New trade fair: Warehousing and logistics strategic drivers of productivity
From NZ Manufacturer magazine Momentum was on full display at a launch function celebrating the arrival of Logistics Automation New Zealand powered by CeMAT, where more than 100 industry professionals gathered to discuss the forces reshaping supply chain operations. The event brought together CEOs and decision‑makers; both automation and […]
Resilient firms and economies: Unlocking growth in emerging markets
Resilience is like a bridge spanning a turbulent river. The waters below may surge unpredictably, but the bridge’s strength lies in its design, maintenance, and ability to withstand. The Resilience Consortium brings together governments, businesses, and multilateral development banks (MDBs) to strengthen resilience in emerging markets. Drawing on insights from the […]
Apple, The First 50 Years
David Pogue tells the iconic company’s entire life story: how Apple was born, nearly died, was born again under Steve Jobs, and became, under CEO Tim Cook, the most valuable company in the world. The book features full-color photos, new facts that correct the record and illuminate its subversive culture, […]
Resilient firms and economies: Unlocking growth in emerging markets
Resilience is like a bridge spanning a turbulent river. The waters below may surge unpredictably, but the bridge’s strength lies in its design, maintenance, and ability to withstand. The Resilience Consortium brings together governments, businesses, and multilateral development banks (MDBs) to strengthen resilience in emerging markets. Drawing on insights from […]
Quantum-inspired wireless technology could tackle 6G’s biggest challenges
Researchers at Monash University and The University of Melbourne have developed a quantum-inspired approach to optical wireless communication that promises to make 6G networks faster, more reliable and energy-efficient. As the world moves toward 6G, devices and networks will need to handle more data, faster, and in smaller spaces than […]
Ruled by engineers: how China gets things done, leaving the US in the dust
Mark Beeson, Adjunct Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute, University of Technology Sydney. In modern times, the world’s most powerful and influential states have also had the largest economies. When the United States overtook Britain in the early 20th century, it was only a question of time before it assumed international political […]
European researchers develop energy-efficient machine vision inspired by human eyesight and the brain
Drawing inspiration from human eyesight, a European research project led by VTT has developed machine vision mimicking the cooperation of the eye and nervous system, implemented as edge-computing circuits. Edge computing means processing data where it is generated and where the results of computing are needed. This enables, for instance, […]
Could a ‘grey swan’ event bring down the AI revolution?
Cameron Shackwell, Sessional Academic, School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology The term “black swan” refers to a shocking event on nobody’s radar until it actually happens. This has become a byword in risk analysis since a book called The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb was published in 2007. A frequently cited […]
Top tips for securing the investment your manufacturing business needs to grow
-Andrew Mamonitis, Vice President – APAC, Manufacturing Division, ECI Software Solutions It pays to optimise your processes and practices before expanding or bringing an external investor on board. Despite challenging conditions, manufacturing businesses are looking for ways to grow their share of the domestic market and pursue potentially lucrative […]
Research shows CPG leaders are investing in AI and talent to stay competitive
Rockwell Automation Report finds CPG Industry prioritising innovation over cost cutting Rockwell Automation has announced the results of the 10th annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report: Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Edition. The findings highlight how manufacturers are placing greater importance on innovation, workforce development, and long-term growth strategies. The CPG […]
Hands free tool changes for smarter machining
Peter Pettersson, Sandvik Coromant Imagine a factory where the lights are off, not because no one is home, but because automated systems are working around the clock to keep production lines running with minimal human intervention. These futuristic setups are quickly becoming a reality, with touchless tool changes at the […]
Beneq launches Transform XP – Redefining atomic control in ALD
Second-generation platform delivers advanced control, in-cycle annealing, and high-throughput performance for Wide Bandgap power and RF device manufacturing Beneq introduces the Beneq Transform XP, a second-generation ALD platform developed to meet the performance demands of Wide Bandgap (WBG) power and RF device technology development and manufacturing. Building on the proven […]
Agents for growth: Turning AI promise into impact
As CEOs and CMOs ask where AI is moving from hype to real results, frontrunners demonstrate that tighter human–AI collaboration and sharper governance is required. A global retailer sees demand for a top product surge in one region while inventory piles up in another. Within seconds, a team of AI agents reallocates ad spend, adjusts pricing, reroutes stock, and refreshes creative assets to offers that match shopper intent. In this scenario, what comes next is coordinated action triggered by customer signals, orchestrating business growth in real time. This is not a fantasy scenario; it’s the new frontier of AI in growth functions. Agentic AI embeds automated reasoning directly into marketing, sales, and customer service workflows. We estimate that agentic AI will power more than 60 percent of the increased value that AI is expected to generate from deployments in marketing and sales. It’s no exaggeration to say that marketing and sales represent the tip of the spear when it comes to translating agentic AI’s potential into meaningful value. Early leaders are already seeing measurable impact. For example, according to McKinsey analysis, some Fortune 250 companies have estimated that they are seeing campaign creation and execution speed up 15-fold, driven by faster innovation cycles and process optimisation. The value from agentic AI comes from the tasks it is able to do. Unlike gen AI and chatbots that largely assist in the completion of marketing and sales tasks, AI agents can act, decide, and collaborate. They are able, for example, to optimize prices, advance leads, tailor offers and manage customer interactions end-to-end. As organisations deepen their adoption of agentic AI, gains can scale. Analysis shows that effective and scaled agent deployments could deliver productivity improvements of three to five percent annually and potentially lift growth by 10 percent or more. Most organisations, however, […]