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Transforming the Industry in the Wake of Pandemic

Transforming the Industry in the Wake of Pandemic

Business leaders should keep in mind that this disruption is impacting everyone in society and not just their business alone says Jasbir Singh.

Companies have been busy in development of industrial productivity through automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence, but none could have anticipated the sudden disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. While development was being done keeping focus on risk analysis by measuring its impact due to change in inputs and output quality parameters, none could have predicted the ultimate disruption in business models with umbrella impact on all parameters due to the Coronavirus. 

It has changed the overall thought process of all development models to make it more flexible and easily transformable to meet such challenges. This pandemic has dented all input/output variables of every model and brought the full supply chain to nearly a halt. Almost four months have passed since the world came to know of its eruption and functional model, and no one is able to predict its future pace and/or lasting image as to when it will start abating. Nor does anyone know what lasting effect this pandemic will have on the global economy. No research scientist can forecast the time the pandemic will take to subside or the span of time it will keep on spreading.

Intelligent process

Companies have now been pondering upon the role of artificial intelligence to forecast these sudden disruptions well in advance by the use of advance automation for predictions like it is done for the failure in industrial equipment. There is need to explore the use of enhanced robotic capabilities which can be quickly transformed for management of various systems, where human intervention is not possible or advisable during such an eventuality. This includes almost all public dealing departments that need services, including hotels, departmental stores, hospitals, public places, metro stations, traffic control, etc., and use of AI equipped drones to transport deliveries, supply chain and so on.

here are two situations to understand, the first and foremost being the immediate recovery from this pandemic locally and globally, when fear to fall victim to the Coronavirus can be marginalized. The second scenario is the impact on business, or in other words, on the economy of countries around the world. No one knows, what will be the lasting effect of the coronavirus on our business, whether it will subside or keep spreading for a long time. It might force companies to send employees to work from home for long terms through telecommuting. Currently this may lead to loss of some productivity and cancellations of various reviews by superiors/experts. Companies have to evolve new models, newer practices, firewall protection at individual machine level to protect privacy of documents and works. New developments need more digitalisation of machines and safety of environment which is presently lacking, or implementation of such systems is expensive and/or out of from reach of SMEs. In present circumstances the lab testing/online of new developments is a bit challenging but once tested it will be reliable.

The ray of hope about this pandemic going to be over soon is still not visible. It is not predictable for the crisis might blow over or it will probably start declining in the next few weeks is a matter of judgment but no firm prediction has emerged yet. But it certainly does not look like subsiding in the next few weeks and where emotional intelligent will a play vital role by which we have to create a levels of respect for others and develop calm on our emotional sentiments.

Pool the ideas

With the use of Artificial Intelligence and digital technology, medical science researchers are joining hands with technology for scientific breakthroughs to rapidly test new vaccines under development and gather data to simulate performance and longevity to protect human life without negative side effect. Machine learning technique is adopted to gather data and improve results of predictions in different climatic conditions, food habits, areas people dwell and other vital factors. People need a safe solution right now for containment of the virus at one end, and on the other side develop vaccine for protection by increased immunity in humans. Medical science is trying to develop the best solution during this health crisis affecting the entire world. This disruption in human life is testing everyone’s emotional and social functioning. It will try out the emotional intelligence of business leaders in wake of current and future business in community based functioning of humanity.

Transformation of business functions

During this time of global transformation it is the responsibility of business leaders to show empathy, bear unprecedented disturbance, display optimism, and exhibit flexibility that will lead the business out of this crisis. It may bring down partly the constant involvement of leaders and improve ability of all stakeholders to self-direct and get into problem-solver mode on a regular basis. Business leaders should keep in mind that this disruption is impacting everyone in society and not just their business alone. We have no idea what impacts it is causing on other people, which may change the business dynamics further, and by adopting broader mind-set shall make us a more generous and calmer leaders. Defining the term leader, where people being leader at home, in public, at work and for business, everyone falls in a similar situation to deal with, during this abrupt disruption. The cure to manage highly elevated levels of stress, pessimism, and rigidity, which only compound our frustration and ability for problem solving, is to control our emotions.

While it will be difficult to feel optimistic, start by realising that everyone else also wanted to overcome the prevailing situation by change of plans and policies to maintain reasonable good productive output. Manage with cumulative stress from negative news which are evolving daily, adversely impacting the overall business environment, which affects problem solving abilities. However, leaders need to maintain calm and offer helpful gestures to allow associated people to manage their functions in the best possible way.

Use of technology

Digital technology has enabled us to work from any place/anywhere and manage it by tele/video conferencing, online chat with peers/customers and seamless transfer of data by use of block chain. Innovation plays a major role in bridging the gap between needs and essentials. Sometimes these evolved solutions become the great invention of time for future business and it is used for other sectors of life. Leaders with foresight at this stage, by taking an extra step, are protecting everyone while demonstrating endurance and flexibility. The flexibility enables others to adopt a similar approach, so that they can continue to perform the task without distraction and with high productivity.

Avoid inviting guests for meeting at office unless for some very specific reason, share the latest communication available protocols for audio/video conferencing, communicate via email and have use anti-virus firewall while communicating digitally through any web portal. Video conference call software such as Zoom, Bluejeans, and Google Hangouts can be used to arrange face to face meetings to capture the emotions while having discussions. Modern technology such as Docusign can be used to avoid the spread of viruses to human-beings through fingers touching, biometric signature entry, check-in at reception devices, exchange of pens, and countertops at the registration desk at reception of hotels. Some online software are available for communication through networking via online conferencing selecting from any of these are Hopit, Thinkific software for podcast and training. These also have various additional advantages:

Universal Location: Online teaching where trainer can record from anywhere. Increased possibility to record from home, from studio or from any part of world and similarly student can learn from anywhere.

Prerogative of Time: Many online music instructors create their own lessons that are made online ready available. Here students navigate through the available material on web by themselves. They can choose a live teaching component or download the required level of training module, learn during free time and repeat lesson.

Economical: Online courses can be economical by not sharing your earnings with a schools, or even rent a space for your training and so their movement to learner saving money on transportation to and run multiple classes simultaneously apart from investing in an online course platform to deliver the content.

Forceful impact: Think about the amount of time it takes you to prep and deliver a one-on- one lesson. With courses, you can invest the same amount of time and energy creating your classes, and train hundreds of students around the world.

Limitless revenue generation opportunity: With online courses/training module/teaching module, there is no ceiling on earning potential. Number of learners, who enrol in online program, can be unlimited. Ability to train is no longer linked to the available time of trainer. Using home as office to keep the project on similar pace by using video conferencing using no add on cost software like Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts which are well proven to bridge the gap between pears, subordinate and even seniors while staying distance apart. Various collaborative software are available such as Slack which can be used to create hub where designated people with required information come together, helping team to perform specific task.

Another software, Shotgun, makes life easy during work by providing access of task information, monitor versions, and data publishing from an embedded panel. Play back versions are available which can be sent to review by team leaders, and send quickly reply by notes keeping our application on. Publishers here track the file versions even by using creative tools supported by Shotgun. Functions like quickly find and load files published to Shotgun. Shotgun automatically organises files and its versions to easily track in future

Recently Apple and Google said they were building software into smartphones that would tell people if they were recently in contact with someone who was infected with it both for apple and android phones. They will enable the smartphones to constantly log other devices they come close, enabling what is known as “contact tracing” of the disease. However people would opt in to use the tool and voluntarily report if they became infected. Business leaders need to show empathy, optimism and gratitude with the people for their work. They should be thankful for their understanding and cooperation. Remind yourself that the people you lead will work together again. Position yourself with people and develop a gratitude ethos and consider that these people are doing the best as they can in this critical time of uncertainty when anxiety spikes. Empathy is the key to consider that we are all together in the same situation and together we will find a way forward. We all are human facing this odd and emotionally intelligent character will help and support team to come out of this situation with innovative ideas and solutions. As Darwin surmised, ‘those who survive are not the strongest or the most intelligent, but the most adaptable to change’.

Jasbir Singh, Director, ECPR Technologies has over 32 years of business experience with extensive international exposure, both from business and cultural points of view. He is one of the experts in Foundation Fieldbus technology and recognised for continuous improvement in technological development.

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Robots in Medical Avatar

Robots in Medical Avatar

Robotic applications are now playing an important role in hospitals and factories during this pandemic time, says Jasbir Singh.

The consequence of Covid-19 pandemic on human, social, economic and National Health has largely impacted almost every country across the globe. 213 Countries and Territories around the world have reported the spread of this highly contagious disease. The nature of transmission pattern of spreading of corona virus is yet to be established. There is an urgent need for understanding the growth pattern for human-to-human transmission, for developing the control strategies to stop/break the link for further transmission. Labs and research organizations are studying around the world to develop the vaccine to protect spreading and medicine to cure the patients. 

As the number of corona cases growing in the country the demand of hospital facilities, healthcare workers/staff, nurses and doctors for treatment of such a large number of patients is rising. The doctors, healthcare workers/staff and nurses are the first entities exposed to patients, who are equally venerable to get affected by Covid-19.

This pandemic has created heavy disruptions in medical supply chain and changed workplace practices during product manufacturing in factories by maintaining social distancing while on work. Manual tasks normally undertaken by staff have suddenly become unsafe due to the possibility of virus transmission. With the changing times, just like other technologies, robots are also playing an important role in the fight against diseases. The robotic technology can play a crucial role in not just assisting the patients but also keeping the doctor and healthcare staff safe.

Robotics industry has the shown the potential to offer real value by providing safe work environment without loss of production. Innovative robotic applications have created value to support the present requirements. Robots help execute tasks without human-to-human contact with increased efficiency:
1. Use of robots for medical support systems to fight against Covid-19.
2. Robotic applications for machine operation a where tasks cannot be done by humans due to social distancing norms.

Robotic guards/front desk receptionist

Interactive robot placed at the entrance to screen everyone, including medical staff, support staff while entering at the premises. The robot has features for face and speech recognition of people. It can ask questions and use thermal scanners to take temperature reading. Once screened and cleared a person, it issues a pass ticket with window/cabin number and allows entering into the hospital as general patient.

If the robot detects higher body temperature, it will raise alert to the doctors an
d issue different pass that allows entry into restricted gate for Covid treatment. In this cabin the patient can consult a hospital doctor directly through the screen on the robot. Cobots are used for briefing the procedure and general guidelines to new patients at the entry by audio-visual aids.

Robotic co-worker

Adoption of robots/cobots to interface between Covid-19 patients and medical staff is expected to grow. Covid-19 being a highly infectious disease requires invulnerability to hospital nursing staff as they are the backbone of healthcare, and often called its heart and soul. They are the first to come directly in contact with patients to check, ward admission and supply medicine. To avoid nurses getting affected with corona, robots are being deployed in hospital to assist these health workers for supplying food, necessary patient hygiene and medicines supply to these patients. A good and regular communication is required to patients for giving them confidence and mental strength to fight with the corona and their health progress. Robots are safe to be deployed, talking to patients and linking bridge for interaction between patients and the nurses. 

More innovative aids by way of using Cobot Lab Operators are being tried to check human test samples collected from people to minimise effort of healthcare workers from manual testing. Cobots are collaborative robots, which are intended for direct human interaction within a shared common space.

Mobile cobots provide professional services in hospitals to increase overall level of patient care. These are exclusively manufactured for medical services to improve mobility for interaction between nurses and patients by keeping full hygienic safety. It is possible to improve interaction between doctors sitting in cabin talking to non-critical patients through direct visualisation by camera, speaker and display on cobot moved near to patient. The mobile robot/cobot will come close to patient; call his/her name so that the patient can see the doctor/nurse on the display. Patient can explain the symptoms, and take advice from the doctor. The doctor can directly recommend the medicine from his digital device, which is also digitally reflected on nurse’s display interface to consider prescribed medicine or using the existing medicine at different interval and instruction for other support to be considered for the patient. The integrated system is connected to online data server, to replenish medicine stock if it level hits low level. Cobots are used to replenish every ward’s medicine stock from hospital main medical stores.

Frontline robotic doctor and nurses

Efforts are being made for more interactive mobile cobots, which have audio/video facility for calling advising patients to wake-up, change clothes, take medicine, facilitate talking to family members and broadcast the doctor’s advice given during routine check-up round. Alert option menus are provided by the cobot to the medical staff and nurses, for patients needing routine medical support, such as delivery of oral medicine, injection or shifting to other ward like general ward/ICU. For critical patients admitted in ICU the health parameters are monitored remotely which alert doctors/nurses for immediate attention to attend patient if real time trend crosses limits. The data shall be directly connected to main server for maintaining medical history of patients and for generating consolidated online billing on discharge.

Housekeeping companion robots

For disease prevention, non-contact ultraviolet (UV) surface disinfection rrobots are being used because Covid-19 spreads not only from person to person via close contact respiratory droplet transfer but also via contaminated surfaces. Cobots are deployed to disinfect the floor in and around the isolation ward, sample collection lab and hospital premises, without human intervention.

Smart test lab technician cobots

Appropriate safety measures are required to keep laboratory staff protected, while producing reliable test results. AI added facilities are being developed where samples are placed at receiving point with bar code identification of patients and complete testing is done automatically by test machine without human intervention to produce printed result and simultaneously store data at server.

Robot governed conferencing call operator

New robotic functions are being developed to overcome the lockdown restrictions and no visitor policies in hospitals with family members enabled to talk to patients through robots having audio visual facility. The robot moves close to patient in fixed time slot and connects with family members at their home remotely using predefined different apps like Zoom cloud meeting, ezTalks cloud meeting, skype, GoToMeeting, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Ekiga and so on, through wifi to their laptop or mobile simultaneously from many places of city/states/international location. The ailing patient will have opportunity to speak with their near and dear ones without moving to other location. Connecting to the patients when they are possibly in the last few days of their life is an emotional need in the absence of physical meeting. Facilities are developed to make it easy like connecting a call, the free available robot will instantly move to the desired location, call elderly sick patient on bed for talking with caller from remote. These are software based applications, easy to use by the caller.

Intelligent autonomous robot

Making use of Industry 4.0 technologies, high speed data collected through IIoT can be processed to produce high accuracy results by advanced analytics. This facilitates to identify trends, patterns, location, intelligent forecasts about the spread and load of the Covid patients in different hospitals. Businesses should focus on building/improving IIoT capabilities by AI and processing large data to logically derive opportunities from these new challenges.

Robotic technology at present is expensive for broad adoption across all types of healthcare systems in many countries. Demand is expected to grow in India having large population due to very less number of healthcare trained staff per lakh presently available. Extensive work is being done for the development of a robot designed to perform several crucial tasks, wherein it checks and flags patients having fever symptoms at the entrance to the hospital, monitoring heart beat rates, check blood oxygen levels, and even guide patient admission process taking them to hospital wards. Recently in China medical research teams are working for improving the capability of robot for Covid related essential tests like taking mouth swabs, check heartbeat, listen/record sounds generated for patient’s organs and even for carrying out ultrasounds. The camera on the robot gives direct visual information to lab personal testing without coming in same room and close to infectious patients. The ongoing crisis has initiated the investor/research scientist to grasp the importance of many of the emerging technologies such as 3D printing, drones and robotic labs.

Cobot associates in manufacturing

Social distancing guidelines posed another challenge to manufacturers, those who have to depute their team personal on machine maintaining Covid safety guidelines to keep the production wheels moving. Many factories are producing essential PPE kits, medical

equipment and ventilators. For manual machines these tasks are extremely difficult to execute. Factories have to manage with reduced output by splitting production into shift operations for maintaining safe physical space among employee. Factories having AI driven automated facilities by use of robots are adapting physical distancing more easily, provide agility and flexibility in production line.

Futuristic robots

Robot projects are being designed to help elders in western countries. Medical fraternity believes the breakthrough in cobot/robot development could help in dealing with future new disease outbreaks similar to the on-going pandemic. A professor of Edinburg’s Heriot-Watt University recently is reported to have said: “People can imagine in the future that when they walk into a hospital waiting room, instead of encountering a person, people will encounter a robot that is able to help them.” It will suffice the requirement of hands-free, touch-free speech interface, which will be going to be more in demand. In the US, the Covid-19 patients are being kept in isolated areas where doctors are taking the help of a robot, which is equipped with a microphone, stethoscope and camera. This way, doctors are able to treat patients without coming in contact with them directly.

Deploying robots for corona treatment to reduce human direct contact is being tried in many countries. In China during pandemic they deployed multiple robots for almost everything from screening people while entering hospital, delivering food and medicine in isolation/treatment wards and entertaining patients. Robots were also being used to spray disinfectants and clean hospital floors. The primary requirement for sophisticated robots is high manoeuvrability and zero failure.

Cost Saving by Robots

Using robots for situations where doctors/medical staff need to enter and exit a patient room frequently can be largely avoided, which saves the hospital on supplies such as face mask, gowns/PP kit, sanitizer, and gloves each time they need to replace.

Increased demand for digital transformation

Robotic applications are now playing an important role in hospitals and factories during this pandemic time, where risk of disguised virus transmission affected large population of the world. This need is steadily growing in business to manufacture an automated environment for quality consistency and higher productivity. Looking into the benefits, robots are now widely accepted in the scalable manufacturing, warehousing and logistic supply chain. Government policies are encouraging Indian companies to strive more for resilient supply chain within country.

The only way to compete with international market will be via digital transformation and Industry 4.0 automation. Successful companies agree to accept digital transformation, shall take this pandemic as an opportunity to learn the way forward by implementing highly automated manufacturing required to combat major disruption if any in future. This will also improve agility and resilience in all ghost disruption.

 

Jasbir Singh is an Automation Expert with experience in Factory Automation and Line Automation in a large production house. He is an Implementation Strategist, Business Coach and a regular writer on automation, AI, robotics, digital technology, network communication, IIoT, wireless communication, blockchain and use of advance digital technology. Jasbir has a long association with industry to improve factory automation in production lines for productivity improvement in India and overseas by advising and also transforming into digital platform by use of AI.
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Digital Technologies Can Help Oil and Gas Industry

Digital Technologies Can Help Oil and Gas Industry

Jasbir Singh analyses how in the era of falling oil prices the sector can reduce the impact byadopting digital technologies.

The Covid-19 pandemic has jolted the world community to its depths, with negative consequences for all sectors around the world. The oil and gas industry is no exception, with the outbreak causing a complete demand slump in the market with worldwide air travel and all forms of transportation restricted to essentials under the lockdown imposed globally to break the Covid-19 chain of people to people contact. With oil prices going as low as US $20 per barrel, and a further risk of falling below this range, the presumption is oil demand will most likely taper down to well below the 1.2 million barrels per day or even further below this, thanks to the strict lockdown. The impact of Covid-19 has thus reduced significantly the number of oil and gas development contracts. Furthermore, many oil and gas majors are reducing their Capex exposure in this non- favourable market conditions.

These developments are giving negative vibes and dragging the oil and gas services market and the expansion phase further down. Consequently, oil field developers have started relooking at their strategies and Capex plans for 2020. Surplus volumes available with producing countries amid global drop in oil demand leaves the oil companies grappling for limited storage space.

Distant storage locations or paid storage currently available with end users increases cost as transportation fees, which will get factored into the selling price. Additionally, the relatively short shelf life of gasoline and jet fuel increases their worries of uncertainty prevailing around the world. Limitations of storing light crude alongside heavy crude poses further challenges for these oil producing companies.

The oil and gas industry has been struggling with multiple complex issues, due to reduced energy demand, energy transition, growing volatility in oil prices, change in government regulations to meet challenges, turbulent demand of enhanced technologies and intensified global competition, among other factors. With this, the worldwide liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector too has started reeling under tremendous pressure of falling oil prices and weak LNG demand in view of poor global economic outlook. This could lead to postponement of financial investment decisions (FIDs) and construction delays of some of the engineered projects in pipeline.

The high costs, particularly to engineering, procurement and construction projects, have become a critical issue for the world hydrocarbon industry – such as refinery, petrochemical, and power generation industries during the last few years – in light of the global down trend towards completing ongoing projects aimed at adding capacity in all sectors. It is one of the major factors behind the reconsideration of some advanced projects in some regions of the world, leading either to postponement or total shelving in some cases.

These factors increased the risk to run efficient and most sustainable companies in every sector. Without a finer picture soon, and long lasting effect of Covid-19 and the pressure on oil prices adding to the already exhaustive list of problematic factors, industry should embrace the modern digital business models and adapt it more prominently across their line of operations.

Inevitably, industry/business environment will come under considerable pressure in times ahead:

  1. Oil production as during normal days earlier during previous year will see new slump in oil price and excess stock.
  2. A long stretch of below US $40 price range will cause acute financial and operational stress to the companies already under pressure.

These ramifications will carry on impacting majorly the oil and gas sector, and it is highly unlikely that the current global difficulties will subside soon. The longer this situation continues, and there appears no light at the end of the tunnel, the more severe its effects will be felt. For those at the helm during this crisis, to ensure continual development, and ultimately target to achieve sustainability, should be the priority. Companies can explore adoption of new business models to bring down costs where digital is a feasible option to implement in current work environment and for future growth.

Digital model can reduce costs during crisis and beyond

Digital capabilities can increase overall performance
Under the present adverse conditions, the value proposition for digital has increased further and firms with traditional, semi-automated or even those with present level of automation can apply advance digital controls by using a combination of technologies leveraging digital control in operations and maintenance optimisation. This would enable companies to reduce capital investment and testing in virtual environment before applying it to the real one, while maintenance optimisation will help address routine maintenance by software supported systems, analyzing big data, and failure-pattern recognition. Using advance digital tools, the hydrocarbon industry can deliver improved results with low attractive Opex.

Changing from predictive to proactive schedule maintenance using digital tools show gains in high productivity. The value that such insights would bring to hydrocarbon companies cannot be overlooked. Indeed, oil and gas companies producing refined products have always made use of available technology. However, they have some time been slower than organisations in other industries to adopt the latest digital transformation using Artificial Intelligence – missing an integrated digital incorporation during strategy formation, salient capabilities and solid action plans. Analytical tools can be used to transform production capabilities to support new strategies, and leverage the power of consistent improvement during sudden decline in demand for now and future.

The significant value that can be unlocked through digital in upstream oil and producing activities:

1. Major reduction in data interpretation time
2. Reduction in engineering hours plus quick development of field concepts

3. Faster well delivery and increase productive wells, and
4. Reduced maintenance time/cost by improving uptime using predictive/proactive maintenance.

Companies focusing on use of digital capabilities can increase overall performance and obtain better results. Organisations are able to reduce costs with improved efficiency by very little time spent to interpret data using advanced computing and displaying in required format to take corrective action and capture machine learning simultaneously for saving signature pattern. With Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and the increased use of artificial intelligence have improved machine learning, and it assists all major companies in improving project and operation economics.

From a global perspective, the hydrocarbon sector could well be navigating through a period of uncertainty by using digital technologies for times to come. Oil companies are dealing with a plethora of challenges and current crisis could be a catalyst to accelerate transformation, while keeping an agile approach. Adjusting priorities by way of digital transformation by being responsive to short term strategic directions and winsome by adopting the sincere change of operations is key to prepare for the future which will help Capex/Opex optimisation, improved production efficiency, and safe performance.

Jasbir Singh, Director, ECPR Technologies has over 32 years of business experience with extensive international exposure, both from business and cultural points of view. He is one of the experts in Foundation Fieldbus technology and recognised for continuous improvement in technological development.
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Business Evolution by Digital Transformation Through Industry 4.0

Business Evolution by Digital Transformation Through Industry 4.0

In this multi-part series, Jasbir Singh explains how implementation of digital technologies will transform every aspect of business with existing resources and management commitment.

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in existing business becomes imperative to sustain the future growth. In some of the existing businesses, AI functional use-cases those are most likely to be adopted/deployed need further improved with selective strategic innovation by experts. Businesses/companies who understand the importance of long sustainability and growth in business results always try to explore and implement technological improvements in process. These improvements include measures like debottlenecking, speed enhancement, zero breakdowns, removing unnecessary/non-productive steps, enhance automation, augment robotic functions, elevate level of AI in main and sub processes, add additional process for stop gap arrangement to by-pass critical sub process during its failure/engage during product mix. Replacement/addition of new product lines requires high Capex and a strategic decision based on RoI. These are normally difficult during time of uncertainty but improvement in current process shall be a constant demand of business leaders to remain expanding in competitive market.

We witness many examples such as Kodak, Xerox, HMV, Swiss watch makers, and so on, which represent failure to read the market trends and instead wished customers follow their line of thought. Every time an iconic company is faced with the prospect of its core and top of the line, state-of-the-art product becoming obsolete, it has a tendency to bury the contemporary concept, even though they might have invented it. The three examples of world’s leading brands quoted above such as Kodak developed with digital sensors, Xerox developed computers, BlockBuster did the same with video rentals. These companies were #1 in their market segment, where the first two invented a cutting edge product that eventually made their core business/product obsolete, and all three of them turned a blind eye because it was hurting their existing core revenue earning during that time and under estimated potential earnings of their innovations. These are the best examples of cash rich companies who had the technology, right resources (skilled people) had actually left the field open to other companies who developed products that finally replaced their own. Kodak’s was a case of slow in adaption to advance technologies, which their own staff were developing as world’s leading modern technology to replace their own traditional product line.

His Master’s Voice (HMV in Canada) completely ignored the suggestions from their employees to migrate into digital era that was the future for the sale of music albums. They had a firm belief that people always would like to visit their outlets for selection and purchase of their music album. They wound up dead due to the missed action for proactive decision to automate the running system transformed into using digital platform for reaching to their current customers and increase a larger base.

Major success factors for business leaders are quick to adapt by seeing changing market trends, leveraging the full range of modern technologies available to use, and overcoming people’s operational challenges.

Attributes for adopting resilience to market change and turn negative force into opportunity for business growth/diversification during depressed market:

  1. Companies majorly focus on cutting costs during downturn
  2. Budgets planned for capacity addition/used for development starts shrinking on wake of non- decisive market scenario.
  3. Non-predictable market change due to uncertainty create gap and hard for decision-makers to frame out new priorities
  4. Redrawing projects and strategies for current operation, sustainability and growth by implementing advance technology Actionable strategies
  • Distinguish among list the propose specific cost-reduction projects to implement on priority.
  • Diversify product portfolios toward mature and growing sectors which are least impacted by the pandemic/down turn,
  • Mapping the newer landscape with highly automated system and actionable opportunities to quickly add into current portfolio.

It is imperative to identify the available resources within the Organisation, including funds to enumerate new AI applications in current functions on Industry 4.0 platform and also bridging the gap in work flow between consecutive steps in normal operation for long term growth. Use of Industry 4.0 transforms production with higher efficiency by changing traditional production work process and homogenous relationships among suppliers, producers, and customers as well as seamless interface between human and machine.

A huge and considerable efforts is prerequisite performing strategic planning for deploying AI solutions in current semi-automated/automated operation. A collaborative process shall be adopted to understand and generate data for machine learning process over the period to achieve perfection.

Pathway of Deployment

  1. Vision
  2. Midterm/long-term strategies
  3. Determine resources (task force, fund & time)
  4. Analyze current data
  5. Define rules
  6. Develop models
  7. Select appropriate model
  8. Segment trial
  9. Monitor results
  10. Train the model
  11. Embarrassing transformation and horizontal deployment, and
  12. Continuous development by machine learning tool.

A lot goes into deploying AI solutions and achieving the single point control of entire process with visible trend of parameters moving in defined allowable deviation limits from a given set point. Companies who have decided to adopt AI and future advance automation are often eager to get started and quickly complete – but with prejudice notion of success without adaptation of change in process, where skillset of employee need to be trained with positive mind-set to accept these changes to align with management. Business leaders should also have deterministic and positive mind-set before consideration.

Different strategies can be conceived across AI start-ups or tech giants, to strengthen its scope further into business line to successfully implement AI on Industry 4.0 deployment. Many different modules can be adopted for cost-cutting/increase productivity by AI and automation applications, data collection and storage software, free flow information path and analyzing digital tools, displaying information at rightly created lean dashboard.

Companies who understand 3-step-model are better prepared to:

1. Define and adherence of the optimum timelines and financial resources allocation to deploy AI functions, application and capability
2. Selection of the right mix of technical and nontechnical talent from within enterprises under external experts to make an AI initiative a success, and
3. Achieve and record success in every step of the AI lifecycle, by setting realistic RoI by defining the implementable goals to integrate the AI system live within the existing tech architecture.

The 8 major deployment stages model is conceived as part of selected project implementation. All these stages have multiple steps and are further split into sub critical tasks for study, pre-analysis, initialisation, development, designing, resource allocation, implementation, closely monitoring and post analysing data under the expert guidance to derive best out of this. Replicating of these considered project needs suitable planning for best integration with overall system and accomplishment for displaying outstanding results in medium and long term for project which will lead to meaningful business results.

While due to corona virus there might be less money circulating in the market within the tight economy, there are different ways of working rules and strategy to generate priorities and emerging new sets of technologies for business to adopt. This opens up new opportunities to professional firms/business leaders to get hold of them.

Organisation Growth drivers

1. Business Stimulus
2. Customer Reach
3. Data & Analysis
4. Resource Planning
5. Improve Satisfaction
6. Pursue Force Dynamics, and
7. Risk Management.

All accessible data related to current situation which poses challenges in current and possible future adverse impact shall be gathered and collectively discussed with stakeholders. Stakeholders help to build a common understanding among each other for the prevailing condition and the desired changes in current practices for predicted outcomes. Team representing stakeholders included in exploring potential new practices by adding intelligence or innovations to determine the positive outcome of business.

Induction of Technologies for consistent Growth

It is important for business leaders to maintain pace with emergence of digital technologies which can easily be fit into and uplift the existing operations. Adoption of technology and AI can give dramatic results and pave the path for sustained growth. Two different strategies must go in parallel where in the first continuous minor improvements are in existing process without stoppage of machines/shutdown in the current production line and second is planned development of sub-processes or replacement/improvement of complete process.

The change in process is not only to improve productivity by increasing speed, reducing intermittent stoppages, smooth operation and predicted behaviour of machines/processes but considering the desired output such as:

  1. Essentials to AI deployment to be considered in advance to underlying foundation for success
  2. Exact expectation for its outcome to be defined and agreed upon
  3. Three phase of AI deployment with logical but smallest project cycle time
  4. Eight stages working for full one working cycle of implementation and logging
  5. data output for comparison with initial parameters and results.
  6. Horizontal deployment across industry and business
  7. MIS report generating for different level and one figure indication for top leadership to see consistency of implementation, and
    Training and retaining skills.

It is desirable that the pilot project should be implemented under the strict guidance of experts/knowledgeable automation professional. Sometime we consider the single vendor’s representative as an expert on subject but it is misleading fact. Spending small money to develop detail project report (DPR) describing start to end stages, steps and process of implementation will worth to see the outcome at every stage of implementation. The DPR once implemented in one pilot project shall be used horizontally for whole industry and across business. Many a times, we find that the pilot or initial considered project gives out dramatic result but overall horizontal implementation fails to bring attractive outcome. This happens when process owner of each section/step failed to show similar commitment due to lack of training or understanding about the benefit.

Only a few critical factors that will normally separate the winners from the losers in terms of AI RoI during any crisis like this. Four unique categories of cost-cutting project through AI and automation applications are likely to be implemented within full business model. Each category adds value for overall business performance and its result. Normally AI base applications or hardware cannot be plug and play system but designed to suit industry/business requirement.

AI for machines shall include support of robotic based applications, intelligent sensors, remote operations, machine health diagnostic software features, recipe shelve, five coordinate machine tool auto adjustment, predictive and proactive maintenance features, security of installation/data, sensor/signature based control, optimum energy consumption, trimming down non-productive tasks, rule based operation in process for optimum performance and so on in floor level.

Implementation of digital technologies will transform every aspect of business by using strength of existing workforce and with management commitment. No turnkey solution shall equip the business leaders to keep the pace of development. Expert engagements with employee can
formulate the innovative process to deliver immediate value, while also educate the mind-sets necessary to sustain the new digital transformation.

Jasbir Singh is an Automation Expert with experience in Factory Automation and Line Automation in a large production house. He is an Implementation Strategist, Business Coach and a regular writer on automation, AI, robotics, digital technology, network communication, IIoT, wireless communication, blockchain and use of advance digital technology. Jasbir has a long association with industry to improve factory automation in production lines for productivity improvement in India and overseas by advising and also transforming into digital platform by use of AI.