By Heico Sandee, Founder and CEO of Smart Robotics.

Pick-and-place automation has become a cornerstone of modern warehouse operations, ensuring that tasks are executed with the utmost precision and consistency. As warehouses evolve to meet the demands of dynamic industries like e-commerce and pharmaceuticals, the role of these robotic systems becomes increasingly vital.

Confusion around digital transformation is risking paralysis among SME manufacturers, says Made Smarter. Donna Edwards, director of the North West adoption programme, says businesses are hesitant to commit to change because they lack the confidence with technology and digital skills among leaders and employees.

Zebra Technologies Corporation – the digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets and people – has introduced a series of advanced AI features enhancing its Aurora machine vision software to provide deep learning capabilities for complex visual inspection use cases.

By Chris Jacob, Vice President, Threat Intelligence Engineering, ThreatQuotient.

In today’s modern digitised environment, the manufacturing industry faces multiple interwoven challenges that can have a serious impact on their overall performance and sustainability.

Smart machines can provide manufacturers with invaluable real-time insights into shop floor productivity, inventory, and potential quality and maintenance issues.

But buying new machinery to harness the Internet of Things (IoT) can be hard to justify, especially when interest rates remain high.

ACI Group has shone a spotlight on the importance of supply chain digitalisation in response to a Business Continuity Institute (BCI) report which found that almost 80% of organisations have experienced supply chain disruptions over the past year.

Three quarters of manufacturing workers in the UK (73%) are unconcerned about their jobs being automated in the future, according to a study undertaken by YouGov and commissioned by global technology company SafetyCulture.

In June 2024, manufacturing accounted for 8.8% of the UK’s total economic output and employed 2.6 million people – representing 7.0% of the workforce.

Confidence in the sector is rising, with a 1.2% output increase in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous quarter, its highest level since 2022.

Fen Health Ltd and Zulize Ltd have announced a transaction that will see both companies merge to form and launch, Fen Group Ltd.

Murata ID Solutions reports that it has helped life science giant Bayer’s Italian division, Bayer S.p.A., leverage radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking in the first large-scale application of the technology in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Lehning Laboratories, the homeopathy and herbal medicines provider, has selected the ZetesAtlas identification solution, equipped MD-9000 automatic marking and tamper-proof labelling stations, to ensure compliance with new Falsified Medicines Directive and to assure its customers of product authenticity.

The new subsidiary of Körber’s Business Area Pharma in Dublin enjoys growing demand for its integrated solutions for pharmaceutical and biotech production in the UK and Ireland.

Covid-19 is straining supply chains around the world, most notably those of pharmaceutical companies. Scarcity of raw materials upstream and overheated demand downstream cause disruptions. Control over their supply chain is a major challenge for all pharma companies today.

With Covid-19 vaccine delivery highlighting the need for resilience in pharma and biotech supply chains, Karl H. Lauri, managing team member at MRPeasy.com, explains that ERP/MRP gives smaller suppliers the backbone required to take part.

New research reveals that 50% of European and US pharmaceutical manufacturing companies know artificial intelligence (AI) can help bring new drugs to market more rapidly and securely, but 96% face challenges with using leading-edge technology to derive value from their data.

The international technology group Körber is driving the integration of supply chain and data orchestration platforms into its Werum PAS-X Manufacturing Execution System (MES).

Domino Printing Sciences (Domino) has launched the new U510 – a state-of-the-art UV laser coder for permanent codes on white and coloured plastics, including high- and low-density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE) pharmaceutical bottles. 

Jabmo, the provider of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) solutions to the manufacturing, life sciences, and healthcare industries, and Malachi Threadgill, Forrester Principal Analyst, advise B2B marketers to consider their industry-specific needs when selecting an ABM solution.

ACG, supplier of fully integrated manufacturing solutions to the global pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry, has announced its engineering business - dedicated to aftermarkets service - is working with its manufacturing customers to increase the life cycle of their machines.

The current crisis in Europe has led to increasing energy insecurity and shortages of raw materials, which are creating severe pharmaceutical manufacturing supply line disruptions. In some cases, supplier lead times have doubled, prices are no longer certain, and orders are subject to cancellations or delays.  

Cost reduction is a focus for many at the moment and understandably so. Multinational pharmaceutical company, Glenmark, is just one of those businesses looking at how it can optimise its costs globally.

A UK-backed biotech company has achieved a pioneering biocomputer breakthrough which is accelerating the development and manufacture of cheaper drugs and vaccines.

By Rudrendu Kumar Paul and Bidyut Sarkar

Embracing the Future of Supply Chain Management: An Exploration of AI's Transformative Impact on Demand Forecasting and its Potential to Navigate Global Uncertainties.

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the pharmaceutical contract manufacturing industry declined in 2023 compared to 2021-22. High inflation and interest rates along with an uncertain business environment disincentivized investment.

Datalogic has announced that its Ulyxe laser marking system has been chosen by Gilo Industries Group to enable accurate identification and traceability of parts manufactured across its innovative aerospace engineering companies.

Emperor penguins huddle together to share warmth and protect each other during the intense winds of the harsh Antarctic storms. Fortunately, it’s not just penguins that can benefit from huddling together. Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of obsolete industrial parts supplier EU Automation, explains why manufacturers form clusters around the world.

London-based CloudNC has launched what it describes as a new era for CNC machined parts with the opening of the first of several planned UK factories offering aerospace-grade quality at a fraction of the price of existing alternatives.

Airlines want to use RFID technology to create solutions for lost baggage. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that from 2020, each piece of luggage will be equipped with an RFID tag.

Manufacturers from varied industries including aerospace, engineering and food and beverage, are set to embrace new digital technologies following a successful Made Smarter event in Blackburn.

The Threat Intelligence and Incident Response Team at Context Information Security has identified a new threat group behind a series of incidents targeted at the aerospace and defence industries in the UK and Europe.

Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group (Marshall ADG) will deploy AT&T’s secure IoT capabilities into its overall connected container service model for its end customers, including its recently won global managed container service contract with the Dutch Army.

To ensure visibility and control over mission-critical business processes such as manufacturing and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), international defence manufacturer and service provider Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group turned to global enterprise applications company IFS for a comprehensive enterprise applications platform.

The global impact of the COVID pandemic has been dramatically felt by the global aerospace sector, which almost overnight suffered a catastrophic collapse in demand, which resulted in an 80 percent decline in air traffic and over 60 percent of the global airline fleet grounded. The impact on the airlines and its key component supply chain has been immediate and is expected to remain in place for some time.

Manufacturers in the rail, marine, defence and household good sectors can now benefit from more than 25 years of automotive and aerospace quality excellence as G&P is undergoing a proactive diversification drive across adjacent sectors.

The UK has the largest number of SME aerospace sector companies in Europe. But if smaller manufacturers are to benefit from the stellar growth predicted for the UK’s space industry, they need the power of ERP, writes Sara Duff, UK Country Manager at MRPeasy.com.

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, which supplies smart manufacturing technologies to giants from Volkswagen to Boeing, has unveiled HxGN Robotic Automation, pioneering robotic programming and control software that enables non-specialist quality professionals to program industrial robots to perform fully automated quality inspection.

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: Responding to aerospace OEM demands with flexible product development.

A variety of pressures are driving change in aerospace and defense supply chains, including less funding and increasing complexity. Aerospace suppliers globally are dealing with product development challenges unlike anything they have seen before, including increasing cost pressures from OEMs, decreasing project timelines, and demanding industry regulations.

A lack of capacity planning is adding to the ramp-up challenge for many aerospace and defence (A&D) manufacturers as they strive to meet the ambitious production rate increases set by aircraft maker, Airbus, according to a report published by management consultancy Vendigital.

By Edward Banks, freelance writer.

In the fast-paced world of supply chain management, the recent surge in automation within warehousing stands as a testament to the industry's adaptability and innovation. A groundbreaking study reveals that over 60% of warehousing leaders globally view automation as essential for reducing errors and meeting service-level agreements, while 68% see it as a solution to labour shortages.

In the recent 2-3 years, an increasing number of malls and retail chains have adopted real-time video analytics and facial recognition to enhance security, customer experience and footfall analysis.

A new awards event has been launched to reward excellence in marketing the application of STEM skills in the manufacturing sector. The STEM Marketing Awards will champion the work of organisations operating in STEM-related industries across the UK, with companies working in relevant sectors now invited to enter. 

OMRON, producer of technologically advanced industrial automation products, will showcase the smarter, faster more efficient future of manufacturing at this year’s Packaging Machinery and Manufacturing (PPMA) Show.

At Open World 2024, CONTACT Software will present a comprehensive program for a fast and future-proof digital transformation together with international customers and partners from 12 to 13 November.

Webfleet, Bridgestone’s fleet management solution, is debuting its new AI Assistant at IAA Transportation 2024. Leveraging GenAI technology, the tool is simplifying fleet management by allowing fleet managers to interact with their fleet data intuitively and easily.

We Mean Business Coalition’s chief executive officer Maria Mendiluce, Zapmap’s co-founder and chief operating officer Melanie Shufflebotham, and co-leader of the Green Party England and Wales Carla Denyer are among those to have been awarded an inaugural Women in Green Business Award celebrating their work driving the UK's net zero transition. 

Manufacturers now expect logistics suppliers to further integrate with their operating systems DANX Carousel Chief Information Officer, Mohan Palaniandy, has told delegates at a recent supply chain transparency conference.

A-SAFE, the workplace efficiency and safety solutions provider, hosted the final event of the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) Roadshow on October 3 at its Fathom3 R&D facility in Elland, Yorkshire.

Alexandria Phounsavath, director of DHS S&T’s Data Analytics Technology Center, is exploring new approaches to solving some of the biggest challenges in data.

The post DHS S&T working on data solutions for cybersecurity, privacy, AI first appeared on Federal News Network.

Manufacturing & Logistics IT spoke with Dakota Integrated Solutions’ commercial director, Philip Jarrett, and recently appointed key account manager, Peter Jenkins, about the company’s current growth trajectory, including new partnerships and strategic technology sweet spots.

Getac has introduced its next generation UX10 tablet and V110 laptop – two powerful, yet portable, fully rugged devices designed to thrive in challenging work environments, like those found in the utilities, public safety and defence sectors.