AI Module Provides Predictive Analytics
Don’t get all worked up over the hype of a dystopian future about Artificial Intelligence (AI). We’ve been using pieces of it for many years. I had a junior programmer in the late 80s who was going off to become an expert in AI as our company was shutting down. Much...
Flexibility In Changing Circumstances
Heraclitus lived even before Socrates in Ancient Greece. He perceived that everything changes. "You cannot set foot in the same river twice." Indeed, we see in our lives constant change. The kids grow. Jobs change. We must learn to adapt and, in this sense, go with...
Dell Revamps Manufacturing on Agile ERP
This manufacturing story was an odd press release. It came about the time of Dell Technologies’ annual user conference Dell Technologies World. But it has no relationship to that event. It deals with implementing Lean with an MES, but doesn’t really mention the...
Too Many Decisions
For decades, the most popular magazine in America was devoted to helping people decide what to watch on TV from among three choices (TV Guide). How do you decide today? There are too many shows, yet not enough quality. And the quality is spread among too many...
Trend Analytics Added To Wireless Sensing System
Industrial Internet of Things begins with “things”, of course. But it really needs to end with a decision by either a human or a control. In between the thing and the human is software that takes data input from the thing, analyses the data, and provides information...
Playbook from a Trillion Dollar Coach
There is an equally critical factor for success in companies: Teams that act as communities, integrating interests and putting aside differences to be individually and collectively obsessed with what's good for the company. Research shows that when people feel like...
Podcast 189 Automation and Jobs Always Ask Why
There are some things that drive me up the metaphorical wall. Especially concerning discussions of automation and jobs. I’ve contemplated this issue for years. Lately there was an issue of the Axios Future newsletter. I rather like the editor, Steve Levine, even if he...
Effects of Industry Consolidation
I just received my Spectrum invoice for the month. It was up 15% over last month. Last month it was up 10% over the month before. I called. The guy told me, yes, and it will increase another 15% next year. However, if I were a new customer, I’d receive a 30% discount....
Packaging Machinery Meets Industry 40 Era
I know machinery along with controls and automation. Packaging as a specialty wasn’t my thing until I spent some time alongside a packaging magazine. Tetra Pak was a name often heard. It has made news this month with ideas from Industry 4.0. They first announcement...
Epicor Unveils AI-Based Virtual Agent
There is so much hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI) that I sometimes want to discount it. However, here is yet another (see last week’s post) example of what AI can really accomplish. This industry-specific application of artificial intelligence technology...
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