Category Archives: Automation

A PwC study found that AI will potentially contribute about $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Another survey by Accenture reported that 84 percent of C-suite executives admitted that leveraging AI is key to achieving their objectives.

These reports show how companies are embracing AI automation to transform how they do business. AI has also impacted many aspects of our lives, from resume building to employee monitoring and more. It has driven significant change and continues to boost living quality.

Time tracking is another area where AI is making a significant impact. AI-driven time trackers are improving employee satisfaction and performance and saving costs for employers, especially in remote workplaces.

But there are other time trackers with powerful automation features focused on improving productivity and accountability in the workplace.

Even businesses that prefer using a time tracking spreadsheet are now giving automation a chance.

This article covers the best time trackers to help you automate your remote workspace.

Timely is known to be pricey, which makes it ideal for well-funded businesses looking for advanced features.

Like every time tracker, Timely primarily tracks billable hours. However, it comes with many advanced features, some of which are considered over-the-top.

The AI-powered tool automatically begins to track time once it notices that youve started working. It also monitors your work behaviors and patterns and provides suggestions on how best to use your time and increase productivity.

It also offers AI-powered data entry mistake detection and task assignments.

It sports an aesthetic and intuitive user interface that makes the learning curve as short as possible, and is packed with fun emoticons.

The Memory AI machine tool pre-populates new timesheets using recorded billable hours. This way, you get to save valuable time. The AI also ensures you avoid errors like forgetting to stop time tracking and double billing.

Another added advantage are its basic project management features.

Traqq time tracker is an employee time tracking tool that automatically records billable hours and monitors how much time employees spend on apps and websites.

Its a simple time tracker that produces in-depth analysis on time usage. Once you click the Start button to activate the tracker, it works in the background to collect relevant information without disrupting workflow.

Traqq automates reports, invoicing, and timesheets.

Youll get to know your workers productivity levels to identify whos best for what and discover areas for improvement.

The app is also designed to respect employee privacy. Since it collects screenshots and screen recordings to foster accountability, it blurs the contents of the employees screen to avoid leaking sensitive information.

TimeCamp is a leading web-based time tracker with more than 140,000 users. The platform is popular among marketing companies and IT businesses, especially software-as-a-service organizations.

It is available for mobile, desktop and web, and supports integration with popular time management and accounting applications.

TimeCamp helps individuals and large organizations to track time spent on tasks. It also monitors how you spend time on social media and the Internet.

Its primary functions include recording billable hours, creating timesheets, and generating invoices.

One of TimeCamps standout features is its ability to label certain activities as unproductive and others as productive, based on your work pattern.

While clockify is a web-based platform that requires you to create an account, it allows users to track time offline. This way, you wont lose records of your billable hours if you venture into areas without Internet signals.

The offline time tracking feature makes it one of the best time trackers for remote workers.

The tool offers free time tracking to unlimited users. You can also use the free version on mobile, desktop, and web.

That said, youll have to pay a fee to get extra features like administrative controls, invoicing, project templates, and timesheet approvals.

Other features that make Clockify standout are budget comparisons against labor costs and invoicing, Pomodor timer, and an intuitive interface.

Timesheet Killer focuses on automating monthly or weekly timesheets, removing the hassle of manual timesheet creation.

It monitors activities in documents, programs, and URLs, and uses its AI to group them into projects and tasks.

While it automatically prepares your timesheets, you can adjust everything how you see fit. You can also block websites and programs from being tracked and define how the app logs your time.

We believe that AI is just starting with the time tracking space and we expect to see more. Automating your remote workspace does not only help you bill clients accurately, but also boosts your productivity significantly.

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5 Best Time Tracking Apps to Automate Your Remote Workspace - Robotics and Automation News

The five largest economies in the Asia Pacific region are more at risk of physical robot-based automation than both Europe and North America.

That's according to a Future of Jobs Forecast from Forrester which suggests that by 2040, 63 million jobs in India, China, South Korea, Australia and Japan could be lost to automation, with industries such as construction and agriculture set to be hit hardest.

Forrester's Future Of Jobs Forecast, which looks at the state of automation from 2020 to 2040, suggests that the green economy will potentially help to offset some job losses as more governments commit to carbon neutrality. This will include more renewable energy, green buildings and smart cities developed by 2040.

However, even with more green roles, the IT industry, particularly in the Asian Pacific area will see 13.7 million jobs lost to automation.

"To prepare for the changes brought on by automation, the five largest economies in APAC will have to radically rethink their workforce strategies," said Michael O'Grady, principal forecast analyst at Forrester. "While each economy faces its own challenges, common focus areas such as hiring more female workers can help offset working population declines. In addition, investing in STEM education, technology workforce training, and protecting the rights of freelance workers will become of utmost importance."

Automated jobs will impact each country differently, according to the report. For instance, Australia will see a similar situation to the US, with 11% of jobs lost to automation by 2040. China, in contrast, will see 7% of jobs lost to automation, though some 3.8 million additional new jobs will be created within the next two decades.

India, which has a relatively young workforce, according to the report, will add 160 million new workers over the next 20 years. However, 69% of these are under threat of automation, making job creation a main priority for the country.

Japan has the opposite problem as it has an ageing workforce, according to the report. Coupled with its low birth rate, the country's workforce is set to decline by almost one-third. Similarly, South Korea's ageing working population and its dependency on the construction and agriculture industries will be highly susceptible to automation. The report suggests that 23% of South Korean jobs will be automated over the next 20 years.

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APAC region to lose 63 million jobs to automation by 2040 - IT PRO

America is a nation of the disposable. We treat women as a disposable means of creating children who, if they aren't victims of mass shootings, become disposable workerswho work most of their lives to create the disposable commodities that are destroying the planet. Those who are disabled, run afoul of the law for even minor transgressionsor are unable to work due to old age or illnessmay be ostracized, punished harshly or simply left to fend for themselves. As a group, the wealthy and powerful need us to make their money for them and to cater to their whims and to do this they must show us how anyone can be replaced at a moment's notice.

But humans are necessarily imperfect workers. We have needs and can get sick or injured. Moreimportant, we can fight back. Some, like Elon Musk, are seeking to transcend these limitations by transcending workers themselves. As automation displaces increasing numbers of workers, it may come to replace disposability as a threat with disposability as a permanent state rendering large swaths of the population economically useless, socially rootless and politically powerless, and thus unable to defend against our own disposal.

Musk is not the only business leader working to spread the idea that automation is beneficial, but his company, Tesla, is pushing hard to innovate in the field. Its humanoid robot, Optimus, is set to be unveiled in September. Musk claims that Optimus is meant to solve the "labor shortage" and to relieve people from doing jobs that are "unsafe, repetitive or boring." On the surface, these sound like laudable goals, and there are certainly some jobs that are so dangerous and unpleasant that automating them is desirable. But the reason automation is attractive to people like Musk is because it circumvents the human issues that workers face without paying them more, treating them better or conceding any power. Workers in the service industry those most likely to be replaced by the Optimus robot aren't burned out because their jobs are boring and repetitive so much as because they are poorly compensated, highly pressured and often treated rudely by both customers and managers. Amazon isn't having trouble finding workers because nobody wants to work, but because they are burning through those who do.

Though Musk and others like him, may frame their desire for automation as benevolent, when we consider how they treat their workers, their genuine motivations become clear. Musk and his companies have a rich history of deplorable labor relations: overworking employees, tolerating racist work environments, firing dissenting voices and whistleblowers, union bustingand putting lives at risk by defying public health orders during the pandemic. As with the deindustrialization that preceded it, however, automation threatens to further remove the ground beneath workers' feet, making not just individual employees or businesses but entire industries, and potentially work itself, obsolete and making people like Musk harder to hold to account.

Many people, perhaps understandably, would rather be in a well-defined adversarial relationship with an employer than to feel utterly cast adrift by society. But that choice may be rapidly disappearing and, in the process, driving people into the arms of the political right. Several studies show that those most under threat by automation disproportionately support right-wing populist parties. When looking at the voting behavior of workers from different countries, regions and industries, and controlling for confounding factors, automation has been shown to increase support for the radical right.

While the threat of automation may push workers toward more progressive economic policies, it also shifts them rightward on culture-war issues and voting behavior.

In the U.S., those most vulnerable to automation are more likely to support progressive economic policies, but they are nonethelessshifting rightward on cultural issues and in their voting behavior. The idea that the growing sense of precarity and meaninglessness stems from an erosion of tradition or from excessive tolerance for diversity, rather from an acceleration of economic exploitation, can be attractive to owners because it obscures their role in the crisis and redirects anger at scapegoats, and to workers because it appears to restore a sense of clarity and reorients their place in the world. The result, however, is that the real problem remains unaddressed and other marginalized groups are made more vulnerable.

How much risk automation poses to workers, which jobs are most likely to be replaced and whether new jobs will fill that void are all disputed questions. Some researchers have found that robotization negatively impacts both jobs and wages. Others argue that, over time, automation has created at least as many jobs as it has eliminated, but that these new jobs diverge significantly in terms of the training and specialization they require and how well they pay, increasing both productivity and inequality. Techno-optimists insist that everyone will benefit from this increased productivity, to one degree or another, because any job that can be automated will inevitably be replaced by a new one, perhaps yet to be imagined.

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Historian Yuval Noah Hararipoints out, however, that the longstanding pattern by which technological disruption creates new opportunities is not some inexorable law of nature. Paradoxically, while the optimists rely on the unimaginable to assure us that new kinds of jobs will be developed, they cannot seem to imagine that this pattern could be broken. Harari argues that there is no obvious reason why we cannot automate any conceivable task that a human can perform, that the optimists are overestimating people's ability to ceaselessly reinvent themselves, and that we running the risk of creating an entire class of the unemployable. According to Harari, not only would that leave many people conceivably, even most people with nothing more than idle entertainment or consumption to occupy their lives, it would centralize virtually all economic and political power. That could lead, alongside other emerging technologies, to tyranny.

Whether this worst-case scenario will come about is impossible to know at this point, but large-scale disruptions to the economy, and a growing backlash against them, are not just inevitable but are already here. Musk recognizes the potential of automation to cause impoverishment and social unrest, which is why he has endorsed a Universal Basic Income (UBI) to ensure that every adult citizen, regardless of employment status, would receive taxpayer-funded income adequate to meet their needs.

Remove workers from the political and economic equation in large numbers, and they lose virtually all leverage to reverse the concentration of wealth and power in our society.

While UBI may be necessary, it has various drawbacks. First, while the idea has appeal across the political spectrum, having been endorsed in different ways at different times bysuch figuresas Martin Luther King Jr., Milton Friedman, Robert Reich and Jeff Bezos, achieving social consensus on a sufficient payment would be difficult. A 2020 pollby the Pew Research Center found that only 45% of those surveyed supported a payment of $1,000 a month, an amount below the federal poverty line. Even beyond that question, UBI would do little or nothing to address the increasing concentration of economic and political power that have made it a necessary measure in the first place. Workers got political and economic clout in the past because they had the power to disrupt production. Take workers out of the process altogether and then, even if the government provides for their basic needs, they have lost virtually all leverage to reverse the concentration of wealth and power so that everyone can have an equitable say in our politics.

Disposability is endemic to our society as it is currently organized. While the attitudes, practices and structures that underpin it have existed since before the founding of our country and continue to the present, trickling down from the most powerful to everyone else, they can be resisted. The acceleration of automation is one more aspect of this well-established pattern, but one that threatens to accelerate it to a degree that we have never experienced. There is the potential for catastrophe, but also the potential for all of humanity to benefit from this transformation. Major capitalist leaders like Elon Musk, though, have a clear vested interest in certain outcomes. They may not intentionally seek social and political catastrophe, but in seeking more power for themselves at the expense of average people, they may well bring such a catastrophe about. Technological advancement is inevitable but how it plays out, what it's used for and whether its benefits are distributed equitably is up to us to decide.

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on Elon Musk, Tesla, Twitter and the human future

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Will Elon's robots bring utopia or tyranny? Why humans must control the future of automation - Salon

Image: Koshiro/Adobe Stock

Automation and hyperautomation are cut from the same cloth. Each solution gives businesses exactly what they crave: Technology that yields faster and more financially responsible processes that are freer of error.

That said, hyperautomation takes automation one step further. With it comes additional layers of advanced technologies that cultivate end-to-end automation processes, streamlining workflows and enabling teams to remove some tedious day-to-day tasks.

SEE: Artificial Intelligence Ethics Policy (TechRepublic Premium)

Still, the debate isnt alwaysabout automation versus hyperautomation. Their unique components allow them to build off one another, and each on its own could be the right call for yourbusiness process optimizationefforts. Its up to you to determine what your organization needs.

At their respective cores, automation and hyperautomation are more advanced offshoots ofrobotic process automation technology. They areequipped with technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, process mining, digital twins andbusiness process management.

Automation is vital for any digital transformation, but companies have long known thatenterprise automation RPA toolshave limitations: Chief among them is the inability toautomate business processesvia unstructured data.

Hyperautomation was developed to solve this problem and aims to tackle the most complicated business processes. By using it, organizations can automate tasks that used to be manual, increasing employee retention and productivity as well as improving the customer experience.

With its advanced technologies, hyperautomation is most effective in the most complex business processes, including those where you might have multiple offices or locations. Some of these include:

Hyperautomation can eliminate risks in areas that would normally depend on manual labor and human knowledge. With its focus on receiving, responding and paying out invoices, accounts payable poses a great risk for inefficiency, errors and out-of-control costs. Order management (i.e., retrieving and extracting customer information) can present some of the same challenges, so both are ripe for hyperautomation.

If you want to know the current state of your organization, youre likely using or thinking of usingprocess miningsoftware to assess it. With hyperautomation, you must have an accurate view of how your processes currently operate. By using process mining, you get a comprehensive view of everything, allowing you to automate to the fullest potential.

You can eliminate the manual work of live agents and introduce bots with hyperautomation. The implementation process discovers your business processes and creates bots to automate them. These bots will then become the first points of communication for some customers, helping users navigate support articles and knowledge bases, order products or services, and manage accounts.

Of course, you might have areas in your organization that fall right on the line between needing automation and hyperautomation, and it can be challenging to figure out which is best. But finding the optimal approach for your business enables you to tailor each to your companys individual automation needs.

These days, some level of automation is key to a successful digital transformation. The biggest risks of a transformation project are being over budget and behind schedule, so your company might choose to consider software that not only visualizes your current to-be states, but also provides modernizedbusiness process automation technologyto mine these processes.

Hyperautomation builds on automation. Although it does not exist independently, it can enhance and expedite your digital transformation by further automating already automated processes and making them less complicated and more efficient.

So, is automation, hyperautomation or both right for you? Heres how to tell:

Hyperautomation improves your business processes by speeding up and bettering your operations. But first, its important to identify automation opportunities in your business that could also benefit from hyperautomation.

Before you implement automation of any kind, you must understand where you need it most and how to get the best out of it. Align preferred outcomes with what either automation or hyperautomation brings to the table, then use those findings to inform your decision. The closer either gets you to your business goals, the better and more impactful the investment will be.

Research the available automation tools that meet your goals. Theres no point in using hyperautomation where it isnt needed or doesnt work for your business, so one of your tasks is to find relevant tools for you and your organization.

Look into low-code development tools. These solutions can help define the hyperautomation and connect to workflows, and then learn how they differ from other more traditional automation approaches.

Once youve researched and selected the best automation platform for you, make sure its scalable. Pick sustainable, future-conscious tools that introduceautomation in digital transformationtoday but can continue to grow with your business tomorrow.

Choosing a tool without the ability to grow as the company does equates to flushing your time and money down the drain. Although a tool might not have all the bells and whistles, you should invest in it if it shows the ability to work for the long haul.

For your business process transformation, youll need to learn the differencebetween automation and hyperautomation,both of which can play critical roles. For the most complex processes, hyperautomation is a must-have because it builds on what automation can already do. To identify which one is right for you, though, youll need to determine which tasks are mission-critical right now for yourbusiness process automationstrategy. Then, choose wisely for a cost-effective, efficient and successful transformation.

Caroline Bromsis the global content marketing manager atMavim. She is responsible for creating and managing the product marketing content initiatives and campaigns specializing in business process management, DTO and technology-driven, cost-driven, compliance-driven transformations. She is based out of Mavims Boston office.

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Automation vs hyperautomation: Which one is right for your business? - TechRepublic

A recent study of senior Marketo managers reveals their marketing automation teams are small, highly productive and focus predominantly on executing campaigns.

Nearly 75% of respondents said they execute more than 30 campaigns in a year, and 74% said they manage a team of 0-3 employees.

The focus on executing campaigns means strategic priorities, like having and measuring impact, are at risk of being neglected, according to the study.

Execution-oriented tasks that get daily attention are:

The focus on execution leaves little time for strategic priorities. Respondents said these were undertaken less than quarterly:

Its unclear whether marketing operations (managers) are conscious of this bandwidth issue since most report being satisfied with the time required to build basic email programs (75% were satisfied or extremely satisfied) and nurture programs (52% were satisfied or extremely satisfied). Perhaps we are all blind to the time that eats up when scaled up over the course of a year and how that eats into bandwidth needed to look at big picture issues like measuring impact, the report concludes.

Measuring the effectiveness of campaigns and resourcing talent are the top operational challenges for Marketo managers, according to the study.

More than half said measuring the impact of campaigns was their top challenge, but only one-in-three respondents said theyve invested in an attribution platform. Only 32% of those who dont have an attribution platform plan to add one.

Read next: 16 marketing automation platforms your organization should consider

The report concludes: Despite impact measurement being an issue, only a minority of respondents have an attribution tool. Of course, thats just part of the picture, since tools need to be leveraged properly to get the desired outcome. And looking at some of the other top challenges, alignment to goals and strategies and lack of communication and collaboration, it stands to reason that adoption of a tool alone is not the solution.

Hiring and training are also areas of concern, but not equal focus, for Marketo managers.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents anticipate they will hire in the next 12 months, but only 21% of respondents considered maintaining talent audits and capacity needs a primary responsibility.

Three-in-four respondents said that their teams lack the appropriate level of training.

Download the full report, Marketo Experts: Their Goals, Challenges, and Strategies. (Free to download. No personal information required.)

In January and February of 2022, 207 Marketo users responded to the survey.

The margin of error is 5.2%, according to Survey Monkeys Sample Size Calculator.

The study was conducted by marketing operations agency Perkuto. Adobe solicited responses from Marketo users through its community channels.

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.

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Study: Marketing automation teams mired in execution, neglecting strategic priorities - MarTech

With digital transformation being accelerated by Covid-19, India serves as a large market for automation, since engineering teams need to maintain large distributed systems and automate day-to-day activities in the workflows. Offering DevOps, and processes automation is New Delhi-based PeerXP. For the not-so-tech-savvy, DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development and IT operations, aiming to shorten the systems development lifecycle and provide continuous delivery with high quality software.

The company provides a DevOps platform with a set of tools, with customers taking monthly or annual subscriptions. The startup also makes revenue by providing service engineers. PeerXP has witnessed 5x revenue growth since the onset of the pandemic, with a 35% increase in profits.

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We saw a dip in revenues when the pandemic started, as businesses stopped investing in tech temporarily. I had to explain to CTOs what DevOps is and how it could add value to the business. Today, however, its use has become common, says K Manoj Kumar, founder and CEO, PeerXP. The startup, which was seed-funded with money won at hackathons, also has a presence in the US, Europe and the Middle East.

The bootstrapped startup is built on open source. Businesses today are demanding open source-based solutions since they are more scalable and not dependent on one particular vendor. They are also secure, says Kumar. Having worked with government bodies in India, he is optimistic that open source will continue to be in demand, along with proprietary technology. At the collectorate and ministry levels, the policies are stringent for proprietary technology. Since their own systems are built on open source, the policies for partners who use the model are relatively liberal, he says. The startup is now also working on a full stack of proprietary solutions to productise its services.

For businesses and service providers, open source is a good place to start automation and to sell. But in order to create complex AI and ML applications and productise our services to the greatest extent, proprietary technology is the way to go, says Kumar. With enterprises across the world adopting the multicloud model rapidly, the startup is also focusing on demand for hybrid cloud.

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PeerXP: Betting big on DevOps and automation - The Financial Express

The latest research report on Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market covering the past and present business landscape, entails a comprehensive analysis of the industry performance over 2022-2028. Moreover, the projections cited in the document are computed and verified by expert analysts using tested research methodologies.

The report highlights the major driving forces, restraints, and opportunities that will play a pivotal role in determining the profit trajectory over the forecast timeframe. Further, it comprehends the overall size and scope of the industry by individually assessing the sub-markets. The document extends by compiling records of the competitive developments and associated trends, followed by in-depth profiles of all the major companies to help stakeholders in making informed decisions in the upcoming years.

Market segmentation and coverage

Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.newsorigins.com/request-sample/43838

Product range: Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) , Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) , Satellite (GNSS) , Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) and Cellular

Application spectrum: Automotive Industry , Electronics , Semiconductor Industry , Others ,By Region , North America , United States , Canada , Europe , Germany and Franc

Regional bifurcation: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa.

Competitive landscape summary

By factoring in the performance and action plans of the aforementioned players, the report describes the approaches that will aid new entrants and other stakeholders in successfully executing geographic expansion, mergers & acquisitions, research & development, and new product launch plans over the forecast timeline.

Industry value chain analysis overview

The industry value chain analysis outlines the structure of the product lifecycle, from the production process to the end-users, so as to help businesses in enhancing their profits by identifying the areas where operational cost can be brought down without compromising on the value for end-users.

Some Major Points from Toc:-

1. Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Product Introduction

2. Global Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market Size, Estimates and Forecasts

3. Global Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Competitor Landscape by Players

4. Breakdown Data by Type (2016-2028)

5. Breakdown Data by Application (2016-2028)

6. China Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market Size YoY Growth 2016-2028

7. North America Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market Size YoY Growth 2016-2028

8. Asia Pacific Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market Size YoY Growth 2016-2028

9. Europe Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market Size YoY Growth 2016-2028

10. Latin America Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market Size YoY Growth 2016-2028

11. Middle East and Africa Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market Size YoY Growth 2016-2028

12. Global Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market Company Profiles

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Industrial Wireless in Factory Automation Market Outlook 2022: Growth Factors Details, Trends, Comprehensive Research Including Top Companies -...

Global supply chains are transforming through digitalisation and automation to become more capable, connected, efficient and insight driven. Tom Crawford-Condie, WSPs Principal Maritime Engineer believes Australia is at the forefront of automated container terminals.

He says, Australian ports such as Brisbane and Sydney were early leaders in the adoption of automated container handling and Melbournes fully automated Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) is at the cutting edge of automation globally.

Increased demand over the next fifteen years means we need more capacity at our ports. With a renewed focus on automation and ambitious new developments such as Westport and Port of Melbournes Capacity Expansion Program, Australian ports can continue to improve their performance and competitiveness and lead the charge in the future.

Tom has been involved with the ports industry for the last twenty years. Most recently, he was involved with the development of Working Group 208, developing planning guidelines for the automation of container terminals for PIANC, the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure and presented on these guidelines to PIANC ANZ Northern Chapter. He has also played a key role in planning and designing automated terminals across Australia and overseas.

He explains there are multiple benefits to having automated ports including efficiency, safety, security and reduced operating costs.

You have less people physically working there, which means its a safter and more secure environment.

Equipment is still being run by people but theyre not physically in it, theyre sitting in an office controlling it remotely and often they can be controlling multiple machines at once. For example, Australias hot summers can make the working environment difficult so having people working in air-conditioned offices rather than driving machinery around means less risk of heat related injury.

There are also operational cost savings attributed to having less people required to operate the terminal. And, there are also sustainability benefits such as having a fully electrified terminal that reduces emissions and with further opportunity to draw on renewable energy sources, making them Future ReadyTM for a net-zero economy.

As shown in Figure 1, developing an automated terminal is very different to a traditional one, with the major difference being the length of time needed to design and commission it.

Its about looping people in much earlier in the planning and design phases, Tom says. You need all systems operations, power, information technology, security etc. to be integrated together and it has to be done at the beginning.

You think about procurement strategy, the financials, the commercial basis and what the split of responsibility will be between the port authority and the operator much earlier than with a conventionally operated container terminal design.

There is a strategic function to a fully automated terminal, and keeping the continuity of knowledge throughout is important.

By engaging WSP early in the process, we can come provide the expertise and leverage decades of experience to assist with setting up this plan and the strategy. Our ongoing support through all the project life stages can help to maintain the necessary continuity of decision making and knowledge transfer.

Figure 1 Phases and typical timeline for development of container terminals with different levels of automation

Source: WSP, based on guidance in PIANC Working Group 208 Planning for Automation of Container Terminals

Automated terminals can also be more expensive to build depending on the location and client needs, and the benefits take time to accumulate. Sam Harris, WSPs Technical Executive Maritime, says multiple different approaches and technologies are available to an organisation planning to develop an automated container terminal.

Visual planning is important to be able to look at the different options and layouts for the terminal and to make sure it meets current and future needs.

Using WSPs Port Rail Intermodal Modelling Environment (PRIME), we can do advanced modelling quickly and effortlessly to see the level of performance that will be achieved by different configurations and automation as well as access information about costs, emissions, equipment and workforce.

We can also use it to establish the required start and completion date of each phase and score performance measures to match the clients needs. As automated terminals require bigger lead times to plan and build, this is critical in establishing a strong business case.

Maritime transport underpins Australias international trade and like all industries is experiencing rapid advances in technological innovations.

There are significant advantages of automating terminals including safety, productivity, consistency, efficiency, sustainability, competitive advantage.

However, the decision to automate should be based on a robust business case with planning and expertise.

Ultimately, successful integration is the critical factor as automation requires precision. Organisations need to be ready to operate automated facilities as theyre not a simple plug and play solution, Tom concludes.

To stay abreast of our latest information, publications, videos and posts, please subscribe to our news, follow us onLinkedInor visit wsp.com/au

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Automating ports can put Australia ahead of the pack - WSP USA

AECOM, an infrastructure consulting firm, is partnering with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and White Bear Lake on the launch of an automated shuttle pilot within the city.

The shuttle, which has been named Bear Tracks, will run for one year on a 1.5-mile route and be free to use, connecting area residents to several community facilities and businesses.

The project will incorporate key elements of MnDOTs Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Strategic Plan, including enhanced mobility for persons with disabilities, better travel options for elderly communities, and more public awareness of automated vehicle technologies.

Daryl Taavola, vice president with AECOMs US West transportation business, says: Were incredibly proud to partner with MnDOT and White Bear Lake to launch this groundbreaking project, which not only advances the operation of emerging automation technologies in variable weather conditions but uniquely integrates transit accessibility and equity as a main focus.

As automated vehicles (AV) play a larger role in supporting improved mobility, were honored to partner with our clients to help them navigate this evolution and achieve their goals.

This pilot will serve as a tangible example that helps the public understand and interact with the benefits of these vehicles while providing the community with a free, safe, and sustainable transportation option.

AECOM will serve as Bear Tracks prime contractor and AV technology expert, providing program management, planning services, AV technology design, procurement support, program evaluation, and technical services.

A unique aspect of the project is an academic partnership to offer students firsthand experience with CAVs and aid in workforce development. Lessons learned during the pilot will assist MnDOT in advancing and replicating AV paratransit systems throughout the state.

The concept will also leverage concurrent efforts underway by the AECOM-led Automated Bus Consortium involving a larger coordinated national effort to procure and test full-size, full-speed AV buses.

MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger, says: We at MnDOT value opportunities to collaborate with local communities and companies such as AECOM to strengthen partnerships.

The Bear Tracks autonomous shuttle provides a safe transportation option for White Bear Lake community members, particularly some of our more vulnerable residents. The demonstration project also provides invaluable information that can move Minnesota forward in its goal of safe, equitable transportation for all in our state.

The Bear Tracks pilot will employ a Navya Autonom Shuttle, a highly automated, 11 passenger, low-speed shuttle that is 100-percent electric and includes a mobility ramp and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance features.

The shuttle will have a safety driver, who will act as an onboard attendant, and includes a computer, GPS technology, and multiple sensors to operate within the predetermined route.

Newtrax will serve as the shuttle operations manager, leveraging its extensive experience providing daily transportation services for adults with disabilities in the area.

Additional participating key partners include Ramsey County, University of Minnesota, White Bear Lake Area Schools, Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence, White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce, and the local YMCA.

Lindy Crawford, White Bear Lake City manager, says: White Bear Lake is proud to partner with MnDOT, AECOM, Newtrax and the many other project partners to ensure that community needs in cities like White Bear Lake are being considered as automated vehicle technology is developed and incorporated into long term transportation planning.

In addition to being the host community for the project, we look forward to the opportunity to expose local students to jobs of the future and to work with the project partners as the lead partner for public engagement.

We look forward to members of our community, and the Twin Cities region as a whole, having firsthand experience with this technology in White Bear Lake.

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AECOM to partner with MnDOT and the City of White Bear Lake on automated shuttle pilot - Robotics and Automation News

Among the business topics that have dominated the press over the past two years, supply chain difficulties and labor shortages have certainly been at the top. But the two are not mutually exclusive.

Organizations across all industries are having a hard time finding employees to keep their supply chains operating as efficiently and smoothly as possible; goals that have been made more difficult due to the COVID-19 lockdown hangover, continuing lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine, among other challenges.

This labor deficiency has been building for some time since even before the pandemic and it is not expected to moderate anytime soon. In a recent survey that Protiviti conducted with the Oxford Global Centre on Healthcare and Urbanization at Kellogg College, in which we queried global executives about the future of work, 83% said that retention and turnover would remain a top concern over the next decade.

Consequently, companies are increasingly considering adopting automation to fill in the gaps to improve global supply chain operations. It should not be surprising, therefore, that 85% of global executives in the Protiviti-Oxford survey said that artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies would radically transform their businesses over the next 10 years.

Over the past decade, the industry has become well acquainted with the potential benefits derived from implementing automation technologies, including greater efficiency, reduced costs and greater profits, and enhanced safety, to name a few. But many organizations have been reluctant to pursue the solutions because of widely held perceptions that the technologies would replace workers. To take the automation route would erode employee trust, the thinking went.

But in many cases, the pandemic lockdowns and restrictions forced organizations to adopt automation to keep producing and shipping goods to customers. Now that the genie is out of the bottle, more firms are beginning to investigate and implement technology solutions, particularly manufacturers, many of whom are considering returning production from foreign shores to the U.S. or locations nearby.

For companies taking actions toward automation and for those still hesitant to broach the subject here are three considerations to keep in mind during the journey.

While employees may bristle at automation initially, operators of machinery who perform rote and low-skill tasks often end up embracing technology because it allows them to learn new skills. If an organization gives someone the ability to work with virtual reality tools on the plant floor, or the capacity to program machines versus simply turning knobs to operate the machines, for example, that person is likely going to have a greater sense of satisfaction and responsibility.

When determining where to implement automation, organizations frequently focus on where technology can maximize supply chain efficiency, cost savings and labor availability in any particular facility. Alternatively, they may want to use automation to plug talent gaps.

Adopting automation can help onshoring or nearshoring efforts, which are being pursued to mitigate the risk of supply chain disruptions occurring on the other side of the world or during a 60-day boat ride while remaining cost-competitive with other markets. Companies undertaking this strategy may want to target processes integral to the production and distribution of their most premium merchandise or those that are the most challenging from the perspective of hands-on labor.

Companies recognize that employee retention is just as important as recruiting and, in fact, that it is easier to keep workers than hire new ones. That puts the onus on organizations adopting automation to implement change management programs and other initiatives that feature robust communication channels with employees to mitigate the risk of disengagement and attrition.

The central message that organizations must convey is that automation does not equate to workforce reduction; rather, the goal is to adopt new technologies that can help supply chains flow during good times and bad times alike. To avoid distrust, companies must make clear their intent to upskill employees and to move them into more meaningful roles.

This approach can help convince people to stay versus looking for greener grass. Additionally, initiating listening strategies, encouraging employees to share job security concerns or even the desire to change employers, and emphasizing a culture that values its workers can help create loyalty, especially in small rural areas that lack the population to support emerging manufacturing hubs. In many cases, first-line managers who tend to have strong relationships with people on the floor can play a pivotal role in these efforts.

Over the past three decades, organizations developed supply chains to be efficient and cost-effective, putting little emphasis on resiliency or flexibility. But business interruptions over the past two years have forced organizations to adjust their focus. Rather than viewing supply chains as cost centers, executives are now beginning to apply a revenue assurance model to the operations.

This approach includes looking at previously ignored costs associated with business continuity management, logistics changes, delays, unhappy customers and other risks. The model also tabulates the value that can be generated by a redesigned and more resilient supply chain that incorporates automation. Companies interested in bringing back production to the U.S., for example, may be looking at higher wage costs, but with automation, employees here will not be doing the same low-skill tasks being performed in other markets. Therefore, the cost discussion shifts from one focused solely on labor to one that considers total costs and risks.

Labor shortages are plaguing all industries, but along with two years of unprecedented economic disruptions, they are hitting supply chains particularly hard. Automation can help organizations solve some of the challenges associated with tight labor markets. But companies that choose that route and that want to maximize their chances for successful results need to reassure existing employees that they will be the recipients of more meaningful work and not pink slips, incorporate the technology in a manner that optimizes the supply chain, and take an expanded view of supply chains to better assess cost, risk and value while enhancing flexibility and resiliency.

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Labor shortages challenge supply chains to automate while retaining employees and their trust - Supply Chain Dive