Monthly Archives: April 2022

With credit cards, Smith notes that you can set up autopay for a certain amount to guarantee that you pay at least the minimum or set a higher amount to pay down any accumulated debt. You can use pay-minimum automation to ensure youre never late, then make additional payments throughout the billing cycle to lower your credit usage and help your credit score.

CLOSELY REVIEW ALL CHARGES

Erin Lowry, author of the Broke Millennial book series, recommends checking to be sure payments were made. She had been automating her rent payment for six years when she noticed her payments stopped processing earlier this year.

I never had an issue so had gotten a little lazy about checking to see if it went through, she says. Then she realized she had a much larger bank balance than she expected. She discovered her rent had stopped processing a problem she had to scramble to fix.

Automating a bill also doesnt mean that you should stop shopping around for better options. Franco-Cicero, who is also a wealth advisor at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, Florida, says that when it comes to car insurance, for example, its worth checking for discounts and comparing options each time your policy is up for renewal.

AUTOMATE SAVINGS, WITH MANUAL TWEAKS

In addition to signing up to automate retirement contributions every paycheck, Mason suggests automatic savings for other goals. Every time he cuts costs to free up extra cash, he says, I try to capture it immediately so it doesnt get lost in the shuffle. He cautions that youll want to review the savings regularly and make sure you have enough money in your checking account to support the transfers, along with all of your other bills.

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Palmer: Spring-clean finances with some automation - The Columbian

Compiled by Kyle Kotecki,Staff Writer

April 4, 2022Updated: April 4, 2022 2:25p.m.

SCOTTVILLE West Shore Community College's Humankind series is scheduled to host a discussion called The Current Impact of Automation on the American Workforce at 7 p.m. on April 6.

The presentation will take place via Zoom at the following link: bit.ly/humankindwinter2022. It will be recorded and posted on the college's YouTube page afterward.

The presentation will be conducted by Kellon Petzak, professor of information technology at WSCC.

Petzak will explain how the current digital revolution is reshaping the American workforce.

"Audience members looking to decide on a career path or make a change in their career will learn more about how developing technologies are having an impact on the workforce," Petzak said in a news release. Anyone with young people in their life or those looking for a career change can benefit from this discussion.

The Humankind series is WSCCs cultural arts and lecture series. The theme for the 2021-22 academic year is movement. For more information about the Humankind series, visit westshore.edu or email humankind@westshore.edu. For more information about this event, contact Petzak at kpetzak@westshore.edu.

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Compiled by Kyle Kotecki

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WSCC to present talk on automation in the workforce - Manistee News Advocate

Medi-Tech Insights

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Summary:

Medi-Tech Insights: Integration of automation, AI, & machine learning (ML) in laboratory workflows, transformative benefits of laboratory automation, technological advancements in automation and increased spending in healthcare are key factors driving the growth of global Laboratory Automation Market.

Description:

Over the past decade, automation has become indispensable in laboratories globally, with manual processes being replaced by machines in every area of science and technology. The market continues to witness several new product launches. For instance,

In March 2022, Biosero, a developer of laboratory automation solutions expanded its laboratory automation capabilities with the launch of several new products and features in the companys Green Button Go software suite. The software allows scientists to automate workflows ranging from a single workstation to operations that span multiple labs.

Automation, AI, and ML set to bolster the Laboratory Automation Market Growth

Integration of AI and automation in laboratory workflows not only reduces several manual processes of lab testing but also streamlines logistics and accessioning, and helps optimize delivery and use of resources. The automation of processes, workflows, and data enables laboratories to reduce downtime, increase stability and optimize efficiency.

Machine learning is also expected to play a critical role in developing effective molecular diagnostics. Machine learning-based diagnostics will be the key to simplifying and automating the R&D process, allowing scientists to respond rapidly to testing needs.

Citing these potential benefits, laboratories across the globe are leveraging AI/ML to automate workflows, triage and prioritize samples, distinguish between conditions, authenticate results, and perform quality checks.

The advantage of automation is that instruments are more powerful, can aggregate data more quickly, and can find analytical insights that otherwise wouldnt be found. - CEO, Diagnostics Technology Company, United States

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Skill Gap in Technology, Shortage of Skilled Professionals and Sluggish Adoption of Automation by Small & Medium-Sized Laboratories - Major Deterrents for the Laboratory Automation Market

The skill gap in handling state-of-the-art software designed to automate the machinery performing laboratory tasks and shortage of skilled and trained professionals for operating the advanced laboratory equipment which requires specialized skill sets presents a major challenge in embracing laboratory automation.

Due to high maintenance & service costs associated with laboratory informatics solutions, the adoption of laboratory automation solutions has been slow among small & medium-sized laboratories.

Competitive Landscape Analysis: Laboratory Automation Market

The global Laboratory Automation market is marked by key players such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, PerkinElmer, Agilent Technologies, Danaher, Gilson, BMG Labtech, Aurora Biomed.

Detailed Insights on Laboratory Automation Market @ https://meditechinsights.com/laboratory-automation-market/

About Us:

Medi-Tech Insights is a healthcare-focused business research & insights firm. Our clients include Fortune 500 companies, blue-chip investors & hyper-growth start-ups. We have successfully completed 100+ projects in Digital Health, Healthcare IT, Medical Technology & Pharma Services.

Contact Us:

Ruta HaldeMedi-Tech Insights+32 498 86 80 79info@meditechinsights.com

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Global Laboratory Automation Market valued at $4.5 billion (2021), is set to witness a healthy growth of 8% to reach $6.8 Billion by 2026 - Yahoo...

Automation can help warehouses address problems of labor scarcity and rising inflation, but is it cost-effective enough to justify the effort? Jan Bednar, chief executive officer ofShipmonk, offers a perspective.

With the current scarcity of warehouse labor and rising inflation, one might assume that automation offers an appealing and short-term solution. But case for automation isnt without nuance. Automation can play a massive part in reducing dependency on labor and overall cost, but it has to be applied properly and to the right operation, Bednar says. Companies need to ensure that theyre accounting for unforeseen impacts that might change the needs of the facilities, in areas such as labor, system maintenance and additional investments required.

By locking themselves into automated systems that were designed to handle products of a certain size, such as goods-to-person setups, warehouses lose the flexibility to adjust to changing requirements.

I dont think automation is the solution for all companies, Bednar says. It has to be properly evaluated and decided on based on the current conditions of each individual company. Criteria involved in making the decision include warehouse size and configuration, distribution patterns and, of course, availability of human labor.

Its important to understand where your company is going to be two to three years from now, Bednar says. (To the extent possible; COVID-19 created a world that no one could have predicted.) And rather than start with hardware many businesses think of automation in terms of robots, automated forklifts and other equipment warehouses should first think about the software thats required to run their operations. That, in Bednars opinion, is the biggest area of opportunity for warehouses considering automated systems. In particular, he recommends adoption of labor-management software, to track the productivity of human workers.

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Watch: Is Warehouse Automation Worth the Investment? - SupplyChainBrain

GlobalTech Plastics acquired by Molded Dimensions

Molded Dimensions, a manufacturer and supplier of custom rubber and urethane molded parts to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and related businesses, announces the acquisition of GlobalTech Plastics in Fife, Washington.

GlobalTech Plastics is a full-service, certified AS9100 and ISO 9001:2015, plastic-injection molding company that specializes in the Aerospace, Medical and Transportation industries. The addition of GlobalTech Plastics will help Port Washington, Wisconsin-based Molded Dimensions broaden its manufacturing capabilities to include plastic molded parts and components and establish a location on the U.S. West Coast.

This is the second acquisition in recent months for Molded Dimensions. In November 2021, Molded Dimensions acquired PCO Urethane, a manufacturer of high-volume polyurethane parts in Marshfield, Wisconsin. With the two acquisitions the new Molded Dimensions Group of companies can now provide rubber, urethane and plastic molded parts and components to an expansive customer base across a wide spectrum of industries.

Cogmedix | http://www.cogmedix.com

Cogmedix, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coghlin Companies, Inc., and provider of FDA-compliant medical device engineering and manufacturing services, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony with their Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team for a new world-class 101,000ft2 facility in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Cogmedix relocated its headquarters to West Boylston in 2019 to support its growing medical device client base, with ample capacity for growth. The new state-of-the-art facility will more than double the current Cogmedix footprint and is expected to create up to 200 new jobs in the next 3 to 5 years with the opportunity to hire many from the local community.

The West Boylston site will be built on approximately 15 acres of industrial land, owned by D&S Realty LLP, located just behind Cogmedixs current headquarters at 127 Hartwell Street. Construction of the facility is being completed by The McCarty Companies, located in Leominster, MA over the next 12-15 months.

ARCH | https://www.archcuttingtools.com

ARCH Cutting Tools Corp., an ARCH Global Holdings LLC Company (ARCH), has acquired Greene Tool Systems Inc., of Dayton, Ohio. Greene Tools Systems, established in 1986, has developed a reputation for unmatched customer service, technological innovation and prototyping, and world-class quality control.

Solving customers most challenging cutting tool applications and dedication to quality are the cornerstones of Greene Tools culture, says Jeff Cederstrom, division president ARCH Cutting Tools. Tom Green has built a strong business designing and manufacturing highly innovative custom tooling and left a legacy of satisfied customers. The ARCH group is looking forward to sharing and learning from the talented team at Greene Tool.

Tom Greene, president of Greene Tool Systems, says, It was time for me to retire and my employees agreed. Joining the ARCH family made sense because their broad product offerings complement our expertise in engineered cutting tools. They offer national sales coverage with a skilled sales force.

The more people from ARCH we met, the more I was convinced that this was a good move for both companies. They match our culture, business philosophy and people-centric way of doing business. My goal was to retire without my employees and their families having to worry about their future security. Everyone at ARCH understood my goal and far exceeded it. The next design I am working on is a tool to remove sand from between my toes.

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Beck Automation expands into the medical market - Today's Medical Developments

Virtual showcase for global audience highlights best practices from the companies leading with automation, product solutions in Expertsville, and UiPath platform demos and roadmap

NEW YORK, April 04, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UiPath (NYSE: PATH), a leading enterprise automation software company, today announced its global Reboot Work Festivala celebration of automation and a forum of new ideaswill take place virtually on April 12. The Reboot Work Festival is expected to attract more than 10,000 people from the global automation community to hear big ideas and practical insights from UiPath experts and visionary customer leaders.

The festival kicks off with presentations in the Big Tent from the brightest minds in automation. Register here to join Daniel Dines, UiPath Founder and CEO; Ted Kummert, UiPath Executive Vice President of Product & Engineering; guest keynote speaker Azeem Azhar, author and creator of Exponential View, and many more as they discuss how automation affects how we work and our interactions with each other and the world. Customers presenting include Cisco, EY, Sonic Automotive, Xerox, Reckitt India, Kmart Group, KION GROUP AG, Liberty Global UK, HSE UK, and Swiss Re Central Europe, among others.

"Automation is the most powerful way to manage changing the mentality of people in how we view and define work," said Dines. "There is a new paradigm underway. The Reboot Work Festival is about changing the world with automation, bringing innovative ideas forward that challenge conventional thinking, and understanding how automation provides people more time for communication, creativity, and problem solving."

At Reboot Work Festival, guests can hear customer success stories in the Ampitheater; see practical automations at work in the Demo Tent; learn more about UiPath products and industry solutions in Expertsville; and view the positive impact of automation on society in Automation for Good.

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The agenda includes:

Automation at the Center of the Enterprise: UiPath Chief Marketing Officer Bobby Patrick will describe how the transition to digital business is rewriting the rules for successand how automation is playing a leading role in helping organizations survive and thrive in this new era.

The Future of Apps: In todays increasingly complex and fragmented tech environment, enterprises must become experts at building out custom applications that weave workflows across unconnected applications, discrete data sources, and siloed activities. Doing this presents a massive challengeTed Kummert will discuss why automation capability needs to be at the center of it all.

The Exponential Age: Groundbreaking technological forces are literally "rebooting" the way we live and workand for some, the effects can be unpredictable and disorienting. But they dont have to be. Azeem Azhar, author of The Exponential Age: How Accelerating Technology is Transforming Business, Politics and Society, will look at how we can better understand the digital trends that are rapidly redefining our future and how we can harness change to create the world we want.

Fireside Chat with Daniel Dines and Azeem Azhar: Azeem Azhar and Daniel Dines share the stage to discuss their views on transformational technologies driving unprecedented change in the world and creating new ways to live and work.

Register here for Reboot Work Festival 2022 and follow the festival on social media at #UiPathRebootWork.

About UiPath

UiPath has a vision to deliver the Fully Automated Enterprise, one where companies use automation to unlock their greatest potential. UiPath offers an end-to-end platform for automation, combining the leading Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution with a full suite of capabilities that enable every organization to rapidly scale digital business operations.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220404005007/en/

Contacts

Media Contact Pete DalyUiPathpr@uipath.com

Investor Relations Contact Kelsey TurcotteUiPathinvestor.relations@uipath.com

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UiPath Announces Reboot Work Festival 2022 Featuring Keynotes and Customer Presentations on the Future of Automation - Yahoo Finance

The insurance segment, over the years majorly depended on the traditional branch-led manual model. Physical interactions, visiting an insurance office for end-to-end insurance process, multiple documentations, signing hard copies formed the very base of insurance. In the last few years, there been a massive transformation in the insurance sector, with digital coming into play and now taking the lead over the tedious manual process. To add to this, Covid-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst, in building awareness about the importance of insurance and highlighted the humongous benefits of contactless, faceless, digital insurance, which made the entire process seamless and quick.

In the last two years (especially after Covid), there has been a radical shift towards InsurTech, wherein consumers both in the urban cities as well as from the semi-urban and even rural pockets of the country benefited enormously from the tech driven insurance models.

Consequently, the entire insurance eco-system, starting from insurers, distributors, aggregators and consumers were pushed to leverage digital technologies for an improved insurance experience. Technology has been helping insurance reach to the masses, fasten the process, with policy issuance in minutes. Over the time, many technology developers came up with new and innovative products to make underwriting, risk assessment, claim settlements seamless for consumers. Below are some ways how automation has been making a difference in core insurance functionalities:

AI helped in scaling up of business- AI is no more Just a term in insurance. In the last few years, many tech development companies have scaled up their capabilities in providing tech support to the insurance value chain. AI has become more real-time, driven by algorithms. It has helped in the use of historical data, underwriting risks, claims, geospatial data, and has been providing insights for creating risk-based products within minutes. AI has been instrumental in assessing risk profiles of consumers more accurately, which in turn helped insurance companies issue policies as per the consumers credit score and finance portfolios, in lesser time. AI is disrupting the insurance distribution space and it will change the face of digital insurance in the times to come.

Claim settlements are becoming faster and seamless- As insurance companies jostle to increase their consumer outreach, one of the key determinants for consumers making up their minds is the claim- settlement ratio. Settling claims have never been easy, as insurance companies have to process thousands of claim requests on a daily basis, depending on their consumer base. Manual process, not only made claim settlements slow but increased the operational costs of insurance companies. Automation has helped in streamlining claim settlement processes, in many cases, it has helped in reducing claim settlement turnaround time by 70%. Starting from data capture to settlement initiation, approval of claims, tracking of payment and recovery, and processing of legal issues to managing communication, AI and other tech tools have drastically reduced the turnaround time.

Personalization of insurance products for consumers- Who ever thought, the concept of micro-targeting could be applied in insurance too. But InsurTech developers, with the help of data analytics have gathered large amounts of information from the digital footprints of consumers, financial portfolio, spending behaviour and accordingly helped insurance companies reach out to consumers with the right kind of insurance. Companies are also now looking at creating personalized insurance products for consumers, which are in sync with their needs and preferences, this will drive the next big growth in the insurance industry. With cyber security tools, companies ensure that the data gathered is safeguarded for consumers. Not just that, InsurTech developers are constantly working towards making the entire user experience seamless.

Connecting insurance agents and consumers through Hyperlocalization: Could you imagine the insurance sector working like food delivery aggregators or like Google Near Me, where consumers can connect with insurance agents within minutes, in the same vicinity. InsurTech developers made way to Hyperlocalization with the use of AI/ ML, where consumers could choose insurance agent within the same locality, over an app and connect with agents within minutes. While the model is still at its nascent stage in India, Hyperlocalization will bring in a dynamic shift in the way agents and consumers connect with each other.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

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How automation is bringing advantage to core insurance functions? - Times of India

ABB and Savannah Resources plc have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore industrial automation and smart electrification solutions for the development of Savannahs Barroso Lithium Project in northern Portugal.

Under the early-stage agreement, ABB will apply its technical expertise to outline production control and process solutions for lithium concentrate production and integrated spodumene mining operations, in line with Savannahs target of zero emission operations by 2030.

The Barroso Lithium Project is located 143 km north-east of Porto and is Europes largest known resource of hardrock spodumene lithium. Savannahs objective is to develop an operation producing premium, carbon-neutral lithium concentrate as a strategic raw material in Europes EV battery supply chain. Local electricity, produced mainly from hydro, solar and wind energy with zero carbon emissions, would be used to provide power to the project. ABBs technology solutions are well aligned and would maximise the use of the renewable energy and electrification to move the project towards carbon neutral production.

European lithium battery manufacturing is set for rapid growth and accelerating demand for lithium chemical production. This is driven by European Commission targets to make the EU carbon neutral and to reduce EU transport emissions by 90% by 2050.

Savannah is focused on responsible development of the Barroso Lithium Project by using 238 individual measures to eliminate or mitigate environmental impacts. These measures will be included in the Definitive Feasibility Study on the project, which Savannah is currently completing. This will also incorporate the actions from the current project decarbonisation study which supports Savannahs commitment to target a zero-emission operation by 2030 or earlier. Savannah also places great emphasis on its social responsibilities and a comprehensive set of programmes have been designed to share benefits and opportunities with local communities.

David Archer, CEO, Savannah Resources, comments:

ABB is at the forefront of the automation and electrification that is required for our decarbonisation journey.

We are pleased to have their expertise as we continue to execute on our decarbonisation strategy to build Europes first lithium spodumene production facility, as a critical supplier of low carbon raw materials for more sustainable batteries.

Frederik Esterhuizen, Hub Manager Central and South Europe & Australia, Process Industries, ABB, comments:

The development of Savannahs Barroso Lithium Project provides us with an additional opportunity to showcase ABBs leadership in industrial automation and smart electrification in Europe, applied towards key operations for the emerging European battery supply chain.

This is another step as we continue to enable more sustainable and fossil fuel free industrial operations.

ABB will also work towards binding agreements with Savannah in relation to the electrification, automation, and digital solutions in the future.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/04042022/abb-and-savannah-resources-to-explore-automation-and-electrification-solutions/

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ABB and Savannah Resources to explore automation and electrification solutions - Global Mining Review

Over the last few years, digital payments have shifted from a convenient option to a fundamental necessity, driven by the contactless requirements of the Covid-19 pandemic. Though digital payments are massively popular in the United Statesover 80% of Americans made a digital payment in 2021, according toMcKinseymany local government agencies are lagging when it comes to digital payments adoption.

While corporate America has been the primary driver for cashless adoption, government organizations have not kept pace despite proven benefits like accelerating collections, decreasing late and delinquent payments and boosting customer satisfaction levels. Though the many conveniences around digital payments are clear, these options are still not commonly offered across the industry.

Integrating easy-to-use, digital options enables workers to spend less time on payments-related tasks while offering residents a convenient service.

Digital Payments Saves Time

A recentreport titled Modernizing Collections for Improved Efficiencies finds that the average government employee spends 10 to 20 hours a week on phone calls related to billing and payments. Nearly 20% of respondents report that staff spends more than three hours per day just fielding billing and payment-related calls.

Fielding calls isnt the only task burning employees hours; 87% of government organizations still mail residents bills, creating unnecessary and mundane tasks for employees.

Rather than chasing down late payments or fielding countless customer calls, digital payments act as a force multiplier, enabling employees to spend time on high-priority projects, boosting overall output, organizational efficiency and employee morale.

Automation Powers Data

Automating payments enables agencies to optimize data collection, a crucial tool for catering to individual user preferences, impacting the customer experience. Agency employees can also use the data to replace the manual analysis of trends, saving time and decreasing errors. As an example, 17% of organizations have no way to determine what percentage of collections are late or do not arrive, not only impacting expected monthly receivables but also wasting time and resources following up with delinquent payers. Automating payments captures this data so the process can be accomplished digitally.

Digital Payments Boosts Revenues

The pandemic created a financial strain on local government budgets across the country. Though theres no one-size-fits-all solution to closing budget gaps, the implementation of digital payments is one approach that has a trickle-down effect on budgets. This is especially important for municipalities because there is a direct correlation between how much money there is to allocate toward education, maintenance, programs and activities for residents, a powerful factor in ranking a towns performance.

Local government revenue traditionally derives from the property, sales and other taxes. An aggregate of late payments can cause a significant financial burden, according to the 73% of respondents who reported that late or delinquent payments are an issue for their organizations. Automated options and organizational features, like email payment reminders, can help drive on-time payments, even if theres a long period between billing and the collection due date.

Municipalities also spend a lot of money absorbing convenience fees for residents. A common belief is that customers wont take advantage of digital payment methods if convenience fees are involved, but that isnt necessarily true.

Regardless of specific goals like saving money, time, or employees from burning out, digital payments adoption proves an accessible solution for satisfying both residents and employees, improving overall experience across the board. As businesses and agencies continue to advance and adopt diversified payment methods, residents will increasingly demand various payment options everywhere they spend money.

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The Benefits of Digital Payments Automation for Local Government - Route Fifty