Monthly Archives: February 2022

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Business process automation (BPA) has been around for more than two decades and has mainly beenassociated with digitizing paper processes. While some organizations are still playing catch up with automating paper processes, the current buzzword around automation is intelligent process automation. So what is intelligent process automation (IPA) and how is it different from the workflow automation of the early 2000s?

In this article we explore IPA, its opportunities and challenges as well as its applications in the workplace.

The advent of machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive technologies have changed the face of business process automation. What started with simple workflow automation, which digitized repetitive manual processes to improve productivity and reduce paperwork, has matured to a state where RPA, artificial intelligence and machine learning tools provide key insights that help increase the efficiency of processes and provide faster response to customers. IPA's use cases range from intelligent document processing (IDP), streamlining workflows, supply-chain management, claims processing, case management and more.

Related Article: What Intelligent Process Automation Can Contribute to the Hybrid Workplace

The promise of IPA is rooted in its ability to elevate workflow processing to another degree of efficacy, creating even more productivity, operational cost reduction, agility and better experiences all around. Some of its highest benefits lie in:

Related Article: BPA vs. RPA: How Are They Similar, How Are They Different?

Any new technology comes with its own sets of challenges and required dedicated effort across organizations to implement. Some of the major challenges of implementing IPA include:

Related Article: What Does the Future Hold for ERP?

Do you envision a future where an insurance claim application is able to locate accident pictures, collect incident reports, look up claimant history, even set up calls for human interviews and make decisions based on statistical analysis of similar incidents while combing through millions of records? Well that future is here.

The future of process automation is far and wide. AI, ML, natural language processing (NLP), robotic process automation (RPA) and optical character recognition (OCR) are among the technologies that will fuel the next generation of process automation. The next step in this journey is when of all these technologies are combined to create integrated ecosystems rather than loosely coupled workflows, leading to what Gartner calls hyperautomation. As hyperautomation becomes more prevalent, get ready to see a seamless blend of robots, human employees and existing systems, which will all work collaboratively to create an intelligent ecosystem.

Geetika Tandon is Managing Director with Deloitte consulting LLP with over 20 years of industry experience with technology consulting. She started her career in IBM as a developer working on voice and RFID solutions, moving to middleware implementation and then acquired deep expertise in IT modernization, helping multiple government agencies move to a cloud and DevOps environment.

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Intelligent Process Automation Pushes the Boundaries of Business Process Automation - CMSWire

Veritas has launched v10.0 of its NetBackup data protection product along with an Autonomous Data Management strategy.

It says Veritas is planning for a future where its technology is able to provision, optimise and repair data management services autonomously, with users self-servicing data protection and recovery. This will be based on so-called CloudScale Technology, which harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) and hyper-automation Veritass term to self-provision, self-optimise, and self-heal in web-scale multi-cloud environments.

CEO Greg Hughes issued a statement: Hackers are increasing the impact of their ransomware attacks by targeting cloud services and data. Veritas is laying out its strategy for how we solve that challenge for our customers, starting with tools, available today, that will help to reduce cloud footprint and costs, keep data safe from ransomware, and pave the way to Autonomous Data Management.

We are told Cloud Scale Technologyenables a containerised, programmable, and AI-powered microservices architecture that provides autonomous unified data management services across any cloud.

Coming a year after v9.0, NetBackup v10 features:

A Conquer Every Cloud micro-website contains more information.

Veritass strategy is to respond to customers growing use of more applications in multiple cloud environments and of more cloud-native applications and SaaS apps by extending NetBackups data protection services across these environments and so provide a single comprehensive backup capability. This will be easier to manage because it will have a degree of autonomy with AI-triggered malware scanning,an IT estate-wide protection view, and self-scaling and -healing features.

Private equity-owned Veritas has to show that it can sustain itself and grow against competition from Commvault, Veeam, Cohesity, Druva, HYCU and Rubrik. V10 should help it retain its existing customers and even gain some new ones but it wont enable Veritas to damage its competitors much. The main name of the game is inroad prevention, not invade and conquer.

Read more from the original source:

Veritas chasing hyper-automation with NetBackup 10 Blocks and Files - Blocks and Files

Years before groups like the Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) were attempting to build an open and secure control architecture, Bedrock Automation had already built it.

Albert Rooyakkers, Bedrock Automations founder, CEO, and CTO, has decades of experience in process control and has been on a mission to redesign closed industrial control systems since his time at Invensys (now Schneider Electric), when he led a design team to refresh the companys distributed control system (DCS). Soon thereafter, he was recruited into the semiconductor industry by Maxim Integrated Products (which merged with Analog Devices in 2021), where he was working with advanced embedded semiconductor technology and on new business development plans.

At Maxim, he saw how semiconductor technology works in the most secure segments, such as the financial and aerospace industries. Thats when I began to connect the dots, Rooyakkers said during an interview with Automation World at the Bedrock headquarters in Massachusetts. He realized that the open and intrinsically secure system hed been wanting to build all along could finally be accomplished. We literally started with a blank sheet of paper and had the muscle and might of a major semiconductor company to make it real. A very key part of what we do starts with specialized cyber hardened digital electronics, and thats how to do it right. You have to start at the smallest common denominator, which is the transistor, and start building it out.

That is when the Open Secure Automation (OSA) platform was born.

According to Rooyakkers, every module and digital transaction in the system operates in the same manner with mutual authentication and encryption, similar to banking from a smartphone or buying something on Amazon.

As part of this rebuild from the ground up with embedded security, Bedrock also developed a pin-less backplane interconnect that provide secure I/O with 20 Mb bandwidth at every I/O slot, and a universal control system that can drive any control mode, be it PLC, DCS, a safety system, etc., while extending its security to third party applications.

Now, with over 120 patents, Bedrock continues to evolve its OSA architecture with customers and at its design center in Massachusetts. This is demonstrated in its latest announcement of a new software release, which adds more process functionality and diagnostics to the system.

According to the company, the software upgrade, which came out in January, makes it easier for users to configure and run open applications inside the secure OSA controllers. New firmware enhancements simplify and improve SCADA redundancy, enable Transport Layer Security (TLS) support for MQTT Sparkplug, expand universal EtherNet/IP capacity, simplify flow meter proving, and assist in diagnosing large motors.

The new firmware impacts functionality in several of Bedrocks secure system modules, including: the OSA control system built on the pin-less backplane that is scalable to support thousands of I/O; the OSA Remote control system, which provides secure, high performance automation for applications requiring five to 20 I/O; the Universal Ethernet gateway (UE5), which supports Modbus TCP and EtherNet/IP; and the OSA Remote Flow measurement and control system, which integrates flow computing and process control in a single module.

In addition, the new firmware enhancements contribute to simple, secure SCADA operations by moving redundancy management from the SCADA system client to the Bedrock controller firmware. This enables seamless SCADA client failover while simplifying SCADA configuration. Thats because, according to the company, most SCADA redundancy requires more than one IP address so if theres a problem with one, the SCADA software or system engineer finds the active IP and switches to it. But using the Bedrock OPC UA, MQTT, or other Ethernet protocols, allow for the use of virtual IP addresses, enabling a single end point for a redundant pair. The SCADA software point to one IP address and the Bedrock controller finds the active path automatically.

Bedrock has more innovations in the works and continues to build out its team with industry heavyweights, such as the recent announcement that industry luminary, Peter Martin, has joined its advisory board. Martin, who served as vice president of innovation and marketing for Schneider Electric Process Automation until his retirement in 2019, is well-known for his pioneering control theory as it connects to business profitability.

Leveraging that experience, Martin will advise Bedrock as it advances its OSA architecture. As more industrial devices connect to each other, security is increasingly and literally the key to business value, Martin said in a statement. By bringing a powerful and inherently secure automation solution to market, Bedrock is unlocking a new generation of heightened business effectiveness, safety, and profitability. I am looking forward to doing whatever I can to help them advance their platform to achieve thatfor everyones sake.

Continued here:

Open and secure industrial control from Bedrock Automation - Automation World

New technologies have been changing industries and society for quite a long time. Technology has inspired deeper learning and inspired humans to study aspects of the world that we hadn't previously considered. However, there is a contention by many educationists that the more we accept automated "done-for-you" technologies, the fewer people need to learn anything.

Living in a world where approximately 80% of American college-age youths are considering delaying or skipping college. The definition of what it means to be educated is undoubtedly changing, but is this a good or a bad thing?

"Gauging the effects of increased automation in investments and entrepreneurship as a whole is really difficult, but we do know the effects of proper education, we have seen in for generations," Anthony DeGalbo opines. "Any situation where apps and automation reduce the interest in getting educated about a certain industry cannot be positive through and through."

Anthony DeGalbo is the CEO of OnlyOptionsTrades

Anthony DeGalbo is the CEO of OnlyOptionsTrades, one of the most recognized options trading educational platforms online. DeGalbo insisted on going against the grain when he launched the platform, choosing to go the educational route in an industry where most newer platforms were selling AI-automated investments where investors only needed to "plug-and-play."

The platform's unique approach of hosting consistent live classes throughout the week has won the company a lot of admirers and customers. This unique, education-first, profit-second approach led the relatively new company to do over $3 million in revenue and over 10,000 paying members in 2021 alone.

DeGalbo insists that their success is proof that there is a real thirst for real educational investment platforms.

One of the big promises of tech was the democratization of access to different industries, including stock and options trading. At first glance, it would seem that Automation programs, platforms, and apps are doing just that by lowering the entrance bar for investors and dispensing with the need for due diligence and education on their part. However, DeGalbo argues that this will not bring true democratization in the long run.

"For anything to boast of being democratized, it has to focus on the individual and give more power to the individual. Automated platforms can be very effective in yielding returns, but often times the major reason for their success is the seasoned veteran traders who are behind them doing the magic. If we continue empowering the ignorance of investors, more and more power will be concentrated in these investors companies and in the long-run, the investor will be at a disadvantage."

DeGalbo's fear seems to be that automation empowers the company and not the investor, and this is a fear that many have about tech companies in general. The sentiment seems to be that the more we rely on technology to do for us what we have not spent the time to understand, the more power they have over us. These companies retain the power to raise the cost of their offerings at any time, and this would undoubtedly leave the investors at a disadvantage.

Blindspots Of Investment Automation

Every investment bears a reasonable level of risk. Investments fail when those risks do not go in favor of the investor. For example, stock investors need to understand that stocks can lose value and be aware of the possible scenarios that may bring this about. The same goes for options and forex traders.

However, there seems to be a proliferation of automated investment opportunities that promise monthly ROI for a monetary investment.

In DeGalbo's words, "You never see any of the investment sharks dole out investment dollars to startups whose businesses they don't understand at least to some degree. When we market an investment opportunity as an automated, low-risk, done-for-you activity that doesn't require you to understand the market, we are building a very unsustainable system that may come back to haunt us in the future."

In a perfect world, every investor in the stock or foreign exchange market will understand the markets and the risks involved. They wouldn't need to be prompted by unrealistic promises before investing.

The Way Forward

"The assumption that investments only require putting in your money is the reason why so many pyramid schemes have thrived in America and it's also the reason why most of them have failed." DeGalbo explains, "Our goal with OnlyOptionsTrades has always been to re-educate the new generation of investors to invest in education before they put their money in. This balanced approach has to be the way we move forward."

Despite what school of thought we fall into, it is clear that a world where education and skill acquisition are not emphasized will lead us down the rabbit hole of get-rich-schemes and failed investments.

Read this article:

Education Vs. Automation: The Future Of Investing Is Here - Forbes

The rapid development of technology has changed the way businesses work. With robotics, AI, and machine learning gaining immense popularity, many think these will replace employees in completing the work tasks.

The trucking industry is one of the sectors impacted by the latest technologies. Therefore, many worry that truck driving jobs will disappear due to automation.

The innovation of self-driving vehicles might change the work process, and many speculate that advanced machines will replace truck drivers. Some predict that up to 3 million driving jobs might disappear due to automation.

However, the automatization process carries many risks. The technology is in the initial testing phases, so the outcome isnt clear yet.

This is good news for those wanting to pursue their career and find a truck driver job. A recent study states that the risk of job loss isnt that high. A driver doesnt only operate the vehicle, but they also do a wide range of tasks related to transporting goods.

In addition, full automation isnt likely to happen yet. Further in this post, we explain why automation isnt about to make truckers obsolete.

Misinterpreted numbers

According to estimates, there are 3 million truck drivers across the US. However, this number includes light truck drivers, sales workers, and delivery drivers. As we already mentioned, the automation technology isnt feasible for short-haul driving.

Therefore, only the new technology will impact heavy truck drivers. This means that there are way less than 3 million truck drivers in the US concerned with automation innovations.

Truck driving job includes a wide range of tasks

Automation technology can only take care of driving the vehicle. However, the drivers job extends to far more than just that. The self-driving process wont cover the other work tasks included in this job position.

A truck driver is responsible for maintenance, logging information, and customer service. Also, they load and unload the trucks at the final destination. Currently, there are no automated systems that will perform these tasks.

The vehicles might come with a system that detects problems such as low tired or uneven load. However, the driver still needs to take care of them. Human input is required to solve the problem that the sensors will detect. In the case of a flat tire, no automation tool will help change it.

The truck driver is responsible for delivering the goods to the customer. Face-to-face communication cant be replaced with the use of technology. Consequently, the truck driving job wont disappear soon despite the promising automation technologies.

Full automation wont happen soon

According to the current standards, automation comes in various levels ranging from 0 to 5. As the automation level goes higher in the scale, the human input decreases. Level 5 means that the system will perform the driving independently.

The implementation of automation technology in the trucking industry refers to levels 2 or 3. This means that only partial automation will be included in the process, which will still require human input to work.

Therefore, the partial automation will still need the driver to be present, meaning that the truck driving jobs wont disappear anytime soon.

The companies that aim for level 4 automation want to reduce labor costs. However, this will be used for long-haul rides and isnt feasible for short distances.

With one-quarter of the current heavy trucks used for long haul transport, the potential job losses wont exceed this number. Therefore, even in a case when the technology advances significantly, only a quarter of the drivers will lose their job.

Main image: Sander Yigin, Unsplash

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Automation Isn't About to Make Truckers Obsolete - Robotics and Automation News

DUBLIN, Feb. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market (2021-2026) by Component, Type, Navigation Technology, Battery Type, Application, Industry, Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market is estimated to be USD 2.31 Bn in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 3.62 Bn by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.4%.

Key factors such as the rapid growth of E-commerce and the need for automation in maritime applications for improvement drive market growth. The rise in demand for automation and increase in safety, accuracy, and productivity provide growth opportunities to the market. In addition, AGVs reduce labor costs from a long-term perspective in warehouses in many ways.

However, factors such as high investment cost and lack of flexibility are likely to restrain the market growth. Moreover, the availability of alternative autonomous mobile robots is a major challenge in the market.

Company Profiles

Some of the companies covered in this report are Savant Automation, Dematic, DF Automation & Robotics, E&K Automation, JBT, Kollmorgen, Konecranes, etc.

Countries Studied

Competitive Quadrant

Why buy this report?

Key Topics Covered:

1 Report Description

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Market Influencers4.1 Drivers4.1.1 Rapid Growth of E-commerce and Mass Production4.1.2 Increasing Safety Precautions and Regulations in Workplace 4.1.3 Demand for Automation and Material Handling Processes Across Industries 4.2 Restraints4.2.1 High Initial Investment Costs4.2.2 Lack of Flexibility and Obstacle Resistance 4.2.3 Availability of Autonomous Mobile Robot4.3 Opportunities4.3.1 Rise in demand for automation by SMEs 4.3.2 Adoption of 4.0 Technologies 4.4 Challenges4.4.1 Low Labour Cost in Emerging and Developing Countries

5 Market Analysis5.1 Regulatory Scenario5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis5.3 Impact of COVID-195.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis

6 Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market, By Components6.1 Introduction6.2 Software 6.3 Hardware 6.4 Services

7 Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market, By Type7.1 Introduction 7.2 Automated Guided Carts 7.3 Forklift AGVs 7.4 Towing AGVs 7.5 Unit Load Handlers 7.6 Heavy Burden Carriers 7.7 Others

8 Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market, By Navigation Technology8.1 Introduction 8.2 Magnetic Guidance8.3 Laser Guidance8.4 Vision Guidance8.5 Optical Tape Guidance8.6 Inductive Guidance 8.7 Others

9 Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market, By Battery Type9.1 Introduction9.2 Lead9.3 Lithium Ion9.4 Nickel Based 9.5 Others

10 Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market, By Application10.1 Introduction 10.2 Raw Material Handling10.3 Work in Process Movement10.4 Pallet Handling10.5 Finished Product Handling 10.6 Hazardous Materials Handling 10.7 Others

11 Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market, By Industry11.1 Introduction 11.2 Automotive 11.3 Healthcare11.4 Manufacturing11.5 Logistics11.6 Retail & E-commerce11.7 Food & Beverages11.8 Paper & Printing11.9 Chemical 11.10 Aviation 11.11 Others

12 Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market, By Geography

13 Competitive Landscape13.1 Competitive Quadrant13.2 Market Share Analysis13.3 Strategic Initiatives13.3.1 M&A and Investments13.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations13.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements

14 Company Profiles 14.1 DF Automation & Robotics14.2 E&K Automation14.3 JBT14.4 Daifuku14.5 Dematic14.6 Eckhart14.7 Irwin Car14.8 Jungheinrich14.9 Kollmorgen14.10 Konecranes14.11 KUKA14.12 Lodige Industries 14.13 Murata Machinery14.14 Oceaneering International14.15 Savant Automation14.16 Scaglia Indeva14.17 Schaefer Systems International14.18 Scott14.19 Siemens14.20 Toyota14.21 VDL 14.22 WEWO Techmotion

15 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/csdw0f

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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SOURCE Research and Markets

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Insights on the Automated Guided Vehicle Global Market to 2026 - Rise in Demand for Automation by SMEs Presents Opportunities - PRNewswire