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Is technology making us less productive?

Technology might actually be killing productivity according to a new study – and an old piece of wisdom called Metcalfe’s Law. A team at Bain & Company analysed data on how people are spending their time at work. By combining this with productive output and total headcounts, they were able to see the impact of technology at work. “Technology can have enormous benefits in the workplace,” said Michael Mankins, a partner at Bain & Company, in an article for the Harvard Business Review. “But it’s fair to ask whether we have reached the point of diminishing returns in some areas.” Why is technology slowing us down? Tech pioneer Robert Metcalfe predicted that the value of a network increases with the square of the number of users. However, his law has a downside as well. As the costs come down, the number of interactions rises exponentially. All of these interactions take time. Consider the situation 30 years ago. If a manager was away from their desk, they’d get a note saying they missed a call – perhaps 1,000 a year. This then become a voicemail – perhaps 4,000 a year. Now, with the vast array of communication possibilities (email, Skype, instant messengers, phone) this has expanded to 30,000 communications. This is equally true of meetings. Setting up meetings before digital calendars was a far more complex task. Now, data suggests that 15% of a business’s collective time is spent in meetings. A percentage that has increased every year since 2008. All of this points to technology actually being a drain on productivity, rather than aiding it. What does the data say? Bain & Company’s research backs this up. Assuming a 47-hour working week, a typical supervisor or mid-level manager was estimated to have less than seven hours a week of uninterrupted work time. How is this […]

Powerful tube bending machines for Southeast Asia’s future

Powerful tube bending machines for Southeast Asia’s future The Southeast Asian economy is booming: countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam are increasingly becoming production centres for companies from across the world. Investments and spending on infrastructure are on the rise in the region. Against this backdrop, Schwarze-Robitec will be at the Tube Southeast Asia trade fair in Bangkok from September 18th to 20th. This is the first time that the German tube bending specialist will showcase its powerful tube bending machines at the Thai event, which is an offshoot of the Tube trade fair in Düsseldorf. Under the “Made in Germany” umbrella, the Cologne-based company will be located in the “German Pavilion”, the official joint exhibition stand of German companies that is being supported by the Foreign Trade Fair Participation Programme of Germany. The “Made in Germany” seal stands for the quality and tradition of German engineering, both of which Schwarze-Robitec embodies. Schwarze-Robitec’s powerful tube bending machines are used in many different fields. In the automotive industry, for example, the High Performance machines enable extremely high production speeds. This is largely thanks to their intelligent NxG control system, which enables almost all CNC axes to be operated simultaneously during the bending process. This helps reduce production times by up to 40 percent depending on the tube geometry. Schwarze-Robitec’s Heavy Duty machines, meanwhile, offer highly precise bending results even for very small radii and challenging tube and pipe geometries, which is a demand of the shipbuilding industry. The booster bending machines are able to bend – with or without a mandrel – even high-strength materials with minimal wall thinning and optimal ovality. This is a particular requirement of the boiler and power plant industry, which Schwarze-Robitec is able to fulfil with its Boiler & Power series. High Performance for the […]

Vitafoods Asia showcases Purity of Provenance with Astaxanthin

The event that shapes the food industry for optimal health through science and innovation, returns to Singapore between 25-26 September 2019. Provenance matters as consumers care how pure or pristine the environment in which algae, or other natural products that we consume, are grown. They educate themselves as to provenance. For example, Chinese consumers prefer products from Australia or New Zealand because they trust the provenance. Now, a Chilean company is hoping to carry their message of provenance across to Asian buyers of nutraceuticals at Vitafoods Asia 2019. The Atacama Desert in Chile is a unique and privileged place which has the optimal natural conditions to culture Haematococcus pluvialis, the only true source of natural Astaxanthin. Atacama Bio Natural Products, who produce top quality Astaxanthin products from Haematococcus pluvialis, will launch a new product, NatAxtinTM at Vitafoods Asia 2019. NatAxtinTM is microalgae that has been grown through biomimicry. It is technologically demanding to produce a quality Astaxanthin product at an industrial scale over time, because haematococcus pluvialis is a natural-occurring organism that thrives in ponds and in places that have no environmental contamination. Additionally, such algae only start producing Astaxanthin under particular stress conditions, mainly intense sunlight. To manufacture Astaxanthin, the culturing process has to imitate intense light conditions either through access to such conditions – taking advantage of Chile’s high solar radiation, pristine and clear skies, and pure underground water from the Andes – or by fabricating them using artificial light, or by encapsulating the algae in tubes. The origin of Astaxanthin matters. The more natural the production process, the less intervention required, yields a product that is closer to that which nature produces. Atacama Bio Natural Products use a raceway photobioreactors production system, which takes advantage of the geographical and climatological conditions in the Atacama Desert. The method […]

Ideagen launches new version of Q-Pulse

Q-Pulse is used across the manufacturing and services industry to maintain operational integrity in line with standards such as ISO 9001:2015 among others. The software helps remove labour and bureaucracy from quality and compliance management, providing control, efficiency and transparency. As well as maintaining the software’s existing functionality, the browser-based Q-Pulse 7 comes with powerful dashboards for increased business intelligence and an intuitive user experience. Q-Pulse 7 is a modern, slick and visually rich software product that has taken the application to the next level, focussing on bringing data from all across the business to life through visually appealing and quickly consumable dashboards to ensure that users can access information that is important to them quickly and easily. The system can be accessed anytime, anywhere – significantly extending its overall reach. Launched originally in 1994, Q-Pulse first came into prominence as a quality management solution, helping organisations make the first moves to paper-free control of processes related to document, audit and corrective action management. Since then, each version has expanded its capability to help Q-Pulse become a trusted solution across the global manufacturing industry. Q-Pulse helps organisations build a repository of business-critical information that they can use to improve other processes. With Q-Pulse 7, all of this information can be surfaced immediately to improve the understanding of business performance like never before. It goes beyond simple analysis and opens up the entire database for scrutiny.

AI is here to stay. Now we need to ensure everyone benefits

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already in use in many sectors. Its contribution is expected to rise steadily, driven by advances in data storage, computer processing power and connectivity. Following the report on AI by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA), the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi has launches a report that focuses on the opportunities and risks the “fourth industrial revolution” might bring to Aotearoa New Zealand. AI, in all its applications, is predicted to contribute some US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. This represents roughly the combined GDP of China and India in 2018. Australia and New Zealand are yet to develop national AI strategies. The reports look 20 years ahead, which is a useful period for policy development. The explicit focus on well-being provides a helpful frame to start national conversations about how to embrace these new technologies, leading rather than passively accepting advances from offshore. AI in New Zealand New Zealand has started to adopt AI in the government sector, with most government agencies employing some form of it. There are advantages in New Zealand’s small size and strong legal frameworks to develop protocols for data ethics and security, and intellectual property, and to nurture a diverse AI-savvy workforce. Placing equity at the centre of the conversation means that we can choose to adopt AI technologies across education, government and industry in the context of public good. This would mitigate the risk of importing biases from offshore algorithms and allow us to identify areas where AI can benefit all New Zealanders, rather than a small international elite. Within the reports’ 20-year horizon, specialist machine learning and narrow AI (a specific type of AI that outperforms humans in a very narrowly defined task) will help us to start removing the “four Ds” – dirty, dull, difficult, dangerous – from our daily work. Instead, we […]

China re launches Earthquake Catastrophe Model v2.0′

One hundred experts from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Emergency Management Department, seismological science research institutes and the insurance industry convened for the summit and unveiling of ‘China Earthquake Catastrophe Model v2.0’. China Reinsurance Group (China Re) launched the ‘China Earthquake Catastrophe Model v2.0’, the country’s first proprietary commercial earthquake catastrophe model certified by the Seismological Society of China, at the 3rd China Re Catastrophe Risk and Insurance Summit held here on Thursday, August 22. This was a milestone that will fundamentally change China’s long dependence on foreign earthquake catastrophe models, and systematically improve the capacity of China’s earthquake catastrophe risk quantitative management. Nearly one hundred experts from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Emergency Management Department, seismological science research institutes and the insurance industry had convened for the summit, and to witness the unveiling of ‘China Earthquake Catastrophe Model v2.0’. China Re has held the Catastrophe Risk and Insurance Summit for three consecutive years, since establishing the China Reinsurance Catastrophe Research Center in 2017. ‘China Earthquake Catastrophe Model v2.0’ is a concerted milestone achievement by the government, academia and enterprise. To develop the model, China Re initiated the China Re Catastrophe Risk Management Company, the country’s first fin-tech corporation for catastrophe risk control, and brought in a professional model development team with overseas working experience. China Re integrated its scientific research and data resources with the support of professional research institutes including the Institute of Geophysics, and Institute of Engineering Mechanics of the China Earthquake Administration. China Re applied for the State Key Research Project, ‘Earthquake Insurance Loss Assessment Model and Applications’, and received additional funds from the Ministry of Science and Technology. The research grants ensured that the model was completed within two years. Currently, the model has been recognized by the Seismological […]

Toyota and Preferred Networks to joint develop on service robots

Using Toyota’s Human Support Robot as a base, the two companieswill accelerate development by sharing their respective technologies Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) and Preferred Networks, Inc. (PFN) have agreed to engage in joint research and development on Toyota’s Human Support Robot (HSR) robotics platform. The two companies aim to develop service robots that cater to market needs at the earliest opportunity. In recent years, the scope of robot activity has expanded from industrial use to medical care and logistics. However, there remain many technological issues in the field of servicerobots, which are required to integrate into individuals’ lives and make decisions and respond appropriately to various situations. By combining their respective technologies and know-how, Toyota andPFN intend to develop service robots capable of learning in typical living environments and executing a variety of tasks. Specifically, Toyota will first loan several dozen HSRs to PFN; over the following three years, the two companies will then collaborate in research and development. Toyota and PFN will share their respective development information and technologies, including existing intellectual property. The two companies will also be free to use the results of their joint research as they see fit. In this way, Toyota and PFN seek to accelerate development aimed at the practical realisation of service robots. Nobuhiko Koga, Chief Officer of Toyota’s Frontier Research Center, commented: “Since around 2004, Toyota has engaged in the development of partner robots that support both people with disabilities and the elderly, based on the concept of ‘coexisting with humans and assisting them in their daily lives.’ In 2012, we developed the HSR, which has a basic robotics platform for supporting independent living. Up to now, HSR has been used in research and development at 49 organisations in 13 countries including Japan and has been highly praised as […]

Lessons from China on how to drive sustainable growth

Journalists, politicians and regular citizens have spent much time in recent years discussing the ‘Chinese dream’. It’s our vision of China’s journey into the future. I believe the Chinese dream will see us break the link between growing incomes, rising production and degradation of the environment. Our businesses should continue to grow even as our cities, farmland and entire ecosystems become greener and more sustainable. Long-term wealth creation should go hand-in-hand with sustainability. Earlier this year, Lyu Jun, Chairman of COFCO Corporation, described how the commercial case for sustainable production is lagging behind the moral one. Since his article was published as part of the World Economic Forum 2019 Annual Meeting, we have been actively demonstrating the commercial value of sustainability. In July, my company partnered with a consortium of 21 banks to engineer a $2.3 billion loan. Under the terms of this loan, we pay a lower interest rate if we can meet a series of annual targets on sustainability. Any interest saved will be re-invested into initiatives that increase our sustainability performance even further. Sustainability earns us money. This loan demonstrates some of the keys to sustainable growth. Here are five of them: Finance is emerging as a major driver of sustainability Government policy and consumer preferences can certainly shift corporate behaviour, as tariffs on soy have shown. And most consumer-facing businesses are adapting to their customers’ preferences for more sustainability. But I see a more interesting role for the banks, whose influence is immense. The financial sector is shifting quickly towards sustainability as the links to reduced risk and better financial performance become clear. In the first half of this year, the issuance of sustainability-linked loans leapt 63% to $44 billion, as much as in all of 2018. Money talks. Innovation will be part of any solution While the public […]

5G to enhance manufacturing efficiency

More than one million people have subscribed to a 5G mobile contract in South Korea, meaning demand for the high-speed technology has easily outpaced the country’s adoption of 4G. The need for speed isn’t just essential for rapid telecommunication — we’d all rather communicate using faster and more reliable methods. 5G has created quite the media buzz recently. Although uptake continues to face its challenges, with the Australian government banning Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei’s 5G rollout in the country on national security grounds, the world is racing to implement the infrastructure. Next generation 5G networks can be 100 times faster than 4G, making communication between devices and servers much faster. This opens up a wealth of possibilities for manufacturing, helping the industry to increase its competitiveness and boost efficiency. The instant era Manufacturing runs on a tight schedule. Margins are squeezed more than ever as products are increasingly varied, customised and complex. Factories need to receive and transmit a wealth of data to keep their equipment informed — and fast. Ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) is a new service category that will be supported in 5G, created to meet the requirements for 5G in industrial applications. By making the most of this category, machines can receive greater roaming power. In fact, 5G has very low latency, around 10 milliseconds in comparison to the 20-30 milliseconds with 4G, so equipment can be monitored in real time by human workers. With plans to reduce this latency to as little as one millisecond, the factory floor will receive updates on machinery almost instantaneously. Cutting the cord According to Ericsson’s report on 5G’s potential, enhanced communication will also mean greater flexibility for manufacturing robots. 5G will handle more complex data transmissions, such as cloud robotics where the cloud’s processing is relevant for the immediate […]

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 […]

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