latest contracts brought in by CKF follow on from over £2.1 million worth of orders that have been placed in November and December last year. The company provides robotic picking, packing and palletizing services for their clients in the manufacturing industry. The company mainly focus on offering their services to the food, pharmaceutical and automotive sectors. CKF have managed a significant level of success which included a major design and build project for a project happening in India as part of a global food brand. However, the referendum last year lead to many investment projects being put on hold. It is promising that a lot of the UK manufacturers are wanting to purchase from within the UK. This has led to a growing train of thought that the increased cost pressures that have come from a weak currency as well as inflation and higher labour costs have encouraged businesses to invest in automation. This investment has also come from SMEs that have previously been resistant to many forms of change.

CKF is one of the leading providers of integrated automated solutions in the UK and also holds the accolade of being one of five UK companies to receive Authorised Value Provider status from ABB. In order to prepare for business growth, the company has bought new premises that are located on the outskirts of Gloucester in 2014. These new premises apparently cost £1.2 million, but there has also been an investment of £300k in the development and refurbishment of the buildings and grounds.