Monthly Archives: November 2019

Hitachi, Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is focusing on Social Innovation Business combining its operational technology, information technology and products, has developed a new automation technology of 3D culture, solving problems of the previous 3D culture using Hitachi's Automated Cell Culture Equipment for iPS cells.

Automation of both 2D culture and 3D culture using this equipment makes it possible to automatic massive manufacture a variety of cell types such as cardiomyocytes, meeting customer needs. The automation technology was developed by collaborative research with Myoridge Co. Ltd. which has culture technology of iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes by the protein-free method.

Furthermore the support service to establish an automatic manufacturing process for customers who are considering automation of manufacturing regenerative medicine products will be started on December 1st, 2019. As for the service, Hitachi will examine customers' manual manufacturing process to find out the important parameters, and suggest how to optimize them by the development knowledge of automation technology of 3D culture.

Expanding the market of regenerative medicine to recover the functions of tissues and organs is expected in recent years. A large number of cells are required for regenerative medicine but it is difficult to manufacture an enough amount of cells manually. So the automation technology of mass cell culture is necessary to expand the market of regenerative medicine.

Hitachi had been developing automation technology of mass iPS cell culture, and developed the automated cell culture equipment for iPS cells for research use in June 2017. Adopting the closed flow channel for the connection of the culture vessels and the medium bottles, the equipment is capable of cell seeding, culturing, and monitoring in sterile environment and offers stable supply of high-quality mass cells. Hitachi commercialized the automated cell mass culture equipment which has the necessary functions to comply with the Japanese regulation, GCTP for the first time in Japan in March 2019.

Hitachi automated the new 3D culture (low medium cost, low shear stress, and simple medium change process) by collaborating with Myoridge, solving problems of the previous 3D culture. The previous 3D culture has problems such as using a large amount of medium because of the height of the culture reactor, the shear stress to cells from the agitating medium, and the complex process of medium change. Hitachi started the collaborative research with Myoridge in October 2018 and developed the automation technology of the new 3D culture by distributing spheroids both uniformly and densely on the cell culture vessel for 2D culture. Furthermore, Hitachi manufactured cardiomyocytes by the automation technology more effectively than by manual. The technology is probably able to be applied to a variety of cell types and make them be manufactured automatically.

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Hitachi develops automation technology of 3D culture - BSA bureau

Over the past 12 months, the UK coffee shop market has seen a considerable 7.9% growth, with estimated sales of 10.1b and the report considers how automated processes are evolving to further accelerate this growth.

The report highlights include: examples of trailblazing brands and industries and how automation is being embraced across other industries; how automated technologies are increasing efficiency in the supply chain; smarter tech and better service; coffee delivery and telemetry: how data enables operators to make smart decisions for their entire coffee estate

Phil Smith, head of category and insight at UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, said: As the entire world, from businesses to individuals, embraces automation, its power as a driving force for change is undeniable.

Globally, the automation market is forecast to increase by 30% to reach 3.13b by 2025. Our report considers how automation is changing the face of the coffee industry, solving widespread challenges from seed to sip. From growing to harvesting, through the supply chain, to preparation, payment, customer service and delivery. For the consumer, automation signals choice and reliability. Good value, quality and consistency can all be achieved without compromise, delivering a new age of coffee experience to all.

The Future of Automation Report is free to download on http://www.thefutureofautomation.co.uk

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UCC Coffee insight report explores the Future of A... - The Caterer.com

Construction software giant Autodesk has doubled down on a commitment it made two years ago, when then-new CEO Andrew Anagnost said it was a construction software company first, so making its tools work in an automated construction workplace is its future.

We know that a future with more automation is necessary, Anagnost said at the companys annual Autodesk University conference and trade show in Las Vegas. The fact that four billion people worldwide enjoy prosperity is good, but we also know that making more plans for more people is a reality we all need to face up to, he said. Anagnost and other executives said Autodesk would focus on how to better integrate its vast software library with the workflows of on-site robotics as well as with prefabrication and modular construction. He highlighted how customers such as modular builder Skystone and contractor Hensel Phelps are already deploying these capabilities today.

Hensel Phelps demonstrated how it used the Boston Dynamics-developed Spot robot to capture the hundreds of photos it uses to create its 360 jobsite image. Using HoloBuilders SpotWalk app, the little robot follows a route through the jobsite carrying a 360 camera payload, capturing all the imagery Holobuilder needs to document the site.

[It empowers] a staff member to have better communication and coordination with process and procedural chores, said Andrew Cameron, Hensel Phelps project manager for the Harvey Milk Terminal project at San Francisco International Airport, where SpotWalk was deployed as a pilot project.

In addition to freeing up staff, Cameron says Hensel Phelps got better-quality data using the robot and app because Spot took site photos in the exact same locations every single time, even as the project advanced. Its not left-justified one day or right-justified the next, he says.

On the modular side, Marriott International has used some form of prefabrication be it whole modular units, bathroom pods or simple assemblies on 70 projects and, as an owner, is now working on the tallest modular hotel in New York City the 26-story, $65-million NoMad Hotel. Marriott echoes Hensel Phelps, saying that its turn to automation is driven by need to maximize its workforces time.

We need more people in the trades, said Jennifer Abuzeid, senior director global design strategies at Marriott. We have a very similar group of owners as Hilton and IHG. Were thrilled we started down this [modular delivery] path a number of years ago, and were thrilled to be in this position of leadership, but this has to be a Hilton, an IHG, a multifamily construction thing too, because of the number of people we need.

All the modules for the NoMad project will be produced by DMDmodular in its factory in Skawina, Poland. Skystone, the general contractor on the project, will transport the modules to the site and install them.

When asked what shifting tools toward robotics and modular design means for contractors, Nicolas Mangon, Autodesk vice president of AEC strategy, says it will ultimately create new jobs. The typical general contractor [today] does not have a factory, and wont have enough products to build a factory, Mangon says. The theory we are working from is there will be a new group of middle prefabricators that will have those capabilities and reduce the scope of the general contractors.

Jim Lynch, another Autodesk vice president and general manager of construction, says it will create more opportunity than disruption in the long run.

Its not heavy lifting, we have the tools, he says, saying its the integration that matters. Making those connections is where were at right now.

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Building Toward Automated Construction Workflows | 2019-11-27 - Engineering News-Record

Automating monotonous records management, customer relationship management, IT, and human resources processes is the dream of every enterprise pursuing efficiency. A study conducted by Software Testing and Big Data found that approximately 10-20% of work hours are spent on dull, repetitive tasks and that businesses miss half of all automation opportunities, on average.

But if you ask folks like Richard Waldron, Alistair Russell, and Dominic Lewis, theres hope for companies looking to embrace workflow automation. The trio of entrepreneurs launched Tray.io in 2012 with the goal of enabling enterprises to build and maintain integrations using visual tools and rich APIs.

Of course, competition is fierce in the global workflow automation market. Research and Markets anticipates it will grow by at least $19 billion in the next five years, fueled by shifting dynamics and high demand in the software segment. The robust market has bolstered robotic process automation firms like Automation Anywhere, which last week raised $290 million at a $6.8 billion valuation, and UiPath, which in April raised $568 million at a $7 billion valuation.

The London- and San Francisco-based startup has achieved a measure of success since then and raised $50 million in a series C round led by Meritech Capital. The latest tranche, which closed in October and was announced today, includes participation from Spark Capital, GGV Capital, and True Ventures and brings Tray.ios total raised to around $100 million.

CEO Waldron says the funding will support strategic hiring across Tray.ios team, as well as continued investment in product development. Weve seen general automation act as the new growth engine for rapidly growing companies as they solve integration challenges and scale operations with low-code general automation, he added. Thats why were doubling down on hiring the best team in the world, including veteran executives from ServiceNow and Duo to serve our incredible customers so we can continue to earn the world-class customer ratings theyve awarded us.

Tray.io provides a platform that integrates any web-based software using automated workflows, on a backend that can process billions of tasks in milliseconds. The eponymous system connects to any app with an API and processes changes in data values in real time, as part of workflows that span up to hundreds of steps in length and support event-triggering logical operators.

The company offers Tray as an embedded solution aptly dubbed Tray Embedded with templates and connectors for APIs, files, databases, apps, custom connectors, and business logic but is built atop a serverless architecture. Its configuration wizard walks customers step by step through each authentication in workflows, and it spotlights the parameters they need to fill prior to deployment.

Tray.ios expansion has accelerated as of late, with bookings up by more than 500% over the past and hiring in North American and Europe across marketing, sales, customer service, and development teams triple what it was a year ago. The startup has nabbed a number of high-profile customers, including VMWare, Pearson, Udemy, Fico, Jellyvision, Vox Media, DexYP, Northwell Health, Clearbit, Iterable, InVision, SAP, Arrow Electronics, Lexmark, New Relic, Segment, Outreach, Digital Ocean, Copper, Forbes, AdRoll, Copper, and Intercom.

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Tray.io raises $50 million to automate repetitive business processes - VentureBeat

Reception staff at Waterman Business Centres can now onboard a new co-working tenant and configure and provision every service they need in 15 minutes a process which typically would have required a two to three week lead time.

Previously each step in the onboarding process was completed manually, undertaken by an employee at each office location. The time to complete an onboard was typically three weeks or longer depending on the availability of technical resources.

The company has completed an automation project which has allowed it to cap costs as it opens new locations while also making life fast, simple and easier for its tenants. These outcomes earnt the business a Which-50 Award for Best in Automation.

Waterman Business Centre is a privately owned serviced office and coworking business that opened its first centre in 2016. The business currently has three large facilities, covering 17,000sqm in Victoria. An entry-level single membership is competitively priced $30 per month for provides unlimited hot desking and high-speed internet.

Martin Reidy, operations manager at Waterman Business Centres, said it was clear processes would need to be automated to enable the business to grow.

When we expanded from our initial site in Narre Warren, we realised that a 2-3 week lead-time for onboarding would limit our ability to scale quickly and also to offer a very competitive entry-level membership fee of $30 a month with no lock-in contracts, Reidy said.

If we couldnt speed up onboarding it would also mean that expensive leased office space would remain unprofitable if we didnt fill it quickly with new members.

The business looked to the telco industry, which provisions similar services, and designed a customer journey and infrastructure which would eliminate the major pain points customers face when dealing with their phone or internet provider.

With a technology budget of $600,000 for the project, Waterman acquired best-in-class technologies from leading vendors including Extreme Networks then designed, developed and deployed an intermediate synchronisation tool to automate the technical and administrative components of onboarding a new customer, and managing their requirements over time.

Our automation is founded on a Secure Automated Campus solution based on Extreme Fabric Connect, and Extreme Networks wired and wireless networking hardware, Network Access Control. Weve written custom code to integrate the Extreme environment with our Microsoft CRM and LDAP, PaperCut, Xima, Avaya, Inner Range, Xero and PayWay, Reidy explained.

By automating processes and systems Waterman Business Centres was able to shorten the sales cycle, reduce onboarding time and cost, optimise IT efficiencies, eliminate lost revenues through human error, and offer more competitive new products.

Without the investment in automation, Waterman estimates it would have required one full-time network admin to manage every two sites, equating to 2.5 FTE at a cost of approximately $300,000 per annum.

The centres have just one part-time IT administrator looking after the network, supported by its front-of-house reception staff, who can often resolve issues with the system.

Reidy said the system also has benefits for ongoing maintenance, because staff can quickly identify and resolve any issues, such as device connectivity problems, rogue access points or excessive bandwidth consumption.

Extreme Networks automated tools and automatic provisioning means there is no need for technical intervention and our front-of-house service team can resolve most issues. In fact, our members sometimes dont believe that our receptionists can sort out their issue.

As well as office space and shared facilities, Waterman provides technology services such as internet and its own enterprise-grade data centre facility.

The key differentiators in our industry are definitely the additional technology services you can provide over and above basic internet access. If you can do that simply and easily, thats a massive advantage, Reidy said.

We are 100 per cent BYOD our members can bring their own devices, phones, printers and routers. There are no constraints on what devices are on our network. We also pride ourselves on the community we have been able to create amongst our members. Thats one of the hallmarks of our business.

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Which-50 Awards: Waterman Business Centres Best in Automation - Which-50