Portland, OR (April 4, 2019) - Allied Machine & Engineering highlights three of their hole making and finishing solutions at the Northwest Machine Tool Expo in the Oregon Convention Center. See the 4TEX indexable carbide insert drill, the material-specific GEN3SYS XT Pro line of drilling products, and their new NOVITECH vibration damper module for boring applications in booth #911.
 
The 4TEX drill excels in challenging applications that contain interrupted cuts, angled surface entry, or in drilling high-temperature alloys and stainless steels. The drill is engineered to create optimal chip formation for efficient evacuation in hole making processes. According to Allied, 4TEX outperforms other common drills by delivering higher penetration rates in light duty machines. The indexable insert drill is ideal for making shallow 2xD, 3xD, and 4xD holes in the 0.472' - 1.850' (12mm - 47mm) range.
 
The exclusive design of 4TEX increases core strength, improving hole size and straightness. The flute space of the internal cutting edge side, where chips often cluster, is 1.6 times heavier than regular indexable carbide (IC) drills. Dual twisted coolant outlets improve penetration rates by enhancing coolant flow and generating superior chip evacuation. The inserts are available in wear resistant geometry/coating combinations for all ISO materials including steel, stainless steel, high-temperature alloys, non-ferrous, and iron.
 
NOVITECH (no vibration technology) enhances production, surface quality, and process reliability in boring operations while expanding the insert and machine center's spindle life. Mounted inside the patent-pending NOVITECH system, the visco-elastically mounted damper modules reduce vibrations during the machining of diameters ranging from 1.97' - 8.07' (50mm - 205mm), up to 10xD. The NOVITECH intermediate modules feature Wohlhaupter's MultiBore system (MVS), making it simplified to use with existing Wohlhaupter components and is compatible with any machine spindle.
 
GEN3SYS XT Pro high penetration drilling products feature material-specific inserts making tool selection easy. They are provided for steels (class P), cast irons (class K), and non-ferrous materials (class N). The drill inserts come in diameters ranging from 0.4331' (11mm) to 1.378' (11mm), and are available in 0.004' (0.1mm) increments. The inserts designed mainly for steel and cast iron have new AM400 series coatings, which provides increased wear resistance and tool life. Inserts for non-ferrous materials are coated with titanium nitride (TiN).
 
Holders for the GEN3SYS XT Pro line are available in depth-to-diameter ratios of 3xD, 5xD, 7xD, and 10xD. The holders feature an superior flute design that improves chip evacuation and an changed coolant configuration that increases flow and directs added coolant to the cutting zone.
 
Allied Machine differentiates itself from other cutting tool manufacturers by focusing solely on tools for machining holes. For more information on 4TEX or other holemaking solutions, stop by booth #911 at the Northwest Tool Expo or visit www.alliedmachine.com.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Poised to bring together 30,000 packaging professionals with 2,000 leading industry companies, registration for PACK EXPO Las Vegas and the co-located Healthcare Packaging EXPO (Sept. 23-25, 2019; Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas), is now open.
 
Produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, these co-located events will span 900,000 net square feet of showcase space and entice visitors from more than 125 countries. As the largest meeting of packaging suppliers and manufacturers of goods, including pharmaceuticals and medical devices, in North America this year, this exhibition will showcase the innovation driving the industry.
 
“With today’s growing packaging market being led by factors such as heightened sustainability concerns, demand for smart packaging and the growing popularity of flexible packaging, it can be more important than ever to continue to be on top of the newest technology. PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO provide attendees state-of-the-art solutions that sparkle ideas and move business forward,” says Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “if you would like to maintain with the trends in packaging and the most innovative developments in pharmaceutical manufacturing, you have to be at these shows.”
 
Making its PACK EXPO Las Vegas debut, the PACKage Printing Pavilion, concentrates on the advantages of digital printing. With the developments in digital technology, PACK EXPO Las Vegas is the place to find out the latest in cost-effective solutions for smart, short-run, on-demand, cost-effective, variable data and personalized packaging.
 
More than the technologies exhibited on the show floor, people who attended can trade ideas and make valuable professional ties with top consumer packaged goods companies globally. Attendees will discover significant educational opportunities at the Innovation Stage where suppliers present breakthrough technologies during free 30-minute seminars, located right on the show floor, throughout the three days. The Forum at PACK EXPO is new to PACK EXPO Las Vegas, bringing an interactive learning experience to the show floor presenting free 45-minute sessions on the latest industry trends and will include hands-on activities, small group conversations and Q&A sessions.
 
As the most comprehensive pharmaceutical show in North America, Healthcare Packaging EXPO features a variety of equipment and technology solutions for pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. Together these functions showcase an extensive collection of packaging and production solutions to assist manufacturers improve operations and stay competitive.
 
Registration, which include access to both PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO, is $30 through August 30 and then the price increases to $100. For more information and to register online, visit packexpolasvegas.com and hcpelasvegas.com.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

A group of engineers at Tufts University has developed a series of 3D printed metamaterials with unique microwave or optical properties that go beyond what's possible using conventional optical or electronic materials. The manufacturing techniques designed by the researchers demonstrate the potential, both present and future, of 3D printing to broaden the range of geometric designs and material composites that lead to devices with novel optical properties. In one case, the researchers drew inspiration from the compound eye of a moth to create a hemispherical device that is able to absorb electromagnetic signals from any direction at selected wavelengths. The research was released today in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering, published by Springer Nature.
 
Metamaterials extend the capabilities of conventional materials in devices by making use of geometric features arranged in repeating patterns at scales smaller than the wavelengths of energy being detected or influenced. New developments in 3D printing technology are making it possible to create even more shapes and designs of metamaterials, and at ever smaller scales. In the study, researchers at the Nano Lab at Tufts explain a hybrid fabrication approach using 3D printing, metal coating and etching to create metamaterials with complex geometries and novel functionalities for wavelengths in the microwave range.
 
For instance, they produced an array of little mushroom shaped structures, each holding a small patterned metal resonator at the top of a stalk. This specific arrangement allows microwaves of specific frequencies to be absorbed, depending on the chosen geometry of the 'mushrooms' and their spacing. Use of such metamaterials could be useful in applications such as sensors in medical diagnosis and as antennas in telecommunications or detectors in imaging applications.
 
Other devices developed by the authors include parabolic reflectors that precisely absorb and transmit certain frequencies. Such concepts could simplify optical devices by incorporating the functions of reflection and filtering into one unit. 'The ability to consolidate functions using metamaterials may very well be amazingly useful,' said Sameer Sonkusale, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University's School of Engineering who heads the Nano Lab at Tufts and is corresponding author of the study. 'It's possible that we could use these materials to reduce the size of spectrometers and other optical measuring devices so they can be designed for portable field study.'
 
The products of combining optical/electronic patterning with 3D fabrication of the underlying substrate are referred to by the authors as metamaterials embedded with geometric optics, or MEGOs. Other shapes, sizes, and orientations of patterned 3D printing could be conceived to create MEGOs that absorb, enhance, reflect or bend waves in ways that would be difficult to achieve with conventional fabrication methods.
 
There are a number of technologies now available for 3D printing, and the present study utilizes stereolithography, which concentrates light to polymerize photo-curable resins into the desired shapes. Other 3D printing technologies, such as for example two photon polymerization, can provide printing resolution down to 200 nanometers, which allows the fabrication of even finer metamaterials that can detect and manipulate electromagnetic signals of even smaller wavelengths, potentially including visible light.
 
'The full potential of 3D printing for MEGOs has not yet been realized,' said Aydin Sadeqi, graduate student in Sankusale's lab at Tufts University School of Engineering and lead author of the study. 'There is much more we can do with the current technology, and a vast potential as 3D printing inevitably evolves.'
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

With the Internet of Things (IOT) comes possible increases in efficiency, but likewise more vulnerabilities. Conversely, older systems can’t always defend against today’s digital attacks.
 
Most manufacturers used out-of-date operating systems, TrendMicro found in a survey of its customers. Among TrendMicro’s customers who attached onto their proprietary infrastructure, the company found out that the majority operate on Windows XP, which was rolled out in 2001 and is no further supported. There are some good reasons for businesses to use it: Windows XP is robust, not hard to use, and doesn't get in its own way as much as its successors. If companies do not want to go through the problem overhauling their operating system and potentially retraining workers and clients, they could do worse than Windows XP. In addition, newer operating systems have had less time to trickle down through the industry, making it statistically very likely that older systems will be in use.
 
Robert Hannigan of BlueVoyant suggests in a post for manufacturing.net that 2017 was a landmark for C-suite executives in manufacturing. This was when they saw that ransomware attacks like Wannacry and NotPetya hit businesses hard, even if manufacturers specifically were not affected. It takes a long time to turn the ship.
 
TrendMicro found that among the companies they studied, “Zero-day vulnerabilities purchased in human-machine interfaces (HMIs) of industrial control systems increased by much more than 200 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year.”
 
Older operational technology often does not receive patches to defend against new strikes because this isn't considered a crucial part of patch rollout, according to TrendMicro. To be able to prevent attacks, TrendMicro recommends basic cybersecurity protections such as restricting user access and disabling directory listings, and identifying and prioritizing key assets.
 
“The engineer’s instinct — to keep things running and not to fiddle with something that is working — fails to hold good for IT security, where running a process on unpatched or outdated operating systems and software opens substantial risks.” said Hannigan.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

The field of industrial discard management has developed enormously during the last few years. Manufacturing facilities especially are one of the top contenders for waste generation. Therefore, the way that they handle their waste is crucial. Many organizations are adopting innovative ways of managing the waste. The good news is that, since manufacturing facilities are the top producers of waste, they also hold significant scope and potential for waste reducing and recycling.
 
Right from gathering data to creating a waste management policy to implementing waste reduction and recycling initiatives on the manufacturing floor, there are several steps involved. This article directs manufacturing facilities with best tips to reduce and recycle waste for optimized operations and enhanced production.
 
Waste Reduction Tips
 
It might be difficult to completely get rid of waste generation, but a manufacturing facility can undoubtedly substantially decrease the waste generated by implementing the following tips.
 
•             The first and foremost step to reducing waste is examining the nature and quantum of waste generated in your manufacturing facility. Study the trends of waste generation in your facility. Which places produce the most waste? As an example, some facilities may find that overstocked inventory is a top waste generating area while some may find packaging section to be the top culprit. Next learn what type of items are being tossed of as waste the most. For some facilities it may be paper, but for some it may be plastic. The answers to these questions can help you tackle waste management more effectively.
 
•             Waste review as described above can help you create a solid plan with clear objectives towards recycling and waste handling. Create a committee exclusively for waste management to successfully execute this plan. Get your staff members on board. Their involvement can make the manufacturing floor a safer, sustainable, healthier and more effective workplace. You could also reward waste-reduction efforts by employees to encourage more such efforts.
 
•             Adapt a closed-loop manufacturing approach for it’s a proactive way of handling operations. You can effectively monitor your inventory and successfully use reprocessed materials in the production cycle. It helps create an effective and efficient manufacturing process which basically comprises lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing techniques can not only help your facility turn green but more profitable also.
 
•             track and reduce the use of harmful materials. Such materials are especially difficult, costly and dangerous to throw away. Choose non-hazardous materials wherever possible.
 
•             Implement the policy of recovering and reusing. You will soon be surprised about the quantum of material which can be restored from waste with the help of various methods such as filtration, electrolysis, centrifugation, reverse osmosis etc. Such materials can commonly be used again which helps reduce the usage of new material and saves your business a lot of money.
 
Recycling Tips
 
Most of the manufacturing facilities are accountable for discarding good quality materials as waste due to carelessness. Such materials can often be easily recycled. Case in point, a majority of plastics, metal, paper, glass, electronics, textiles etc., can be recycled. There is an array of recycling equipment available such as industrial shredders for recycling paper, wood, rubber, plastics etc. The tips listed below can help you approach recycling at your manufacturing facility strategically for better results.
 
•             Carry out a detailed inspection to comprehend the nature of materials being discarded often at your facility. Further, identify the areas which are top disposers of these waste materials. Figure out the recyclable materials. This will help you create a solid strategy to successfully implement recycling initiatives at your manufacturing facility.
 
•             Put up a recycling team under the waste management committee. Require all your employees and encourage them to contribute towards the organization’s recycling goals through recognition and rewards. This will help your manufacturing facility achieve its recycling goals more quickly and more effectively. You could also ask for their feedback to improve the process as per the needs of your facility.
 
•             Sorting is an important step which should be carried out mindfully preceding the actual recycling process. Make use of recycling bins for collection. Name them clearly and place them in a way that they are well accessible by the employees. Don’t shy away from using the trial and error method. It will help you figure out which type of placement of these bins works best for your facility. Proper sorting guarantees that the reusable items reach the suitable place. Assign personnel to monitor these bins.
 
•             communicate with the local recycling organizations. Work together with them. Many of these organizations usually give free counseling on how your facility can adapt the best appropriate recycling approach as per your needs.
 
•             make an effort to continually monitor and look for improvement opportunities in your facility’s recycling process. No system is perfect and as time passes, you will mostly see areas with scope for improvement. You can also carry out a reviews survey among your employees to get a clear picture and ask for their suggestions for improvement. This tip will help you enhance your recycling initiatives.
 
Given the vast nature of manufacturing facilities, implementing waste reduction and recycling programs might seem a challenge. However, the efforts dedicated toward improved waste management strategy and recycling can gain dual benefits – environmental and financial.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore and Volvo Buses have launched the world’s first full-size, autonomous electric bus, along with plans to begin trials on the university’s campus in the near future.
 
The Volvo 7900 electric bus incorporates artificial intelligence (AI), navigation controls, and an array of sensors to maximize reliability and safety. NTU advanced and provided the bus’s AI system which is qualified of communicating with each of its sensors and managing operations with data-driven decision-making skills. Its sensors include LiDARs, 360-degree cameras, and cutting-edge GPS technology.
 
Volvo noted in its press release that the bus is also equipped with substantial cyber-security technology to prevent hackers from hijacking the vehicle. The bus is emission-free and requires 80% less energy than a diesel equivalent.  'Our electric bus showcasing autonomous technology shows an important step towards our vision for a better, safer and smarter city,” said Håkan Agnevall, President of Volvo Buses, in the company’s statement. “ The journey towards full autonomy is undoubtedly complicated, and our partnership with the NTU and LTA is important in recognizing this vision, as is our commitment to implementing a safety-first approach.'



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Michigan-based architecture and engineering firm Harley Ellis Devereaux (HED) has merged with Integrated Design Group, an architecture and design firm with a specialty in data center planning based in Boston and Dallas.
 
Peter Devereaux, FAIA, Chairman of HED said in a press release: ' Many of our clients in healthcare, higher education, and corporate work, for example, are finding this intelligence and specialized expertise. This is an instance of our strong ability to bring additional resources and insight to the table for our clients.'
 
The US data center market has been predicted to grow to about US$10bn annually by 2023, according to research by Arizton, which found that “ The increasing number of construction facilities in places such as Virginia, Texas, California, New York, North Carolina, and Illinois will make lucrative opportunities for operators in the US market. The growing adoption of cloud-based services, big data analytics, and IoT solutions will turn to the development of additional facilities in the US data center market.”
 
Toni Asfour, Managing Principal of the Boston and Dallas offices, for Integrated Design Group notes that, 'data storage, transmission, and security are supporting almost every aspect of advanced life. Our leadership in this realm is long and deep; we bring market intelligence to all scales of this work. Our clients to-date have incorporated tech and retail corporations, financial, healthcare, pharma, and educational institutions, as well as multi-tenant, cloud, and hyperscale data center providers.'
 
According to Devereaux, 'We are determined to strategic growth that increases the firm's ability to develop positive impacts for our clients and their stakeholders,' he says. 'Bringing the ID team into the HED family is a step on our journey toward extending our expertise to enable a greater impact for our clients. It also allows us to reach new audiences -- both in this new market sector for HED and in all the sectors we can now better serve in the regions surrounding Boston and Dallas.'
 
Integrated Design Group’s leadership team and staff have joined the HED staff working in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento offices. The team is now 420 people strong.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Leading financial technology services company WEX has partnered with an Australian firm to change and digitize its supply chain management.
 
Octet, which is based in Sydney and provides solutions for businesses to pay their suppliers, will utilize WEX’s virtual credit card payment solutions. Since Octet helps SMEs in Australia to regulate their supply chains, the addition of WEX to its platform will improve cash flows and make cross-border transactions easier.
 
Octet utilizes an enterprise-grade platform to help its clients track the entire supply chain, throughout which they can view all the relevant documents and use multiple payment methods – now including WEX.
 
Justin Cross, Director of Business Development & Partnerships, EMEA and APAC at WEX, called Octet a “ leading innovator in the supply chain platform space.' It’s hoped WEX will be able to develop through its partnership with the SCM platform.
 
Octet’s CEO Clive Isenberg said: “ The partnership will arm local businesses with more power to trade locally and internationally. Octet and WEX will be looking to further facilitate seamless, efficient and secure supply chain solutions.”



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

The Germany-based firm, Siemens, has affirmed an agreement for future energy and transport projects with the Ethiopian government, in accordance to Global Construction Review.
 
It is expected that in inclusion to undertaking projects, Siemens will also be active in financing them and training Ethiopian specialists to operate them.
 
“ We will apply our vast experience and proven technologies as well as training and education capabilities to help build the future of Ethiopia and its people,” said Joe Kaeser, Siemens’ chief executive. “ One of the starting projects affirming our strong commitment in the region is the East Africa Inter-connector.”
 
Responsible for the 1,000km inter-connector, which will let Ethiopia to export up to 2GW of its electricity to Kenya, Siemens will also be active in increasing the national grid, finding particular energy solutions for Ethiopia’s wave of industrial parks as well as discovering micro-grid solutions for remote villages.
 
“ This milestone deal is another step in displaying our strong dedication to the people and government of Ethiopia,” said Sabine Dall’Omo, Siemens’ chief executive for southern and eastern Africa. “ We are here today as we have been since 1927, to help achieve affordable and dependable power supply, create jobs, increase access to training and create local skills alongside local partners.”



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Bengaluru-based digital services and consulting specialist Infosys has announced a strategic collaboration with ABM AMRO, the Netherlands’ third-largest bank.
 
In its press release, Infosys said the strategic partnership will enable it to concrete its position as a market-leading technology and business process management provider across the mortgage services supply chain, as well as optimizing operational efficiencies and bolstering its digital transformation services offering.
 
Infosys will take a 75% stake in ABN’s Stater NV subsidiary which offers end-to-end mortgage administration services in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, with the remaining 25% stake remaining under ABN.
 
The transaction sums to €127.5mn, subject to any modifications prior to the deal’s closing.
 
'This transaction strengthens our approach to offer clients digital platforms and industry focused solutions,” said Mohit Joshi, President, Infosys, in the firm’s press release.
 
“It brings together our complementary capabilities to enhance the value we offer to our financial services clients. We are thrilled to welcome Stater's talented team to the Infosys family, thereby enhancing our presence in Europe.”
 
Erwin Dreuning, Managing Director of Stater, added:
 
'We are excited to welcome Infosys as a new shareholder. As they are now active in mortgage administration services, Infosys offers specific expertise.
 
“With the combined forces of ABN AMRO, Infosys and Stater ensures we have a solid basis to pursue our plans to for further development of our service offering. Furthermore, it opens up opportunities for us to grow and service other clients.'



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

A survey of 3,000 young Americans (ages 18 – 24) reveals that, in spite of messaging from within industry and STEM to the contrary, a vast majority do not see trade school as a path to a high-paying job. The survey, conducted by Big Rentz equipment rental, found that 90 percent do not associate high pay and job security with trade schools.
 
Among those, 11 percent do relate trade school with a high-paying job for its graduates. A further 54 percent assume that the trade school pay gap (the difference between the cost of education and income after graduation) is higher than it really is. The pay gap between trade school entry-level jobs and bachelor’s degree holders is $12,000. Most (54 percent) of participants believed that it was more than $18,000.
 
As reported by the survey, the normal annual starting pay of bachelor’s degree holders is $47,000, compared to $35,000 for starting pay at technical and trade school jobs.
 
Getting further into this data, 27 percent of participants assumed that trade schools leave students with less debt, 24 percent that they provide professional learning college can't provide, and 21 percent that it leaves to a job sooner. Additional choices, such as job security and access to high pay, received no more than 20 percent of votes. The writers of the survey guess that the remaining 47 percent who selected “none of the above” as an advantage might mean that people see a different advantage for trade schools, it’s also very likely that they still see college as the most financially secure path.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Enterprise adoption of automation is on a high upward climb across industries. According to Gartner’s 2019 CIO survey, organizational use of these technologies has increased by more than 270 percent within the last four years, with no sign of going slower.
 
Digital transformation has the potential to push massive value across industries — and the manufacturing sector is no different. But as a recent study by Nintex revealed, manufacturing organizations face multiple industry-specific issues that are slowing the momentum of digital progress. By strategically addressing these problems, manufacturers can start to understand the benefits automation offers.
 
The Hurdles to Realizing Transformation Value
 
According to Nintex’s 2018 Enterprise Digitization Progress Report, there are two obstacles actively preventing manufacturers from realizing the value of digital transformation: unprepared IT departments and a lack of top-down communication.
 
The first step to a effective enterprise digital transformation strategy is having the internal capabilities to carry it out — exclusively, a prepared and proactive IT department. Right this moment, that doesn't exist in the manufacturing sector.
 
Nintex’s digitization report — which surveyed 650 line-of-business employees and 450 enterprise decisionmakers — discovered that among manufacturing employees, only 29 percent felt their IT department was exceedingly prepared to manage the needs of digital transformation. By comparison, almost half of employees in the financial sector were very confident in their IT teams’ digital preparedness.
 
What accounts for manufacturing workers’ low level of confidence in their IT departments? Part of it might be due to a sense of disconnect from transformation efforts and from the IT department in general. As Nintex’s study found, the remarkably majority of employees — 77 percent — want to be involved in transformation efforts. When they don't feel like they are, they begin to view digital transformation and automation not quite as resources that will increase their work, but instead as active threats to their jobs.
 
Poor training of frontline workers is a separate (though related) issue which is impeding manufacturers from seeing a return on their digital investment. Of the enterprise decision makers surveyed by Nintex, roughly one-third pointed to not sufficient training of line-of-business workers on new technologies as one of the top challenges standing in the way of digital progress. And indeed, the survey found that fewer than half of frontline employees are even familiar with the concept of digital transformation — a number that highlights an awareness gap between the c-suite and the frontline. Bridging this gap is vital to digital progress.
 
The Value of Digital Transformation for Manufacturing
 
For manufacturing leaders, the first step to realizing the benefits of digital transformation is to address the internal issues keeping it back. That means making a more concerted effort not only to highlight frontline awareness about digital transformation planning, also to proactively include these workers in the process. And on the IT side, departmental leadership should consider an approach to IT that prioritizes cross-departmental engagement over the traditionally siloed role into which many IT workers are often boxed.
 
Once manufacturing leaders have strategically dealt with issues surrounding poor top-down communication and inadequate training, they can begin to experience the far-reaching benefits of a considered transformation strategy:
 
•             Increased productivity:
By purposefully implementing automation technology, manufacturers can more properly regulate production and better delegate tasks according to priority order.
 
Consider HillPhoenix. A manufacturer of large refrigeration units, the company needed a solution to streamline its daily evaluation efforts. Before digitalizing, the inspection process was completely paper-based — employees used handwritten notes to record quality findings. This manual procedure increased the risk of errors, wasted assessment time with paper forms, limited tracking records and produced more cumbersome processes.
 
After deploying workflow automation solutions, nevertheless, the company moved on its inspection process from a system based primarily on memory and handwritten notes to one supported by a digital platform. The implementation of this platform not only reduced production-line errors, but dramatically improved productivity.
 
•             New levels of innovation:
By driving greater productivity and alleviating the burden of lower-level tasks on the human workforce, automated solutions lay the foundation for many more innovation.
 
Companies like New Belgium beer show how automation can drive greater innovation. The company commonly depended on Outlook and SharePoint to track and manage tasks related to product launches. However, this system created communication gaps and scheduling delays, which set it behind as new competitors were being introduced daily.
 
The company needed a better way to manage task management, develop communication among team members, and shorten launch timelines. By implementing no-code workflows to schedule and coordinate tasks, the company managed to notably facilitate lower-level processes and therefore channel more time and resource into innovation.
 
By better prioritizing top-down and cross-departmental communication at the outset of a digital transformation plan, manufacturing leaders can lay the groundwork for successful long-term strategy. As soon as they do that, they can make new jumps in productivity and innovation.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

For businesses in the fast changing food and beverage industry, finding the perfect inventory levels to avoid surplus and stockouts is a usual yet elusive goal. Food retailers continue to feel evolving pressure from e-commerce and omnichannel:
 
•             70 percent of consumers are going to do their grocery shopping online by 2024
•             This brings about a $100 billion market and additional channels to think about when forecasting demand
•             54 percent of grocery customers say product accessibility is more crucial than price
•             Customers visit two to three stores on average to do their food shopping, and expect to find customized offerings on the shelf
•             75 percent of wholesale suppliers say sustaining with new competitors, customers and channels for example , e-commerce is their top challenge in forecasting demand
 
Food-based businesses troubled to combat complex, unknown demand patterns often turn to stockpiling as a strategy. Many are seeing that more is not always better.
 
Too Much of a Good Thing?
 
Stockpiling inventory to meet any foreseeable situation can create additional holding costs and affect profitability. In a recent survey, over 60 percent of wholesalers report having more than one month of inventory on hand, an increase from 2018.
 
But even with these record inventory levels, customer service levels are actually decreasing. The same research found that 77 percent of businesses had lost sales, and 27 percent of wholesalers missed sales of more than 4 percent, an 8 percent increase from 2018.
 
No matter how much inventory you have on hand, some missed sales are unavoidable – the key is to develop a data-driven strategy for optimizing inventory levels. That is an area many food-and-beverage businesses haven't explored yet. They depend on elementary forecasting models or just trust their gut, instead of using data to make informed purchasing decisions. Food-based organizations can easily enhance customer service levels without the added cost of stockpiling inventory. It just takes some simple math and awareness of what NOT to do.
 
Here are the five common inventory management mistakes made by food-and-beverage demand planners, and how a much more streamlined, data-driven approach can help:
 
1.            Not optimizing by product. Almost four in 10 businesses report problems forecasting the lifecycle of individual products. As a result, businesses take a blanket method and adjust levels across their total portfolio, rather than considering the factors that impact demand for each SKU. To create an effective service-level strategy, food wholesalers need a comprehensive baseline forecast that builds in the nuances of individual items.
 
2.            Not responding to customer preferences quickly enough. From gluten-free to keto-friendly, what’s prominent today can quickly become tomorrow’s castoff. Cultural trends and purchasing preferences can result rapid shifts in the products and channels customers want to use. Without a way to track these factors in real-time, businesses struggle to expect deviations from expectations and can ramp up inappropriately assigning inventory levels.
 
3.            Inability to make seasonal adjustments. Altering product levels based on seasons is an obvious, but often overlooked, forecasting tool. Close to half (45 percent) of businesses say that guessing seasonal demand is a challenge. To manage these swings successfully, businesses have to have an inventory optimization system that can create these alterations and results in a better accurate forecast.
 
4.            Not considering external factors. What happens to product demand if a sudden hurricane appears off the East Coast or a restaurant chain’s workers go on strike? Without a platform that considers macro changes in demand, businesses are headed to fall on inventory optimization.
 
5.            Not optimizing order frequency. To offset rising transportation costs, 63 percent of businesses are placing less, larger orders. Without taking cost dynamics into factor to consider, however, businesses can wind up overpaying for products and winding up with more items than they need. Rather than holding more inventory, businesses have to consider all relevant costs to make more thoughtful decisions about what – and when – to order.
 
Managing Demand with Data
 
As demand patterns become more challenging, companies across the food industry are understanding that outdated forecasting models are no longer sufficient. Yet businesses have been slow to embrace technology-based approaches, with 50 percent of suppliers reporting they have not used machine learning in their forecasting yet. Implementing a measurement platform can yield significant outcome for businesses, differentiating them in an industry which continue to relies largely on manual methods.
 
The correct demand planning technology allows businesses to perform more advanced modeling techniques, such as economically optimized replenishment cycles, cost of service analysis and safety stock cycle, so they can forecast with confidence for every product in their portfolios. Using the power of predictive analytics, these technologies empower businesses to produce correct forecasts based on factors like:
 
•             Customer demographics
•             Sale price of items by transaction
•             Item promotions
•             Competitor information
•             Weather
 
Together with the right support, these data-driven demand planning instruments can support businesses handle inventory levels more correctly, improve customer service and drive revenue growth. In an industry where customer demand is more and more elusive, companies that leverage technologies to improve decision-making have a powerful advantage.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

For the majority of people in the UK, tunnels are a brief but important part of daily travel avoiding the surface congestion in our cities. Very few are aware of the full extent of the engineering excellence that goes on beneath their feet as workers undertake the tasks connected with the creation of the underground spaces for road, rail, water, sewers, utilities and many more applications.
 
The current TV coverage of Cross-rail has given the public an insight of what ‘tunnelling’ is all about and the general feedback tends to be one of awe and amazement. We can conveniently become somewhat indifferent about the significance of our daily challenges and achievements and such coverage makes people understand what does go on beneath their feet and increases the profile of the industry.
 
We have a world-class heritage of tunnelling with the world’s first sub-aqueous tunnel created under the River Thames by Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1843 and still working today. Our extensive network of tunnels serving London Underground again bears testament to the ingenuity of tunnellers in the UK, as do the sewers created by Bazalgette and opened in 1865. More recently, we have had the Channel Tunnel, Heathrow Express, Jubilee Line, HS1 and the A3 Hindhead Tunnels.
 
It was my pleasure and an honor to take over from Damian McGirr as Chairman of the BTS in May this year. The BTS is an Associated Society of the ICE. With a current membership of over 700 individual members and in excess of 60 corporate members, it is one of the most radiant gatherings of professional tunnellers in the world.
 
We are a forum to assist and promote the dissemination of information relating to tunnelling and to act as a catalyst in the development of new technologies and standards that benefit the industry by improving knowledge, sustainability, efficiency, quality and safety in the construction and use of underground space. It is true to say that UK tunnelling is globally recognized and our standards and guidance are regularly adopted by projects around the world.
 
In recent years, the lack of Tunnel schemes in the UK has seen large numbers of skilled personnel leave for international projects. Now we have the prospect of boosting demands for tunnellers in the UK once again, there is a potential for a shortfall in capacity. One of the society’s aims is the attraction of ‘new blood’ into the industry. Through our Young Members, we constantly attend schools, universities and career fairs, giving prospective tunnellers a taste of what the industry offers. A strength of the BTS is that we welcome all tunnelling personnel within the industry, giving a greater depth to the ability and knowledge available.
 
The society has sturdy ties with both TunnelSkills and TUCA; these bodies are the industry’s response to the potential shortfall of skilled and competent personnel to ensure its future capability to deliver.
 
As an industry we have potentially never had such a promising period ahead of us, with a range of projects currently underway or in the pipeline, and there has never been a better time to embark on a career in tunnelling.
 
With numerous LUL contracts and National Grid Power Tunnels well underway and Crossrail recently passing the halfway mark, we are hoping to the next phase of works. Hinkley, Shieldhall, Bank Station and Northern Line Extension are all due to begin soon; Tideway, Silvertown and HS2 will become a reality in the near future. I cannot begin to mention numerous small schemes for utilities that tend to go unnoticed in the press.
 
In summary, the UK tunnelling industry is in an excellent position and I look forward to the coming years and the challenging work ahead for all of us.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Leading data center firm Colt Data Center Services has revealed the acquisition of a site in Osaka, Japan that will hold its first hyperscale data center in the region.
 
Colt said in its press release that it plans to begin construction of the new facility later this year to cater to Osaka’s growing position as deputy to Tokyo’s data centre hub.
 
'The acquisition of the location and our continued focus and investment in Japan is being motivated by our hyper-scale customers who are in need of large capacity requirements and want reliable and scalable solutions,” said Richard Wellbrock, Vice President of Real Estate at Colt, in the firm’s press release.
 
“We are assured that our track record of building and delivering hyper-scale facilities will be able to support the influx of cloud service providers in the country as they resume to increase their functions. The Osaka site acquisition is yet another step forward for us in significantly strengthening our foothold in APAC as well as being testament that our land banking strategy remains solid.'
 
The Osaka facility will be Colt’s third hyper-scale data center in Japan, joining the two situated near Tokyo, and is set to offer customers bilingual in-house teams for the provision of management services and support.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

In its press release, Huawei Intelligent Computing said that AI penetration in enterprises is set to hit 86% by 2025, significantly improving the demand for high-spec data centre solutions capable of this computational demand.
 
The FusionServer Pro servers boast exceptional computing power and intelligence, and will create the infrastructure important for the increased demand for intelligent solutions and technologies.
 
'By presenting an intelligent acceleration engine and an intelligent management engine, Huawei upgrades its traditional servers to intelligent servers to help enterprises build intelligent data centre infrastructure with unprecedented computing power,' said Zhang Xiaohua, President of FusionServer, in Huawei’s statement.
 
Huawei is working tirelessly to facilitate the increased technological capabilities of enterprises worldwide, announcing on 2 April that it will be showcasing its 5G network technologies at a “Mini-MWC” (Mobile World Congress) event in Reading, England.
 
At the event, Huawei will display the capabilities of its end-to-end 5G solutions, including 5G sites, clouds and 5G-integrated transport.
 
“As a leading global provider of ICT infrastructure, we are devoted to helping our partners and customers stretch the boundaries of their business and find paths to new growth,” Jerry Wang, CEO of Huawei Technologies UK, said Jerry Wang, CEO of Huawei Technologies UK, in a statement.
 
“This exhibition will show how 5G can power that change with in-depth discussion from our in-house experts, as well as insight into the latest industry trends across all sectors.”



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Businesses are generally judged by the quality of the products and services they deliver, not their internal processes. This makes it easy for managers to kick the can down the road on improving them. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” they may say, sweeping inefficiency under the rug and maintaining the thinking that a less-than-optimal status quo is easier and takes less time than redesigning workflows and investing in new technology to improve functions.
 
This mentality is ultimately harmful, as illustrated by a study from the Harvard Business Review. Their findings from an extensive, 10-year study of 12,000 companies on the importance of Operational Excellence found that companies that adopted the best management practices increased their profits by an average US$15mn, or 25%, which shows that companies that accept their bad processes are leaving great amounts of money on the table.
 
Historically, marketing departments have led the charge, embracing new technologies and driving business transformation. As the first touch point in the customer journey, and arguably the most cross-functional department in an organization, marketing is uniquely positioned to lead the charge toward adopting good practices and acquiring business transformation. But now, organizations of all sizes, particularly enterprises, are seeking to invest in technologies that will help them run more efficiently and effectively in every department as part of their digital transformation strategy and plan. Flexible platforms with advanced collaboration features, work management, and automation capabilities offer the most immediate benefits.
 
Almost every enterprise in the world is embracing technology to help improve business processes. Collaborative work management software creates a digital workplace that teams can do the bulk of their work within - think managing projects, leveraging templates, and automating workflows. Such assistance for these processes makes companies more excellent, but it also gives better insights into what’s working and what isn’t – and that can have the biggest impact of all.
 
How technology can help increase business processes
 
Business intelligence platforms can sound daunting and a little abstract but in practice, they help tighten up even the most mundane process, project, or task. Static spreadsheets are a good example of a popular yet antiquated part of current business processes. They can’t be updated in real time, don’t lend themselves well to being provided or viewed via mobile, and don’t have communication functions. Our current forms of communication in business often involve scrolling through endless email and messaging app threads that fail to hold the conversation within the context of the work being finished, which leads to time wasted searching for information and losing vital details for a project. In fact, for teams, the finest challenge for flawless execution is that work is being done across too many systems which forms duplication of work and communication, according to the Wrike Operational Excellence Report last year.
 
But the new digital workplace eliminates these issues and, when blended with a business intelligence tool, it can give your teams the information they need to be more agile and optimize these processes with automation, transparency, and real-time work-flow analytics. These tools are essential in making your business more streamlined and bringing regular improvement - fueled by actionable data and metrics - into your culture.
 
Better business processes equal better business intelligence
 
The data gleaned from a digital workplace can be accumulated and connected to a more robust business intelligence solution, where it can be equated into actionable insights on project efficiency and Return On Investment (ROI). Automating and connecting work with business outcomes gives companies a better understanding of which work makes the biggest impact (and which work is creating bottlenecks and wasting time).
 
For example, if a high-performing business unit tells signs of bottlenecks in a particular phase of work, that serves as a red flag that it’s time to boost the firm’s headcount. Or if a major project isn’t moving the needle, it might be time to reassign the people working on it to more profitable projects. Historically, these types of insights have only been made after problems have occurred, but technology today allows them to be made in near real time.
 
These insights are also valuable for the workforce, as they help to show what influence their work has had on the business. This is essential because, according to Wrike’s Happiness Index, UK adults rank the importance of ‘doing meaningful work’ as their top driver in relation to job happiness. Just like marketers use analytics to measure the ROI of an advertisement, other departments can now see how their work impacts specific company objectives. This can go a long way to boosting their happiness, productivity, and desire to stay at the company.
 
Improve business processes, improve business success
 
Technology can definitely help to tighten up business processes. But the possibilities for the insights that executives can glean from implementing such technology are unprecedented in decision-making. Harnessing the power of digital technologies to enhance business processes has never been more crucial for organizations looking to discover new revenue opportunities, streamline operations, and distance themselves from the competition. Companies that embrace business transformation have the potential to disrupt their categories, and dramatically change the competitive landscape.




This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (DOSH) affirmed decision to pursue new reinforcing steel and post-tensioning standards proposed by the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers.
 
The Department of Labor wants to update the criteria for reinforcing steel and post-tensioning activities outlined in Part O of the Chapter 296-155 WAC Standards for Construction Work titled, “Concrete, Concrete forms, Shoring, and Masonry Construction.” The rulemaking will include provisions of the American National Standards Institute’s revised A10.9 (2013) titled, “Safety Requirements for Concrete and Masonry Work in 2018.” Part O of Chapter 296-155 WAC does not address hazards connected to reinforcing steel and post tensioning work.
 
DOSH is initiating the rulemaking in reaction to a petition from Iron Workers’ General Secretary Ronald Piksa and Executive Director of Safety & Health Steve Rank. A Preproposal Statement Of Inquiry (CR-101) was filed on March 5, 2019 to announce the rulemaking. Identifying and amending relevant parts of Chapter 296-155 WAC - Part O will minimize employee exposures to falls, struck by hazards, and impalement hazards associated with formwork crash.
 
Stakeholder conferences are being held to collect information from parties in the construction industry that are interested in updating the requirements of the rule.
 
Reinforcing steel stakeholders are satisfied with the DOSH’s decision to follow California OSHA’s lead in adopting new safety standards for reinforcing steel and post-tensioning activities.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Hiring rebounded in March as U.S. employers added a solid 196,000 jobs, up sharply from February's scant gain and evidence that many businesses still want to hire in spite of signs that the economy is slowing down.
 
The unemployment rate remained at 3.8%, near the lowest level in almost 50 years, the Labor Department reported Friday. Wage growth slowed a bit in March, with average hourly pay growing 3.2% from a year earlier. That was down from February's year-over-year gain of 3.4%, which was the best in a decade.
 
The figures reported Friday suggest that February's anemic job increase — revised to 33,000, from an initial 20,000 — was basically a short term blip and that businesses are confident the economy continues to be on a firm ground. In spite of the current expansion nearly 10 years old, the U.S. economy is revealing resilience.
 
Meanwhile, the economy is facing various obstacles, from cautious consumers to slower growth in business investment to a U.S.-China trade war that is contributing to a weakening global economy.
 
So far this year, job gains have averaged 180,000 a month, easily sufficient to reduce the unemployment rate over time, though down from a 223,000 average last year.
 
In March, job growth was strongest in the service sector. Health care added 61,000 jobs, restaurants and bars 27,000 and professional and business services, which includes high-paying farms including engineering and accounting, added 37,000. Manufacturers reduce 6,000 jobs, whilst construction added 16,000.
 
The overall economy is sending mixed signals. Most indicators recommend much slower growth this year compared with 2018. That would imply that hiring might also weaken from last year's strong pace.
 
In February, employers added a remarkably low 20,000 jobs, the fewest in almost a year and a half, though that pullback likely reflected extreme weather and other temporary factors. Another weak jobs report Friday, though, would stimulate concerns about a downshift in growth.
 
Customers have revealed warning so far this year. Retail sales fell in February, and a broader measure of consumer spending slipped in January, probably reflecting a waning effect of the Trump administration's tax cuts. Businesses have also reined in their spending on industrial machinery and other equipment and on factories and other buildings.
 
And in Europe and Asia, weaker economies have reduced demand for U.S. exports. Europe is on the edge of downturn, with its factories shrinking in March at the fastest pace in six years, according to a private survey.
 
The U.S. trade war with China has weighed on the Chinese economy, that has weakened Southeast Asian nations that ship electronic components and other goods that are built into consumer products in China's factories.
 
Economists now predict that the U.S. economy will expand approximately 2% to 2.5% this year, down from 2.9% last year. Still, most economists have predict a bounce-back in hiring in March to about 170,000 added jobs, according to data provider FactSet. The unemployment rate is likely to remain near a half-century low of 3.8%.
 
Some good signals for the economy have come out in recent weeks: Sales of both new and existing homes rose in February after dropping last year. More Americans are applying for mortgages now that rates have fallen.
 
And some of the weakness in spending earlier this year potentially reflected delays in issuing tax refunds because of the government shutdown. Refunds mainly caught up with their pace in previous years in March, economists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said, hinting that spending may as well.
 
The low unemployment rate and continual hiring have likewise raised Americans' paychecks. Average wages grew 3.4% in February in comparison with a year ago, the fastest such pace since the recession.
 
If wage growth continues to increase, it should fuel more spending and lift the economy in the upcoming months.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. announced it obtained Baker Industries, Inc. and related assets. Baker is a privately held Detroit, Michigan-based supplier of custom tooling, components and fixtures generally serving automotive and aerospace markets. Baker has got considerable in-house design and manufacturing capabilities, such as machining, fabricating, assembly and additive manufacturing. Their operations adhere to stringent aerospace quality management standards and are AS9100D certified and Nadcap accredited.
 
The Baker organization will complement Lincoln Electric’s automation profile and its new metal additive manufacturing service business that is going to launch in mid-2019. Leveraging Lincoln Electric’s core competencies in automation, software development and metallurgy, the new metal additive business will manufacture large-scale printed metal parts, prototypes and tooling for industrial and aerospace customers. The Baker operation, alongside a new Cleveland, Ohio-based additive manufacturing development center, will provide an additive manufacturing platform to help customers improve their lead times, designs and quality in their operations.
 
“We are happy to welcome Baker Industries to Lincoln Electric and to our automation portfolio’s new additive manufacturing platform,” said Christopher L. Mapes, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Additive manufacturing is an important strategic growth area in automation, and Baker’s experience and abilities will support in scaling our additive manufacturing services and enlarge our presence in attractive aerospace and automotive end markets.”
 
Lincoln Electric’s automation revenue is about $500 million in annualized sales with the addition of Baker Industries. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com