Tag: consumer

SA’s evolving employment landscape and the future of work

The future of jobs has been on the agenda of many South Africans as we head up to the election polls, and having recently celebrated workers day.

With the world of work having radically changed over the years we look at the current employment landscape, highlighting trends that are shaping our workforce as well as areas that still need improvement.

There’s no denying that we exist in a technology-driven world filled with endless possibilities to change the way we live, work and interact. Yet, with promise comes challenges, and even though automation and artificial intelligence have the ability to boost productivity […]

Machines could fuel comeback of textile industry in South

Machines could fuel comeback of textile industry in South

A control panel for automated textile-making “Sewbots” is shown. Provided/SoftWear Automation ATLANTA — Machines are transforming the way textiles are produced — and they could fuel a comeback for the Southern textile industry.

Automation and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing the workplace in the United States, as machines perform tasks once done by humans, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported .

Now, automated sewing could breathe new life into the South’s garment industry, which has been decimated in recent decades as jobs went to cheaper workers overseas.But it will look a lot different than before.The idea behind one textile manufacturing plant of the future […]

The Amazon/Walmart Whole Paycheck Tracker: Glimpsing The Future Of Automation And One-Day Delivery

The Amazon/Walmart Whole Paycheck Tracker: Glimpsing The Future Of Automation And One-Day Delivery

This week both Amazon and Walmart were offering up pictures — albeit with very different levels of detail built in — of how the immediate retail future will take shape. Amazon laid out what its decade-long march to fully-automated warehouses will likely look like, while Walmart didn’t offer up a specific plan (or a due date) so much as hint that something “groundbreaking” is coming.

Outside of the previews of the future this week, the world also got a glimpse at what the last few laps in the race for the consumers’ whole paycheck are shaping up to be — […]

AI Is Changing The Frontline Worker’s Role — And How You Train Them

AI Is Changing The Frontline Worker's Role -- And How You Train Them

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, headlines like, ”Will Robots Take Our Children’s Jobs?” make it easy to get distracted by the fear-factor narrative. It’s not that AI won’t change the employment landscape — according to McKinsey , it will certainly impact the jobs of workers whose roles require them to perform physical activities or operate machinery in a predictable environment. In fact, almost one-fifth of the time spent in U.S. workplaces involves performing such tasks, most commonly in sectors like manufacturing, food service and retail.

So, it’s the frontline workers in these sectors that have […]

Changing consumer expectations – how can manufacturers keep up?

Changing consumer expectations – how can manufacturers keep up?

Universal Robots ANZ country manager, Peter Hern, explains how manufacturers
can stay on top of consumers’ changing demands.

Consumer expectations of service are changing rapidly, placing greater demands on businesses to improve, or risk failure. The ease of access afforded by online shopping sites, and the rising popularity of same day delivery services has led to audiences that expect goods faster, and of a higher quality. Alongside these trends, consumers are becoming more ethically and sustainably-minded, with an increasing preference for businesses that share their values.
To keep up, many businesses are already integrating faster and more agile procedures […]

‘Globalisation is moving from products to services and data’

'Globalisation is moving from products to services and data'

Hans-Paul Burkner, Chairman of the Boston Consulting Group (Photograph by Shekhar Ghosh) A lot of countries are closing borders, and there is a mood of anti-globalisation. There are right-wing attacks. How does this effect business?

It is not just right-wing attack but a populist attack from both sides of the extreme. They are seeing loss of control. In developed countries, they fear losing factories, and jobs. Overall, we have gone through a very positive development across the world, which has reduced poverty, increased life expectancy. More children are going to schools than ever before. Fewer people die than ever […]

Thank a robot [Letter to the editor]

Thank a robot [Letter to the editor]

Thank a robot today

Regarding “Tax code gives robots an advantage over people” (Texas Inc., Monday): Much has been recently written advocating the taxation of robots to offset job losses. Having worked in the field of industrial robotics my entire career, I feel obligated to argue on behalf of the machines and for all the people freed from the drudgery of manual labor.

Humans have a long history of fearing machines. In the 1700s, textile workers called Luddites destroyed weaving looms and sewing machines, fearing that their jobs would be eliminated. If the Luddites had succeeded in stopping progress, the […]

How YouTube Is Shaping the Future of Work

How YouTube Is Shaping the Future of Work

If you ask Justin Khoe, a former youth minister with an endlessly enthusiastic attitude, there’s something slightly disturbing about the experience of running a YouTube channel. “It’s a very weird phenomenon,” he told me recently. “When you’re starting a channel and you get 100 subscribers, you’re really stoked. But it’s amazing how you can be less happy with twice as many followers than you were with that first 100.”

Khoe runs “ That Christian Vlogger ,” creating videos with titles like “Waiting for God SUCKS!!!” and “The SURPRISING truth about why Jesus came to Earth.” Getting enough views can be […]

The perfect warehousing storm

The perfect warehousing storm

Procurement is getting its digitized act together ‘Long process’ over: UPS contract with Teamsters finally takes effect The perfect warehousing storm Amazon preps for One-Day Free Shipping Big Joe Forklifts expands Wisconsin Dells facility More News 83% of surveyed supply chain professionals consider supply chain ethics either extremely or very important. However, there is a disconnect between this understanding and action.
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The unabated rise in distribution costs and resulting profit squeeze has become prominent in corporate commentary on financial results. Retailers such as Home Depot and Target are blaming high supply chain costs for margin deteriorations, […]

One in four Wisconsin jobs at high risk in a new age of robotic workers and hyper-automation

One in four Wisconsin jobs at high risk in a new age of robotic workers and hyper-automation

Nalby Varoqua (center), an engineer with Sharp Robotics Business Development, demonstrates a security robot. Sharp is a division of Foxconn Technology Group, one of Asia’s most aggressive adopters of robots and automation. The robot was demonstrated in July 2017 at the Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee. (Photo: Michael Sears, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) When it comes to replacing humans with robots, few companies are as enthusiastic as Foxconn Technology Group.

In its drive to manufacture iPhones, TVs and game consoles at the lowest cost, Foxconn systematically has replaced tens of thousands of inexpensive Chinese workers with even cheaper and more […]