Monthly Archives: May 2022

As soon as vertically farmed strawberries are on the market for a lower price, its a no-brainer for the market to shift over to the consumption of vertical farming products. Its just the question of how quickly this industry can scale and how quickly the requisite technologies can be commercialized," says Samuel Bertram, co-founder, and CEO of OnePointOne (OPO), a US-based agtech company.

Samuel Bertram

"Today, the value proposition is very much a supply chain value proposition. Theres huge inflation going on in food, which isnt good for the lower-income households, but it does offer an entry for high-quality products to enter the market."

OPOs business model is to sell farms and license software to buyers all along the supply chain. Since theres a high level of automation, remote control farming is around the corner. Part of OPO is Willo, which licenses OPOs technology. At Willo, theres a membership option that allows them to sign up for leafy greens and strawberry delivery once the farms are up and running.

The Opollo 3

Great economicsAt the end of the day, its all about unit economics and solving supply chain problems. Once solved, the shift in consumption to a vertically farmed product will be immediate and seamless. Due to the complexity of full automation and system reliability, we see very few vertical farms tackling this problem in its entirety. Automation has always been table stakesit is required to be a competitive player in the vertical farming industry.

He identifies a common trend: all hardware innovations begin by tapping into a premium market which provides the capital and traction to solve the problem for the mass market. OPO is aiming its technology at regions where consumers are ready to pay a premium for much higher quality products. The organization is focused on navigating that business landscape in the next three years for the mass market. Strawberry farming isnt easy, but automation will allow driving significant production savings.

A row of strawberries

The first strawberry farm has been sold to IMEX Organic and will build another 12 farms by the end of 2025. The first of IMEXs farm network will be located in Phoenix, Arizona (US). The 80,000 sqft warehouse has been designed to house numerous farms for various customers. Each farm unit is $2 million and is designed to grow a variety of leafy greens, herbs, microgreens, and berries.

Samuel adds that the strawberry market is perfect for vertical farming. However, they are in the market selling various farms. The Opollo 2 farm technology is designed to grow herbs, leafy greens, and microgreens. Opollo 3 is specialized in growing various berries. Whereas Opollo 4 will be targeting cannabis growing, and the rest will follow. In the farm, two kinds of varieties can be grown simultaneously, 4 in total, allowing growers to be extra flexible and respond to market fluctuations.

An Opollo 3 under construction

Solemn automationWere ahead in many areas as were capable of imaging plants, moving plants, moving lights, etc., with a single platform of fleet robotics. We want this technology to nourish and treat more than 10 million people within 10-15 years. For our team and me, this is a matter of life and death for people that dont have access to food. OPO aims to become the Intel Inside of agriculture, Samuel affirms.

The system is designed to completely eliminate physical human interaction with the plants. The only time somebody would enter the farm is when system anomalies occurany plant anomalies can be handled by the system itself. Robots reach down into the farm to take photos, pollinate, harvest, and move around the plants. OPOs software platform dictates the farms actions and monitors the performance of the plants. Enabled by an extensive network of sensors and a mobile network of cameras, data can be accumulated and analyzed in a superhuman manner.

For more information:Samuel Bertram, co-foundersam@onepointone.comOnePointOnewww.onepointone.com

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Vertically farmed strawberries aren't easy, but automation is set to solve the economics issue - hortidaily.com

Supply chain disruptions caused or exacerbated by the pandemic continue to affect businesses in a range of industries. For example, 36% of small businesses responding to a U.S. Census Small Business Pulse last year reported delays with domestic suppliers. Each missed shipment or material shortage can be costly. In a 2021 Deloitte survey, more than 40% of chief financial officers indicated that supply chain shortages or delays increased their companies expenditures by 5% or more.

Supply chain technology companies have risen to prominence during the shortages, promising a solution to a problem that looks unlikely to abate anytime soon. One of these vendors is Keelvar, a Cork, Ireland-based supply chain analytics platform that weighs different sourcing scenarios to guide customers to decisions for their supply chains.

Keelvar is headed by Alan Holland, who left his position as a lecturer in AI at the University of College Cork to found the startup in 2012.

My goal was to use my specialist knowledge in optimization, game theory, and mechanism design to commercialize advances in AI for procurement teams, Holland told TechCrunch in an email interview. [O]ur solutions have helped our customers adapt to ever more volatile conditions, notably in the transportation market, where our [platform has] allowed customers to source efficiently in an adverse environment.

Organizations that rely on the supply chain, which is practically all of them, engage in a process called procurement. Procurement entails acquiring goods and services from suppliers who typically compete for business by submitting bids that companies evaluate. Suppliers with the most attractive bid are awarded a contract, the terms of which are subject to negotiation.

Evaluating procurement bids with Keelvar. Image Credits: Keelvar

Keelvar allows customers to canvass an array of direct and indirect procurement bid information from suppliers and then analyze multiple awarding scenarios based on those criteria and other constraints. (Direct procurement is spending on goods and services that drive tangible profit, whereas indirect procurement is spending on goods and services needed for day-to-day operations.) Using the platform, they can also launch and run new bidding events. Algorithms sort through data on supply chain disruptions and vendors, cleansing it and extracting information before offering recommendations.

During the pandemic, Holland said that pharmaceutical companies used Keelvar to spot bad actors and inflated prices in the supply chain, and responded by rerouting goods through other means of transportation (e.g., via ground instead of air).

AI-powered sourcing bots are essentially agents designed to execute several tasks and reason about inputs they receive, such as identifying suppliers to invite to a bidding event, managing supplier communications and bid analysis, and recommending award decisions, Keelvar explains on its website. [The] bots can establish spot bidding or mini-tender events within a matter of minutes, managing and automating mundane tasks such as inviting carriers, collecting and validating bid data, messaging bid status updates, conducting necessary rate card and lane information lookups, and generating award recommendations.

Venture capitalists see the opportunity in the supply chain. Last year was a banner year, when VCs put $11.3 billion in financing toward vendors in the sector, according to Crunchbase. Keelvar is a beneficiary, having today closed a $24 million Series B funding round led by 83North with participation from Elephant, Mosaic, and Paua.

Enterprises were blindsided when the pandemic shut down the global supply chain. As issues persist and show no sign of relenting, C-suites are finally recognizing that intelligent automation is a must-have, 83North partner Philip Chopin said in a statement. Keelvars unique automation and optimization solutions empower procurement teams by helping them easily define their needs and react faster to market changes. The companys blue-chip customer list and incredible retention and satisfaction rates are a powerful testament to their technology, team, and vision.

Keelvar competes with a number of companies in the procurement solutions space, including Fairmarkit, Tealbook, and Contingent. But while remaining vague about Keelvars technological advantages, as well as revenue, Holland pointed to the companys overall growth in recent months. Keelvar, which plans to expand its 85-person headcount to over 130 by the end of the year, currently has over 70 enterprise customers and thousands of paying users.

[Recently,] weve significantly expanded our customer base and team, as well as successfully launched [air] and ocean bots for sourcing automations, Holland said. Weve [also] successfully grown as a remote-first organization, doubling our workforce.

The Series B brings Keelvars total raised to $43 million. Holland said that the company plans to put it toward product development and expanding in the U.S.

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Keelvar raises $24M to automate procurement in the supply chain - TechCrunch

Kmart Group is working towards the third and final horizon of a three-year strategy to embrace process automation that has so far saved it $1 million in costs.

Automation practice owner Keldo Gliana told UiPaths reboot work festival last month that the group had set the right ambitious process automation goals for Kmart and Target when he joined in October 2020.

What the business needed me to address was the automation strategic architecture and the associated roadmap, and this is what I focused on [from] day one, he said.

Gliana said the overarching goal was to free the time of subject matter experts (SMEs) within both retail businesses, so they could focus more on improving shopper experience [and] optimising internal resource allocation.

He said the program of work is set to run for three years, covering three horizons, two of which have been reached.

Under horizon one, Kmart built a small team of automation developers, created a development framework, and built out a platform based on UiPath technology.

For horizon one, we were KPIed to develop 45 automations for the business and we exceeded that, Gliana said.

We developed and released just over 60 automations, saving just over $600,000 for the business.

Horizon two targeted the creation of automations for HR, finance, IT and merchandise, and a few other lines of business.

The aim was to build an automation flywheel for process automation, to become an enabler for the business to gear subject matter experts to develop [automations] for themselves.

When we started the [automation] team, we were three people, and since we have grown to nine - a combination of engineers, developers and leads - but there is no way a team of nine people can develop automation for the whole business, Gliana said.

In order for us to be able to develop and release automation for the whole business, we have to be able to scale, and we can only do that by enabling other people in the business to come and develop on our platform.

Gliana said the program has so far delivered over $1 million in savings to Kmart Group, which had exceeded internal expectations.

He said the group is now chasing horizon three, which aims to make use of AI and machine learning to do the thinking and the learning for how a particular business process works and potentially handle complex decisions.

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Kmart Group banks 'over $1m' in savings from process automation push - iTnews

As cloud migration gains acceptance, organizations seek better testing strategies for their SaaS-based solutions. With the frequent releases and updates of cloud-based applications, business enterprises look to cope with the requirements of faster and improved testing methods. This demands a high turnaround time for completing the software testing process.

In recent years, test automation has provided a viable solution for improving software quality and efficiency. With the advent of the Oracle Cloud, business enterprises are evaluating how Oracle Test Automation can provide end-to-end testing for their cloud infrastructure. More enterprises look to leverage the capabilities of the Oracle Cloud. For this transition, they need a reliable test automation tool to reduce the turnaround time and ensure continuous delivery.

The good part is there are multiple Oracle Test Automation tools available today. We shall look at three of these tools, namely, Selenium, OATS, and ACCELQ. Which of these three automation tools are best suited for organizations?

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Selenium Vs. OATS Vs. ACCELQ Choosing the Right Oracle Test Automation Solution - Security Boulevard

by Ty Trumbull May 16, 2022

Robotic process automation (RPA) software provider UiPath and airSlate, a workflow automation company, have announced a new partnership that aims to help small businesses digitally transform their organizations through RPA.

AirSlate offers a number of solutions including electronic signature offerings and document management solutions. The company has over 900,000 customers and 100 million users around the globe.

The UiPath automation platform, meanwhile, has been adopted by more than 10,000 organizations, including many of the worlds largest corporations and government agencies. The company recently announced the appointment of Google Cloud and SAP veteran Robert Enslin to co-CEO a title he shares with UiPath founder Daniel Dines.

The pair of companies say they hope to expand the range of options that small businesses have in order to become fully automated.

In some ways, the UiPath and airSlate partnership counters emerging RPA software providers in the SMB market. Examples includeRewstandElectroNeek.

Indeed, Rewst hired ConnectWise and Perch Security veteran Wes Spenceras president in February 2022. Earlier,Rewst raised $3.5 million from Florida Fundersin November 2021. Also,ElectroNeek in mid-29021 raised$20 millionin Series A funding.

Elsewhere,Ingram Microagreed to distributeUiPaths RPA softwareworldwide, the two technology companies confirmed in May 2021.

Those milestones suggest automation software is catching on with MSPs.

There are over 32 million small businesses in the United States, representing 99% of all companies. The partners believe there is an opportunity to streamline operations by removing mundane work and complementing workers in small businesses with software robots.

This process is known as robotic process automation (RPA), a rapidly growing segment that is being spurred on by customer demand. In fact, the global RPA software market is expected to reach $13.74 billion by 2028, up from $1.57 billion in 2020. The markets compound annual growth rate from 2021 to 2028 is expected to be 32.8%, Grand View Research predicts.

RPA software allows businesses to write code and bots that rapidly automate manual tasks across multiple departments from IT service desks to HR, finance, customer support and more. The fast-growing market segment is generating strong M&A activity. An expansive RPA M&A list is available here.

The partnership of airSlate and UiPath is leaning into that offering as it aims to add a new layer of automation to the enterprise IT stack.

Dhruv Asher, Senior VP for Alliances and Business Development, UiPath

Dhruv Asher, senior VP for alliances and business development, UiPath, commented:

Small businesses are the backbone of the global economy. airSlates impressive and efficient marketing model can rapidly attract global businesses worldwide. Through our collaboration, we will be able to enhance the automation potential for fast growing businesses, providing capabilities that can help smaller companies become large, more successful enterprises faster.

Borya Shakhnovich, CEO, airSlate said:

Now more than ever, we see huge demand from organizations of all sizes that need the agility and efficiency of the no-code airSlate platform to drive their business. This partnership with UiPath affirms the vision behind airSlate while exposing our solution to a broader enterprise market. The no-code revolution is only beginning, and partnerships like this will help power our team to innovate even more quickly, providing seamless business automation, and best-in-class functionality for our customers.

Disclosure: ChannelE2E Editorial Director Joe Panettieri is a member of Florida Funders.

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UiPath and airSlate Announce Partner on Robotic Process Automation for Small Businesses - ChannelE2E

These two Microsoft Dynamics powerhouses will support companies of all sizes to automate processes, increase efficiency, and improve accuracy while reducing cost and compliance risk.

DOVER, Del. , May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SignUp Software a premiere AP Invoice Automation solution for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, and Dynamics 365 Business Central, today announced its partnership with Velosio to empower the delivery of full and embedded accounts payable automation and invoice processing solutions to Velosio's Microsoft Dynamics customer base.

SignUp Software and Velosio, a leading Microsoft Business Applications and Azure partner, have signed a partnership agreement to jointly provide SignUp Software's accounts payable (AP) and invoice process automation solution, ExFlow. This partnership will enable Velosio customers to improve AP automation efficiency for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain and Dynamics 365 Business Central. In FY22, Velosio and SignUp Software will collaborate on training and enablement initiatives while jointly executing a go-to-market strategy.

Velosio will become a full-service provider of ExFlow, SignUp Software's best-in-class AI-Driven AP automation platform and suite. These two Microsoft Dynamics powerhouses will support companies of all sizes to automate processes, increase efficiency, and improve accuracy while reducing cost and compliance risk. ExFlow is uniquely configured for manufacturing, retail & CPG, healthcare, services, finance, and other industries.

"We are very excited to announce and launch our partnership with Velosio, who we consider to be a premier Microsoft Partner organization. With our investments in extending and deepening our ExFlow solution and Velosio's industry knowledge, best-in-class delivery, and forward-looking leadership team, I am confident that our customers will benefit greatly in their financial automation journey," says Michael Medipor, CEO of SignUp Software North America. "We are poised to help our customers realize business outcomes at a faster pace as they automate their business processes today and well into the future."

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ExFlow is an accounts payable automation solution developed specifically for Microsoft Dynamics ERP platforms. Digitizing financial processes has become a key strategy for businesses in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-evolving business transformation environment that most organizations embrace. "ExFlow enables organizations to increase efficiency, transparency, and control in their AP Invoicing process, driving down costs while generating substantial process savings. Some customers have experienced 500% efficiency gain," Michael Medipor continues. "We see that ExFlow solves real tangible business challenges within our customers globally. Today, more than 1,200 customers rely on ExFlow to empower their AP Invoice process across the globe."

Velosio, the 2021 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central US Partner of the Year, provides support and services to thousands of clients in North America. SignUp Software's ExFlow can enhance the value of Dynamics 365 and provide clients with a modern, more efficient AP automation experience.

"Our team tailors the implementation of Dynamics 365 to the needs of each client, which is most often accomplished through configuration of the solution, Velosio IP or enhancements built on the Microsoft Power Platform," says Joseph Longo, CEO of Velosio. "We see a great opportunity to help our clients improve AP processing efficiency and accuracy with SignUp Software's ExFlow and are excited to establish this relationship."

About SignUp Software

SignUp Software (NASDAQ: SIGNUP) was founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1999. Its accounts payable (AP) and invoice process automation solution, ExFlow was launched in 2003. ExFlow enables organizations to increase efficiency, transparency, and control in their AP Invoice process, driving down costs while generating substantial process savings. Globally, more than 1200 customers rely on ExFlow to empower their AP and Invoice processes in over 60 countries.

SignUp Software is an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) that currently operates out of Sweden (HQ), Denmark, USA, The Netherlands, and Australia, with over 100 employees and 90 resellers across the globe. For more information please visit us at https://www.signupsoftware.com/

About Velosio

Velosio is a leader in deploying business applications through the cloud and delivering unparalleled client experiences. One of the largest Microsoft partners in North America, Velosio supports the entire Microsoft Dynamics portfolio, Microsoft 365 family and Azure services. The solutions portfolio includes ERP, CRM, Productivity, Business Intelligence and Power Platform, and extends to NetSuite and Sage. As the only Microsoft Cloud Distributor that specializes in Dynamics 365, Velosio also provides licensing and support to hundreds of growing Microsoft partners throughout North America. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Velosio serves over 4,000 clients throughout the US and Canada. http://www.velosio.com

Media Contact

Veronica Henley, SignUp Softwae, 3057760455, veronica.henley@signupsoftware.com

SOURCE SignUp Softwae

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SignUp Software and Velosio Ink North America Partnership to Deliver Integrated, AI-driven AP Automation for Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Yahoo Finance

Kongsberg Geospatial, developer of the TerraLens Geospatial Software Development Kit, has partnered with Iris Automation to enhance their Casia-G ground-based DAA system. Casia G is a ground-based surveillance system that continually monitors the airspace using a 360-degree optical solution to ensure UAS operation is safe from intruder aircraft. Iris Automation has recently received its second FAA Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waiver to conduct flight operations in Reno, Nevada using Casia G. Kongsberg Geospatial now offers an operator situational awareness display fully integrated with Casia G that will provide visual cues, alerts and warnings as Casia G detects an intruder or if loss of separation occurs.

Iris Automation pioneered Casia I and Casia X, the first on-board, autonomous commercial collision avoidance safety systems for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Casia G leverages the same AI and computer vision technology - but stationary - to detect aircraft as they approach your UAS operation. In achieving the FAA waiver, Iris Automation had to prove a performant sensor solution for conducting safe BVLOS operations, which will be unlocking the full potential of drones.

This revolutionary sensor capability is combined with the decades of Kongsberg Geospatial display experience in airspace management. The joint capability will allow for an "electronic observer" vs a human observer.

"We are so pleased to partner with one of the premier airspace visualization software providers globally and utilize the situational awareness capability that they designed specifically for our product, Casia G." Said Jason Hardy-Smith, CTO of Iris Automation.

"We are excited to be partnered with Iris Automation and assist with drone flights in the National Airspace. The ground-based optical DAA is a proven cost-effective solution relative to other ground-based DAA systems," said Jordan Freed, President of Kongsberg Geospatial. "We look forward to commencing BVLOS flights in Reno this summer."

Source:http://www.kongsberggeospatial.com

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Kongsberg Geospatial Partners with Iris Automation to Enhance Casia-G Ground-Based Detect and Avoid System - AZoRobotics

Automation software expert OneVision and ctrl-s have been chosen as solution providers by the albelli-Photobox Group, one of the leading players in the online European photo product and gifting market. With the solution for an automated end-to-end workflow, the albelli-Photobox Group increases plant efficiency, production capacity, and sustained long-term corporate growth.

Regensburg. As one of the fastest growing photo print service providers, a key objective of the albelli-Photobox Group is to streamline multiple IT solutions with one platform. For this purpose, a Manufacturing Platform project was initiated. The joint workflow automation expertise of OneVision and ctrl-s ensures the print service provider with an automated end-to-end workflow. The albelli-Photobox Group has started to implement the manufacturing software solution across three European production plants. The implementation is realized with a cloud-based virtual plant management solution. One interface provides complete visibility and the opportunity for continuous improvement across the board.

OneVisions Automation Suites and the Symphony Smart Factory Framework of ctrl-s are providing a state-of-the art solution that enables albelli-Photobox Group the flexibility to grow and sustain their position as one of the leading players in the online European photo product and gifting market.

OneVision Software AG is an international software manufacturer for automation of production processes in the printing and publishing sectors as well as numerous other industry segments. For almost 30 years, the companys automation solutions have helped more than 3,000 customers worldwide to achieve greater profitability. As a globally active company, the OneVision Group comprises entities in Germany, USA, Great Britain, France, Brazil, Singapore and India.

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albelli-Photobox Group Selects OneVision Software and ctrl-s as Automation Partners - WhatTheyThink

As the world is moving rapidly towards automation, in India many things are still done manually. A recent video shared by Erik Solheim, a former Norwegian diplomat, shows how many Indians complete their tasks with almost robotic precision and coordination.

In a 53-second video shared by Solheim, a group of men can be seen rapidly cutting and stacking cabbages. The undated video, which appears to have been shot at a wholesale vegetable market, shows the men filling a whole sack of cabbages in less than a minute.

While sharing the video, Solheim wrote, This is why India doesnt need robotic automation.. So far, more than six lakh people have viewed the video.

Commenting on Solheims tweet, many people argued that introducing automation in a country like India, where there is no dearth of workers, will only result in unemployment.

Making this point, a Twitter user wrote, In a country where the human capital is high, the biggest challenge is to get them engaged so as to earn & live, otherwise they would take Robbery, Drugs etc. In such a country automation needs to be moderated. Macro Economics is important.

Another person remarked, Automation needs to be done where there is a need. Like high risk jobs, jobs which need a lot of accuracy etc. There is no point in automating everything. If everything is done by a machine, it means less jobs for people > no income > no purchasing power. No sales.

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Watch: This video shows why India does not need robotic automation - The Indian Express

MQTT is becoming a popular protocol forIndustrial IoT (Internet of Things) data.Developed for connecting remotedevices to a central server, it is lightweight, efficient,and secure. However, IoT implementationsare growing larger and more complex, and demandis increasing for OT/IT connectivity. MQTT is nowbeing called on to aggregate and send diverse collectionsof data values over increasingly complexnetwork topologies.

To meet these challenges MQTT must getsmarter. As a transport protocol, MQTT specifiesthat messages are simply carriednot readlikea letter in the post. But that doesnt have to bethe case. What would happen if the letter carriercould read the mail? In other words, what if wegave an MQTT broker the ability to parse themessages it carries? It would be able to handlemessages more intelligently and include someinformation on the status of the data source orquality of the connection.

Data collectionA smart broker should be able to collect datain an intelligent way. For example, on largesystems data can come from a wide varietyof MQTT devices, each with its own messageformat. A broker that parses messages couldconvert these to a common message representationand make that available to all clients.Other data sources might include non-MQTTprotocols such as OPC UA, Modbus, DDE, andothers. A smart broker with protocol conversioncapabilities could act as a gateway for thisdata to any MQTT client or cloud ser vice.

Data consistencyIn real-time industrial systems, data consistencyfrom source to consumer is vital. Data thatsstale or out of correct time sequence can lead toincorrect decisions. Any disconnects or networkirregularities must be known.

Data can become inconsistent in several ways.If messages arrive at an MQTT broker faster thanthey can be delivered, some may be dropped. Ordata from multiple message streams may get sentto a client out of sequence. Also, if a data sourcegoes offline, the client may not know whether anunchanged value is current or stale.

A smart broker can ensure data consistencyby queueing incoming data in an intelligent way,passing on only the latest values. It can alsoparse timestamps on messages from differentdata streams to sequence them properly, as wellas pass along data and connection quality informationwith each value update.

Data securitySecurity is critical when accessing data from aproduction system. The MQTT push architecturethat connects outbound through firewalls isquite secure, but many corporate security policiesrequire isolating OT systems using a DMZ. This isproblematic for MQTT since messages must bepassed via two or more servers, while MQTT qualityof service guarantees are only valid for a singlesender-receiver hop. As a result, data at the endof a multi-hop daisy chain can become unreliable.

A smart broker that parses messages andconverts protocols can solve this problem byusing a tunnel. The device producing the MQTTdata would connect to one instance of the smartbroker. The message data, along with qualityand timestamp information, gets tunnelled viaa secure, TCP-enabled protocol to a secondinstance of the smart broker. That instance wouldconvert the data back into MQTT, with values,timestamps, and quality codes intact.

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Advantages of a Smart MQTT Broker - Automation World