How British Robotics and Automation Companies Can Serve UAE Industries

In a warehouse, robotic arms sort parcels around the clock while a single operator monitors output from a glass-walled control room.

Across town in Jebel Ali, an automated guided vehicle moves engine components between assembly stations without a driver.

At Medcare Royal Hospital, surgical teams are preparing to implement robotic-assisted procedures.

On a construction site in Dubai Creek Harbour, a machine plasters a wall that would have taken a crew of three the better part of a day.

This isn’t a vision of what’s coming. It’s what’s already running.

The UAE robotics system integration market generated USD 258.7 million in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 397.7 million by 2030. The UAE government has allocated AED 1.5 billion for the development of AI and robotics through its National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, and Dubai has announced a Robotics and Automation Program targeting the deployment of 200,000 robots over the next decade. The spending is committed, the programmes are named, and the procurement is active.

British automation companies UAE industries need are already building the systems this market requires — robotic integration, process automation, cobot deployment, warehouse fulfilment, industrial machining. The UK has deep capability here, from firms like CKF Systems and CNC Robotics to larger players like Ocado Technology, one of the most advanced robotics companies in retail and e-commerce. What most of these companies lack isn’t technical capability or a relevant product. It’s the commercial structure to contract, invoice, and deliver in the UAE.

Why the UAE Is Automating and Why It’s Accelerating

The drivers behind UAE automation are structural, not cyclical. They’re built into the country’s economic model and aren’t going away.

• Labour costs are rising

Labour costs in the UAE have surged, with average wages increasing by 5.0%, compelling businesses to explore automation as a way to maintain productivity. For industries that have historically relied on large manual workforces — logistics, construction, manufacturing, food processing — the economics of automation are shifting from optional to necessary.

• Government strategy is pushing adoption

This isn’t bottom-up adoption driven by individual companies. It’s top-down policy. The UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence includes a commitment to invest AED 1 billion in AI research and development. The Dubai 10X initiative emphasises integration of robotics in public services.  

• Industry 4.0 is the stated direction

The UAE is focusing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution to increase productivity across sectors. That means connected manufacturing, predictive maintenance, digital twins, smart warehousing, and the integration layer that ties robotics to operational data. For British automation companies that build these systems, the UAE isn’t just buying robots. It’s buying the infrastructure around them.

• Regional demand multiplies the opportunity

The UAE is one part of a broader Gulf automation wave. Saudi Arabia is automating 4,000 factories to curb reliance on low-skilled workers, and PwC estimates the robotics and AI sector could contribute more than USD 135.2 billion — 12.4% of Saudi GDP — by 2030. A British automation company established in the UAE sits at the centre of a regional market that’s investing at scale.

Where British Automation Capability Meets UAE Demand

The industrial robots segment is the largest revenue-generating type in the UAE, holding a 49.56% share in 2024. But the real opportunity for British companies isn’t selling hardware. It’s selling integrated solutions — the design, deployment, and support layer that turns a robot into a working system.

Manufacturing and logistics

Robotic solutions have revolutionised these industries by enabling 24/7 operations, reducing human error, and managing vast inventories. Swisslog Middle East has operated in the UAE since 2014, providing robotic material handling solutions — proof that international integrators can build long-term contracts in this market. British companies like Geku Automation, a leading UK industrial robot integrator, and CKF Systems, one of the UK’s leading robot integration companies offering complete turnkey solutions, have the capability to serve UAE manufacturers. The missing piece is typically local commercial structure.

Delivery and last-mile fulfilment is a specific growth area. Mobile ordering accounts for about 70% of delivery transactions across the Middle East and North Africa, following a 30% year-on-year rise. Talabat has already launched seven autonomous delivery robots serving 300 homes in Dubai Silicon Oasis.

Healthcare

Robots are upending established surgical practices, from cardiac to gynaecological procedures. Hospitals are using autonomous mobile robots to move materials and track patient health. For British companies building surgical robotics, automated pharmacy dispensing, hospital logistics automation, or patient monitoring systems, the UAE healthcare sector is investing heavily and procuring internationally.

Construction

Dubai’s construction pipeline never stops. Robots are already navigating sites to identify hazards, and assisting with bricklaying, plastering, and painting. Singapore’s Myro launched the world’s first wall-painting robot in Dubai in 2021 — a signal that the market is open to international robotics companies that solve specific construction problems. British firms with expertise in site automation, structural inspection drones, or modular construction robotics have a relevant offer.

Food service and retail

Quokka Gelato became the UAE’s first ice cream bar entirely staffed by robots when it opened in Abu Dhabi in 2022. It’s an extreme example, but it reflects a broader shift. Automated food preparation, inventory management, and in-store robotics are gaining traction across the UAE’s retail and hospitality sectors. The surge in adoption of collaborative robots (cobots) across various UAE industries is making smaller, modular systems viable for operators who aren’t running large-scale factories.

Education and training

GEMS Dubai American Academy was one of the first educational institutions in the UAE to utilise robots for coding and interactive lessons. As the UAE’s STEM curriculum expands and vocational training programmes grow, British companies building educational robotics platforms or automation training systems have an adjacent market.

What It Takes to Win Automation Contracts in the UAE

Robotics and automation procurement in the UAE follows a different rhythm to the UK.  

Understanding the buying model matters as much as having the right product.

Contracts tend to be project-based initially — a system integration for a new warehouse, a robotic cell for a manufacturing line, an automation upgrade for a hospital logistics department. The engagements are often high-value, and they move faster than UK procurement cycles. But they also require a level of local commercial structure that catches many British companies off guard.

Without a UAE entity, British automation companies typically face:

• Exclusion from government and semi-government procurement portals

• Inability to invoice in AED, which adds FX friction and delays payment

• Difficulty providing local support, maintenance, and warranty coverage

• Longer vendor onboarding cycles with industrial clients who require a UAE trade license

The companies that win — Swisslog, Geek+, Myro — all established locally before pursuing contracts.  

Getting Your Automation Business Operational in the UAE

For most British robotics and automation companies, entering the UAE doesn’t mean relocating engineers or setting up a workshop. It means creating a commercial entity that can contract, invoice, and support clients locally — while technical delivery stays anchored in the UK until volume justifies expanding.

Match your license to your commercial model

Whether you’re providing system integration, selling industrial hardware, offering maintenance contracts, or consulting on automation strategy, your UAE trade license needs to reflect it. Meydan Free Zone offers 2,500+ business activity options, with up to three activity groups under a single license — so a company providing robotic integration, technical consultancy, and hardware trading can operate all three under one entity.

Incorporate without leaving the workshop

Through Meydan Free Zone, British founders can form a UAE company fully online using only their passport. The Fawri business license is issued in under 60 minutes. No office, no visit, no local partner required. The entity is what unlocks procurement access, local contracts, and banking.

Get paid on local terms

Automation contracts are high-value and often structured around milestones. Invoicing in AED on standard local payment terms is expected — not optional. Meydan Free Zone’s guaranteed IBAN pathway gets your banking set up through partner banks, so you’re not chasing international wire transfers on a 60-day cycle.

Deliver from the UK, support from the UAE

The operating model that works for most British automation firms entering the UAE:

• Design, engineering, and build remain UK-based — where the expertise and facilities already exist.

• The UAE entity handles contracts, invoicing, and client relationships — the commercial front-end.

• On-ground commissioning and support are handled by the founding team on project trips initially, with local hires added as the contract base grows.

• Residency is activated when needed — through mResidency, Meydan Free Zone handles the full visa process including medical testing, biometrics, and Emirates ID.

Operating Through Meydan Free Zone: What Changes

Here’s the difference a local entity makes for a British automation company looking to serve UAE industries:

Meydan Free Zone is structured for technology and industrial service companies that need commercial presence without physical infrastructure:

Full company formation from the UK — passport only, entirely digital, no office lease required

2,500+ activity options covering robotics, system integration, technical consultancy, and equipment trading

Combine up to three activity groups under one license — so integration, consulting, and hardware supply sit in one entity

100% foreign ownership with full profit repatriation

Guaranteed IBAN pathway to get banking operational quickly

mPlus handles the back-office: license renewals, bookkeeping, compliance, and admin — so the team focuses on engineering and sales

In Conclusion

The UAE is deploying robots at a pace that most British automation companies would recognise from their own domestic pipeline projections — except the budget is committed, the programmes are named, and the procurement is live. AED 1.5 billion allocated to AI and robotics. 200,000 robots targeted over the next decade. A system integration market heading toward USD 397.7 million by 2030. And next door, Saudi Arabia automating 4,000 factories.

The British companies that win work here will be the ones that are locally set up to bid, contract, invoice, and support. The technical capability already exists. The missing piece is commercial structure — and that’s the part that takes under 60 minutes to fix.

If you’re a British robotics or automation company looking to serve UAE industries, book a consultation with a setup advisor at Meydan Free Zone to map out the fastest route to local establishment and procurement access.