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INSURANCE BUILT FOR AUTOMATED PRODUCTION
Why Automation & Robotics Is a Different Insurance Risk
Automation drives productivity — but it concentrates risk. A single robot cell fault, controller failure, safety interlock issue or software/firmware error can stop an entire line. Insurers look beyond the purchase price of robotics and focus on the knock-on impact: reinstatement time, specialist engineer availability, spare parts lead times and the operational technology (OT) exposure.
Strong cover and strong premiums depend on how well the risk is presented: equipment schedules and values, maintenance and backups, change control, safety compliance, supplier support, and a realistic plan to keep production moving after a failure.
Industrial Automation & Robotics Insurance (UK)
This page explains the core insurance considerations for automated production environments — including robot cells, pick-and-place, welding robots, palletising systems, conveyors, CNC automation, PLC/SCADA control, vision systems and integrated safety circuits. It also sets out what insurers typically ask for to quote and how to avoid common exclusions.
Insure24 supports industrial equipment and manufacturing businesses across the UK. We help you structure cover around high-value automation, protect downtime exposures, and position safety and OT controls clearly so underwriters can quote confidently.
- High-value equipment schedules for robot cells and control systems
- Engineering / machinery breakdown options for automated lines
- Business interruption exposure driven by single points of failure
- Public/products liability for automated operations and integrator work
- Cyber & OT risk (remote access, PLC/SCADA, segmentation and backups)
- Risk improvements that improve insurer appetite and pricing
What Covers Are Typically Relevant for Automation & Robotics?
Automation risks cut across property, engineering, liability and cyber/OT. The “right” structure depends on whether you are a manufacturer using automation, an OEM, or a systems integrator installing/maintaining robotics for clients.
- Commercial property (buildings, contents, stock, spares)
- Machinery breakdown / engineering (incl. electrical/mechanical failure)
- Business interruption (gross profit / revenue) and increased cost of working
- Public liability and products liability (incl. automation-related incidents)
- Professional indemnity (design/spec/integration errors where applicable)
- Cyber insurance with OT considerations (where available and suitable)
- Goods in transit / installation risks (integrators, projects, off-site work)
Downtime Is the Real Cost: BI and Single Points of Failure
The biggest financial impact of a robotics incident is often downtime rather than repair cost. Insurers will ask what happens if a robot controller fails, a safety PLC locks out the cell, or a critical servo drive goes down. If you have a single automated line with no bypass route, the BI exposure can be significant.
Controls insurers like to see
Documented critical spares, supplier support contracts, preventative maintenance, and a realistic contingency plan (manual workarounds, outsourcing, temporary hire, overtime) can materially improve underwriting outcomes.
- Critical equipment list (robots, controllers, drives, PLCs, safety systems)
- Spare parts strategy and lead times (controllers, servos, sensors, end-effectors)
- Maintenance plan, condition monitoring and documented call-out arrangements
- Bypass / redundancy options and manual fallback capability
- Increased cost of working plan (temporary labour, outsourcing, logistics)
- Indemnity period matched to realistic repair/replacement time
Safety, Liability and Integration Risk
Robotics introduces complex safety risk: guarding, interlocks, light curtains, emergency stops, safety PLC logic, and safe operating procedures. From an insurance perspective, incidents can lead to injury claims, property damage to third parties, or product liability allegations if automated processes contribute to defects.
Integrators and OEMs: design/spec exposure
If you design and commission systems for clients, insurers often look at contractual terms, testing/validation, change control, acceptance criteria, and the separation between design responsibility (PI) and installation risk (PL/contract works).
- Documented risk assessments and safety validation/testing evidence
- Guarding, interlocks, LOTO procedures and operator training records
- Change control for PLC/robot programs (who can edit, how it’s approved)
- Commissioning/acceptance sign-off and handover documentation
- Contracts: limitation of liability, warranties and scope clarity
- Quality controls that prevent defects tied to automated processes
Cyber & OT Risk for Automated Lines
Modern automation is connected: remote support, vendor VPN access, MES integration, SCADA visibility and data exchange. That can introduce OT cyber risk and “accidental” downtime (misconfiguration, patching issues, ransomware spillover). Some insurers will quote cyber for manufacturers, but the outcome depends on controls and segmentation.
What improves insurer confidence
Clear network segmentation between business IT and OT, controlled remote access, backups of PLC/robot programs, and an incident response plan that includes OT recovery steps.
- OT network segmentation and controlled remote access (vendor VPN governance)
- Backups for PLC/SCADA/robot programs (tested restore process)
- Patch/change management for controllers and engineering workstations
- Asset inventory for OT devices and monitoring where appropriate
- Incident response plan including safe shutdown and restart steps
What We’ll Ask For to Quote Automation & Robotics Insurance
The fastest route to competitive terms is a clear, structured submission. If you can provide the information below (even in summary), we can approach suitable markets and reduce underwriting “unknowns”.
- Business overview: are you a manufacturer, OEM or integrator?
- Automation schedule: robots/cells, controllers, PLCs, drives, safety systems
- Values: sums insured for equipment, spares, stock and any contract works
- Maintenance and support contracts + critical spares/lead times
- BI figures and selected indemnity period (and rationale)
- Safety compliance evidence and operator training/LOTO procedures
- OT/cyber controls (segmentation, remote access, backups)
- Claims history and any improvements since incidents
“Our automation line was a single point of failure. Insure24 helped us document spares, support contracts, backups and BI recovery planning — and the insurer improved terms and reduced the engineering excess.”
Operations Director, Automated Manufacturing SitePROTECT YOUR BUSINESS
- Access to specialist markets for automation-heavy manufacturing risks
- Cover structured around machinery breakdown and downtime exposure
- Support presenting safety and OT controls to underwriters
- Programme design to avoid gaps between PL/PI/engineering and cyber
- Claims support and practical incident guidance
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Does machinery breakdown insurance cover robotics and automation?
Often, yes — subject to the policy wording and how equipment is scheduled. Engineering cover can respond to sudden and unforeseen
breakdown of insured plant, but you’ll want the schedule and values to reflect robots, controllers and critical components.
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What causes the biggest insurance losses in automated factories?
Downtime. Repairs can be expensive, but production interruption, delayed orders and restart time usually drive the largest costs.
Underwriters focus on single points of failure, spares strategy and recovery planning.
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Do integrators need professional indemnity as well as public liability?
If you design, specify or programme systems for clients, PI is often relevant for design/spec errors, software logic issues or
commissioning failures. PL covers third-party injury/property damage; PI covers professional/technical advice and design exposure.
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Can cyber insurance cover OT incidents and production stoppage?
Sometimes, but it depends on the insurer and the cover scope. OT environments need strong controls (segmentation, remote access
governance, backups and incident response). We’ll advise what’s realistic and how to present controls.
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What do insurers need to quote automation & robotics risks?
A clear equipment schedule and values, maintenance/support contracts, spares strategy, BI exposure and indemnity period,
safety validation evidence, and (where relevant) OT/cyber controls and remote access arrangements.
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Can this be packaged within a combined manufacturing insurance policy?
Yes. Automation risks are often best handled in a combined programme that aligns property, BI, engineering, liability and (where
appropriate) cyber — avoiding gaps and duplicated cover across sections.