For those of us who haven’t been hermits stuck in a remote section of Middle Earth, The Lord of the Rings book and movie series brought to our awareness the mythical powers of The One Ring: An object with a sinister inscription that reads “One Ring to Rule Them All.”
Some estimates suggest that the number of connected objects will be more than 50 billion by 2020. Each of us will own between six and 10 connected objects. But what exactly is the Internet of Things (IoT)? Wikipedia describes it as “the network of physical objects — devices, vehicles, buildings
“Good afternoon, Mr. Yakamoto. How did you like that three-pack of tank tops you bought last time you were in?” Washington D.C. Year 2054. Chief of PreCrime John Anderton is running from the law for a crime he has not committed yet. After a risky eye transplant in order to
It's an exciting time to be in the automotive and transportation industry. The opportunities for business transformation and growth are enormous – and those companies that lead in implementing new ways to drive intelligent customer interactions will capture the greatest share of new revenue streams. For those of us fortunate enough
“And the weather yesterday was a sunny 18oC with warm spells in the south and showers in the north. This is similar to the pattern we saw last Thursday.” Imagine if the weather forecast only restated what happened in the past -- would we bother waiting until the end of
We had just completed a four-week data quality assessment of an inside plant installation. It wasn't looking good. There were huge gaps in the data, particularly when we cross-referenced systems together. In theory, each system was meant to hold identical information of the plant equipment. But when we consolidated the
The expletive leapt from the lips of the orthopedic surgeon as he entered my hospital room. He was swathed in a green gown, purple gloves, and a white surgical mask – for his protection, not mine. He was clearly upset. “What, exactly, does $#@! mean?” I asked. “It means you’re
In 2012, the value of big data equity in the UK was estimated at £12 billion a year or 0.7 percent of the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Four years flew by and the second report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) puts the opportunity at £46
Has analytics become just a buzzword, the hype du jour? It’s great that analytics are now cool, but few people have taken then time to understand what analytics really are and how they can help solve their business problems. Last month at the the 30th Annual International Maintenance Conference, I
Over the course of my career as industrial engineer turned supply chain planning advocate I've had the opportunity to work hands-on with many manufacturing and supply chain planning solutions. This has included solutions offered commercially by the usual suspects of ERP and post-SCM consolidation supply chain solution providers. Most of these
When we talk about the Internet of Things and “analytics at the edge,” we’re talking about modeling data as close as possible to the device – not far away in some warehouse or data storage appliance. So, generally, the edge is anything with a sensor that is transmitting data: an
Today, we live in a polarized world that divides family members, friends, and business colleagues. It effects everything we do from the way we communicate with one another to how we handle business challenges. I have seen long time business colleagues have passionate discussions to defend their supply chain position
Recently I toured a manufacturing plant floor for a company that builds construction materials related to energy. I find a number issues people face in production of which the most common are around asset efficiency, product quality, and safety. This manufacturer like most had similar concerns on all those areas
In my previous post, I discussed some of the challenges and costs organizations face when they’re stuck in Excel hell with no real data strategy. Now that we’ve discussed the problem, let’s dive into the solution. Every organization needs a data strategy with these building blocks: Your top priority is
By now, you’ve probably seen a video of a 3D printer discharging layers of plastic to create a model of a building or a plastic figurine. You may have heard stories about 3D printed guns, 3D printed airplane parts and even 3D printed body parts. While 3D printers are becoming more common, they are
“Our job at the lab is to find technology that’s new, cutting edge and cool – and to give it to someone else to be brilliant with.” – Matthew Horn, Manager, SAS Emerging Technologies UI Lab If you’ve heard of Google Glasses or Occulus Rift, you’ve heard of augmented reality.
Today, we celebrate Manufacturing Day 2015. Manufacturing may not be the world's oldest profession, but it is likely the world's oldest industry. The very earliest characteristics that separated us from other animals is the manufacture of tools. Other animals use sticks and rocks and other collected items to help them
Will the Internet of Things (IoT) create a web of connected devices that make our lives better or an infinite infestation of annoying devices invading our privacy for no good reason? I don't know. I do know that the answer is going to depend less on the technology and more
It’s been very hot here in Northern Italy: electricity provision has struggled to keep up and we’ve had frequent power outages in the area, even within our apartment building. A bit inconvenient? Don’t get me started. I feel like my home appliances have turned against me, taking me back to
SAS recently held the Detroit Automotive Analytics Executive Forum to bring together leaders from the Industry. We heard from an experienced group of leaders on the future of the automotive industry, best practices for analytics success, innovative retail analytics, customer experience analytics, the connected vehicle, and competing on analytics. Following
The amount of data being produced and captured from the plant floor today is staggering. When you add it all up, a factory can easily generate over 34 Terabytes of data per day, or nearly 9 Petabytes a year - that's 9 Million Gigabytes! Yet, with all of those systems, and all
Congratulations! You are part of a prestigious and exclusive club! A club of innovators and forward thinkers. A club of manufacturing professionals dedicated to data and the power of analytically driven decisions to make your organization the best that it can be - you are a SAS user. The best
If you buying or selling a house. The relator will tell the value of the property is all about location, location, location. For insurance companies location is just as important. For an underwriter assessing the risk on a property is essential that they consider the location of the property. How
Recently, I had an opportunity to participate in an analyst briefing around the Internet of Things (IoT). During the review, a chart was shown to summarize the status of IoT projects in the manufacturing sector. I wasn’t surprised by the varying degree of “completeness” of IoT projects across this industry, but
By now, we have all heard about the Internet of Things (IoT), or the Industrial Internet. Across industries, organizations are attempting to instrument and measure all critical business systems and assets in an effort to drive improved production and service delivery. It is estimated that by 2020, companies will spend
any factors go into your strategic global business decisions, from the physical placement of factories and distribution centers, to your choice of suppliers and partners, to your target markets and the business model itself. Businesses have a choice of fundamental global go-to-market investment strategies, from direct foreign investment on the one
As the age old idiom goes, the early bird gets the worm and the early adopter gets the break. New technologies give clear advantages to those organisations that figure out before their early-adopting competitors how to use them effectively, an advantage that recedes as others catch up, and the technology
I'm not just talking about all the energy put in planning, scheduling, and supporting this great event, which is in Dallas, TX next week, April 26-29. I'm talking about all the presentations about using analytics in energy related industries, particularly in Utilities and in Oil and Gas. There is a
When I visit with customers or potential clients, they often ask, "Where should I start in order to get a handle on my supply chain?" There is no clear and concise answer, but I usually say "Follow the inventory!" Inventory is a result of decisions made, not the cause. When you
Profitable growth is at the forefront of manufacturing executives’ minds¹. The math is simple: increase revenue and decrease costs. Easy, right? Unfortunately, getting there isn't that simple. The good news is that analytics can help. The better news is that there’s a new place for manufacturers to discover analytic best
