Trending December 2023 # 3 Ways To Improve Supply Chain With Automation In 2023 # Suggested January 2024 # Top 21 Popular

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The Covid-19 pandemic helped organizations to identify various weaknesses in their supply chains. Supply chain networks are rife with repeatable, process-oriented, and error-prone tasks, ranging from manual documentation errors to picking and stocking errors, shipping and receiving errors, and much more. In the post-pandemic world, supply chain leaders are making more efforts toward eliminating these weaknesses and improving their supply chain operations.

Automation is an effective way of enhancing existing supply chain processes and introducing new ones. AI and other automation technologies are on the list of the top disruptive technologies that will impact supply chains by 2025 (Figure 1). that Gartner expects supply chain autonomy in 10+ years with hyperautomation initiatives in the supply chain. As a result, organizations need to focus more on automating their operations to overcome the weaknesses in their supply chains and remain competitive.

This article explains 3 areas of supply chain automation to guide organizations toward supply chain resilience and autonomy.

Figure 1. Top disruptive technologies impacting supply chains of the future

Source: Statista

1. Warehouse automation

McKinsey states that even though distribution centers are improving warehouse job attractiveness, employing and retaining warehouse workers is still difficult. Reports also suggest that pandemic significantly impacted the labor supply in the warehousing industry and suggest that this shortage will continue during 2023.

Warehouse automation can help supply chain leaders overcome the shortage issue. Furthermore, warehouse operations include repetitive tasks such as inventory management, supply chain tracking, and doing high-risk tasks, such as operating heavy equipment. Automating such tasks can enable companies to achieve more productivity, worker safety, sustainability, and lower costs.

Even though many businesses (80%) have still not implemented warehouse automation in any way, studies suggest that the warehouse automation market size will double to $30 billion by 2026 (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Global warehouse automation market size from 2012 to 2026

Source: Statista

In 2023, warehouse automation will be a prominent trend in the supply chain and logistics industry; therefore, leaders need to consider it an essential element for a sustainable warehousing future.

Warehouse Automation Examples 1. Supply chain tracking

Supply chain tracking refers to ensuring that your shipments are both sent and received on-time. On the supply side of the equation, shipping your customers’ orders out as soon as possible increases their loyalty and satisfaction. And on the production side of the equation, the timely receiving of intermediary goods will ensure an uninterrupted and on-schedule manufacturing process.

2. Demand/Supply planning & Inventory automation

New sophisticated technologies like Woodman’s badger robots and AI-powered demand forecasting solutions help supply chain leaders automate their inventory operations to minimize the occurrence of out-of-stock or overstock situations.

3. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) / Autonomous mobile robots (AMR)

AMRs add intelligence, guidance, and sensory awareness to conventional AGVs. This allows them to operate autonomously and collaboratively around humans. AMRs address the limitations of traditional AGVs and make them better suited to complex warehouses and collaborative activities.

Watch how Ocado, a UK-based technology company, revolutionizes the grocery sector through its warehousing automation systems.

Biotraq: Revolutionizing The Food Supply Chain With Iot, Ai And Data Analytics

Biotraq started to develop QualTrack™ in 2023, a platform that predicts, controls and alerts on the status of high-value products sensitive to their environment all along the supply chain. Biotraq was created with the vision to feed and look after 10 billion people in 2050 as there is no choice but to reduce losses in the Supply Chain. So, the company’s original mission statement was to develop a new cold chain, smart, safe and sustainable to help food industrials reduce avoidable waste. Interestingly, the first clients using Biotraq technology were all from the pharma world, showing that the company’s value proposition could apply to many other industries. Today, Biotraq addresses producers, whatever their industry, that can’t afford to lose their products, as they are highly sensitive to their environment, rare or just invaluable. With the company’s “tech for good” vision, Biotraq believes in the positive impacts of technology to make industries more proactive, flexible and transparent. Indeed, Biotraq still supports strongly the UN sustainable development goal of halving global food waste by 2030.

The Brain Behind Biotraq

The company is led by Olivier Duchesne De Lamotte, CEO. After 22 years of heading investment teams in financial markets, Olivier decided to act on fighting food waste, a subject he always had in mind following a summer internship in Africa at the age of 21. Convinced about the potential of technology for good, he co-founded Biotraq with the aim to propose an easy-to-use solution for improving the safety and quality of products with real-time monitoring. With strong financial knowledge, Olivier has also developed cutting-edge expertise in the logistics sector which makes him aware of client needs.

Smart Technologies with Validating Effects

The use of IoT solutions around the world has led to a massive collection of heterogeneous data. Without relevant analysis, this data has no added value. By remaining agnostic about sensors, Biotraq selects the most relevant ones for customer needs (data precision, battery life, communication network, price, etc.) and offers high added value services. With Biotraq’s artificial intelligence approach and mathematical models, the company supports decision-making optimization and provide real-time recommendations to its clients. Also, Biotraq has developed SMAQ, the first ever smart-contract for blockchain that validates the transition from one logistic phase to other thanks to a certified quality level. Biotraq acts as a 3rd party oracle, pushing products quality and safety calculations to blockchains for all stakeholders: B2B supply chain operators (producer, logistician, distributor), regulators and insurers, as well as end-consumers.

Disruption Unleashing Factual Potential

Olivier believes that disruptive technologies are the necessary add-ons to unleash the true potential of IoT that allows IoT innovation to have a greater impact on operational activities. The multiplication of connected devices associated with data analysis, artificial intelligence and automation allow industries to have better control, much-improved risk-management through predictive actions and automated decision-making tools all along with their processes.

Innovative Offerings Driving Improved Supply Chain

Also, QualTrack™ is a modular and interoperable platform that does not depend on a specific technology and stays open to IoT innovation. The company can, therefore, propose to customers a data analytics service on top of their own sensors’ infrastructure. From the outset, Biotraq has built a strong ecosystem. Based in Paris Station F and Rungis, the largest fresh food market in the world, Biotraq has developed closed links with leading-edge French universities such as AgroParisTech and Telecom ParisTech (R&D collaboration agreement), collaborates with IBM Food Trust and is a member of two competitiveness clusters Vitagora and Nov@log.

Awards and Achievements

Among the awards Biotraq has received, some significant ones are mentioned below: • 2023: Best startup to invest in ‘Tech and IoT’ category according to Challenges economics magazine. The company has been recognized as the carrier of a real citizen and ecological commitment. • 2023: Coca Cola’s Favorite Prize at the CES Las Vegas. • 2023: Carrefour’s Favorite Prize for the Hello Tomorrow Challenge. Client’s feedback: “Biotraq’s innovative offer helps us to improve the tracking of our products to the end-consumer. Today, not only we know exactly where the products are but also in which conditions and we can instantly react in case of an emergency. As simple and easy-to-use, Biotraq’s solution allows us to increase our safety level, reduce losses and propose high added-value delivery service.”

Going Beyond the Challenges

In the beginning, industries were not ready to use Biotraq’s data-driven solution as IoT technology was not sufficiently deployed, particularly in mobility. This led the company to a lot of market evangelization and low income. Biotraq’s first challenge has been to hold long enough to go beyond this phase and convince about its vision and start clients’ traction. Another major challenge was to move from the food sector (Company’s DNA) to other industries. Biotraq’s first MVP was only food-waste oriented, with a safety approach. It was therefore quite complex albeit useful. So, the company developed a new plug-and-play user-centric solution for every industry: QualTrack™. Oliver said that beyond the financial challenge inherent to any businesses, Biotraq must find the right resources to cope with the constant and rapid evolution of IoT solution if it wants to stay as innovative as desired to be.

Looking to the Future

Oliver feels tomorrow’s IoT will have to process a huge amount of data efficiently and effectively. Enterprises will have to get the data to the right place, analyze it in the right context and provide the right information to the right people. In many cases, these actions will have to be taken in real-time or near real-time. Intelligent systems will have to determine which data to process locally and which must be routed to centralized facilities. To do this, it will not be enough to automate the process, but it will require a high degree of autonomy in which the machines will decide themselves how to proceed in a wide range of circumstances. To put it shortly, IoT will become Internet of Everything with decentralized intelligence directly at the sensor level.

Apple Tiger Teams Reexamining Supply Chain, Down To Screws And Plastic Inserts

A new report says that Apple tiger teams involving hundreds of employees are working on reexamining the company’s supply chain – all the way down to screws and plastic inserts.

The goal is to ensure backup suppliers for every component, as well as to reduce dependence on China …

Apple tiger teams

The term “tiger teams” was first coined way back in 1964 to describe cross-disciplinary teams brought together to take an aggressive and rapid approach to problem-solving – where no potential solution is off the table, and no respect need be shown to past ways of doing things.

The most famous example was the Apollo 13 troubleshooting team, originally named the White Team, and later renamed the Tiger Team. They were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for saving the astronauts aboard the module.

It’s common for these teams to report directly to very senior execs, and in Apple’s case, Bloomberg reports that CEO Tim Cook has direct involvement.

Reducing dependence on China

We’ve been warning for many years about both the need and the difficulty of reducing Apple’s dependence on China, but the pandemic made even clearer the risks of the company having most of its manufacturing eggs in one basket. COVID-19-related disruption at the world’s biggest iPhone assembly plant was estimated to have cost the company a billion dollars per week.

During Cook’s recent visit to China, he praised the “symbiotic relationship” the company enjoys with the country – while his tiger teams were hard at work to reduce the extent of it.

Even as Cook was smoothing things over in Beijing, Apple executives were hard at work developing ties to other countries to lessen reliance on the country, according to multiple people familiar with Apple’s operations […]

Apple’s efforts center on India as a location for production of iPhones and accessories, Vietnam for AirPods and Mac assembly, Malaysia for some Mac production, and Ireland—where suppliers currently build the relatively easy-to-produce iMacs—for a range of simpler products. Managers in Apple’s operations department have instructed employees to focus on sourcing additional components and locating production lines outside China for more new products coming in 2024.

Backup suppliers

Apple has always liked to have multiple suppliers for as many components as possible. This lessens the risks of relying on a single company, and also enables the iPhone maker to play multiple suppliers against each other in order to negotiate the best possible terms.

But the pandemic made backup suppliers even more important, and today’s report says that the company is now taking this to new levels of detail, within China as well as outside it.

It has expanded the efforts of these teams, which set up shop in suppliers’ factories in China and other countries, assess facility maintenance schedules, and assemble more extensive lists of backup suppliers for every component, right down to screws and plastic inserts. The company is working to improve its forecasts, component by component, to better anticipate potential shortages.

Fear of Chinese retaliation

While the tiger teams are geared to rapid change, there are hurdles to be overcome – including retaliation by the Chinese government, or push-back from Chinese consumers.

Apple’s leadership is concerned that China might retaliate if it moves too much capacity to other countries, or transitions too rapidly. Customers in China could turn against US-designed products amid heightened nationalism. The company also has concerns about its ability to ensure high standards of quality in Vietnam and particularly Malaysia, given the current state of the manufacturing industries in those countries.

The full piece is worth reading.

Photo: Efe Yağız Soysal/Unsplash

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7 Ways To Grow Your Business With Your Marketing Automation Tools

Research showing how Marketing Automation can support the lead-sales pipeline

Marketing automation has received a lot of attention over the past year. But you may still be sceptical, asking how can it actually grow my business’?

In this post, I want to dig into some of these benefits to explain precisely how marketing automation can help you grow your business.

In March 2014, Regalix conducted a study to identify the most common benefits of marketing automation, as told by marketers who had implemented the software.

1. Improve your lead nurturing

2. Improve your lead response times

A study from Harvard found that you’re seven times more likely to qualify a lead if you respond to an enquiry within an hour, compared to responding even an hour later and more than 60 times likelier than if you waited 24 hours or longer.

Yet, the same study found that, on average, the majority of companies take at least 12 hours to respond to an enquiry.

With marketing automation software, you can create automated email responses to ensure that every lead is responded to within the hour.

3. Improve your lead qualification process

This is partly as a result of better targeting and personalisation of marketing, but also largely due to the fact that marketing automation software provides a framework to improve your lead qualification process.

4. Reduce your sales and marketing overhead

This has two important consequences.

First of all, it reduces your sales and marketing overhead by reducing the need for additional staff. In fact, a study by Nucleus Research found that companies that implemented marketing automation software had a 12.2% reduction in marketing overhead.

5. Increase your sales productivity

In their New York Times best-selling book ‘Switch’, authors Dan and Chip Heath explain that, when it comes to changing a person’s behaviour it’s often best to change the environment and use ‘nudges’ rather trying to change behaviour directly.

6. Align your sales and marketing team

An interesting side effect noted by many companies implementing marketing automation software is that it tends to align the sales and marketing teams around the same goals.

By using one platform that shows both CRM and marketing data, marketers get instant access to the insights gathered by the sales team, and visa versa.

7. Enhanced targeting and personalisation

Perhaps one of the most obvious benefits of combining CRM and marketing data into a single platform, is the ability to precisely target your audience with personalised communication.

You could, for example, send a series of emails triggered by certain actions, such as repeatedly viewing a pricing page on your website, or by criteria such as whether or not they’re a CEO / director.

Ultimately, the more personalised your communication is, the more relevant it will be to the recipient. Relevancy increases the likelihood of purchase, which is just one more tangible benefit of marketing automation software.

Effectiveness of Marketing Automation

There’s no doubting the power and impact that marketing automation software can have on a business when used properly, but it’s important to end on the caveat that it’s not a silver bullet.

The effectiveness of automation software, or any tool or tactic for that matter, is largely dependent on your business and how you use it.

I hope the seven examples above provide inspiration for you to explore this software in more depth, and consider different ways that you may be able to use it to grow your business.

Top 10 Industrial Automation Trends To Know In 2023

The Top 10 Industrial Automation Trends in 2023 are illustrated below

Industrial automation improvements boost output efficiency, cut costs, and streamline procedures. Manufacturers are using industrial automation because of this. Startups further expedite this process by providing off-the-shelf, readily integrable, and scalable automation solutions. An overview of the top 10 industrial automation trends for 2023 is given in this article. They include wearables, blockchain, sophisticated robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI). Discover how they affect your business by reading on.

1. Artificial Intelligence: AI allows robots to learn, adapt, and decide independently. It helps manufacturers find asset trends and anomalies so they can optimize output and cut down on downtime. Industrial robots and drones with built-in AI are more precise and help with jobs like material handling, maintenance, and inspection. As a result, there will be less need for human involvement and less chances of mishaps. AI thereby increases the effectiveness of maintenance procedures and extends the life of the equipment. To create these solutions, startups use machine learning (ML), deep learning, and computer vision.

2. IoT: All industrial machinery and equipment must be connected to gather and evaluate real-time data for industrial automation. This is possible by IioT, enabling industrial organizations to optimize production, lower downtime, and enhance safety. It also allows production managers to keep an eye on the settings and circumstances on the floor. In addition, IIoT-powered systems warn staff members and operators of possible dangers, track staff members’ whereabouts and health, and provide more effective emergency responses. To shift data processing closer to the source, startups also focus on edge IoT and artificial intelligence of things (AIoT).

3. Contemporary Robotics: In risky situations, robots help employees to reduce accidents and address labor shortages. Cobots, or collaborative robots, cooperate with people and change to fit their environment. This enables them to carry out a variety of jobs, including assembly, packing, and equipment maintenance. These robots lower labor expenses and improve the effectiveness of production lines. Additionally, startups are developing mobile robots that can move across unstructured areas and robotic arms that have improved dexterity and accuracy. As a result, such end-of-arm tools (EOAT) automate welding, picking, placement, and 3D printing operations. Robots with self-healing capabilities also require less upkeep.

4. Edge Computing: The need for real-time data processing and low-latency connectivity in industrial environments motivates edge computing. Cloud-based solutions can ease distant data access for enterprises while lowering IT overhead. Thus, for industrial automation, factories combine edge and cloud computing. For instance, whereas cloud computing enables data analytics, storage, and access, edge computing handles real-time monitoring and equipment control. Startups help with this by providing platforms and devices that can be integrated into current equipment to allow edge or cloud computing, reducing the need for internal product development.

5. VR & AR: The use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) increases worker productivity and security. As an illustration, VR mimics real-life circumstances to assist in the training of personnel, enabling them to train in secure and regulated surroundings. Additionally, immersive technologies enable real-time information exchange to raise worker productivity and lower human mistake rates. Startups are developing AR software for supported industrial equipment maintenance and providing digital twins of factories and assets utilizing immersive reality technology. Immersive technologies, therefore, help process automation, enhance worker security, boost output, and decrease downtime.

6. The requirement for precise, accurate, and complicated part geometries, necessitating expensive gear, slows production processes. The creation of parts is automated in additive manufacturing, shortening the lead time for product development and prototyping. Additionally, 3D printing enables producers to design unique goods and parts. It reduces tooling costs and material waste to a minimum. Therefore, startups use cutting-edge 3D printing technology and materials to boost printing speed and accuracy.

7. Automation of manufacturing workflows through industrial digitalization is required, which raises the danger of cyberattacks. Downtimes, the loss of private information, and financial harm result from this. Cybersecurity for enterprises becomes crucial to safeguarding production operations. These technologies shield industrial control systems (ICS) from unwanted access. Additionally, cybersecurity solutions shield intellectual property (IP), which costs money and harms reputation, and stop data breaches. AI-based cyber threat detection and comprehensive security options for IIoT systems are further alternatives. Startups also develop operational technology (OT) device security software solutions integrated into current systems.

8. Production floors incorporate 5G to provide real-time communication and data processing due to higher data rates, lower latency, and more capacity. This is essential for industrial automation because it makes M2M communication more dependable. Workflows for producing things become more productive and efficient as a result. Additionally, 5G allows for equipment management and remote monitoring. Additionally, 5G enables the integration of data-intensive technologies for more effective production systems, including IIoT, AR, VR, and AI. Entrepreneurs are developing hardware and software to implement 5G networks and devices powered by 5G in industrial settings.

9. Blockchain provides safe data exchange across devices, people, and organizations and decentralized communication. Startups also provide smart contracts for tracking and authenticating goods along the supply chain, decentralized equipment control and monitoring, and supply chain management. This improves data access and sharing while automating stakeholder coordination and cooperation. Therefore, blockchain creates a transparent, secure, and self-managing industrial ecosystem.

3 Easy Steps To Improve Personal Online Security

Online safety has become a significant issue both for cybersecurity experts and casual Internet users alike. Cyberattacks happen daily, and some people aren’t aware of that because online security is still not widely discussed.

That’s why we’re drawing attention to this topic that is crucial for the well-being of anyone actively using the Internet.

Earlier this year Updateland wrote about how cybersecurity practices differ between experts vs non-experts. Unsurprisingly, a lot of people still don’t know about safe browsing.

In this article, we’d like to recommend three easy steps to improve online safety, starting with secure nordpass password generator and ending with home network security.

Password managers

Most online services are now hidden behind the password. It’s a good thing, but password management practices haven’t changed for a long time, and cybercriminals are fast to exploit that.

Weak passwords can be easily guessed, and reused passwords are a danger for multiple account security. But it’s nearly impossible to remember dozens if not hundreds long, complex, and separate passwords for each service, so what can you do?

Luckily, password managers are there to help. They have been developed some time ago, but only in the last decade grew in popularity due to rising concern about online safety.

A password manager is essentially a safe and encrypted vault that will store all your passwords for you. Instead of having to come up with a unique and strong password, you can use a password generator to produce one, then save it for the service you want to use it for in your vault.

Moreover, most password managers have an autofill function, which will automatically fill in the password instead of having to type all of those tricky symbols.

This makes the browsing experience a more comfortable and secure one, or, how the saying goes, you’re killing two birds with one stone.

Last but not least is zero-knowledge password manager architecture. This means that the vault with all the passwords is accessible only to the owner of the vault, and nobody else.

Also read: The Top 10 Digital Process Automation (DPA) Tools

Use a Virtual Private Network

Another critical issue is Internet access security. These days we are accustomed to having Internet access wherever we go.

Be it our smartphone mobile data, guest Wi-Fi network at the friends’ house, or public Wi-Fi hotspot in a coffee shop – we connect to these networks without thinking whether they’ve been adequately secured.

Public Wi-Fi access points frequently become a target for hackers looking for an easy money grab.

A lot of people connect to them automatically and have no idea that a cybercriminal has infected the network and is spying on every user on it.

He or she might peak on your confidential conversations. Or – the worst-case scenario – if you’ve done some online shopping, they might even get access to your finances.

A Virtual Private Network, or a VPN, is highly recommended by numerous cybersecurity experts. This software has been developed for business data security, but soon was adapted for public use because of security benefits that it provides.

A VPN encrypts all of your online data-flow and reroutes it through one of its secured servers. Additional encryption ensures that no one can take a look at what you’re up to online.

A hacker trying to spy on your information via an infected public Wi-Fi network will only see a meaningless gibberish. With current technology, it’s nearly impossible to crack the encryption and extract valuable information.

Furthermore, rerouting the traffic through a secured no-logs server prevents your ISP from collecting your data, which is practised from the USA to China.

That’s why VPNs have become a popular cybersecurity software for those Internet users who value their online privacy. Follow this link for a list of best VPN services in 2023.

Develop safe browsing habits

According to research, 90% of data breaches are caused by human error. People are still unaware of online dangers and aren’t up-to-date with the most recent cybersecurity practices.

Hackers know this very well, and when they want to target a large business, they first target employees, which are the weakest link in the security chain.

Most often this is done via Phishing attacks. Hackers send out a bunch of emails offering a discount for the employees, or they pretend to be government officials requesting some information.

One way or the other, it’s crucial to learn to identify these false statements and raise the alarm when confronted with something suspicious.

That’s why self-education is so important. Only by reading about the latest cybercrime techniques and defences against them can one become more secure online and prevent bad things from happening.

These are just three easy steps, but they should be enough to protect your online valuables from most common cyber attacks.

Mark Lee

Mark Lee is a 32-year-old cybersecurity specialist currently managing a team in one of the largest IT-companies in Northern Germany. According to him, online security is something that is too often taken for granted by the internet community and should be taken extra seriously, especially considering that certain parts of the internet are becoming real feeding grounds for cybercriminals who are looking to exploit whatever weakness they can find.

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