Why is it that in some countries, oxy cutting torches are often manually operated?

I find it amazing that so many users operate machines where the distance between the oxy-fuel torch and the workpiece is adjusted manually. When I ask the question “Why?” the answer is often “We used to have an automatic control system but it gave up working after a few weeks”. What I would like to stress is that these were not clearance control systems supplied by IHT. Our systems work reliably over many years.
There are many reasons for using automatic clearance control systems, they increase productivity and quality, torches last longer, replacement parts costs less and there are no collisions between the workpiece and the torch.