AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Mark Glover

Technologies such as AI, ML, blockchain and robotics will drive multiple growth opportunities in Supply Chain Market, research suggests.


Frost & Sullivan’s latest analysis, Growth Opportunities in the Internet of Things-enabled Supply Chain Management Market, Forecast to 2024, reveals that end-to-end visibility, predictive analysis, transparency, and real-time insights are some of the benefits driving the adoption and implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) systems within the supply chain management (SCM) market. The trend toward IoT-enabled SCM is creating a convergence of disparate sets of providers and the rise of a new ecosystem that will have far-reaching benefits to users.

“Current supply chains will be reinvented as IoT-enabled systems allow unprecedented end-to-end visibility, remote tracking, and control,” said Deepali Sathe, Senior Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “The increase in automation will significantly improve accuracy of predictions and speed of execution.”

The research identifies market drivers and restraints, offers strategic recommendations, and forecasts IoT revenues in the digital supply-chain management sector until 2024. The research also lists a variety of use-case scenarios across the various segments in supply-chain management.

One of the biggest impacts of technology adoption on SCM has been the introduction of new business models. As data siloes diminish, customers can focus on the benefits that can be achieved as a result of improved end-to-end visibility, ability to remotely control devices, and automated processes.

Vendors offering IoT-enabled solutions can tap into new growth opportunities by:
• Focussing on increasing demand for IoT-enabled, multi-function robots and cobots;
• Investing in the development of sensors and tags required for connected devices;
• Offering strong, multi-layered cybersecurity solutions to tackle potential threats;
• Harnessing data using AI and ML technologies to enable solutions such as chatbots or smart home speakers;
• Meeting customer preference for XaaS business models such as platforms and sensors.

“Predictive analytics based on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and Big Data Analytics (BDA) will reduce errors and take the guesswork out of planning, forecasting and execution,” noted Adrian Drozd, Research Director at Frost & Sullivan.

“Technologies such as blockchain can create better and faster processes and prevent fraud, while robotics will enhance automation and precision for greater accuracy.”

With efficiency, safety and security looming large on any fleet operator’s agenda, Focus provides smaller operators with the same level of data and fleet performance intelligence available to larger operators.

Focus provides users with the tools needed to improve operational efficiency, maximise vehicle utilisation, reduce costs and environmental emissions, support drivers and improve safety and compliance outcomes. Optional add-ons include a multi-camera solution, incident analysis and a remote digital tachograph download.

“There are a number of telematics solutions on the market, but Focus is tailor-made for smaller fleets and provides users with usable data to support fleet utilisation, without flooding them with data they simply don’t need,” said Stephen Watson, Microlise Director of Product.

“Our aim is to make it possible for every fleet owner to deploy next generation telematics across any make and model of vehicle, including pre-Euro VI.  With a warranty that extends for the life of the contract and our own manufactured units, plus the option to move seamlessly onto a larger fleet solution if required, Focus provides all the essential elements,” concluded Watson.

With an established reputation for innovation and collaboration, Microlise already provides telematics, real-time journey management and proof of delivery solutions to 14 of the UK’s 15 largest retailers as well as to JCB and MAN Truck & Bus UK.

Parsable have released product enhancements to its Connected Worker Platform to strengthen and accelerate digital transformation at industrial companies, from the top floor to the shop floor. These new features make it easier to accurately execute, measure and improve frontline work, while also extending the platform’s integration capabilities with other systems.

Parsable’s enterprise-class, mobile-first Connected Worker Platform provides extremely granular visibility into human-led work done across industrial operations. The new enhancements make it significantly easier for industrial companies to increase user adoption and capture the critical data insights that are essential to successful continuous improvement and, ultimately, product and service excellence.The new features include:

• Applets for Systems – Companies can now easily connect Parsable with their overall operations environment by creating API integrations with other existing systems and Internet of Things (IoT) devices — like an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, manufacturing execution system (MES) or IoT-enabled sensor — or even developing new functionality within the Parsable platform.

Workflow tasks within the Parsable platform – like launching a job, adding steps to an active job or sending notifications – can also be automated using Applets, allowing end users to perform their jobs faster and with greater confidence.

• Input Triggers – Input Triggers make work execution more efficient and reduce confusion about what to do next if something unexpected occurs. Digital procedures can now be designed to dynamically change and respond to real-time inputs made by operators, based on simple “if/then” conditional rules.

For example, if an operator types in a temperature value that is out of an expected range, an Input Trigger can validate in real time whether it is an abnormal temperature reading, and then launch a different set of actions, such as automatically displaying an alert for the operator or sending an email to a supervisor.

• Enhanced Web Execution – Operators who access Parsable through a browser will now see new functionality in the Web Execution app, enabling them to perform their work more quickly and easily. They can make updates to active jobs, such as adding steps, step-groups and templates, as well as notify other users assigned to a step, with a single click.

• Navigation Redesign, Custom Colors in Mobile App – A new, streamlined navigation menu makes it easier for users to get things done within the platform and reinforces the company’s commitment to bringing consumer-grade, user-friendly design to the enterprise. Additionally, Parsable’s mobile app can now be customized with a company’s corporate colors to ensure brand continuity and improve reading clarity.

“Every day we think about how we can accelerate end-to-end industrial transformation for our customers and help drive positive change for their frontline workers through our Connected Worker Platform,” said Michael Chou, Parsable’s Chief Product Officer. “These new features are the result of our commitment to make sure the world’s deskless industrial workers have the best digital tools to perform at the highest levels of productivity and quality, as safely as possible.”

IFS to optimize maintenance scheduling, service and product development through simplified access to Rolls-Royce Trent engine data.

Rolls-Royce has chosen IFS Maintenix™ for exchanging engine data with airlines operating Rolls-Royce Trent engines, including the Trent 1000, Trent XWB and Trent 7000. With a long list of world-leading airlines operating with its engines, the IFS Maintenix solution will help Rolls-Royce and its customers share data.

The IFS Maintenix Aviation Analytics capability enables the automated provision of field data, which ensures that Rolls-Royce receives timely and accurate information. IFS Maintenix then acts as a gateway to automatically push maintenance program changes from Rolls-Royce back to the airline operator. As a result, life-limited engine part maintenance deadlines can be updated based on actual operating conditions and life consumed by each engine in use.

Rolls-Royce helps transport thousands of air passengers and tons of cargo across the world on a daily basis, and maximizing the safety, efficiency and insights gained on each trip is paramount. With the support of IFS Maintenix and its Aviation Analytics capability, Rolls-Royce is able to offer a systematic method of exchanging and accurately updating airline engine life data to optimize the interval between engines being removed and sent for overhaul. This will provide new streams of data for Rolls-Royce to analyze the performance of fleets with Trent engines and refine the aftermarket offerings it can provide its customers, from service-based contracts to analytics insights and more.

Richard Goodhead, Rolls-Royce, SVP Marketing – Civil Aerospace, said: “Ease of data sharing is a key component in the Rolls-Royce IntelligentEngine vision, which sees a future in which our aero engines are increasingly connected, contextually aware, and even comprehending. Working with IFS Maintenix to ensure we receive accurate and timely engine life data will help us as we make further progress toward that objective by helping us deliver greater levels of reliability and efficiency to our operators.”

Scott Helmer, President, Aerospace & Defense Business Unit, IFS added: “We are thrilled to work with Rolls-Royce to deliver next-generation maintenance protocols, all based on up-to-date engine life data. This strategically important deal offers further proof that IFS Maintenix can help aviation organizations maximize the revenue potential of their assets through standard, lean, and predictable maintenance.”

Across countless industries, the rise of performance analytics has had a fundamental impact on how organisations assess the contribution of their most valuable assets. Thanks to advances in data collection and analysis, managers now possess an incredible amount of information that they can use to evaluate and inform how their employees and their inventory help support the business’s growth. Likewise, employees now have access to more powerful self-management tools than ever before.

You’d imagine that a Silicon Valley giant or a hot tech start-up would provide the best example of an organisation doing this well. But you’d be wrong. It’s actually professional cycling that throws up one of the best examples, thanks to teams’ innovative and relentless use of data. As seen in last month’s Tour de France, every single aspect of their organisation is tailored towards giving their employees out in the field – their riders – every opportunity to perform at the highest possible level.

If performance analytics can be applied with this degree of success within a sporting context – where there is always great scope for uncertainty – then why can’t it be deployed to the benefit of those who manage fleets of vehicles? There are numerous techniques and methodologies that fleet managers can adopt from top road cycling teams to help replicate their success.

These techniques are all founded on one underlying technology that can drive business benefits for fleets of all sizes. Fleet management solutions have become increasingly popular in recent years as a tool to help monitor the health and performance of both vehicles and drivers. Simply deploying a fleet management solution, however, isn’t sufficient. Driving improvements at an enterprise and manager level requires businesses to act on the intelligence and insights collected and generated by these platforms to change their ways of working. In doing so, they deliver productivity and cost benefits for the entire business.

Here are four learnings fleet managers can take from professional cycling to drive performance across their business:

1. Drive greater performance from your employees

This monitoring is essential to managing the performance of cyclists, and ensuring they are not overburdened, which can lead to injury. Fleet managers can replicate this process by making use of the vehicle monitoring/diagnostics tools within fleet management systems to keep tabs on the condition of vehicles in their fleet so that they are fit for the job at hand. If not, managers can proactively schedule maintenance of a vehicle and shift its workload onto other vehicles in the network to reduce disruption and help fulfil customers’ demands on time.  

Today, the most successful businesses are those that monitor performance and maximise efficiency both inside and outside of its traditional four walls. Many sports have already adopted this mindset, and it’s time fleet managers do the same. When a vehicle leaves the depot, it should no longer be considered an external asset – rather, it should be considered as an extension of the business, and as critical a workplace as the desk of the CEO.

For firms operating in the B2B sphere Customer Experience Management (CEM) can be a key differentiator in a complex and competitive marketplace. Chris Raddats from Liverpool University outlines some of the key dimensions in CEM that Managers need to understand to stand out from the crowd.

M5STACK has launched the K210 RISC-V 64 AI Camera— an innovative machine vision and machine learning programmable camera that’s competitively priced to meet the needs of a rapidly growing AI market.

AI cameras help engineers quickly implement machine learning, image recognition, and speech recognition functions, and the K210 RISC-V 64 AICamera supports OpenMV and MicroPython to make programming on easier while delivering the maximum efficiency and flexibility needed for advanced level big data computation. 

M5stick-V AI Camera features its integration with machine vision capabilities, featuring the unprocessed acceptability to AI Visioning with high energy effenciency and low cost. We co-oped with Sipeed providing the MicroPython environment makes programming onM5stick-V easier.

Made with the incredibly powerful machine learning AI chip 'K210'— Kendryte K210 -an edge computing system-on-chip (SoC) with dual core 64bit RISC-V CPU and state-of-art neural network processor. a high-performance hardware accelerator that offers superior low power vision processing speed and accuracy— K210 RISC-V 64 AI Camera comes with numerous built-in advantages over its competition.

From its KPU high performance convolutional neural network (CNN) hardware accelerator, powerful calculation capabilities, and relatively low cost high-performance AI core to its exclusive hardware package with camera, horn, microphone, screen, gyroscope, battery, wireless communication and complete enclosure, K210 RISC-V 64 AI Camera was built from the inside out to be a powerful, ready-to-use product-level AI application terminal.

The module comes with the OmniVision OV7740 sensor, using the OmniPixel®3-HS technology, providing a best-in-class low light sensitivity, making it ideal for machine vision. In addition to an OV7740 sensor, M5stick-V features more hardware resources such as speaker with built-in I2S Class-D DAC, MEMS Microphone, IPS screen, 6-axis IMU, 200mAh Li-po battery, and more.

More than the visioning, M5stick-V also features the embedded APU - Audio Processor. With its hardware beam-forming support and dual 512-point FFT units, the M5stick-V is also capable of a series of machine hearing works like voice wake-up to speech recognition.

K210 RISC-V 64 AI Camera provides built-in image processing model libraries for advanced real-time facial and object recognition that makes it perfect and ready-to-use for: 

• Face recognition/detection
• Object detection/classification
• Obtaining size and coordinates of target in real time
• Obtaining type of detected target in real time
• Shape recognition
• Video/Audio Record/Display
• Game simulator
  
  

M5STACK technology is already employed by engineers and creators and can be used in a number of practical industrial scenarios such as for creating and programming logistics sorting robots, intelligent security in buildings, autonomous driving, and countless others.

Third-party logistics companies (3PLs) are lacking in proactivity and continuous improvement, according to the latest research from  supply chain and logistics consultancy, SCALA.

SCALA surveyed a selection of the UK’s best-known businesses and 3PLs (whose revenue runs into the billions and whose number of clients run into the thousands) to ascertain companies’ satisfaction rates and areas of concern regarding the performance of their 3PLs.

 

The findings revealed that a key shortfall in 3PLs’ performance is their inability to innovate and bring fresh ideas and solutions to the table. More than half (59%) of the companies surveyed stated that their 3PL is ‘poor’ at introducing new initiatives. None said that their 3PL is extremely good at this.

 

However, the research highlighted contrasting views from 3PLs; the majority of which were overly optimistic in their performance. Indeed, 84% of 3PLs said they are good at introducing new ideas and initiatives.

 

John Perry, managing director at SCALA, commented: “These findings show that there is clearly a major conundrum for both parties. There is definitely a feeling amongst client companies that 3PLs do not bring enough innovation, particularly after the 3PL has won the contract.

 

“However, in our experience, the 3PL’s response to this is often to point out that the greatest improvement potential comes from looking at the supply chain and service more holistically, but they find their clients can be resistant to this level of collaboration. Yes, there are opportunities for standalone innovation in operations, but greater impact can be gained by looking at logistics as a whole. The two respective companies need to work together to truly achieve that. 

 

“More upfront discussion and negotiation, together with ongoing regular reviews and sharing of information, would lead to more consistent expectations and better performance.”

 

Participating companies that shared their views in SCALA’s research cover a wide range of sectors but predominantly operate in the grocery, FMCG, electrical appliance and homewares sectors. The 3PLs range from regional providers to the very largest in the UK, with the majority having in excess of 100 clients.