Analysis

Digital transformation driving change in key industries

Digital transformation (DX) is permeating every vertical market, and industries are looking to evolve to better align with their customers’ changing requirements. The result is the development and integration of cutting edge technologies and a change of methodology to improve processes, according to Y Soft. Adam O’Neill, managing director, Y Soft, Australia and New Zealand, said, “DX is radically changing how organisations operate and is shaking up industries at speed. Organisations are increasingly launching initiatives to expand or build digital capabilities to deliver business efficiency or increase top-line revenue growth.” According to the 15 industries surveyed as part of the Gartner 2018 CIO Agenda Industry Insights report, 47 per cent of CEOs are being challenged to make progress in digital business, and 56 per cent of respondents reported that digital improvements have already improved their overall profits. The 2018 edition of The Hackett Group’s annual key issues study, The CIO Agenda: Driving Value from Transformation, found that the use of virtual assistants, chatbots and other cognitive technologies is anticipated to grow at least five-fold in overall adoption rates over the next few years. Unsurprisingly, 74 per cent of companies are expecting DX to disrupt their industry and 82 per cent expect it to fundamentally change the operating model of their business. Adam O’Neill said, “These findings show that every industry is either already participating in or ready to join in with digital transformation. This seismic impact prediction calls for immediate action, and many companies have already begun their DX journeys and are automating and streamlining business processes by investing in artificial intelligence (AI), specifically machine learning.” Digital transformation is already having a significant impact on four vertical industries: Legal. Traditionally, the pace of digital change within the legal industry has been slow, with the legal profession resisting many […]

Bringing automation barriers down with end-of-arm tooling

Historically, one of the biggest barriers to automation has been cost and time constraints associated with the production setup. The procedure is usually performed by a team of robotics experts adept in programming languages and advanced engineering, subjects unfamiliar to most. Demand for automation is flourishing from various manufacturing sectors leading to greater innovations in industrial robotics. With this trend, companies are prompted to adapt more and more intelligent tools that can help the production workforce with faster deployment and installation, saving their precious time on planning and strategy. But not many businesses have been able to do so quickly because most are not ready to address collaborative applications with newer technologies. This is due to limited knowledge or resistance to adopting modern end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) with collaborative robots (cobots). Continuous technology transformation and the rise of collaborative applications in industrial automation have made robots easily deployable. Intelligent EOAT devices come with in-built features that can be programmed easily, enabling faster set-up. With EOAT, automation becomes more inclusive, delivering collaborative applications to meet modern automation needs. Automation Adoption Rises in ASEAN The ASEAN region’s combined GDP hit almost USD2.7 trillion in 2017, four times the value in 2000, clocking an average 5.3 percent yearly growth. ASEAN could become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2030 if this growth maintains.[1] To achieve this, the region needs to leverage the opportunities presented by Industry 4.0 technologies. Adoption of these technologies remains slow in most countries however, with many manufacturers still relying on outdated processes[2]. Singapore is spearheading the adoption of automation and robotics, recording the second highest industrial robot density globally at 658 robots per 10,000 employees.[3] Malaysia and Thailand have also increased their focus on automation, encouraging greater use of robotics through the National Policy on Industry 4.0 (Industry4WRD) and the […]

Innovation through formulation

Azelis is excited to launch its new tagline: ‘Innovation through formulation’, which is a reinforcement of the company’s continuous investment in technical expertise. Over the years, the speciality chemicals and food ingredients distributor has been investing resources, both financial and non-financial, in strengthening its innovative services: adding new application laboratories in all regions, creating innovative and award-winning formulations, whilst offering formulation support to its customers. Azelis’ owner EQT fully supports the company’s direction and offers guidance and advice to further strengthen this role. Highlights & rationale – ‘Innovation through formulation’ is the company’s new tagline and reflects the new strategic direction. – Azelis has expanded its number of labs from 12 to 60 since 2012 and increased the number of its lab professionals, creating a talented pool with over 1.000 years of cumulative experience in application laboratories. – The company is proud to have won more than 20 innovation awards in the past three years, all given by independent industry organisations. – Strong application and formulation support is in line with Azelis’ ambition of becoming the benchmark for the industry and market leader in providing innovative solutions to its customers. Azelis creates value with and for its partners by turning ideas into market-leading solutions that drive growth. The company routinely provides its customers with innovative formulations that address the most stringent market requirements and consumer trends. This is made possible through its 60 application laboratories worldwide, along with its experienced, market-focused sales teams. Azelis has expanded its number of labs from 12 to 60 since 2012 and significantly increased the number of its lab professionals, creating a talent pool with over 1.000 years of cumulative expertise in application laboratories. The high number of application labs allows the company to serve the local market needs while at the same time helping […]

Corteva Agriscience opens Singapore office

SINGAPORE:Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, today officially opened its Asia Pacific head office in Singapore and announced a series of investments geared towards building expertise and technical capability to support farmers across the region, as governments seek to strengthen food security. These investments include the establishment of a global analytics center of excellence and a new research and development (R&D) lab, as well as a collaboration strategy designed to encourage the further development of the Asia Pacific Ag-Tech start-up ecosystem. Corteva Agriscience represents the combined strengths of DuPont Crop Protection, DuPont Pioneer and Dow AgroSciences, which will spin-off on June 1, 2019 to publicly list on the New York Stock Exchange, creating a market-shaping, standalone, pure-play agriculture company with leading positions in Seed Technologies, Crop Protection and Digital Agriculture. Peter Ford, President, Asia Pacific, Corteva Agriscience, said, “Corteva Agriscience brings together three businesses with deep connections and dedication to generations of farmers. “With a balanced portfolio of agriculture solutions, 200 years of combined agronomic expertise and an unparalleled innovation engine, we aim to catalyse action with all stakeholders in the food system to champion inclusive agriculture and to help ensure a secure supply of healthy and sustainable food for the region. “With key collaborators like Singapore’s Economic Development Board and the Singapore Food Agency, we share a commitment to using new innovative approaches to make agriculture value chains more productive and sustainable. We will nurture talent, leverage our R&D capabilities and robust product pipeline, as well as build digital capabilities to secure the future of food for Asia Pacific from our strategic location in Singapore.” Damian Chan, Executive Director (Chemicals & Materials), Singapore Economic Development Board, said, “We are delighted that Corteva Agriscience has chosen to locate its Asia Pacific head office, Global Analytics Centre of Excellence and Asia […]

Hitachi receives orders for Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand

BANGKOK: Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Building Systems Co., Ltd. have received an order through Hitachi Elevator (Thailand) Co., Ltd., which is in charge of sales and maintenance service of elevators and escalators in Thailand, for the delivery of 174 units of elevators, escalators and moving sidewalks for Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand. Currently, expansion work is underway at Suvarnabhumi International Airport by Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT). The order was awarded by a consortium named PCS Joint Venture, which comprises Power Line Engineering Public Company Limited in Thailand and China State Construction Engineering (Thailand) Co., Ltd., and was commissioned construction by AOT. This is the largest order for Hitachi group’s elevators and escalators in Thailand. The market demand for the installation of new elevators and escalators in Thailand is approximately 6,000 units per year, which makes it the most promising market in Southeast Asia, and is expected to increase stably. In 1974, Hitachi concluded an agent contract with Siam Motors Co., Ltd. and entered the market. The two companies established a joint corporation named Siam-Hitachi Elevator Co., Ltd. in 1991 and constructed a factory in 1992. Hitachi has been leading the elevator and escalator industry in Thailand. Suvarnabhumi International Airport opened in 2006 and is located in Nong Ngu Hao, Samut Prakan Province, about 30 km east of Bangkok. It received approximately 63 million passengers in 2018 and is ranked ninth globally for the number of passengers on international flights. Currently, expansion work is underway to expand the passenger-handling capacity. A new four-story satellite concourse building is under construction and slated to commence operations in April 2020. The units will be manufactured in factories in Thailand and China, and installed by the end of 2020. Hitachi has supplied over 100 units of escalators and moving sidewalks for Suvarnabhumi […]

Your future co-workers could be a swarm of robots

In the future, swarms of robots could help us perform tasks from search and rescue to farming. Imagine there’s a flock of aerial robots searching for a lost hiker, for example. They have to cover a large area of remote bush and a central commander won’t work because they’re so spread out. So, instead, the robots work cooperatively to calculate the best way to cover and search this large area accurately and speedily. This scenario is less Black Mirror than it sounds, and more about focusing on practical solutions for jobs that are difficult for humans to do, says Airlie Chapman from the Melbourne School of Engineering. Describing the focus of her research in mechatronic engineering, Chapman says “it centres on multi-vehicle robotics, or many robots working together to achieve a common goal”. Mechatronic engineers explore developments in automation and manufacturing—blending multiple disciplines of engineering. And it can involve creating smart machines that are aware of their surroundings and can make autonomous decisions. Chapman works specifically in the field of multi-vehicle, or swarm, robotics. Using a combination of mechanical, electrical, and software engineering to build the robots, Chapman then programs the vehicles using algorithms to react and think autonomously. Many bots are better than one “There are benefits to using many smaller unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in place of one large one, particularly for jobs like cleaning up an oil spill, environmental monitoring, or searching for survivors of a mine collapse,” says Chapman. Not only is there the element of redundancy with smaller vehicles—losing one small UAV out of a group is less of a problem than losing a single large UAV—but there are also the implementation benefits. For one thing, there’s the improved coverage capability and reduced cost. “A swarm of cheap small robots, each with little capability, can […]

The future of warehousing in Asia

E-commerce represents 15 per cent of total retail sales across Asia-Pacific — that is the equivalent to $1.4 trillion US dollars. This figure is expected to more than double by 2021. As a result, warehouses across APAC are rapidly developing and it is easy to see why. Here, John Young, APAC sales director for obsolete parts supplier, EU Automation, discusses the future of warehousing in the region. The Asia-Pacific economy is the fastest growing region in the world and has the largest share of the world’s business to consumer (B2C) e-commerce market. To meet demand and remain competitive, warehouse managers are investing in efficient and ergonomic technology, such as wearables and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Wearable devices include smart glasses, watches and headsets, whereas RFID often comprise of tags and sensors that store data on a circuit or chip, such as a contactless card. Stretched funding Technology has become essential in warehouses and managers are budgeting to invest in and learn more about it. However, by funding new technology, the budget to spend on buying and replacing broken or inefficient machinery and equipment is often cut. As a result, old machinery is often still used beyond its reasonable life, which increases the risk of breakdown. If an older machine breaks, it can often prove difficult to source the correct part to fix it, particularly if it has been discontinued by the manufacturer. However, all is not lost. When an old piece of machinery or equipment fails, obsolete industrial parts suppliers like EU Automation can locate the correct part, saving costs for warehouse managers who don’t have the budget for new equipment. This means facility managers can still spend the budget they want on new technology. Robotic enhancement Similar to wearables and RFID’s, robots have been […]

Reaping the benefits of smart manufacturing

Manufacturers can have many hundreds or even thousands of endpoints in their network, from laptops, PCs, and mobile devices to networked production-line machines spread throughout the facility. These connected systems deliver operational efficiencies and even competitive advantage to manufacturers. Smart manufacturing has helped manufacturers achieve productivity gains of 17 to 20 per cent and quality gains of 15 to 20 per cent. However, smart manufacturing also introduces cyber risks, which must be addressed in the most time-efficient, reliable way, according to ForeScout. Steve Hunter, senior director, Asia Pacific and Japan, ForeScout, said, “In the past, production-line machines were air-gapped; they didn’t have a network connection, so they were safe from cyberthreats. Now, with every machine and device connected to the corporate network and the internet to facilitate smart manufacturing, that safety buffer is removed. Therefore, it’s essential for manufacturers to know what devices are in their network, how vulnerable they are, and their compliance status. All endpoints, including Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, need to be secured.” In many industries, endpoint management is conducted using agents, with IT departments choosing a combination of agents to address their specific requirements. However, the use of agents can create performance issues in manufacturing operations, meaning an agent-based approach is not well-suited to manufacturers. When networked operational or production-line devices are scanned, it can impair performance, reboot the device, or even crash it entirely. This causes expensive downtime. These devices are often vulnerable because they’re older, rarely patched, and less protected against threats. Even new IoT devices can become exploited, because they’re generally not designed with security top of mind. These new IoT devices are often deployed without configuring the few security settings available to them, such as leaving default credentials in place. This lets malicious actors use the unsecured IoT device to access […]

Why the circular economy must link up the whole supply chain

The long-discussed concept of the circular economy (CE) seems ready for takeoff. New information technologies like the internet of things (IoT), big data analytics or blockchain are the powerful means everybody is waiting for. The real door-opener is still to be found in the analog world: It’s about trustful collaboration. But only when all actors along the product life cycle find profitable ways to take resource scarcity into account, and only if they share both costs and benefits, will CE be able to unfold its full potential. So trustful collaboration is asking for a lot. It needs to convince decision-makers of the business opportunities they get once they trade their silo-oriented optimization rationale for a holistic-management approach that addresses the entire life cycle of the products and the materials involved. Making use of circular economy to prosper and differentiate products and services is suitable for business-to-business heavyweights, too. For example, ocean carrier Maersk created a digital twin of their latest container ships down to the smallest bolt. Through this, the company will ultimately know how much and what material is being used in their fleet. During routine overhauls or at the final disassembly, Maersk has a clear systemic view on which parts and materials can be reused, remanufactured, upcycled or continue to stay in the circular flow of shipbuilding. Executing supply chain power It’s not by chance that most CE case studies are when economically strong asset owners and service providers such as Caterpillar and Maersk are in the driving seat. The same applies to powerful vendors, for instance tech giants such as HP and Dell who have established highly efficient return systems for used products. Why is it that CE pioneers are often found among these kind of companies? The two most obvious reasons: on one hand, these players have […]

Inaugural Meeting of Singapore’s Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI and Data

Singapore’s Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data convened for their inaugural meeting on Friday, Nov 30. The Advisory Council[1] brings together transnational thought leaders and industry captains from diverse backgrounds spanning the spectrum of large tech providers, users, the academia and government. Members comprise international leaders in AI such as Google, Microsoft and Alibaba; advocates of social and consumer interests; and leaders of local companies who are keen users of AI. Council members had a robust discussion on the ethical use of AI and data. This included discussion on the paper released by the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) in June 2018 on the responsible development and adoption of AI. There were many suggestions given on how to improve the draft model framework. The Advisory Council called for broader engagement and consultation of the draft model framework. The meeting is a timely reminder of how a private-public relationship is necessary to enable the Digital Economy. A trusted AI ecosystem is critical for industries to effectively adopt innovative emerging technologies and business models, while ensuring strong consumer confidence, protection and participation. In the area of data and data-driven technologies like AI, the development of responsible practices must be informed by diverse views and a global perspective. Singapore aims to contribute to the global discourse by proposing a pragmatic governance framework that translates ethical principles into practice. An updated draft will be made available soon. Senior Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary said, “I am especially thankful for the attendance of a strong and diverse transnational mix of members, including tech giants, companies large and small, users, academia and government. Building a future Digital Economy with a trusted AI ecosystem is critical.” The Advisory Council is one of three structured, interlinked initiatives[2] to support the engagement […]

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