Hot-tub maker Bullfrog Spas saw demand rise due to COVID, but its global supply chain is snarled. On a typical day, its UT factory gets 40,000 gallons of chemicals, 400 sheets of plastic…
Fast food companies continue to face staff shortages and wage inflation. While many use self-serve ordering kiosks and other tech tools to automate customer-facing jobs, more are turning to robots to staff the…
Labor shortages are gripping China as young people shun factory jobs and migrant workers stay home. With demand for Chinese goods surging, factory owners can’t fill jobs and strain to meet orders. The…
McKinsey & Company annual IT strategy survey shows how technology investments are proving their worth. They highlight seven lessons. Key messages include: At least 2/3 of technology initiatives yielded cost reduction, employee improvements…
Business of Data by Corinium recently published survey results on how 300+ data executives manage enterprise data assets to fuel reliable data-driven decision-making. Effective decisions depend on data that’s accurate, consistent and contextual….
U.S. ports are severely stressed. For example, West Coast ports face booming import/export levels from Asian trade, staffing shortages, container congestion, backlogs of anchored container ships and other bottlenecks. Port productivity is a…
COVID continues to snarl global supply chains. Inventories are low. Prices are high. Shipping delays are rife. Average price worldwide to ship a 40-foot container overseas hit $8,796 on July 8, up 333%…
While job openings are at record levels, many employers say they will need fewer employees in the future. COVID pushed companies to invest in automation and implement other changes to curb hiring. Raytheon…
Per Simio Software, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), aka software robots, automates routine rule-based processes using configured script and AI/machine learning. RPA market revenue is expected to triple from $3B now to $10B in…
Long delivery waits and higher costs are hurting efforts of small/midsize businesses to benefit from the rising economy. As large companies rush to restock, smaller firms are battling over dwindling cargo space on…