Category Archives: Automation

The Industry Ministry has begun a mission to bolster ties with Japanese businesses given the uncertainties surrounding Thai politics.

Japan is among the key nations the ministry aims to cement ties with. It was noted that R&D experience from Japan can help the government meet its goal of directing the country toward the fourth industrial revolution.

The recent meeting in Japan was aimed at assuring Japanese businessmen of the mutual benefits the two countries will enjoy through stronger investment ties.

During the trip, the minister, the chairman of a major car manufacturer signed a memorandum of understanding.

Under the MoU, the two have agreed to further develop automation and robotics in Thailand, two fields that are crucial to the Thailand 4.0 blueprint.

Robotics is one of 10 targeted industries in the governments Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project, which is a new high-tech industrial hub covering 30,000 rai of land in three coastal provinces of Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao.

The MoU will be a start for setting up a consortium to support robotics and automation development.

In addition, Thailand wants to increase the number of system integrators specialising in computing operations.

During the trip, the minister, also led an entourage to meet high-ranking Japanese officials, including those in charge of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), to discuss joint business opportunities.

The METI promised to take Japanese investors to Thailand to see how they can develop their businesses in the EEC. Many EEC projects will be at the heart of industrial development under Thailand 4.0.

The minister also noted that he had strengthened investment links with Japans large agencies and corporations.

These corporations include the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation, which is helping Thailand with rubbish recycling technology; a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer, which is preparing to produce plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Thailand over the next two years, and another arm of the same automotive manufacturer, which is planning to open a new smart technology business line.

The minister also sought cooperation with small and medium-sized enterprises in Toyama, located northwest of Tokyo, in a move to encourage Japanese SMEs to expand their businesses to Thailand.

They are prospective investors too because almost all large companies in Japan have already invested in Thailand, the minister noted.

Toyamas businessmen are interested in doing business in Thailand as they have established 65 firms here over the past three years. The Industry Ministry hopes to increase that number to 100 by 2021.

The Thai government will give new investors incentives which will be tailor-made for their businesses. The aim to help Japanese firms feel more comfortable in Thailand in order to support more foreign investment.

Thailand seen as a tech hub

According to another article, the ministers recent trip to Japan involved meeting regarding business and investment opportunities with existing and future partners, including one automotive company which aims to produce 5.5 million automobiles in Thailand by 2025.

After signing a memorandum of understanding with the Japan-Thailand Economics Corporation Society (JTECS) and Toyota Motors Co Ltd, the minister stated that the agreement to boost the production of automobiles and improve the robotic industry in Thailand.

This MoU will bring the nation closer to the Thailand 4.0 target. Moreover, the government aims to establish 1,400 system integrators within four years to facilitate hardware and software needs of corporate clients.

As a major partner in this MoU, the automotive manufacturer will bring state-of-the-art technology to manufacturing bases in Thailand, which will boost production capacity to over 750,000 units annually.

Within this target, 500,000 will be electric vehicles [EV], while the rest will be plug-in hybrid electric vehicles [PHEV]. An emphasis is being placed on PHEVs since pure EVs still have many limitations, such as higher price batteries and total reliance on charging stations, which are not comprehensive enough in many areas.

Japan is also interested in infrastructure projects such as high-speed train and manufacturing bases for robotics and high-tech industries.

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Thailand and Japan agree to develop automation tech - OpenGov Asia

CHICAGO, Oct. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As Surgical Information Systems (SIS) delivers its advanced clinical documentation solution, SIS Charts, to the growing ambulatory surgery center (ASC) market, it has partnered with Neximatic to provide automated vital sign charting for operating rooms and PACUs, bringing a new level of workflow efficiency to ASC clinicians.

SIS is a leader in ASC software, and SIS Charts is an intuitive, cloud-based platform designed to make ASC clinical documentation easy. Automating vital sign charting with Neximatic's solution eliminates the manual data entry process so clinical staff can focus their attention on patient care and not the documentation. It also ensures a comprehensively charted record that improves workflow efficiency in ASCs.

"We have been successful in deploying SIS Charts with vital sign charting automation in multiple facilities during the past six months," said Doug Rempfer, SIS chief operating officer. "Our clients appreciate this feature as it streamlines documentation and helps improve patient care by removing this manual step."

The Neximatic solution works seamlessly with a surgery center's existing IT infrastructure, making installation simple. The feature can be enabled in less than one day.

"We are very excited to partner with SIS," said Bobby Wong, President of Neximatic. "Our solution supports vitals capture in operating rooms and PACUs, enabling end-to-end vital sign charting automation for ASCs."

About Neximatic, Inc.

Neximatic, Inc. is a technology provider for electronic health record (EHR) providers, enabling new features in EHRs. Its vital sign streaming solution has enabled automatic charting in AIMS and tele-health applications. For more information, please visit http://www.neximatic.comor email toinfo@neximatic.com.

About Surgical Information Systems (SIS)

Surgical Information Systems (SIS) delivers surgical information solutions to healthcare providers. Our commitment to deliver on promises made to our clients and each other drives everything we do. SIS has grown to serve the needs of nearly 3,000 surgical facilities in over 10,000 operating rooms across the United States and Canada. Our deep understanding of surgical services has allowed us to develop proven solutions and services that improve the financial, operational, and clinical performance of those we serve. Healthcare is constantly changing, and we change with it. We continue to innovate using input from our clients and the market in order to meet their evolving needs. For more information, please visit:https://www.sisfirst.com.

Contact:844-890-6095info@neximatic.com

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Neximatic Partners With Surgical Information Systems to Deliver Automated Vitals Charting to Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Market - P&T Community

Advances in automation are undoubtedly changing the nature of work.

And a newreportfrom McKinsey & Co. has highlighted a specific demographic most at risk of the impending automation wave African Americans. With the problem being particularly acute for men, and those without a college degree.

The core reason is because African American workers are overrepresented in high-displacement job categories like office support secretaries, fast-food and service workers, mechanics and other production positions.

smiling african american businessman with crossed arms in office

Its an issue, William Goodloe, President and CEO of Sponsors For Educational Opportunity (SEO), said could very well could happen without strong consistent and meaningful intervention.

This is why SEO exists, to help create a more equitable society. And we realize that talent is widely distributed, but yet it's unevenly developed, Goodloe said in an interview with Yahoo Finances On The Move. And we're in the talent development business, and helping close the opportunity gap for young people of color in particular, by reverse engineering and developing out talent development to help them meet the existing standards for success in college as well as in careers.

The McKinsey study goes on to say that the impact on African American men could be mitigated by both public- and private-sector institutions pursuing large-scale economic-development strategies to increase jobs and opportunities.

Bridgette Webb is a producer at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @bridgetteAwebb.

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Automation will hit this demographic the most: McKinsey report - Yahoo Finance

Financial services firms in the UK are integrating robo-advisers into their ranks faster than their global competitors in a bid to harness the technology to retain customers or poach new ones, new research has found.

While 37 per cent of UK financial services firms surveyed have implemented robotic processing automation (RPA) a technology used to automate human activities only 28 per cent of global firms have adopted the technology, according to a report published today by PwC.

Read more: Britains financial system prepared for worst case Brexit scenario, says Bank of England

But the rise of automation is presenting firms with the dilemma of how to balance the need for human interaction with the digitally enhanced offerings customers also expect, said PwC partner Rav Hayer.

Most consumers want the reassurance of some human oversight alongside access to a human adviser for key decisions, said Hayer.

This dilemma appears to be preoccupying firms, with 27 per cent of UK firms reporting they do not think they are meeting customer expectations with the right balance of digital and direct human contact.

Although UK firms may lead the way when it comes to robo-advisors, the research found they are much less likely to have implemented big data (29 per cent vs 46 per cent) or the internet of things (15 per cent vs 31 per cent) than their international rivals.

Financial services firms in the UK are also falling slightly behind on the integration of fintech. While 44 per cent of UK companies reported having fully embedded fintech across their strategic operating model, almost half (48 per cent) of global firms have embedded the technology.

Fintech is also driving job creation within financial services in the UK. According to the report, the majority (63 per cent) of firms are creating new positions as a result of the technology.

Yet despite the majority of UK financial services firms hiring from both technology companies and their own sector to find employees with the skills needed for fintech, almost half (46 per cent) of companies are struggling to fill these new positions.

Read more: AI investment in UK reaches record high

To bridge the fintech skills gap, firms need to prioritise technology at executive level, Hayer said, highlighting the finding that only 34 per cent of UK firms have a C-suite level executive responsible for leading the companys tech or digital strategy.

Increased C-Suite involvement will pave the way for more investment and bring a more attractive environment for real innovation and partnership with fintechs, he said.

Main image credit: Getty

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UK financial services firms leading the way on automation - City A.M.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vectis is Latin for leverage. Leverage now extended to manufacturers seeking a low-risk, low-cost, easy-to-use answer to increase welding productivity amid the ongoing shortage of skilled labor.

The Vectis Cobot Welding Tool helps manufacturers boost productivity by reducing the learning curve, deployment time, risk, and cost of robotic welding. Powered by Universal Robots UR10e collaborative robot, the Vectis Cobot Welding Tool is a portable, safe, versatile, and extremely easy-to-use solution that is even available as a low-risk, no-capital rent-to-own option. FABTECH attendees will be the first to experience the new cobot welder as it debuts in Universal Robots FABTECH booth B35083 in Chicago, November 11-14, 2019.

We saw Universal Robots prevail as the undisputed leader in the cobot market, lowering automation barriers through ease of use and fast deployment, says Josh Pawley, director of business development and co-founder of Vectis Automation, that has joined Universal Robots growing network of Certified System Integrators. We wanted to build our cobot welder on this platform, providing the same user experience to welders that manufacturers in many other industry verticals now enjoy, he says, adding that the Vectis Cobot Welder is commonly 25-40 percent less expensive than the all-in cost of a small traditional robot welder.

Users of the Vectis Cobot Welding Tool are typically set up entirely by the customer within a few hours of system arrival and welding within 10 minutes of setup with no programming experience necessary. Vectis Lets Weld Together intuitive programming interface is accessible directly through the UR cobots own teach pendant. Programs can be created, saved, and later recalled in order to handle the numerous part numbers typical for high mix/low volume shops. The cobot welder can weld thick and thin parts, and the Vectis Weaving Software allows manufacturers to set weave parameters for cleanly tied-in welds with a Weld Template Library that provides parameter starting points for common weld sizes, such as one-click tack welds, square tubes with tight-radii corners, round tubes, and multi-segment paths.

We are delighted to be selected as the cobot of choice by a welding company with founders having more than 60 years of welding automation experience under the hood, says Stu Shepherd, regional sales director of Universal Robots North America division. Vectis solution meets the ongoing welding requests we receive from customers. We look forward to seeing the companys deep application expertise manifest itself in the cobot realm and cant wait to share this expertise with FABTECH attendees and beyond.

The Vectis system comes with all hardware provided fully integrated onto a 3ft x 6ft mobile modular fixturing cart enabling metal fabricators to bring the cobot to the work, or the work to the cobot with no anchoring nor dedicated footprint required. The Vectis Cobot Welding Tool does not need three-phase power but runs off a 120V wall outlet, the welder can run on anything between 208V and 575V including 240V single phase.

The cobot welder includes:

Download videos, images and brochure here.

About Universal RobotsUniversal Robots was founded in 2005 to make robot technology accessible to all by developing small, user-friendly, reasonably priced, flexible industrial robots that are safe to work with. Since the first collaborative robot (cobot) was launched in 2008, the company has experienced considerable growth with the user-friendly cobot now sold worldwide. The company, which is a part of Teradyne Inc., is headquartered in Odense, Denmark, and has subsidiaries and regional offices in the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Turkey, China, India, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico. In 2018, Universal Robots had a revenue of USD 234 million. For more information, please visit http://www.universal-robots.com or read our blog at blog.universal-robots.com.

About Vectis AutomationVectis Automation is a team of engineers in Fort Collins, CO with 60+ years of combined experience in the robotic welding industry. The company is a Universal Robots Certified Systems Integrator and provides a fully integrated and extremely easy-to-use cobot welding tool, along with welding application expertise to help evaluate end-user applications and consult on best practices for successful implementation. http://www.vectisautomation.com

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Universal Robots Powers Vectis Automation's New Cobot Welding Tool, Offers Leverage to Manufacturers Addressing Labor Crisis and Rising Costs -...

For a good decade, the US "Transformers" film series was a great success. But the fifth film, which hit Chinese screens in June, was a relative flop. Could this be because reality has partially surpassed science fiction?

In April, the Chinese logistics company Shentong Express released a promotional video to show how work is carried out in its warehouses. There are no human beings to be seen in the film. Instead, hundreds of orange-colored robots sort packages like busy bees. The People's Daily boasted that Shentong Express' switch to automation could slash its costs by up to 70 percent. Back in the day, there might have been talk of a model company or suggestions that others could learn from the robotics industry.

'Made in China 2025'

The days when China celebrated the working class and intimidated the West with its army of cheap labor are over. Now, the government is looking to automation. The new agenda is called "Made in China 2025" and the idea is to go from being the world's factory to a high-tech superpower. The plan is to be producing 100,000 competitive robots per year by 2020. According to this year's World Robotics Report, China is already well ahead in this sector. It made over 87,000 units last year - 27 percent up from the year before. The president of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) Joe Gemma said that there had never been such a dynamic increase in such a short amount of time.

DW's Frank Sieren

However, in comparison to other leading global economies, such as the US and Japan, China still has plenty to learn and remains dependent on foreign expertise. The takeover by the Chinese appliance company Midea of the German firm Kuka, one of the leading makers of robots for the car sector, will help to change matters.

But has also triggered some concern in Brussels and Berlin. Germany prides itself on its engineering and needs to have some advances of its own in the robotics sector too. The country's then-economy minister, Sigmar Gabriel, and the German government tried to prevent the takeover at the time by looking for a European investor, but this turned out to be in vain.

Shrinking workforce

China is also trying to counter the negative consequences of its One Child policy through more automation. There are fewer younger people who can work and - crucially - fewer who are willing to work for such low wages. Therefore, many companies in the global plastic and textile industries have moved to other cheaper countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh.

The speed of China's automation and its consequences are most visible in the industrial metropolis Kunshan, located between Shanghai and Suzhou. It was here where the Taiwanese company Foxconn, which supplies Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo and Samsung, made a daring move in early 2016 when it dismissed 60,000 out of 110,000 employees and replaced them with robots. Yet, nobody in Beijing protested.

This may have been because Foxconn, which in the past has come under fire because of poor working conditions, has promised to train people for tasks that require higher skills in the future so that they can be employed in development and quality control, for example. So, people will be making robots and also controlling them.

Beijing is conscious that such measures cannot compensate for the massive loss of jobs that millions of migrant workers face in the future. Moreover, it's already difficult for university graduates today to find jobs. Their numbers are rising as fast as those of robots.

To prevent mass unemployment, China would have to find jobs for people in the growing service sector. But this is not growing as fast as it could because the Chinese population remains wary of the future and is not spending enough.

Beijing faces a dilemma. There is no alternative to automation if the country wants to remain competitive internationally, but the government will have to find a solution to appease the country's millions of low-skilled workers if they do not want them to rise up against the robots in the future.

Frank Sieren has lived in Beijing for over 20 years.

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Sieren's China: Development through automation - Deutsche Welle

Hong Kongs top financial executives are embracing automation in the workplace and urging employees to enhance their problem-solving skills and adapt as machines replace manual duties, a survey has found.

Recruitment consultancy Robert Half polled 100 chief financial officers and financial directors at companies in a range of industries, including business services, marketing and logistics. The executives were questioned about their views on automation and expectations for finance staff.

Some 72 per cent agreed that office automation would not cause a loss of jobs, but instead a shift in the skills required of financial professionals.

Rather than simply hand over control to robots, finance professionals can actively equip themselves with the skills required to leverage the capabilities of automation, said Adam Johnston, managing director of Robert Half Hong Kong.

Using more advanced technology in the workplace requires additional, well-developed skills, such as advanced data analysis, interpretation skills, and decision-making skills.

The survey found 54 per cent of corporate financial bosses wanted employees to more deeply develop their problem-solving skills; 53 per cent said staff should have strategic vision for the company; 34 per cent wanted workers to adapt; and 33 per cent emphasised communication skills.

Automative solutions are increasingly being adopted in the corporate world, from technology that frees accountants from manual calculations and tax filings, to self-checkout machines at supermarkets and department stores.

The survey also showed 55 per cent of financial bosses believed automation could bring them better decision-making capabilities; 50 per cent thought it would free up employees to take on more value-added work; and 49 per cent said they foresaw increased efficiency and productivity.

Contrary to many perceptions about the potential dangers of automation, the benefits of new technologies are attainable for companies who embrace workplace automation rather than resist it, Johnston said.

While automation may diminish some routine manual roles, it will lead to faster decision making, reduce the risk of errors, and eliminate stresses associated with laborious task-management responsibilities.

The poll also found 51 per cent of financial chiefs believed their staff could learn new skills more quickly by embracing automation. But 69 per cent admitted companies still had a long way to go in adapting to the phenomenon.

Change is happening and companies need to adapt to an increasingly automated workforce though theres still a long way to go, Johnston said. It will be an ongoing process for companies to fully adapt to change, and Hong Kong organisations understand they need to refocus the workforce to truly realise the benefits of combining the right human skills with new technology.

Lancy Chui, senior vice-president for Greater China at human resources firm ManpowerGroup, said big companies were more inclined to embrace automation than small ones because it took money to invest in it.

Once the implementation has started, companies realise the investment is worth it, Chui said. It doesnt mean companies dont need any staff any more, because you still need people to check that the analysis is correct.

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Hong Kong's financial bosses want staff to adapt to automation at work and upgrade their skill sets, survey finds - South China Morning Post

Barron's

Rockwell Automation: Falling Behind? Barron's Over the past decade, ROK management often claim that Process automation represents the #1 growth opportunity for the company, but its sales in this market have barely grown in recent years, despite its much smaller sales base compared with established ... Why Traders Are Chasing ABB Ltd (ABB), Rockwell Automation Inc. (ROK)ExpressNewsline Vanguard Group Inc Adjusts Its Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK) Last QuarterModern Readers Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK) Shares Bought by Winch Advisory Services LLCStockNewsTimes all 45 news articles »

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Rockwell Automation: Falling Behind? - Barron's

Workplace automation is often thought of as a negative occurrence as for most people it is synonymous with job losses. However, new independent research commissioned by specialized recruiter Robert Half shows more jobs are expected to be created than replaced by automation.

This positive jobs sentiment is reflected in a recent speech by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard University while automation will eventually replace some jobs, it is up to millennials to create new ones.

In terms of job loss, almost three in four (72%) Hong Kong CFOs agree workplace automation does not imply a reduction in finance employees in their team, but rather, it requires a shift in the necessary skills. More specifically, the top skills finance professionals need to focus on as a result of automation are problem-solving skills (54%), strategic vision (53%), flexibility/ability to adapt (34%) and communication (33%).

Contrary to many perceptions about potential dangers of automation, the benefits of new technologies are attainable to companies who embrace workplace automation rather than resist it, says Adam Johnston, Managing Director of Robert Half Hong Kong.

While automation may diminish some routine manual roles, it will lead to faster decision making, reduce the risk of errors, and eliminate stresses associated with laborious task-management responsibilities.

Johnston also noted that iInnovative companies who adapt to automation will need to bring in experts who are equipped to lead this change, leading to jobs creation and demand for specialists.

Organizations will also need to focus on staff training to ensure their workforces have the adequate skills to leverage the benefits brought by workplace automation.

Rather than simply hand over control to the robots finance professionals can actively equip themselves with the skills required to leverage the capabilities of automation. Using more advanced technology in the workplace requires additional, well-developed skills, such as advanced data analysis, interpretation skills, and decision-making skills.

The advantages of automation

The benefits brought about by workplace automation for finance organizations are plenty. According to Hong Kong CFOs, the top three advantages businesses will experience in the finance department are better decision-making capabilities (55%), employees taking on more value-added work (50%) increased efficiency and productivity (49%).

For finance employees, the positive impacts of automation on their daily workloads are increased output (71%), increasingly being able to quickly learn new capabilities (51%) and increased focus on the execution of tasks and less on the inputting of data (50%).

The finance function needs to evolve

While 84% of Hong Kong CFOs agree that increased reliance on technology and digital processes can deliver a positive impact to the finance function, it will be crucial for organizations to ensure they have the necessary skills needed to unearth the positive impacts for both companies and employees alike.

Indeed, while companies will be looking to sharpen their competitive edge with automation, the pressure will fall on a savvy workforce to make things happen. More than two in three (69%) CFOs agree their finance function still has a long way to go in updating its technologies and digital processes.

Change is happening and companies need to adapt to an increasing automated workforce though theres still a long way to go. It will be an ongoing process for companies to fully adapt to change, and Hong Kong organizations understand they need to refocus the workforce to truly realize the benefits of combining the right human skills with new technology, concluded Johnston.

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Hong Kong CFOs Agree Workplace Automation Requires a Shift in Finance Skills - CFO innovation ASIA

While the packaging and processing industries have always been key adopters of automation technologies, there is a growing trend across these industries to use greater amounts of automation than they previously have.

According to a new report from PMMI, The Evolution of Automation 2017 for the processing and packaging, food, beverage, pharmaceutical and personal care industries, there are six key trends driving greater plant floor automation use across these industries. (Editors note: PMMI Media Group, publisher of Automation World, is owned by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.) Those trends are:

Though these factors are driving greater interest in and use of automation across the industries surveyed, the actual implementation of automation technologies in these industries is progressing at a moderate rate due to several factors. The PMMI report highlights the following reasons for the steady, yet slow, adoption of increased levels of automation across the packaging and processing industries:

One chart in the report, A Projection of How Automation Will Advance in Processing and Packaging Companies, (shown above) indicates that all aspects of machine and software automation will increase significantly over the next decade. This prediction is based on the collective average response of survey participants, with larger companies automating and integrating faster; small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are also investing more, but at a slower rate.

The report notes that SMEs are embracing automation not just to optimize production processes, but also to survive in an increasingly faster-paced market driven by supply chain partner and consumer demands. Though one of the drawbacks to greater automation use for SMEs is the cost of the technology, the report highlights three key benefits that can help offset a significant portion of those costs:

When it comes to spending on automation technologies, over half of the end users taking part in the research said, There is not a separate line item specifically for automation, but capital budgets are increasing. Despite this lack of spending clarity from a majority of respondents, one quarter of respondents noted that they do have a budget specifically set aside for automation investments.

Breaking out respondents comments to assess spending trends across the vertical industries covered in the study, the PMMI report shows:

The full report from PMMI will be released following PACK EXPO 2017 at http://www.pmmi.org/research. Highlights from report will also be showcased during the PACK EXPO event in Las Vegas, September 25-27.

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PMMI Set To Release Automation Report - Automation World