The Processing and Packaging Machinery Association (PPMA) Group of Associations is re-branding and changing its name to Automate UK. The association said it made the change in a bid to better represent the needs of its membership and its end-user customers in the manufacturing landscape. The PPMA Group of Associations is rebranding to Automate UK. PPMA, UKIVA, and Bara will fall under the group’s umbrella. Courtesy of Automate UK. The move was announced at the trade association’s annual chairman’s lunch in London on Dec. 1, and follows the publication of a “manifesto for automation” earlier in the year. This manifesto set out the organization’s goals and commitment to make UK PLC more productive. It also set out the central role that automation has to play in the U.K. manufacturing sector’s continuing success. Specifically, Automate UK said, the main purposes of the name change are to drive the progress and adoption of automation technologies; identify future talent and help upskill existing employees to minimize impact of skills and labor shortages; support the growth of its member companies; and help the members and end users make better technology decisions. Individual associations — PPMA, the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA), and the UK Industrial Vision Association (UKIVA) — will continue to operate without interruption, as well as continue to hold their specific exhibitions, though under the Automate UK umbrella. New for the organization, it said, is its aim to become a recognized lobbying organization. Such recognition would better position Automate UK to put key industry issues forward to government. Automate UK added that recruitment of a CTO is ongoing. The PPMA was founded in 1987. It was joined by BARA and UKIVA in 2009.