Your company’s visionaries are wrong about the Internet of Things
Slowly but steadily, pressure is building for industrial companies to come to grips with the fact that technology-enabled disruptive change is here. This creates tension in most companies, because the culture in many industries is quite conservative when it comes to innovation. Product designers may be keen to innovate in […]
The chip industry’s complicated contours were decades in the making
The mixture of happenstance and geostrategy that helped make a small European country key to the global semiconductor market is depicted in delicious detail in Chris Miller’s “Chip War.” The book couldn’t have been timed better. Miller, an associate professor of international history at the Fletcher School, uses a colorful […]
How AI will transform manufacturing
-Robert Le Busque, Regional Vice-President, Asia Pacific, Verizon Business In Australia, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has coincided with the Government’s announcement of the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund (NRF), $1 billion of which will be dedicated to reinvigorating, accelerating, and building up advanced manufacturing capabilities. As businesses […]
What is the future of work?
Just like the world at large, the world of work shifts and changes over time. The future of work refers to an informed perspective on what businesses and other organisations need to know about how work could shift (given digitisation and other trends), plus how workforces and workplaces can prepare […]
Working with AI: Real Stories of Human-Machine Collaboration
Two management and technology experts show that AI is not a job destroyer, exploring worker-AI collaboration in real-world work settings. This book breaks through both the hype and the doom-and-gloom surrounding automation and the deployment of artificial intelligence-enabled—“smart”—systems at work. Management and technology experts Thomas Davenport and Steven Miller show […]
Asia-Pacific most receptive to smart manufacturing usage globally
Companies believe smart manufacturing is key to their business’ future success, The State of Smart Manufacturing Report reveals. Plex Systems, a Rockwell Automation company in cloud-delivered smart manufacturing solutions, has announced the results of its 7th annual study, “The State of Smart Manufacturing Report.” The research reveals that smart manufacturing […]
The Fourth Industrial Revolution will be people powered
Companies at the forefront of the technology frontier are empowering their workers with digital technologies—and the skills they need to use them. For many members of the world’s workforces, change can sometimes be seen as a threat, particularly when it comes to technology. This is often coupled with fears that automation […]
We Need to Talk About Inflation
Stephen D King With the title clearly a take on the Lionel Shriver book, “We must talk about Kevin”, one is immediately warned to approach Stephen King’s book with trepidation. Like Kevin, inflation in this book is bad, particularly if out of control. And like Kevin’s parents, those responsible for […]
What is the future of work?
Just like the world at large, the world of work shifts and changes over time. The future of work refers to an informed perspective on what businesses and other organistions need to know about how work could shift (given digitisation and other trends), plus how workforces and workplaces can prepare […]
Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology
By Chris Miller An epic account of the decades-long battle to control what has emerged as the world’s most critical resource—microchip technology—with the United States and China increasingly in conflict. You may be surprised to learn that microchips are the new oil—the scarce resource on which the modern world depends. […]
Horizons of growth in a challenging world
Image: Karsten Würth on Unsplash. “Over the longer term, the only way for the world to propel itself out of the low growth environment is through cooperation.” -Mirek Dusek The world is currently mired in a low growth environment, with the latest IMF forecasts projecting 2.8% global growth in 2023 […]
Becoming a data-driven organisation to optimise performance
-Adam Sharmer, senior partner, Dsifer As the pace of digital innovation accelerates, and organisations look to exploit the financial and strategic advantages of digital technology, automation and AI, data is increasingly becoming the lifeblood of organisational decision ecosystems. Whilst the collection and analysis of data to inform operational decision-making is […]
Increasing interest in ZLD driven by costs and environment
By Matt Hale, International Sales & Marketing Director, HRS Heat Exchangers In 2021 the global market for zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology was estimated at US$1 billion and is forecast to grow at almost 12% over the next ten years. The rise is being driven in particular by an increase in adoption of the technology by the food and drink and textile industries as a growing world population puts greater pressure on fresh water supplies. What is ZLD? Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) is a liquid waste stream treatment which involves transforming liquid waste streams into clean water (which can be reused) and a minimum volume of solid residues. One of the advantages of ZLD over other treatment techniques is its theoretical ability to separate unwanted materials from water, whether they are benign, hazardous or toxic. The resulting solid residue is often more stable, making it suitable for recycling or landfill. However, poor management or handling of the remaining residue can result in unintended environmental consequences. For example, storage ponds may leak or affect local wildlife while there is the potential for toxic chemicals to leach into groundwater from landfill. It is therefore important that when implementing a ZLD system, full consideration is given to the entire process, including the ultimate fate of liquid and (semi-)solid waste streams. A well-designed ZLD system should minimise or even eliminate liquid waste streams, resulting in clean water for reuse or environmentally-friendly discharge, and a solid residue suitable for further processing (often to recover valuable components for use elsewhere) or for safe disposal. The factors driving ZLD uptake According to Transparency Market Research, ZLD is being implemented across a wide range of industries, including chemical and petrochemical production, food and drink production, textiles, energy and power, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. These industries are being driven to […]