Driverless Cars and Driving Value with APM Software Investments [ROUNDUP]

With technology like driverless cars seeming futuristic only years ago, it’s important to take a step back and reflect on the less mainstream innovations that are driving revolutionary change in manufacturing. For instance, connected devices coupled with stronger, faster analytics are leading a new charge on maintenance, quality, and energy performance. And we’re just at the tip of the iceberg. More in this week’s roundup.

Driverless Car Trials Begin Across Britain

The driverless car is a development long in the making that's received plenty of attention across media outlets, and it has spread across the pond in a big way. In an effort to stake a leading position in the future of driverless cars--a market estimated at over $80 billion over the next decade--the British government has approved a shuttle trial from the London borough of Greenwich to be used on closed roads in the surrounding areas. The trials are aimed at gauging public reaction, assessing security and insurance issues, and spurring competition in designs from various UK firms.

Though years of rigorous testing are likely still ahead before driverless cars become commercially available, some analysts predict the technology could greatly improve road safety, cut emissions, improve efficiency, and save motorists as much as six working weeks per year in driving time. Full Story...

SAP Unveils Next Generation of Enterprise Software with S/4HANA Release

Earlier this month, SAP announced the SAP Business Suite 4 SAP HANA, a next-generation business software suite designed to help customers run on a single, simple platform that connects people, devices, and business networks in real time, offering cloud, on-premise, and hybrid deployment options. The platform extends guided configuration for adoption, a modern user experience for all users across the enterprise and a simplified data model.

As part of a wide initiative to accelerate the transformation to new business models and modes of production, SAP CEO Bill McDermott spoke of his vision for the platform. "Today SAP is redefining the concept of enterprise resource planning for the 21st century," he said. "At a moment when businesses around the world need to enter new markets and engage with their customers in any channel, there's now an innovation platform designed to drive their growth."

In addition to the simplification of existing business processes, SAP's S/4HANA release will play an important part in accelerating the use of Big Data and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Read full press release...

Sustainability: The New Legacy for CEOs?

We've spoken a lot about the evolution of how sustainability is viewed within a manufacturing enterprise, how it is increasingly being seen as an important component in achieving Operational Excellence, and the rise (and effect) of designating an executive dedicated to sustainability initiatives. Ellen Weinreb, CEO of the sustainability recruiting firm Weinreb Group adds to this conversation at Greenbiz by looking at the very top of management and how long-term sustainability--a concept that as recently as 20 years ago was either unknown or derided by investors-- is now being viewed as an important part of CEO legacy within manufacturing.

According to PwC's 17th Annual Global CEO Survey, 40% of CEOs said that "social value" or "value for others" were accomplishments they wished to be remembered by. More at Greenbiz...

Why Regulated Industries Need Asset Performance Management Investments

While it's typically 24/7 process industries like oil & gas that are thought of as most in need of Asset Performance Management (APM) investments, there are strong cases for its adoption in several other industries as well, particularly in those with a strong regulatory component. As LNS Principal Analyst Dan Miklovic writes, an APM deployment can collect reporting requirements of the A&D industry like torque, temperature, and pressure, as they are typically already collected as part of an APM deployment. Direct linkages between Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) applications and APM solutions can track machine outages or issues to specific product runs while recording machine calibration data, which is critical in FDA and USDA regulated industries where product genealogy information is a requirement. Full post for more...