Category Archives: Automation

AJ Allmendinger won an action-packed Pacific Office Automation 147, the NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at the Portland International Raceway road course Saturday afternoon.

Action-packed being the key words from green flag to checkered; in the rain, in the dry and in the rain again.

RELATED: Official results| At-track photos

Allmendinger literally came from last on the grid to earn the win after changing everything but the motor before the race, he claimed in victory lane. His No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet led only six of the races 75 laps and bested Myatt Snider by 2.879 seconds to earn the popular veteran his second Xfinity Series victory of 2022; his other win coming on the road course at the Circuit of The Americas early this season.

It might be one of the craziest wins Ive ever had, the 12-time Xfinity Series winner Allmendinger said smiling.

It would be hard to argue otherwise. Not only did the 40-year-old Californian Allmendinger start from the rear, he had his first of a half-dozen off-track excursions before even taking the checkered flag. He went down a lap early but managed to stay focused and rally back to the lead lap in a race that had nine cautions and only 21 of the 38 cars on the lead lap at the finish.

Man I cannot believe this, I crashed before it went green, said Allmendinger, who also earned his first Champ Car win at Portland back in 2006.

I was making so many mistakes, trying so hard, he added. I put so much pressure on myself in these races because I know what everyone expects and I know what I expect out of myself, more importantly. But what a win.

Snider, who led five laps in the No. 31 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet, managed a smile himself acknowledging that runner-up to Allmendinger on a road course isnt such a horrible defeat.

Just AJs experience, Snider said, managing a smile as he explained the difference in winning Saturday. I could tell he was setting up those [corner] exits better than I was. To me, that was good hard racing.

So cool to be disappointed with second [place] with a team thats only a year-and-a-half old and to get my first stage win and maybe the first top-three with this car, he added.

Richard Childress Racings Austin Hill finished third with JR Motorsports teammates Josh Berry and Justin Allgaier rounding out the top five.

Daniel Hemric, Ty Gibbs, JJ Yeley, Noah Gragson and Alex Labbe completed the top 10.

As with Allmendinger, many of the top finishers had adventurous days.

The opening stages on the 1.97-mile course called for wet tires with a steady downpour at the green flag that dissipated slowly as the race progressed. By the Stage 2 break, most teams opted for the Goodyear slicks as the rain lessened and was replaced with heavy mist. Only to have the rain come back in the final stage after cars had swapped to the dry tires.

It was the sort of drama that characterized the race.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Gibbs led a race-best 42 laps in the No. 54 JGR Toyota but was involved in several on-track incidents vying for the lead and even just driving under caution at one point, hit from behind by Jesse Iwuji, who was three laps down.

Gragson, who like Allmendinger started from the rear of the field, made up a race-best 22 positions by the start of Stage 2 and was running top five when he was pushed off course by Gibbs on a mid-race restart that proved to be consequential for many of the days top drivers.

WATCH: Gibbs, Gragson exchange on-track blows

Gibbs had contact with Gragson then with Sheldon Creed resulting in both Gibbs and Creeds cars going off-course. Creed returned to track and then was involved in a multi-car accident with 20 laps to go damaging his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet beyond repair.

I thought we had an okay day going. I made a mistake running second there but got back to the lead, said Creed, whose wife is due to give birth to their first child any day now.

The way my years gone, every time we have speed something goes wrong. Today I felt like we had a really good shot at winning.

WATCH: Creed expresses displeasure after late crash

With the victory, Allmendinger extended his championship lead over Gibbs to 44 points. Gragsons ninth-place finish keeps him 45 points behind.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will have a two-week break before returning to competition in the Tennessee Lottery 250 on June 25 at Nashville Superspeedway (3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Note: There were no issues in post-race inspection, confirming Allmendinger as the official race winner.

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Pacific Office Automation 147 | Official Site Of NASCAR - NASCAR

Thomas H. Lee's Jim Carlisle and Mike Kaczmarek

Given the trend toward the automation of everything, its somewhat surprising how few investors focus on the space. That makes Thomas H. Lee Partners year-and-a-half-old Automation Fund, with $900 million in assets, particularly intriguing.

The giant private equity group, which has raised more than $34 billion in equity since its founding by billionaire Thomas Lee in 1974, figures that robotics and automation could follow a similar trajectory to software, which exploded over the past 25 years with investments rising from $1 billion to $150 billion.

Big growth means big opportunity for investors, of course, and with markets turning down there may also be new opportunities to buy companies on the cheap for the long term. Automation is penetrating all end markets. Thats why it is such a powerful technology trend in which to invest, says Thomas H. Lee Partners managing director Jim Carlisle, who heads the automation fund.

Since 2017, the Boston-based firm as a whole has committed more than $5 billion in equity to 15 businesses in the broad field of automation, ranging from robotics firms to process-automation companies. The THL Automation Fund, launched in November 2020, has invested in 11 of them. With approximately $500 million committed from the fund, its still got some $400 million in cash with which to continue to buy. All told, some 38% of the firms invested capital is in automation.

Carlisle, 46, joined Thomas H. Lee in 2000 after a stint at Goldman Sachs. Managing director Mike Kaczmarek, 38, who works with him on the funds investment efforts, arrived in 2016 and is also on the advisory board of MassRobotics, an innovation hub for the robotics community.The duo see growth, fragmented markets and a shortage of labor for many blue-collar jobs such as working in warehouses and on construction sites as draws for their investments.

There are others in late-stage VC or private equity who are on to this sector, but its a short list, says Mark Martin, a former Analog Devices executive who recently launched Cybernetix Ventures, a new early-stage robotics and automation venture firm, with MassRobotics cofounder Fady Saad.

Carlisle and Kaczmarek declined to discuss returns. But T.H. Lee won big with its investment in AutoStore, the Norwegian warehouse robotics firm that went public last October for $12 billion in that countrys biggest IPO in two decades. The firm paid a price of $1.9 billion. SoftBank acquired 40% of the company in April 2021 for a reported $2.8 billion, leaving T.H. Lee the majority owner going into the public offering. (The companys market cap is currently around $8 billion.)

AutoStore was one of the success stories of last year, says Yaro Tenzer, cofounder and CEO of RightHand Robotics, a warehouse robotics firm thats received investment from THL Automation fund.

The AutoStore investment and three others starting in 2017including logistics firm MHS Global and warehouse automation company Fortna, which themselves have recently mergedhelped lead to the automation funds creation.

While warehouse robotics and logistics remain core to the fundit led a $100 million investment in supply-chain visibility firm FourKites in March 2021, for exampletoday Carlisle and Kaczmarek figure the team contacts more than 1,000 businesses a year across industries. We have expanded into other markets, such as semiconductors, healthcare, agriculture, insurance and manufacturing, Carlisle says.

Consider the firms $3 billion acquisition (through its $5.6 billion flagship fund and the automation fund) of Brooks Automations semiconductor automation business. That firm provides precision robotics and contamination control products to chip fabs and original equipment manufacturers worldwide. From a macro perspective theres about $470 billion in semiconductor sales to end users, and this is expected to grow to $1 trillion by 2030, Kaczmarek says. Anything and everything we do today has a chip in it.

In healthcare, meanwhile, the fund recently invested in Qventus and Intelligent Medical Objects. Qventus connects its artificial intelligence with hospitals electronic medical records to improve patient flow and reduce cost. Intelligent Medical Objects translates medical terminology to clinical codes. Its a business that is effectively using data that might otherwise be hidden to improve execution of a manual task or improve the actual outcome, Carlisle says.

In agriculture, the fund invested in Phytech, an Israeli firm that attaches sensors to trees and crops to gather data that can improve yields with recommendations on when and how much to water, for example. And in construction, the fund is invested in House of Design, which uses robotics to automate the construction of buildings roofs and floors, in part a play on the labor shortage in construction.

Despite the markets decline, the duo figure there are deals to be had. Investing in businesses that have good unit economics and strong secular growth trends will overpower and persist even if there are changes in the broader macro environment or a recessionary environment over time, Carlisle says.

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Investing In Automation: Talking With The Portfolio Pickers At Thomas H. Lee Partners' $900 Million Automation Fund - Forbes

It might feel weird to hear the automation word within the plumbing industry, but it is not as uncommon and inefficient as one would imagine about mixing automation with your plumbing business.

Using automation with your plumbing business might have amazing benefits for you, like giving out quicker replies and quotes to potential customers and tracking your jobs easier and more efficiently.

It could also teach you how to get more plumbing leads as your website will work faster than before, and search engines will rank it higher. This article will discuss how your plumbing business will be more effective with automation.

The first thing that automation could help with is the potential customers who are messaging you to get more information regarding your business and other details that might be of interest.

Even though you cant really inform everyone about the exact thing they want, you could let them know that you are the company for their need, and they will get an answer as soon as possible, which leads customers to be more satisfied.

If you use the right automation systems on your website, your potential customers could get automatic and instant quotes from your website, or your tech employee could do it for them.

This allows for the customer to know what they are getting into, and if they dont have the budget, both you and they dont lose any time by making estimations the traditional way.

Another impactful thing that automation does could be for you and not for your customers only. You could add your jobs to a management application, and that application could track everything for you regarding your projects.

By letting the system know about your present, past, and future jobs, you can follow through on how much work you have and how many works you will have in the future.

This allows for better planning and a faster response rate to the houses if there is an emergency work that you need to go to right away.

Reducing the contact between your customer team and the potential customers and letting the automation do the work for appointments, instant price quotes, and other necessary details reduces the probability of human error, allowing you to work more efficiently with the less possible errors within your business.

To conclude, automation is mostly known for tech businesses, and businesses like plumbing do not get much attention to their automation needs.

However, if you want to learn how to get more plumbing leads and also work more efficiently, it is important to learn about automation and implement that automation in your business.

This process does not only allow for your customers to have a smoother process, but it also allows you to track your process and projects more efficiently.

Automation also reduces the possible human errors by cutting down the middle man and handling everything between your automation system and the customer.

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How Automation Makes Your Plumbing Business More Effective? - Robotics and Automation News

Co-sponsored by the International Federation of Robots (IFR) and Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the June 7 panel features executives from FANUC America, Teradyne, UPS, Zebra and NVIDIA.

June 1, 2022 - At Automate 2022 Show and Conference in Detroit next week, robotics industry leaders will discuss how robotics and automation are transforming the North American economy in an executive roundtable co-sponsored by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

Speakers for the roundtable, scheduled June 7 from 10:30 a.m.-noon ET, include:

Robert Huschka, the vice president of education strategies at A3, will moderate the roundtable. Companies across North America are deploying robotics and automation at record rates as they continue to face labor shortages, increasing demands and a disrupted supply chain, Huschka said. The industry leaders weve assembled for this panel have had a front-row seatduring turbulent timesto the advantages that automation has brought to an expanding range of industries. Their insights and experiences will be extremely valuable for all in attendance.IFR, which has sponsored executive roundtables at Automate since 2011, expects an invested audience as Automate returns to an in-person show for the first time since 2019. Manufacturers and business leaders alike consistently flock to Automate to learn about the latest innovations to help them improve their businesses, said Milton Guerry, IFR president. With the list of industry leaders weve compiled for this roundtable, we expect those attending will not only learn a great deal about how robotics and automation is transforming the North American economy, but how they can transform their individual business as well.

Cicco: The president and CEO of FANUC America is responsible for all of the companys operations in North and South America. He joined FANUC in 1999 and has held a variety of management positions over the years, including software/controls manager and district sales manager at the companys Southern California facility. Before joining FANUC, Cicco served as lead automation engineer for Northrop Grumman in the Automation and Information Systems group.Smith: As president of Teradynes Industrial Automation Group, Smith oversees Universal Robots, MiR and AutoGuide. He was previously the president of the Semiconductor Test Business, Teradynes largest operating segment. Smith began his career at Raytheon as a test engineer and held numerous engineering and management roles in the semiconductor test industry before joining Teradyne in 2006.Brown: The global director of research and development for UPS has more than 23 years of experience in multiple areas of package sortation and logistics. At UPS, he helps develop new material handling solutions and is on a team hand selected by the CIO to develop the future state for UPS.Wise: The vice president of robotics automation at Zebra Technologies joined Zebra in 2021 through the acquisition of Fetch Robotics, where she was the CEO. Wise was the second employee at Willow Garage where she led a team of engineers developing next-generation robot hardware and software, including ROS, the PR2, and TurtleBot. She serves as the chair of the IFR Service Robot Group, as a robotics board member for A3, and on the MHI Roundtable Advisory Committee.Talla: As vice president and general manager of autonomous machines at NVIDIA, Talla is responsible for deploying AI technology in devices such as factory robots, commercial drones and video analytics. Previously, he was responsible for NVIDIAs mobile business unit. Prior to joining NVIDIA in 2013, he worked at Texas Instruments for more than 10 years in various executive management and technical leadership roles.

Produced by A3, Automate returns to Detroit after two decades in Chicago. The event will bring more than 500 companies showcasing the latest in robotics, machine vision, artificial intelligence (AI), motion control, and smart automationand an expected 20,000 attendeesto the citys Huntington Place center.

TheAssociation for Advancing Automation(A3) is the leading global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. Members of A3 represent nearly 1,100 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, academic institutions, research groups and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward.

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IFR Executive Roundtable at Automate 2022 to Highlight How Robotics and Automation Transform the Economy - Automation.com

We are excited to bring Transform 2022 back in-person July 19 and virtually July 20 - 28. Join AI and data leaders for insightful talks and exciting networking opportunities. Register today!

Buildings have been one of the most voracious users of IoT devices. Smart buildings, in particular, use connected devices to measure everything from temperature, lighting, air quality, noise, vibration, occupancy levels and energy consumption and thats just the very tip of the iceberg.

Building automation is big and getting bigger, with well over 6 million commercial buildings in the U.S. alone and an estimated 2.2 billion connected devices deployed. The global market for building automation systems in 2022 will reach about $80 billion.

This type of automation relies on fleets of IoT devices. Many condition-action responses are automated; if a fire is detected, alarms are automatically triggered, often with voice instructions and fire departments are notified. That was true before the IoT; now fire alarms are connected by the Internet and secondarily via cellular communication.

The value of IoT, in building automation specifically, is realized in two main areas:

Rich, ongoing data streams provide valuable insights into building operations, but theres an issue: large device fleets create large volumes of data that humans alone cannot properly parse and understand. To realize the potential payoff from deploying these sensors (and cameras), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is needed to continuously monitor and assess the data streams.

Until 2020, the emphasis of smart buildings systems, including building automation, was the responsibility of facilities management. Then, the focus shifted to employee health and ESG initiatives, in addition to facilities management. This opened up demand for capabilities that ML enables.

An AI system can observe air quality and find correlations with occupancy limits, for instance. It can also learn how to reassign conference rooms and cubicles, relating to occupancy and ventilation, with the goals of maximizing the physical distance between employees and improving air quality, to reduce the chance of employee illness.

AI can also help analyze the usage of water supply pipes and water temperature to warn when there is an elevated risk of legionella and other harmful pathogens. Legionella thrives in specific temperature ranges of warm water.

The relevance of new AI-enabled capabilities does not rule out the traditional functions such as tracking and managing energy consumption. With an AI-driven platform, a building can power down areas that are not in use and try different window shade settings at different times, to minimize energy usage. Experiment and learn as it goes. This is a bottom-line issue and will become more important in 2022 due to energy prices.

AI can even play a role in cleaning efficiency, identifying which desks have been used and which toilets have seen increased usage. In the age of COVID-19, facilities managers are focused on cleanliness.AI can greatly enhance systems that support physical security, too. Once a system learns what constitutes normal access and movement behavior, it can identify anomalous behavior and alert security. Other AI-driven applications can detect duress situations, abandoned objects, recognize weapons, pinpoint shots firedand carry out emergency lockdowns.

An intelligent infectious disease control system can learn to leverage data on local infection rates. AI systems can do things people cannot, like staring at a wall for 20 years and looking for signs of change in the concrete that could herald a pending structural collapse.

The standard starting point for a new AI-driven system is, of course, teaching it. That process begins with a foundation of data that represents the realities that the system will confront. Many will find, however, that good base training data for smart-building systems does not exist. The answer can be to create the training data by running experiments in the physical building.

In energy consumption, for example, you can train a system by experimentally adjusting window shades and AC based on the time of day and office occupancy, to lower AC bills without triggering a manual override. Such a system could rely on temperature sensors and occupancy readings, as well as sunlight detection.

There are basic best practices to follow. Be scientific and rigorous when collecting ground truth datasets and collect data from multiple sources to increase confidence that your samples are representative.

AI-driven systems can learn from the occupancy patterns of specific office areas and help reduce human error in space planning. Upgrading space is costly and preserving flexibility is vital. Space utilization and occupancy obviously became a health issue during the pandemic. Employees may now prefer to gather for conversation and coffee on an open-air balcony or patio, not in a small break room.

AI-powered systems can recommend changes to facilities management and allow building management to be more predictive. When it comes to reactivity, they enable a more effective response to surprise challenges as well. A recent example; before 2020, identifying employees who are running hot (fever) and reducing the probability of infection probability was not a thing, but it is within current capabilities to address this problem.

It takes careful thought and putting in the time, to get the ground truth right. Many commercial buildings have a digital twin; a virtual replica delivered by the architect to the building owner or manager. The digital twin, as a starting point, may well be a testing ground for AI-driven facilities management and smart building management.

We expect that IT, facilities management, HR and security will become more integrated and make increased use of AI. There is a range of likely benefits from joining their information silos to create data streams for AI applications.

The importance of healthy workplaces, physical security and energy conservation makes it urgent to go beyond simple automation and develop reliable AI-based building operating systems that are founded on robust, up-to-date data. Any of these applications support a strong business case; taken together, they make a persuasive argument that facilities management should look at AI-driven applications for operating smart buildings and making buildings smarter.

William Cowell de Gruchy is the founder and CEO of Infogrid.

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Automation is not enough: Buildings need AI-powered smarts - VentureBeat

As limited service hotels dont typically earn their bread from high-touch service, the stage is already set for them to eventually become autonomous business units.By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky - 5.31.2022

Numerous inventions inscribed by science fiction books and films have become reality. But while real life is gradual and nuanced, science fiction is a blunt brick in how it takes these technologies to their often-darkest extremes. So, per the title, lets discuss this radical question as perhaps there are some cost benefits that you can achieve for your own organization.

Whats meant by vending machine is a place of near-perfect automation hardware, deeply integrated software and IoT everywhere where very little onsite labor is needed to sell (or vend to use the Latin root) as well as maintain inventory availability.

As they say in economics classrooms, Tell me the incentive and Ill show you the behavior. With labor the most expensive line item for the average property, hotel brands are continuously incentivized to look for newer ways to further automate in order to limit this cost. As limited service hotels dont typically earn their bread from high-touch service, the stage is already set for them to eventually become autonomous business units.

Unlike sci-fi, this forecast will be decades in the making. And it is hardly an all-or-nothing evolution, with prominent exceptions like a beachside, select-service hotel that foregoes a purely cost-based approach to operations in favor of a handful of meaningful amenities that sharply enhance the onsite experience. Rather, lets look at the current influences so that you can envision the next five or so years for your company as well as some of the ways that technology can be deployed in each department.

The Airbnb Hegemony

Fight and deny all you want, but Airbnb is now the largest supplier of rooms inventory for any single accommodations entity. As such, they have a profound influence on the macro-trends for all guest profiles, regardless of how you demarcate hotel guest from vacation renter. And from this proliferation of short-term rentals, travelers now expect keyless room entry, unique spaces, flexible room configurations and a few workcation amenities like a kitchenette.

Crucial to understand here is how companies like Airbnb have sped up the modern tempo of travel. Everything is fast and frictionless (with in-person contact largely seen as a point of this friction), and this extends across all segments and star ratings. Guests will still enjoy meeting new people and chatting while abroad, but they no longer want to waste time on transactional conversations. They dont want to line up at the front desk for check-in. They want to be able to reserve dining or spa appointments off a website or app without any human interactions. They want a frictionless journey so that their time is better allocated towards meaningful experiences.

Technology Depresses Prices

Essential for you to note, technology is naturally deflationary because of the new cost savings that are derived from said innovation, namely increased labor productivity (automation that augments output per worker), improved supply chains (either through better methods of transportation or access to new markets) and faster information flows (to reduce market price asymmetry).

Automation and cheaper supply costs over the long run mean that a hotel can reduce its overhead and charge less while maintaining its margins, thereby making it more competitive. Consider price transparencies brought about by the OTAs that have resulted in hotels no longer being able to get away with grossly overcharging customers. Comparative information is now too widely available, meaning that a propertys rates will gradually be forced down to a fair number as members of the comp set continually undercut each other to gain market share.

Voluminous economics tomes have been written on this principle. In hospitality, to fight this race to the bottom, we brand, we rebrand, we advertise, we package, we renovate, we personalize, we unveil new amenities and so on. But for certain properties at the economy and midscale, commodification inevitably occurs, with the guest only looking for a bed in a quiet room where the lowest price is the law. And in a world that is constantly deflating certain industries, automating these purely heads-in-beds hotels may become the only way to maintain the owners targeted bottom line.

In Each Department

For the hotel vending machine, no onsite administration is necessarily required the front desk manager, executive housekeeper and GM can go in favor of regional control. The only people you will need onsite are room attendants, public area custodians, engineers, IT personnel and security guards, all of whom can be remotely directed through an operations platform. Here are some more tactical ways in each department that technology will continue to meet the modern guests demands and rescue the income statement.

Larry and Adam Mogelonsky represent one of the worlds most published writing teams in hospitality, with over a decades worth of material online. As the partners ofHotel Mogel Consulting Limited, a Toronto-based consulting practice, Larry focuses on asset management, sales and operations while Adam specializes in hotel technology and marketing. Their experience encompasses properties around the world, both branded and independent, and ranging from luxury and boutique to select-service. Their work includes six books Are You an Ostrich or a Llama? (2012), Llamas Rule (2013), Hotel Llama (2015), The Llama is Inn (2017), The Hotel Mogel (2018) and More Hotel Mogel (2020). You can reach Larry atlarry@hotelmogel.comor Adam atadam@hotelmogel.comto discuss hotel business challenges or to book speaking engagements.

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Does Increased Automation Mean that Limited Service Hotels are Going to Become Vending Machines? | - Hotel Technology News

Doha: Data is a critical asset for any entity and security of data should be ensured. Integrity and confidentiality of transmitted data must be maintained as well as the authentication of the objects which are the key aspects of Internet of Things (IoT), security and privacy, according to experts during a virtual event.

Digital Incubation Center in partnership with Microsoft organised a webinar entitled IoT and Automation which discussed about accelerating business automation. IoT refers to the rapidly growing network of connected objects that are able to collect and exchange data in real time using embedded sensors.

Addressing the event, Mehdi Ben Moussa, Data & AI Senior Specialist at Microsoft said: On the project we are doing at country scale (in Qatar) we are running a digital twin initiative which is creating a version of any asset which can be a building, a vehicle or even a person to have the digital representation, doing simulation and being able to get the information related to sensors available. We are running this program as part of the Tasmu initiative, and it will be available for everyone to use in the country. We have other examples in the oil and gas industries for managing a fleet management. There are some customers in Qatar who are leveraging these solutions to track and monitor different fleets such as maritime or land fleets and they are able to get all the information from the different sensors.

We are also working with some security entities to do smart surveillance, leveraging smart CCTV as one of the assets and collect the information to identify any potential risk or incident to be monitored and managed, he added.

Speaking about the confidentiality of the data and privacy, Moussa noted that data is critical asset for any entity. One of the key pillars for any of the key solutions that we are deploying is security. By leveraging the Azure platform, we also enable and leverage the security scale we have on it. In Qatar, we are launching the data centre and are going through all the certifications and security with government to make sure that any data that will be transiting or storing on the cloud will be secured at the maximum level. The Azure platform is built on security first mindset.

He explained that IoT is becoming a very deep area. The Azure IoT hub includes bi-directional communication, enterprise scale and integration, and end-to-end security.

Rudy Yazbek, Business Applications Sales Executive at Microsoft said: Looking at the job market, 60 percent of automations that exist today have 30 percent of their task that can be technically automated which shows the huge potential of it. Most of the human activities are to do with data collection and data processing and we realise that by automating these tasks we have the potential to do it 60 percent faster from the process of collecting the data and getting intelligent insights out of them. By leveraging automation, you can unlock a lot within organisations.

Sarah El Achkar, Business Applications Technology Specialist at Microsoft discussed about the three automations digital process automation, robotic process automation, and intelligent automation.

IoT plays an important role in automation as the number of IoT applications are increasing and it helps automation to create systems that are effective, affordable and flexible to customer needs.

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Experts discuss IoT and automation in Qatar - The Peninsula

FOLSOM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AgreeYa Solutions, a global leader in software, solutions and services, today announced it is spinning off BeatBlip, its AI-powered, codeless, intelligent automation platform with the launch of HuLoop Automation (HuLoop), a new software company, to accelerate growth and innovation. The new company will build upon AgreeYas longstanding investment in BeatBlip, which enables business process automation (BPA), robotic process automation (RPA) and software test automation (STA).

Forrester projects the RPA market will reach $22 billion by 2025; Markets and Markets expects the global BPA market size to grow to $19.6 billion by 2026; and a 2021 Research and Markets report put the global automation testing market at $20.7 billion last year and forecasted 19.2 percent compound annual growth. HuLoop aims to become a leader in each of these high-growth markets.

The BeatBlip platform is uniquely positioned to be a single source solution across an expanding array of automation requirements. The user-friendly no-code/low-code platform is designed to orchestrate tasks and activities across complex business workflows and disparate systems. It can generate, deploy and manage bots to automate manual and mundane tasks, and it can control and execute repetitive software tests verifying results against expected outcomes.

Todd P. Michaud, an accomplished and high-energy technology executive with a proven track record for driving growth and innovation in both mature and high growth start-up software companies, has been appointed CEO of HuLoop. He previously served in executive leadership positions with IBM, Revionics, Retalix, NCR, Amdocs, Hypersonix and DemandTec.

The automation market is poised for significant growth, and we intend to earn our fair share of that growth by delivering industry leading innovation, said Michaud. We are committed to helping our clients solve their most complex challenges while delivering meaningful cost savings and productivity gains.

The HuLoop name was chosen to underscore the companys commitment to supporting humans being in-the-loop during automation while also supporting full unattended automation. We believe AI-powered automation can do amazing things, especially when it is blended with the strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and empathy unique to humans. We are in the business of unleashing the power of automation to help enterprises realize maximum value from their human capital, added Michaud.

The BeatBlip platform has been helping customers around the globe successfully adopt and scale automation with ease for years, said Ajay Kaul, managing partner at AgreeYa Solutions and HuLoop board chairman. Existing customers wont experience any disruption, and in fact, they benefit from expanded capabilities, focus and resources. With Todd at the helm of HuLoop, together we will build an amazing company that leads emerging trends and delivers on the promise of automation for our customers.

For more information about HuLoop, please visit http://www.huloop.ai.

ABOUT HULOOP AUTOMATION, INC.: Based in the Sacramento, Calif. area, HuLoop Automation, Inc., helps enterprises realize maximum value from their people by keeping humans in-the-loop during intelligent automation in addition to ungoverned automation. The innovative AI-powered automation company was built to accelerate the growth of the low-code/no-code BeatBlip platform previously led by AgreeYa Solutions, Inc. HuLoop will expand BeatBlips business process automation, robotic process automation and software test automation capabilities. Learn more at http://www.huloop.ai and follow HuLoop on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT AGREEYA SOLUTIONS: AgreeYa Solutions is a leading global provider of software, solutions, and services to small, medium, and global Fortune 100 organizations. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Folsom, Calif., AgreeYa has over 2,000 professionals helping clients across the U.S., India, EMEA and Mexico. Leveraging a technology-enabled, consultative approach and diverse talent, AgreeYa offers modern workplace, smart analytics, intelligent automation, AI/ML, cloud transformation, mobility, and talent management solutions to deliver digital transformation to its clients. AgreeYa has received considerable recognition including certifications like Microsoft Gold Partner and Cloud Solutions Provider; AICPA SOC 2 Type 2, SEI CMMI, and ISO 9001:2015; and awards including Dream Company to Work For and Best Employer Brand. Discover more at http://www.agreeya.com and follow AgreeYa on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

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AgreeYa Spins-Off BeatBlip, Launches HuLoop to Accelerate Growth and Innovation in the Intelligent Automation Space - Business Wire

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At least 750 Tesla owners have reported their cars randomly braking without reason while they use driver assistance technology.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) produced the statistic in an information request to Tesla. The letter was published on its website Friday.

"This letter is to inform you that the Office of Defects Investigation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of unexpected brake activation in certain model year 2021-2022 Model 3 and Y vehicles manufactured by Tesla, Inc., and to request certain information," the NHTSA wrote.

Tesla cars are equipped with a forward collision avoidance system that can automatically apply the brakes. The cars also boast Tesla's Autopilot electronic driver aid that combines adaptive cruise control with self-steering lane-centering capability.

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The NHTSA is demanding extensive data logs from the car manufacturer, including internal reports concerning the affected vehicle, company safety test results, production numbers and more.

In this Dec. 1, 2020, file photo, SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives at the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin. (Hannibal Hanschke/Pool Photo via AP, File / AP Newsroom)

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"Teslas response to this letter, in duplicate, together with a copy of any confidentiality request, must be submitted to this office by June 20, 2022," the letter concludes. "Teslas response must include all nonconfidential attachments and a redacted version of all documents that contain confidential information."

Failure to produce the requested information could result in civil charges, the NHTSA threatened.

The automaker has been forced to issue several recalls in recent months. The issues were addressed through over-the-air software updates, including a similar phantom braking issue that affected nearly 12,000 Teslas across its model range.

In this April 15, 2018, file photo, the sun shines off the rear deck of a roadster on a Tesla dealer's lot in the south Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File / Associated Press)

"The phantom braking varies from a minor throttle response to decrease speed to full emergency braking that drastically reduces the speed at a rapid pace, resulting in unsafe driving conditions for occupants of my vehicle as well as those who might be following behind me," one owner wrote in a complaint filed Feb. 2.

In February, Tesla recalled 54,000 vehicles running its full self-driving system that had been programmed to slowly roll through stop signs if no other vehicles or pedestrians were present.

"Complainants report that the rapid deceleration can occur without warning and often repeatedly during a single drive cycle," the agency's previous report said.

Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, right, claps hands at the opening of the Tesla factory Berlin Brandenburg in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. (Patrick Pleul/Pool via AP / AP Newsroom)

Musk on Friday endorsed Democratic candidate for mayor of Los Angeles Rick Caruso.

"Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor. Hes awesome," Musk wrote Friday on Twitter.

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The unprompted message was notable as one of the first formal endorsements Musk has made since his surge into political discourse. Since announcing his intentions to buy Twitter, Musk has become more vocal in support of the Republican Party, openly hostile to Democrats and more opinionated on issues than ever before.

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Over 750 Tesla drivers report phantom braking when using driving automation systems - Fox Business

Like a puppy chasing its tail, some new investors often chase 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without revenue, let alone profit. But as Warren Buffett has mused, 'If you've been playing poker for half an hour and you still don't know who the patsy is, you're the patsy.' When they buy such story stocks, investors are all too often the patsy.

In the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, my choice may seem old fashioned; I still prefer profitable companies like MHM Automation (NZSE:MHM). Even if the shares are fully valued today, most capitalists would recognize its profits as the demonstration of steady value generation. Conversely, a loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the sweet milk of external capital may run sour.

Check out our latest analysis for MHM Automation

Over the last three years, MHM Automation has grown earnings per share (EPS) like young bamboo after rain; fast, and from a low base. So I don't think the percent growth rate is particularly meaningful. Thus, it makes sense to focus on more recent growth rates, instead. Like the last firework on New Year's Eve accelerating into the sky, MHM Automation's EPS shot from NZ$0.017 to NZ$0.052, over the last year. You don't see 198% year-on-year growth like that, very often.

One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. MHM Automation shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 1.0% to 5.7%, and revenue is growing. That's great to see, on both counts.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.

earnings-and-revenue-history

Since MHM Automation is no giant, with a market capitalization of NZ$45m, so you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.

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As a general rule, I think it worth considering how much the CEO is paid, since unreasonably high rates could be considered against the interests of shareholders. For companies with market capitalizations under NZ$307m, like MHM Automation, the median CEO pay is around NZ$549k.

MHM Automation offered total compensation worth NZ$373k to its CEO in the year to . That comes in below the average for similar sized companies, and seems pretty reasonable to me. CEO remuneration levels are not the most important metric for investors, but when the pay is modest, that does support enhanced alignment between the CEO and the ordinary shareholders. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.

MHM Automation's earnings have taken off like any random crypto-currency did, back in 2017. With rocketing profits, its seems likely the business has a rosy future; and it may have hit an inflection point. At the same time the reasonable CEO compensation reflects well on the board of directors. So MHM Automation looks like it could be a good quality growth stock, at first glance. That's worth watching. You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for MHM Automation you should be aware of, and 1 of them shouldn't be ignored.

Of course, you can do well (sometimes) buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But as a growth investor I always like to check out companies that do have those features. You can access a free list of them here.

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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With EPS Growth And More, MHM Automation (NZSE:MHM) Is Interesting - Yahoo Eurosport UK