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FILE PHOTO: Vendors sit under umbrellas inside a wholesale flower market in Bengaluru

Asian firms’ confidence sinks to near 3-year low on trade war fears

Reuters By Gayatri Suroyo Confidence among Asian companies slumped to the weakest in almost three years in the third quarter as businesses feared blowback from a worsening global trade war, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed. In the picture: Vendors sit under umbrellas inside a wholesale flower market in Bengaluru, India, April 12, 2018. REUTERS/Abhishek N. Chinnappa Representing the six-month outlook of 104 firms, the Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index fell to 58 for the July-September quarter, its lowest since the fourth quarter of 2015, from 74 three months before. It was a second straight quarter-on-quarter decline for the index and the pace of the fall was the steepest recorded since the survey began in 2009. A reading above 50 indicates a positive outlook. “The fall in the index could be a strong signal of an economic slowdown,” said Antonio Fatas, a Singapore-based economics professor at global business school INSEAD, adding that the survey results had historically correlated well with changes in economic growth in Asia Pacific. “We have witnessed a cyclical upturn in the world economy that had to come to an end. We see the end of the cycle in advanced economies as well as emerging markets. This survey confirms that these fears are real,” he said. A global trade war was cited as the chief business risk by respondents, while the second most identified risks were a China economic slowdown and currency fluctuations. The survey was conducted from Aug. 31 through Sept. 14. U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his trade war with China on Monday, imposing 10 percent tariffs on about $200 billion worth of Chinese imports and warning of further tariffs if China takes retaliatory action. China responded by saying it will retaliate. Analysts say a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies may only modestly […]

ZW3D for one man operations, SMEs and corporates

Affordable CADCAM must deliver: • Enterprise-level mechanical design and engineering system. • Cost effective ownership. ZW3D CADCAM is truly integrated. It’s core objective is provide unified environment from concept design to final manufacturing. This is achieved with a powerful proprietary hybrid 3D CAD and CAM kernel. Not only is complex surface generation and manipulation at the centre of the design, the modelling database is object oriented improving speed and providing flexibility. ZW3D does not distinguish between solid, surface or wireframe methodology. All ‘objects’ are usable as a source for developing geometry. The edge of a solid can be used as the profile for a surface or solid extrusion in any direction, as a path for a sweep, the edge of a loft, part of a UV curve set, the path for a distributed pattern of any other object from points through to components. Even if the resulting surface or shape is non sensible in the real world, ZW3D will accept this as a valid object and allow you to continue modelling without a hiccup. CAM users benefit massively from having ready access to high level modelling capability. Comprehensive translators are standard. Some common file types can be used directly. ZW3D Point cloud tools, including STL manipulation can handle millions of points, reduce data and apply complex smooth surface meshes. Resultant surfaces are then used as part of the solid model for shape generation. No additional software or plugins required. AutoCAD users use existing drawings to develop 3D models. One user is currently migrating 2,500 2D sketches to 3D parts. Assembly anomalies have been discovered and resolved. Now they can build and document assemblies with drawings, cross sections, BOM and even instructional explode and unexplode videos. Sheet metal, weldments, morphing , patterning and direct editing tool suites are also standard within ZW3D […]

Eight myths about AI’s effect on the workplace

The interplay between technology and work has always been a hot topic. While technology has typically created more jobs than it has destroyed on a historical basis, this context rarely stops people from believing that things are “different” this time around. In this case, it’s the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) that is being hotly debated by the media and expert commentators. Although there is no doubt that AI will be a transformative force in business, the recent attention on the subject has also led to many common misconceptions about the technology and its anticipated effects. AI is going to be a seismic shift in business – and it’s expected to create a $15.7 trillion economic impact globally by 2030. But understandably, monumental shifts like this tend to make people nervous, resulting in many unanswered questions and misconceptions about the technology and what it will do in the workplace. Demystifying myths Here are the eight debunked myths about AI: Automation will completely displace employees Truth: 70% of employers see AI in supporting humans in completing business processes. Meanwhile, only 11% of employers believe that automation will take over the work found in jobs and business processes to a “great extent”. Companies are primarily interested in cutting costs with AI Truth: 84% of employers see AI as obtaining or sustaining a competitive advantage, and 75% see AI as a way to enter into new business areas. 63% see pressure to reduce costs as a reason to use AI. AI, machine learning, and deep learning are the same thing Truth: AI is a broader term, while machine learning is a subset of AI that enables “intelligence” by using training algorithms and data. Deep learning is an even narrower subset of machine learning inspired by the interconnected neurons of the brain. Automation will eradicate more jobs […]

SolarWinds appoints Ingram Micro as Singapore and Hong Kong distributor

SolarWinds, a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, has appointment Ingram Micro as a distributor for Singapore and Hong Kong. The new relationship will help increase awareness of the SolarWinds IT management software portfolio and strengthen Ingram Micro’s existing network management, monitoring, performance, and security solutions offerings, ultimately helping technology professionals solve today’s IT challenges. Ingram Micro is the world’s largest technology distributor, with deep expertise in technology solutions, mobility, cloud, and supply chain solutions, enabling its business partners to operate efficiently and successfully in the markets they serve. Ingram Micro operates in 160 countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and across Southeast Asia. “Ingram Micro holds extensive experience in the region, and we believe they will enhance our coverage across the market and assist us in reaching a broader audience of potential resellers who can promote and deliver SolarWinds® products to their customers,” said David Cronk, senior vice president of international sales, SolarWinds. “We’re excited about Ingram Micro’s ‘Advanced Solutions’ team and feel that this value-add will be key in helping resellers position SolarWinds.” Francis Choo, vice president and chief country executive, ASEAN and HK, at Ingram Micro, added, “SolarWinds is an important addition to our existing vast portfolio and we believe has high potential in the Singapore and Hong Kong markets. “With the current virtualisation trend, network and systems management software is crucial for businesses of all sizes and SolarWinds will help enable our partners to easily pinpoint and identify issues via their user-friendly interface.”

Seequent opens up 3D modelling world to improve geological risk management

Central ‘single source’ management of complex geological data unlocks higher value for mining and minerals, civil engineering, environmental and geothermal energy industries. Seequent, a developer of revolutionary visual data science software, has released Central 2.0 an advanced central management platform for an organisation’s entire geological modelling activity that connects geology teams and company executives to insights and data not previously available to improve geological risk management. Central was developed for use with Seequent’s Leapfrog 3D geological modelling software.as part of the company’s collaborative industry development process to better meet future needs in the mining and minerals, civil engineering, environmental and geothermal energy industries. Shaun Maloney, CEO of Seequent, says: “The critical importance of managing geological risk has been demonstrated by many recent high profile project failures. We’re laser focussed on helping companies to get on the front foot to manage their geological risks – by effectively communicating this to project stakeholders, and enabling robust risk management plans to be developed.” Seequent has worked with dozens of organisations in each of its core sectors over the past six years to better understand how to help shift each industry to where it needs to be. It has backed this with multi-million-dollar investments in product R&D to extend the company’s overall capability. Maloney says in today’s increasingly complex business environment, organisations are often running multiple projects at the same time and often from different locations, creating a huge amount of geological data that they need to rely on for important investment and environmental decisions. “Ultimately it’s about providing the insight and confidence organisations need to make time critical business decisions about their earth, environment and energy challenges. By enabling people to see stories within the most up to date data – it builds up a whole picture for projects – for example, allowing […]

Eight myths about AI’s effect on the workplace

Improving anomaly detection and prevention: What is your data telling you?

By Ruban Phukan, Co-Founder of Progress DataRPM and VP, Product, Progress The pace of digitisation means manufacturers today are under growing pressure to deliver perfect products in increasingly shorter timeframes, and at a lower cost. They can’t afford unplanned interruptions, unforeseen failures, or unexpected breakdowns, nor can they afford to wait until the quality check stage to identify issues that could have been avoided during the production line. According to Vanson Bourne, 82% of companies have experienced at least one unplanned downtime outage over the past three years, which can cost anywhere from $US50k-$150k per hour up to $US2 million for a major outage on an industrial critical asset. Industry research shows more than a third of the manufacturers lose 1-2% of their annual sales to scrap and rework. Data to the rescue! In order to reduce downtime, improve operational efficiencies and quality, manufacturers are heavily investing in data-led technologies. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) for example are helping automate the process of analysing a growing number of datasets to understand and prognose machine health. Yet, most industrial anomaly detection efforts fail, with research from Capgemini showing almost 60% of organisations do not have the analytics capabilities to take advantage of the data generated from IoT sources. The issue is, many anomaly detection systems end up identifying either too many anomalies (false positives) or not enough (false negatives). Identifying true anomalies involves scouting for those “unknown unknowns”, amidst a sea of changing industrial data patterns. Avoiding downtime: Illuminating the dark spots in your industrial data The key is to detect early signals of future problems, and take proactive actions to prevent them. There are a few best practices used for anomaly detection and prediction that every manufacturer should look to follow: Rule-based/supervised vs […]

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3D printing aircraft parts using new laser technology

A team of RMIT University researchers led by Professor Milan Brandt are using laser metal deposition technology to build and repair defence aircraft parts in a two-year collaboration with RUAG Australia and the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC). The technology feeds metal powder into a laser beam, which when scanned across a surface adds new material in a precise, web-like formation. The metallurgical bond created has mechanical properties similar, or in some cases superior, to those of the original material. “It’s basically a very high-tech welding process where we make or rebuild metal parts layer by layer,” explains Brandt, who says the concept is proven and prospects for its successful development are extremely positive. Head of Research and Technology at RUAG Australia, Neil Matthews, says that by enabling onsite repair and production of parts, the technology could completely transform the concept of warehousing and transporting for defence and other industries. Currently, replacement parts typically need to be transported from local or overseas storage and suppliers. “Instead of waiting for spare parts to arrive from a warehouse, an effective solution will now be on-site,” says Matthews. “For defence forces this means less downtime for repairs and a dramatic increase in the availability and readiness of aircraft.” The technology will apply to existing legacy aircraft as well as the new F35 fleet. The technology is also being adopted in RUAG’s recently established robotic laser additive manufacturing cell. A move to locally printed components could mean big savings on maintenance and spare part purchasing, scrap metal management, warehousing and shipping costs. An independent review, commissioned by BAE Systems, estimated the cost of replacing damaged aircraft components to be more than $230 million a year for the Australian Air Force. CEO and Managing Director of the IMCRC, David Chuter, believes application of this technology […]

Smart cities in Southeast Asia

By Jonathan Woetzel, Diaan-Yi Lin, Mukund Sridhar, and Su-E Yap Cities are the engines of economic growth in Southeast Asia. But the breakneck pace of urbanisation has left many cities struggling to provide adequate housing, infrastructure, and services to meet the needs of a surging population. Now smart technologies that could tackle some of these issues have reached maturity. Recent research from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) highlighted the fact that smart cities worldwide are incorporating data and digital technologies into infrastructure and services—and they are delivering tangible quality-of-life improvements as a result. Building on that work, Smart cities in Southeast Asia (PDF–4MB) takes a more focused look at how cities across the region can make better use of data, digital tools, and smart solutions to solve specific public problems and make the urban environment more livable, sustainable, and productive. MGI finds that smart cities could have substantial impact for the region as a whole. Among its findings: Smart solutions could eliminate up to some 270,000 kilotons of greenhouse-gas emissions annually. Some 5,000 lives lost each year to traffic accidents, fires, and homicides could be saved through mobility solutions, crime prevention, and better emergency response. Intelligent traffic and transit solutions could save up to eight million man-years in annual commuting time. Deploying smart healthcare solutions for the urban population could reduce the region’s disease burden by 12 million disability-adjusted life years—not only extending overall life expectancy but adding years of good health. By creating more efficient and productive environments for business and hiring, Southeast Asia could add almost 1.5 million jobs. Residents could also save as much as $16 billion annually as smart solutions contribute to better housing optionsand lower energy bills. There is already a wave of activity and innovation across Southeast Asia. It includes digital citizen apps, homegrown ride-hailing apps, data-driven transit planning, intelligent traffic systems, data-driven disaster-risk assessment, advanced construction […]

Boosting your bottom line with a safer workplace

Authored by Helen Masters, senior vice president and general manager, Asia Pacific, Infor It’s the sound you dread: a bang, crash or shout heralding that one of your employees has been injured. In that moment, you know that many things have been lost — a person’s wellbeing (and possibly their life), the morale of other employees, and possibly, their confidence in the safety of their workplace. Underlying it all, the productivity, cohesion, and workflow you depend on to deliver a competitive, profitable product may also be impacted. Workplace mishaps in Australia killed 182 employees in 2016, according to statistics from Safe Work Australia and resulted in nearly 104,000 non-fatal serious injuries. Although workplace deaths have halved in a decade, and workplace-related injury and diseases reduced by a quarter, these still translate to 1.5 deaths per 100,000 workers and nearly 1 percent of workers affected by a serious work-related injury or illness. The effects are a serious drain on companies and on the wider economy — work related injuries and fatalities cost the nation $61.8 billion in 2012, nearly 5 percent of GDP. Safer operations mean higher productivity The old line about prevention being better than cure has never been more important than when talking about workplace safety. A safe workplace is essential to ensuring reliable, uninterrupted operations. With strong safety programs, companies can significantly improve their productivity, while reinforcing their bottom line and not only boosting morale and wellbeing among their employees but also having a positive impact on the families and close friends of their employees. There are no accidents The question for many businesses is how to get from here to there. In the transport industry, there is an assumption that there are no accidents, just collisions that could have been prevented with foresight and planning. It is hard […]

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