How investing in robotics can help SME's?

In this months Talking Industry, panellists from KUKA, Universal Robots and Gambica discussed the challenges and opportunities of implementing robotics and automation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
If you are a senior engineer, manager or director of an SME, what is holding up the march of robotics in your company? Is it lack of time, financial challenges, or the uncertainty of whether automation will provide a return-on-investment? Or perhaps a combination of all three? What might happen to loyal operators if the robots take over?
If you hold a senior position in a larger manufacturing enterprise, what can you do to help your supplier base to introduce automated systems? How would your company benefit as a result? What experiences from your overseas suppliers can you share?