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Tushar Sahoo tushar@gecmediagroup.com
EDITOR
Sonal Chhibber Sonal@gecmediagroup.com
CO-FOUNDER & CEO
Ronak Samantaray ronak@gecmediagroup.com
GLOBAL HEAD, CONTENT AND STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
Anushree Dixit anushree@gecmediagroup.com
GROUP SALES HEAD Richa S richa@gecmediagroup.com
PROJECT LEAD
Jennefer Lorraine Mendoza jennefer@gecmediagroup.com
SALES AND ADVERTISING
Ronak Samantaray ronak@gecmediagroup.com Ph: + 971 555 120 490
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IT MANAGER
Vijay Bakshi
CREATIVE LEAD
Ajay Arya
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Rahul Arya
PRODUCTION, CIRCULATION, SUBSCRIPTIONS info@gecmediagroup.com
In this month’s lead feature, we look at the impact of digital technologies on manufacturing. There is no industry in business that has not been impacted by digital technologies. Inside manufacturing, we are seeing adoption and advanced implementation of solutions around cloud ERP, predictive analytics, IoT and industrial IoT, industrial robotic machinery, asset management and predictive services, AR and VR, and the digital twin model. Some of the industries’ top executives have shared their insights on this subject in the pages ahead.
In addition, spiralling carbon emissions and the possibility of reducing emissions through digital tools and solutions has given digital transformation a fresh impetus in the direction of ESG management.
Organisations need to balance profits, production and carbon intensity while minimising excess emissions. Businesses may also face challenges in reducing margin loss due to misaligned business and operating processes. A big concern is to reduce manual manufacturing execution processes and information silos that constrain performance.
Manufacturers need to innovate to remain competitive and build products faster, better, and cheaper. Digitisation of manufacturing can improve the ROI in production, maintenance, quality control, and supply chain.
Businesses, especially manufacturing companies need to adopt a process engineering approach to maintain the accuracy of planning models and troubleshoot operations. With 5G already a reality, organisations must plan to leverage AI, ML, and sensors to enhance real-time analytics capabilities and maximise production and predictive maintenance to increase uptime.
This will help in monitoring and tracking, data integration, and automation to improve plant efficiency and responsiveness. It will also help to collect real-time data from equipment and processes for insights into emissions, margin and yield.
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Organisations must also plan to adopt cloud services to become more agile and unlock transformational growth and disruption. Businesses must also adopt integrated safety and control systems to ensure that operational parameters and processes are optimally managed. Automation of quality inspection with fast, fully scalable Computer Vision solutions can also help improve accuracy and reduce cost.
Overall, business leaders and CISOs must also evaluate the cost and benefit of digitisation and develop a realistic budget for implementation and deployment. It is also important that they plan and coordinate to ensure that new technologies do not disrupt existing operations while integrating with legacy systems. They also need to ensure that employees have the knowledge and skills to operate the new digital systems.
Turn these pages for more about business transformation and its impact on industries, processes and operations.
Ramadan Kareem and best wishes for the holy month ahead of us.
Ronak Samantaray ronak@gecmediagroup.com
The goal of a retailer is to provide best possible shopping experience by reducing friction throughout the customer journey so customers can move seamlessly.
In 2023, the consumer is resilient. Travel is booming. Supply chains are improving. Shipping costs are moderating. The pandemic is easing. E-commerce marketplaces are accelerating. New online and in-store experiences are once again in focus. And in a recent study conducted with EnsembleIQ in partnership with AWS, 87% of retail technology leaders shared that they expect to maintain or increase technology budget spend in 2023.
Here are five trends to consider:
A retail media network is a form of advertising that allows retailers to monetise their first-party data to better serve consumers with more relevant offers as they shop in digital and physical stores and through email, SMS, for example.
Retail media is an attractive business opportunity for many retailers where they display brand ads in store or on apps and e-commerce sites, or shared via external channels such as social media platforms. This is an exciting space
to watch and one in which there may be plenty of innovation in the coming months.
Coresight Research estimates that the global retail media industry will total $75.1 billion in 2022, up 80.1% from 2021, making it one of the fastest-growing advertising channels. According to a survey conducted by McKinsey in June 2022, 82% of advertisers plan to increase their retail media spending in the next 12 months.
In the last 12-18 months, there has been a dramatic increase in new product and service offerings enabling a differentiated in-store physical shopping experience. We are in the early days of frictionless in-store retail experiences.
As technology investments in infrastructure bandwidth and computer vision continue to accelerate along with cloud capabilities linked to store systems, expect frictionless capabilities to advance quickly. New stores will be the focus where infrastructure can easily be installed prior to build-out.
In a recent study conducted with EnsembleIQ on immersive commerce, 77% of respondents indicated that they are familiar with immersive retail. In this study, immersive retail was defined as enhancement of consumer shopping experiences with technological features instore, example with augmented reality, interactive displays, virtual try-ons, 3D product previews.
l 82% of advertisers plan to increase their retail media spending in the next 12 months.
l As technology investments in infrastructure bandwidth and computer vision continue to accelerate expect frictionless capabilities to advance.
l New stores will be the focus where infrastructure can easily be installed prior to build-out.
l 92% of respondents in UAE indicated they would change their shopping behaviour if destinations had an experiential element.
l Supply chain remains #1 or #2 on executive priority.
l 87% of retail technology leaders expect to maintain or increase technology budget spend in 2023.
The consumer survey by Epson revealed that experientialism is crucial to changing shoppers’ behaviour and could even see them seek out more instore shopping if it offered an immersive experience. 92% of respondents in UAE indicated they would change their shopping behaviour if more shopping destinations had an experiential element, rising to 94% of Generation Z and 93% of Millennials.
The study also revealed that such experiences in retail stores would attract increased spending.
Coresight Research estimated that the value of retail sales in the metaverse and virtual stores to reach nearly $1B in 2030, with a significant early-adopter ramp between 2024-2026. Expect retailers to investigate and test in 2023.
A Customer Data Platform, CDP is a technology platform that creates a persistent, unified customer view, aka a single view of customer activity — customer 360. Data is pulled from multiple sources, cleaned, and combined to create a single customer profile.
The customer 360 and CDP topics are front and centre in retail as retailers define strategies to manage customer
data either with a centralised agency or bring back inhouse to manage as part of a broader loyalty offering. CDPs are powering new loyalty strategies, solutions, and programmes given the opportunity to know the customer, serve them where they stand, learn from them, and keep them engaged across channels and outlets. Expect the CDP solution focus to continue into 2023.
Retailers in 2023 will have the opportunity to use cost advantages in the supply chain. Retailers will also focus on supply chain resilience in 2023. Resilience is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties. Bottom line, supply chain remains #1 or #2 on executive priority.
To unlock the potential of digital commerce, retailers are seeking a fresh approach and this will require new technologies and a new digital architecture, largely leveraging modern cloud-based solutions and services.
The goal of every retailer is to provide the best possible shopping experience by reducing friction throughout the customer journey and merging traditionally distinct channels so customers can move seamlessly between them. This has long been the promise of omnichannel and it is key to building an agile and cost-effective digital commerce solution.
Adopting composable and headless apps, powered by microservices, helps retailers unify and personalise the shopper experience, reduce maintenance costs, and gain greater business agility and innovation at scale.
A light curve from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph shows the change in brightness from the LHS 475-star system as a planet transited the star on 31 August 2022. This observation was made using NIRSpec’s bright object time-series mode, which uses a grating to spread out light from a single bright object, like the star LHS 475. It measures the brightness of each wavelength of light at set intervals of time.
To capture the data, Webb monitored LHS 475-star system for almost 3 hours, beginning about 1.5 hours before the transit of the planet and ending about 30 minutes after the transit. The transit of the exo-planet itself lasted about 40 minutes. The curve shown here includes a total of 1,158 individual brightness measurements, one every nine seconds.
LHS 475b is a rocky, Earth-sized exoplanet that orbits a red dwarf star roughly 41 lightyears away in the constellation Octans. The planet is extremely close to its star, completing one orbit in two Earth-days. The presence of the planet was confirmed by Webb’s data.
GEC Media Group presented the first edition of ‘Women Leadership Symposium- Leading by Example’ on 3rd March’2023 at Seva Experience in Dubai in lieu of International Women’s Day which is celebrated on 8th March.
It was a significantly curated symposium for the leading women trailblazers in tech and business who have broken the cliché of gender bias and made their way to success and leadership and emerged as champions. These exemplary women love what they do and put not their minds, but also their hearts and soul into what they do.
The mission of the Women Leadership
Symposium- Leading by Example’ was to bring together a diverse mix of successful women leaders who, through the discussion of topics relevant to today’s issues, educate, inspire and encourage women to reflect on their own goals and as they strive to move higher in their organizations going beyond the concept of diversity, inclusion or gender equality.
l Women Leadership in 2023 and beyond.
l Remote VC In-office equilibriums.
l Wellness and Lifestyle Parameters.
l Mindful Decision Making.
l Creating in-roads for other women within organization.
THE EVENT WAS ATTENDED BY
l Women Entrepreneurs.
l C-level Women Leaders in IT and Business.
l Women in Marketing and Sales.
l Women leaders in HR & Finance.
SPEAKERS WERE
l Laura Ghita (MD Psychologist, Psychotherapist Women Corporate, SEVA)
l H.E. Mrs. Mubaraka Ibrahim (CIO, Emirates Health Services)
l Debbie Botha (Global Chief Partnership Officer, Women in AI)
l Seham El Behissy (Digital Transformation & New Mobility Expert.)
l Sheeba Hasnain (PMO & Digital Transformation Specialist, Sharjah Document Department)
l Veronica Alus (Founder at Alus)
l Maya Touati (Founder and CEO, launchbox UAE)
l Badreya AlMehairi (AVP Senior Manager - Data privacy- Information Security – Mashreq)
l Tais Djere (Founder and CEO, Erium)
l Sandy Bassil (Managing partner, LiTT)
l Riddhi Anilkumar (Sr. Regional Marketing & Distributor Marketing Manager Acronis)
l Dhwani Sejpal (Kyriba Practice Head, Finesse)
l Sweta Kanoria (Head of Digital Marketing & Communications, Enterprise Business, Huawei Middle East & Central Asia Region)
l Almudena Berzosa Peñaranda (Chief Transformation Officer at TQ Group)
l Loubna Imenchal (Head of Enterprise Business at Logitech Africa, Middle East, Turkiye, and Central Asia)
l Maya Zakhour (Channel Sales Director - MEA, Italy and Spain, NetApp
l Careen Dsouza (Head - Analytics & Information Technology, Dubai Holding Entertainment)
l Nigina Bender (Head of sales MENA. JABRA)
l Divya Singh (AI and Cybersecurity Consultant, CEH Information Security Analyst)
l Rasha Islim (Marketing Manager, Emitac)
l Dr. Laxmi Yaliwal (Specialist - Obstetrics and Gynaecology)
l Sukriti Kakkar (Senior Manager Marketing and Product Management, SHARP Middle East)
l Richa S (Group Sales Head, GEC Media Group)
l Anushree Dixit (Global Head - Content and strategic Alliances)
l Ines Ben Rejeb (Regional Business Development & Sales Manager, GEC Media Group)
TOPICS DISCUSSED WERE
l Women Changing dynamics of IT and how it impacts leadership
l How having a Woman’s mind and heart makes all the difference
l Women leadership and its impact
l Women Entrepreneurship
l There was a Lucky Draw by Zulekha Hospitals and Women Wellness Session by Dr Laxmi Yaliwal (Specialist - Obstetrics and Gynaecology), Zulekha Hospitals. Certifications and goody bags were given to the attendees and thereafter there was a networking opportunity and refreshments for the participants
OUR PARTNERS FOR THIS EVENT WERE
l Experience partner: SEVA
l Healthcare Partner: Zulekha Hospitals
l Knowledge Partner: LITT
l Sustainability Partner: Ecobee
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
l Soule and Soups
l Obagi Medi Spa
l The Soul Academy
l Global CIO Forum
l Global CISCO Forum
l GCMF
l IGOAI
THE EVENT WAS BROUGHT BY
l Enterprise Channels Mea
l Business Transformation
l Cyber Sentinels
l The Titans
THE EVENT WAS ORGANIZED BY The GEC Media Group
The vision of the Symposium was to develop a network of similar circles annually across the world and to be the go-to platform for women to be able to network, mentor and participate in professional development programs geared toward helping them rise in their careers. The Symposium had close to 60 attendees and was a big success. GEC Media Group was proud to organize such a phenomenal event and is honored that exceptional women participated in this event and had an amazing time connecting and networking with their counterparts and audience members. It was indeed a great step to encourage Women leaders and felicitate them on eve of International Women’s Day. More events like these will be arranged in the future to celebrate the success and achievements of women in the GCC region.
The exhibition at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre saw the participation of more than 1,353 companies from around the world and 132,507 visitors.
Under the patronage of His Highness
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the 16th edition of the International Defence Exhibition, IDEX 2023 and the 7th edition of the Maritime Defence Exhibition, NAVDEX 2023, organised by ADNEC Group in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence, was concluded. The exhibitions, which ran from 20 to 24 February at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, ADNEC, saw the participation of more than 1,353 companies
from around the world, and the visitor of around 132,507 visitors.
This year’s edition marked a historic achievement for the event, which is considered the most important defence exhibition in the world. The success of this year’s edition cemented the global position of IDEX & NAVDEX as the largest defence event in the world, marking another success story in the journey of the exhibition, which began nearly 30 years ago.
This year, the International Defence Conference
attracted more than 1,800 participants, with a growth rate of more than 25% compared to the previous session. The Conference included four panel sessions, which covered the social and economic impacts and risks of widespread adoption of new technologies, talent development and human capital management, the impact of emerging technologies on modern defence operations, and the latest technology trends. The Conference saw the participation of more than 17 speakers, including leaders, ministers, and senior officials in the defence sector from across the world.
This year’s edition witnessed features and initiatives that were held for the first time, which contributed to strengthening the position of the world’s most prominent event in the defence industry. In addition, nine new countries participated in the exhibition for the first time, which include, Uzbekistan, Ireland, Nigeria, Montenegro, Kuwait, Lithuania, Bangladesh, and Monaco.
Hall 13, with a total area of more than 2,200 square metres, was added to host new exhibitors this year. An additional hall that includes a dedicated startup area was also launched, with an area of more than 1,500 square metres to host more than 83 startups from 25 countries around the world, providing them with the opportunity to showcase their most prominent technologies and products.
Tawazun Council signed 10 deals, worth AED 2.7 billion, with local and international companies on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. This makes the cumulative value of the deals Tawazun Council signed on behalf of the Ministry of Defence
and Abu Dhabi Police so far AED 21.14 billion for 44 deals.
The announcement was made during a press conference held by Tawazun Council’s official Spokesmen Majed Ahmed Al Jaberi, Zayed Saeed Al Meraikhi and Saeed Al Mansoori, CEO of Capital Events, a subsidiary of ADNEC Group.
The total number of contracts Tawazun Council signed on behalf of the Ministry of Defence were 10 contracts with a total value of AED 2.7 billion. They include 6 contracts with local companies, with a total value of AED 1.2 billion, and 4 contracts signed with international companies with a total value of AED 1.5 billion.
The biggest local contractworth AED 902 million, was awarded to Norinco, through International Golden Group, to procure AR3 multiple launcher rocket system and in-country services. Another contract, worth AED 91 million, was signed with Edge Group’s subsidiary Earth to supply gun’s thermal camera.
A contract worth AED 53 million was signed with Tamalex International to provide vehicle’s technical support, maintenance and spare part supply services.
Three more contracts were signed with International Golden Group. A contract worth AED 65 million to procure thermo-camera and thermoscope, a contract worth AED 21 million to provide technical support services for SAP system and a contract worth AED 24 million to provide vessels’ communication system with technical support services and logistic services.
The international contracts announced included an AED 1.26 billion contract with France’s MBDA to procure MICA missiles and a contract worth AED 36 million with Italy’s Leonardo to procure C4I systems’ spare parts.
Also signed was an AED 79 million contract with the US company Harris International to provide technical support
and training services on C4I systems and a contract worth AED 165 million with US Kaman Precision Products to procure ammunition fuses.
EDGE, one of the world’s fastest growing and leading advanced technology and defence groups, concluded its participation at IDEX 2023, launching 14 new products, including 11 breakthrough autonomous and unmanned products and solutions, the signing of new contracts and deals worth AED 18.6 billion, of which AED 4 billion was in international export deals.
As the Strategic Partner, EDGE boasted the largest presence at the five-day event, garnering the attention of several royal delegations and dignitaries from around the world, including His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and other senior members of the UAE’s leadership, as well as other dignitaries, politicians, and prospective customers.
Major deals signed at the event included a landmark EUR 1 billion export deal with the Angolan Navy to build and export a fleet of bestin-class 71 metre corvettes, and major contracts worth over AED9 billion with the UAE Armed Forces for EDGE’s THUNDER and DESERT STING
25 Precision-Guided Munitions; SHADOW 25 and SHADOW 50, and HUNTER Loitering Munitions; and a contract valued at AED 4 billion to provide tactical communications and data-link solutions to
• The results consolidate the event’s position as the largest defence event in the world
• The visitor of this edition around 132,507 visitors
• Deals worth AED23.34b were signed during the event, more than 12% increase compared to the previous edition
• Increase in the number of exhibiting companies to reach 1,353 companies from 65 countries, and 41 country pavilions
• 216 national exhibitors, marking a 50% increase compared to the previous edition
• Participating official delegations exceeded 367 delegations from all around the world
• The International Defence Conference attracted more than 1,800 participants; a 25% increase compared to the previous edition
• Recorded 98% for visitor and exhibitor satisfaction and happiness
• The advanced infrastructure and excellent organisation have garnered international praise.
the UAE Armed Forces.
EDGE also signed over 20 agreements and joint ventures with several major industry players including Raytheon Emirates, ICOMM, John Cockerill, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, HAL, L3Harris, and Fincantieri, among others.
Also included on the EDGE stand were new companies in which it has recently acquired major shareholdings, including autonomous solutions specialist High Lander, Milrem Robotics, Europe’s leader in the fields of robotics and autonomous systems, in which EDGE has a controlling share, and Abu Dhabi-based GRADEONE Group, which specialises in providing military hardware, equipment, pyrotechnics, ammunition, and supplies to various military, law enforcement and rescue services.
Consequently, High Lander showcased their next-generation Universal UTM solution for UAVs, while Milrem Robotics presented the THeMIS and Multiscope unmanned ground vehicles, as well as the Type-X unmanned combat vehicle. n
Amongst the largest visible form factors at IDEX 2023 were drones or unmanned aerial vessels for various use cases including air drops, surveillance, attack, and stealth flying.
There were 40+ country pavilions at IDEX 2023 including those from Israel, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Azerbaijan.
The UAE’s EDGE, one of the world’s leading advanced technology and defence groups, has announced a strategic investment in High Lander, the company behind Universal UTM, a drone-agnostic unmanned traffic management solution which provides the automation,
coordination, and safety much needed in increasingly crowded skies.
The $14 million investment creates a ground-breaking partnership and is already forging ongoing deals and high-value opportunities in both the military and civilian domains between
some of the world’s biggest technology providers, as both companies progress along their respective roadmaps.
As part of its international growth strategy, EDGE, which comprises an impressive portfolio of 20 complementary companies, is placing a clear focus on the development of autonomous systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, smart weapons, and cyber technologies. The group is keen to further assist High Lander in developing its next-generation Universal UTM solution, which enables the safe coexistence of manned and unmanned aviation. EDGE aims to utilise Universal UTM in the management of autonomous operations.
KITMEK is revolutionising and reinventing the Future of Education by changing the way kids learn on a whole new level at the World’s First Interactive Digital School with AI teachers. The avatar based school is built on a gaming platform to keep the child engaged and motivated to learn more. With 3 years in the making and affordable at just $1 per month, it provides a World Class Global Curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 5 along with ExtraCurricular Interactive classes learning Phonics, Life skills, Communication skills and Financial Literacy that help in the holistic mental development of a child.
KITMEK has a Multi-lingual and Multisensory mode of teaching that provides 3D models to enhance a child’s learning experience with over 800+ exams, 18000+ questions, and 144+ unique exams designed in-house by a team of professional teachers and curriculum specialists.
KITMEK is available in the MENA region, it’s a click away and can be downloaded from the Android Play Store or Apple Store. It works on a basic smartphone and once downloaded children
will not need the internet to play.
KITMEK provides a barrier free self-motivating educational platform that rewards coins to kids while learning and uses them in shopping and entertainment zones. KITMEK provides a Shopping Mall to customise a child’s Avatar, a Gaming Plaza, Music Concert to enjoy and buy dance moves and a massive Amusement Park for fun rides. There are no ads or any external influence on kids. It’s 100% safe for all age groups.
In case a child’s parent cannot afford the $1, they can enroll for KITMEK’s free education programme service by getting listed on the website where anyone can sponsor their $1 and give the gift of education. KITMEK will give them a detailed report card of the child to ensure the money is making a difference in the child’s life. This opens immense possibilities where the platform directly connects underprivileged children to a sponsor.
KITMEKlaunches
avatar based interactive digital school at $1 per month in MENA
Terra Drone, a drone and Urban Air Mobility technology provider, has raised $14 million in funding from Wa’ed Ventures, the venture capital arm of the biggest oil producer in the world, Aramco. With this financing, Terra Drone will set up a new subsidiary in Saudi Arabia, Terra Drone Arabia, in line with the Saudi government’s Vision 2030.
First announced in 2016, the Vision 2030 reform plan aims to stimulate economic transformation in Saudi Arabia by reducing the country’s
dependence on hydrocarbons. Technology is at the heart of this initiative and the Saudi government is focusing its efforts to promote the use of drones in services such as asset inspections. Wa’ed Ventures was founded in 2013 and specialises in fostering innovation by investing in startups to develop the Saudi Arabian economy. This is the first time Wa’ed Ventures is investing in an Asian startup, which is a testament to Terra Drone’s vision, state-ofthe-art digital solutions, and
cutting-edge drone technologies. Terra Drone will support a new subsidiary by taking advantage of whole business experiences of Terra Drone in Global, No.1 drone solution provider in the world in the fields of survey, inspection and unmanned traffic management, UTM.
With the establishment of Terra Drone Arabia. Terra drone will provide oil-gas inspection services, The new subsidiary will also help Terra Drone, which is counted among the top two drone service providers in the world, to further its expansion globally. At present, Terra Drone provides drone and UAM solutions in 10 countries across the world.
Unifly is the leading UTM technology provider in the world, having strong presence in Europe and North America. Terra Drone is the largest shareholder of Unifly. The new subsidiary Terra Drone Arabia will further promote drone inspections to support the Saudi economy, ensure safe and efficient UAM in the country, and invest in the growth of both verticals.
both goods-to-person picking and order sorting processes are deployed in a new facility covering over 400,000 ft2, with storage capacity for over 12 million units.
The Associate Director of Starlinks Gary Grummitt, left, and The Managing Director of EMEA at Geek+, Brian Lee, right attended the strategic partnership signing ceremony.
Geek+, the global leader in
mobile robots for logistics, and Starlinks, a leading logistics and supply chain solutions provider in Saudi Arabia, announce the opening of the first robotic fulfilment center in Saudi Arabia. Over 250 Geek+ robots, covering
Starlinks provides direct and smooth integration with Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, OpenCart, Amazon, eBay, and more than 60 other platforms through direct APIs. The Company is the first in the region to offer a hybrid picking solution that allows humans and machines to co-deliver a worldclass efficiency manual picking operation, thereby leading to an unrivalled solution for e-commerce fulfilment.
Under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, ARASCA Medical Equipment Trading, the leading UAE-based provider of prehospital medical equipment, has officially launched the world’s first and only revolutionary mixed reality, MR ambulance simulation technology to demonstrate and train responders in any critical environment or scenario.
The mixed reality ambulance technology, which has been in development for over two
years, allows paramedics and Emergency Medical Services, EMS caretakers in the United Arab Emirates, UAE to experience what it is like to respond to an emergency in an actual ambulance rigged with machines to simulate every bump or turn in the road, changing weather conditions, traffic, or different cities, all at the touch of a button. The innovative technology features unmatched motion and vibration simulation, allowing for a real-world feeling of emergency transportation, where healthcare professionals can navigate through an ambulance, interact
The DataFlow Group has reported a 34% increase in the number of healthcare applicants seeking roles in the UAE in 2022, demonstrating the country’s resilience and continued focus on establishing itself as a global healthcare hub. This increase makes the UAE one of the top countries in terms of healthcare candidate applications in the GCC, which saw a 29% increase in applicants during the same period.
The DataFlow Group provides primary source verification services and authenticates important employment
documents including academic degrees, employment certificates, professional licenses, work permits and passports, through its global network of over 160,000 universities, licensing bodies, and issuing authorities for healthcare talent.
According to The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, the number of medical professionals in the UAE has increased by 36% over the past ten years. Despite this significant increase, there is still demand for healthcare professionals in the UAE to support the growing number of hospitals, clinics,
with the equipment, and respond to simulated emergencies creating an environment for healthcare workers to experience the various tasks needed to be completed to respond to an emergency. The opportunities for training are endless, as any environment or challenging scenario can be created. It also promotes communication with other emergency divisions, such as the police, military and civil defence, allowing them to train together. The system also promotes preparedness and provides instant feedback. A special command station can record and evaluate, and all features can be upgraded and customised for differing department needs.
The unveiling of the new technology follows His Highness
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s aim to create the world’s best healthcare sector. In line with this vision, ARASCA continues to contribute by developing and launching various products and services to achieve the goal.
pharmacies and other healthcare facilities.
The International Trade Administration reports that almost 70% of the UAE’s 4,000 healthcare facilities are internationally accredited. In line with the UAE Vision 2040, this number will increase to further position the country as a global medical hub, as will the number of healthcare professionals to work in them.
Flat6Labs, in partnership with DisruptAD, the venture platform of ADQ, unveiled the 10 new start-ups that have been selected for the fourth cycle of the flagship Flat6Labs Ignite program. These organisations, which were picked after a comprehensive selection process involving over 960 applicants from across the world, will now
look to leverage the seed funding and world-class mentorship provided by the program to drive disruptive change in the region and beyond.
Launched in March 2021 as a partnership between DisruptAD and Flat6Labs, Flat6Labs Ignite is a specialised seed program committed to supporting startups in Abu Dhabi. Since Flat6Labs
International strengthens historic partnership with IVECO by codeveloping fluids for IVECO’s new zero-emission eDAILY vehicles, designed to maximise performance and enhance sustainable solutions for the commercial automotive industry.
The long-standing collaboration between the two
industry leaders, grounded in automotive innovation and resilience since 1975, has resulted in thousands of hours of co-engineering, producing the highest-quality standard of lubricants to meet the needs of IVECO drivers. The new fluids demonstrate both PLI and IVECO’s common goal towards achieving a sustainable future.
reinstated its seed program in Abu Dhabi in mid-2021, they have gone on to make investments into 37 start-ups with total funding of an impressive AED 33 million.
In keeping with the overarching objective of the Flat6Labs Ignite program, a common trait shared by each of the newly selected start-ups is their focus on leveraging technology to drive disruptive change in their respective market segments. Of the set, seven are homegrown in the UAE, while the others were founded in Spain, the USA and Bahrain. As with previous cohorts and aligning with the government’s efforts to establish the Capital as a global entrepreneurial hub and centre for innovation, the three international organisations will now relocate their founders, leadership teams and core operations to Abu Dhabi.
Described to be the ‘electric twin’ of IVECO’s iconic ‘Daily’ vehicles, the eDAILY covers all commercial vehicle usage applications –including heavy-duty missions and conversions. The new EV represents a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of transport vehicles for commercial use, backed by fluids that improve performance to make vehicles last longer.
PETRONAS Iona Integra Plus has been developed for the eDAILYs e-Transfer box, specifically designed to reduce churning losses, whilst ensuring the durability of the system. This is comparable to higher viscosities in standard fluids and ensures excellent oxidation properties, even in the case of high temperatures. PETRONAS Iona delivers impeccable optimised performance and durability for modern-day, high-level EVs.
Recently, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center paid a visit to its founding partner, The BEEAH Group, at their headquarters. This visit, led by Sheraa CEO Najla Al Midfa and BEEAH GCEO Khaled Al Huraimel, aimed to strengthen the organisations’ long-standing partnership and advance sustainability-focused innovation.
For years, Sheraa and BEEAH have been at the forefront of fostering advancements in sustainability and environmental solutions, as well as supporting sustainable entrepreneurship. Their partnership is founded on the belief that by working together, they can create and
support startups that drive innovation and job creation in Sharjah and the surrounding region. The organisations’ partnership focuses on fostering innovation and creating value in areas such as waste management, clean energy, and sustainable living, aligning with Sheraa’s mission to enhance the entrepreneurial landscape in Sharjah and the nation.
Located at the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park, Sheraa inspires a thriving community of aspiring changemakers. BEEAH, in turn, often collaborates with Sheraa to identify and support startups in the sustainability sector. The recent visit between Sheraa
and BEEAH emphasised the organisations’ long-standing commitment to driving innovation in sustainability.
As the partnership continues to position Sharjah as a hub for startups, Sheraa and BEEAH are refining their growth strategy and expanding both geographically and programmatically. This includes offering a soft-landing program for startups from the region to establish a presence in Sharjah. The program will provide startups with the resources and support they need to succeed, including access to mentorship, funding, and other important resources.
This visit between Sheraa and BEEAH is a testament to the organisations’ commitment to sustainability and entrepreneurship, and a clear signal of their ongoing dedication to creating a better future for all. As they continue to grow and evolve, Sheraa and BEEAH remain steadfast in their efforts to drive innovation and create a more sustainable world. collaborate in areas including mobility, food, health, and climate action.
They will also promote knowledge sharing by providing Hub71’s existing start-ups access to Masdar City’s corporate tenants and partners and explore incentives to help these companies establish permanent roots in the UAE. The agreement also names Hub71 Masdar City’s official startup ecosystem partner.
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable urban community and innovation hub, has strengthened ties with Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, to promote opportunities for clean tech and climate tech start-ups focused on sustainability.
Further to a memorandum of understanding signed at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the two entities will identify opportunities to
Hub71 has supported over 200 start-ups that have collectively raised more than US$1 billion in funds since its launch in 2019. It recently onboarded another 20 startups from six countries operating in different strategic sectors.
TONOMUS, the cognitive multinational conglomerate and the first company to be established as a full-fledged subsidiary of NEOM, announced the launch of the second venture competition by its TONOMUS Venture Studio.
Titled ‘The Next Billion’, the new initiative invites participants to consider the new technologies and innovation that an additional billion people in the world’s population might require in order to spark and sustain growth across key industries, verticals such as energy, food and mobility.
The competition is seeking to source ideas and ventures from a range of sectors that will help develop cognitive cities, which anticipate and resolve any challenges even before they occur, personalising solutions and making the most of our
planet’s limited resources based on the collection and utilisation of data authorised by residents TONOMUS’ venture building and investing engine is tasked with developing disruptive, sustainable, Silicon Valleymodelled solutions to power NEOM’s sectors and ecosystem of cognitive technologies.
Led by industry veteran and changemaker Beverly Rider, TONOMUS Venture Studio comprises both established and emerging entrepreneurs, VCs and C-suite executives. It aims to cement NEOM’s reputation as the epicenter of innovation, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a place where the world’s brightest minds and top tech talent can bring their ideas to life.
With the ability to interpret and map future needs, an ecosystem of cognitive technologies will truly make a
GE HealthCare, a leading global medical technology and digital solutions innovator, signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s My Clinic, one of the largest outpatient providers in the Kingdom, to equip its upcoming facility in Riyadh with a suite of advanced precision diagnostic and imaging solutions.
GE HealthCare and My Clinic have been working closely on digital solutions that can help transform their Cardiology operations. Through the Centricity Cardio Enterprise solution, that is tailor-made to the needs and unique dynamic of the Cardiology department, clinicians can leverage cutting-edge digital tools to reduce the time spent on administrative tasks and more time on what matters most to the patient.
In addition to a full two-year warranty, My Clinic Riyadh benefits from an extended 5-year warranty for all the equipment as GE HealthCare elevates
difference in people’s lives and add unprecedented value to the human experience. It moves data and decision making closer to the user and seamlessly integrates predictive, proactive solutions into everyday life.
The announcement comes on the heels of TONOMUS’ Metaverse New Venture Competition in January, which was focused on unlocking the true promise of the metaverse, while seamlessly integrating the physical and virtual worlds across a broad range of industries – from tourism, enterprise training, e-commerce and real estate, to construction, arts and culture, entertainment, and more.
Through this agreement, My Clinic will have access to GE Healthcare’s latest solutions. This includes the MRI scanner imaging solution, which delivers premium imaging performance with a low running cost; the latest high-performing, reliable CT, designed to maximise every step of the workflow; a powerful remote imaging system that maximises efficiency from pre- to post-scan; and a Bone Densitometer that provides precise data on soft tissue and bone composition, including bonemineral density.
(Left to right) Fehr Nazer the Managing Director of My Clinic and Hady El Khoury, Regional General Manager MENEAT for GE HealthCare.Launched at Davos during the World Economic Forum week, the Universal Digital Payments Network is a DLT-underpinned messaging backbone focused on providing interoperability between the fast-growing number of different regulated stablecoins and CBDCs, and seamless connectivity between any business IT system and regulated digital currencies.
At the Davos launch event, representatives from leading global financial institutions Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, The Bank of East
The Government of Sharjah presents NFT plaques using SBT technology to recognise their support at GITEX Global 2022, making history as the world’s first to implement this technology in honoring their partners.
The Higher Committee of the Government of Sharjah at GITEX Global 2022 honoured participants, supporting entities, departments, and media outlets for their contribution to the success of Sharjah’s participation in the global event. Sheikh Saud
Asia, and Akbank discussed the rapidly evolving world of digital currency, the importance of interoperability, and the need for an infrastructure to support these developments.
The UDPN has the potential to drive down the cost of digital payments and accelerate adoption by banks and businesses of all sizes.
Over two years in development, the UDPN is an advanced digital currency payments project that has achieved several significant milestones to date, including the launch of a UDPN Sandbox in
July last year, in which multiple banks have been actively testing stablecoin transfer and swap transactions. A number of global Tier 1 banks will participate in a series of Use Case POCs this month which will demonstrate how the UDPN will solve the current and future challenges of integrating digital currency into daily business, banking, and payment scenarios.
The first two POCs will involve two global banks testing UDPN’s digital currency cross-border transfer and swap transaction capabilities, and also how the critical Travel Rule can be easily implemented on the UDPN between two financial institutions for anonymous stablecoin transfers.
The network was developed with contributions from global IT engineering and solutions provider GFT, decentralised cloud infrastructure company Red Date Technology, and TOKO, the digital asset creation engine delivered in collaboration with DLA Piper.
bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Higher Committee for the Government of Sharjah at GITEX Technology Week 2022 and Director of the Sharjah Digital Office, gifted the supporting entities non-fungible tokens in the form of digital trophies using Soulbound Tokens, replacing physical appreciation plaques and marking a global-first for
The Government of Sharjah presents NFT plaques using SBT technology to recognise their support at GITEX Global 2022, making history as the world’s first to implement this technology in honoring their partners.
the emirate. The trophies will be stored in a digital ledger whose identity can be verified via the blockchain system.
SBTs are digital identity tokens signifying traits, features, and achievements that make up a person or entity. SBTs are issued by ‘Souls,’ representing blockchain accounts or wallets, and cannot be transferred or sold.
Gaming enthusiasts are discovering the joy of playing on Samsung TVs at the new Game Space video gaming lounge at Dubai International. Samsung Gulf Electronics has partnered with Game Space to equip the one-of-a-kind lounge with 15 Neo QLED 4K Smart TVs, providing an uber-cool gaming experience for travellers.
The intensive nature of gaming demands the highest quality TVs. The best gaming TVs deliver low latency, very high refresh rate and high dynamic range. Samsung’s proprietary Motion Xcelerator Turbo Pro along with the 4k 144Hz display, delivers exemplary performance, crisp visuals and blazingfast speeds. Furthermore, the certified AMD FreeSync Premium Pro core technology reduces stutter and screen tearing, leading to a smooth gaming experience.
The TVs come with Quantum Matrix Technology that delivers accurate light control, allowing users to enjoy great detail in both the darkest and brightest scenes. And In addition, Samsung’s new top channel speakers built on Dolby Atmos technology will immerse gamers with multi-dimensional sound.
Game Space, launched in November 2022 at Dubai Airport Family Zone in Terminal 3B gates, is the region’s first airport gaming lounge concept. The unique space aims to enhance travellers experience as an alternative to the normal preflight routine at the world’s busiest international airport. The space features 40 game stations, both PCs and consoles, with the latter boasting 50″ screens and side-by-side seating for either solo or multi-player gaming.
With leading game titles available, Game Space caters to diverse gaming needs. Game Space is accessible to all passengers for a fee or through Priority Pass 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It offers a variety of packages to travellers, from 30 minutes to unlimited hours daily.
The global technology, software and engineering powerhouse Emerson will build a state-of-the-art innovation and manufacturing hub at the King Salman Energy Park in Saudi Arabia, further expanding Emerson’s local capabilities. The facility will be one of the largest investments in the Middle East and Africa region for the company.
The facility, which is slated to open by December 2024, will provide industrial customers in the region with services for control systems engineering, staging and testing, manufacturing of differential pressure transmitters and control valves, pressure relief valve assembly and solenoid valve assembly.
The project demonstrates Emerson’s continued commitment to its customers and stakeholders in Saudi Arabia as the company prepares for rapid local manufacturing expansion in the region. The new facility will be developed in accordance with the environmental sustainability principles to support the company’s net zero emission goals, while also adhering to SPARK’s environmental sustainability standards.
Emerson’s construction of an innovation and manufacturing hub at SPARK aligns with Saudi Arabia’s ‘Saudi Vision 2030,’ a strategic framework to promote local content and improve localisation. The Saudi government’s initiatives are designed to reduce the country’s reliance on imports, while supporting the development of domestic capabilities in a range of sectors, including manufacturing, technology and services.
stc Group, a digital enabler in the Middle East and Africa region, and Omnispace, the company redefining mobile connectivity for the 21st century, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to develop space-based 5G mobile communications voice and data services. stc will leverage the Omnispace 3GPP-compliant nonterrestrial network, offering t cost-effective global connectivity beyond its existing cellular land-based network.
The initiative would expand stc’s coverage areas to include underserved regions, offering customers seamless, direct-to-device, 5G mobile communications connectivity across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Lamda Development has broken ground in Athens with piling work now underway at the iconic The Riviera Tower, Greece’s tallest building and first ever skyscraper, set to complete by March 2026. The 200-metre Riviera Tower is just one highlight of The Ellinikon, one of the largest, most ambitious urban regeneration projects in the world.
A 6.2 million sqm, sustainable, masterplanned smart city on the grounds of Athens’ old international airport, the project is setting a new global standard for resilient urban design, smart living and ESG-aligned investment growth opportunities, nearly doubling the amount of green
space in the Athens Metropolitan Area and bringing significant economic development.
A true 15-minute city built from the ground up, The Ellinikon will deliver residential, commercial, leisure, retail, dining, entertainment, education, and athletics offerings making this Europe’s most innovative and exciting destination for locals and international visitors alike.
Designed by Foster + Partners, the Riviera Tower will feature a collection of one-to-five-bedroom residences and penthouses, offering residents spectacular views as well as easy access to the beach and the 310-berth marina.
Also in high demand are The Ellinikon’s residential products, which are unlike anything else in Greece and range from green, techpowered high-rise luxury units to bespoke seaside villas and trendy, modern parkside residences set alongside lush greenery. Interest has been unprecedented in Greece since it launched locally, with first residential products brought to market already selling out, totalling a €1.1 billion buyer commitment. Lamda Development plans to bring further residential offerings to the international market soon.
Poised to become a global model for economic development and sustainable design, The Ellinikon will usher in a new era of smart city living and contribute to the global need for ground-up, environmentally conscious development and a commitment to creating accessible, inclusive, and green spaces.
Beyond ONE, a newly formed subsidiary of private global investment company Priora Management Holding Dubai, announced the acquisition of Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa, the region’s largest mobile virtual network operator, with active operations under its Virgin Mobile and Friendi Mobile brands in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Kuwait.
The deal is the first for Beyond ONE, a technology, media, telecommunications sector investment and operations company established in 2021 in Dubai, as well as the first foreign ownership transaction to be approved under the 2021 Royal Decree sanctioning foreign direct investment and full ownership
of organisations in a number of sectors within the Kingdom. Equity funded by Priora Management Holding Dubai, owned by Swiss businessman Remo Stoffel, and Beyond ONE Group CEO Markus Tagger, Beyond ONE intends to become a leading digital services provider radically reshaping consumers’ interaction with technology in growth markets around the world. The investment strategy and operational management of the company is led by a team of seasoned international industry executives.
VMMEA, a pioneer MVNO in the Middle East has enjoyed considerable success since it was founded in 2006, today serving more than three million users
Markus Tagger, Chief Executive Officer, Beyond ONE.
in multiple GCC countries and operating a profitable, industryleading digital communication platform for both its Virgin Mobile and Friendi Mobile operations. The deal sees Virgin Group invest alongside Beyond ONE, retaining a minority stake in the company and a seat on the board.
The acquisition signals confidence in the continued growth potential of the TMTsector in the region and reiterates latest insights on global M&A activity for the sector.
Presight AI, a G42 company, and the region’s international leader in Big Data Analytics powered by AI, has signed an MOU with G42 Healthcare, the leading AI health-tech company based in Abu Dhabi, to develop a foundational big data model. Leveraging Presight’s omni-analytics platform and G42 Healthcare’s in-depth knowledge and expertise in the health industry, the collaboration will result in the exploration of population health management, wellness and performance data prediction, and time-sequenced events and behavioural analysis prediction.
The new collaboration will transform the analytical capability of both government entities and hospitals, improving record collection and understanding advanced digitised processes, such as optical character recognition and natural language processing used in the healthcare industry. This eases administrative practices, improves data accuracy, and reduces manual data entry. Additionally, machine-learning-based models will help unlock insights about patient demographics,
health issues, diagnoses, and hospital and clinic resource utilisation.
By combining data collected from smartwatches, wristbands, and advanced omics applications, organisations will advance personal health analytics with the goal of improving the early detection of health issues and provide recommendations on necessary dietary methods, sleeping schedules, and exercise plans for optimal health. In addition, the collaboration between Presight and G42 Healthcare will provide a wellness and performance management platform for athletes, guiding their dietary and training programs to enhance physical performance.
du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, and Etisalat UAE, branded as etisalat e& announced the signing of a Master Developer Agreement with UAE-based Aldar Properties. Through the new partnership, both service providers will deliver essential telecommunications infrastructure for the developer’s major projects in line with the Taawun infrastructure deployment initiative.
Taawun, a joint initiative to support the long-term vision of the government in developing smart infrastructure, gives customers an opportunity to select their operator of choice for telecom services. It is key to establishing a robust telecom infrastructure for property developers by deploying advanced fibre-optic and passive telecom solutions that are best-in-class and future-proof.
Under the agreement, du and Etisalat will install, maintain, and oversee state-of-theart fixed telecom services and solutions across Aldar Properties’ projects in Abu Dhabi’s most
desirable destinations, including Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Al Raha and Reem Island as well as government housing and infrastructure projects.
Through the development of advanced telecom infrastructure, Aldar residents will be able to choose their own service provider and have access to the latest fibre-optics and advanced 5G communication solutions. This will help transform these communities into smart, sustainable, and high-quality-of-life areas for their residents with modern ways of living.
Residents in integrated communities developed by Aldar Properties will now have the option to choose a retail telecom operator of their choice and the arrangement will further support the UAE government’s long-term vision to develop smart infrastructure and establishing a robust telecom sector for master developers and ensure a high quality of life for all.
du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, has become world’s first Field Test Qualified Operator of the Global Certification Forum to deploy 5G common core network. du is committed to creating growth and opportunities for the UAE, support enterprises to fulfil their business needs by leveraging its 5G network and enable advanced communication services for customers.
By achieving this key milestone, du aims to play a key role in the digital agenda of the UAE and ensure that 5G technology takes the country’s tech-driven transformation to the next level. It is committed
to providing “A network that gets you” in terms of customers’ network needs, whether it’s an enterprise or an individual. The telco continues to extend its 5G coverage throughout the UAE so customers can enjoy the experience and all the use cases it supports. Its deployment of 5G networks in 2022 progressed at the fastest rate since 2021, reaching 94% population coverage by the end of the year.
Further, du introduced 5G innovations that empower key entities in their respective digital transformation journeys and improve national infrastructure, including those that empower people, build better communities,
and support the National Agenda and other strategic roadmaps such as UAE Digital Government Strategy 2025. It continues to be a pioneer in 5G and network solutions – transforming individuals’ lives and businesses by delivering the best network experiences across the UAE and exploring new use cases to empower a digital transformation that will benefit the various economic and social sectors within the UAE.
(Left to right) Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO of du; Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, CEO of etisalat by e& and Adel Abdulla Albreiki, CEO of Aldar Projects. du receives Field Test Qualified Operator status to deploy 5G common core networkA look at the primary trends around digitisation and automation of manufacturing.
Today’s industrial organisations have access to more information than ever before, but struggle to gather data from disparate sources to enable key business processes that help meet sustainability and operational excellence goals. This can prove challenging when embarking on a digitalisation journey to improve production performance, impacting the organisation’s ability to balance profits, production and carbon intensity while minimising excess energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions.
Organisations may also face challenges in
reducing margin loss due to misaligned business and operating processes, and keeping processes from drifting outside of optimal operating ranges. Another big concern is to reduce manual manufacturing execution processes and information silos that constrain performance.
Digitisation of manufacturing can improve the return on investments or ROI in areas such as production, maintenance, quality control, and supply chain. It can increase energy efficiency, reduce waste and downtime, lower inventory costs, and provide real-time data for informed decisionmaking.
AspenTech helps reduce the gap between planning and operation, maximising profitability and reducing energy consumption.
AspenTech provides a production optimisation solution that closes the gap between planning and operations to maximise profitability and reduce energy consumption. The company focuses on key business processes that drive significant improvements in production.
l Process Engineering models maintain the accuracy of planning models and troubleshoot operations.
l Economic Planning and Scheduling optimises tradeoffs between production, profit and emissions, including feedstock selection, production planning, scheduling and blending.
l Advanced Control and Optimisation maximise throughput and yield while reducing product quality variability, energy consumption and emissions.
l Operations Performance Management for process monitoring and yield accounting.
l Adopt a process engineering approach to maintain the accuracy of planning models and troubleshoot operations.
l Get sensors, instruments and analysers to collect real-time data from equipment and processes for insights into emissions, margin and yield.
l Use the digital twin of the asset to optimise capabilities and improve resource efficiency in process operations.
l Maintenance and Reliability predict potential breakdowns to avoid unplanned shutdowns. The company’s production optimisation solution relies on data from a variety of systems and hardware to enable key business processes that optimise production processes, increase efficiency, and ensure quality control.
Sensors, instruments and analysers collect real-time data from manufacturing equipment and processes, providing insights for the optimisation of emissions, margin and yield. Its software integrates with automation systems, such as Distributed Control Systems to
provide real-time data and control of manufacturing processes. In addition to data historians and manufacturing execution systems, which AspenTech provides, common data sources also include Enterprise Resource Planning systems and laboratory information management systems.
AspenTech’s integrated production optimisation solution also reduces margin loss, energy usage and carbon emissions while it improves performance and production agility, and maintains optimal operating conditions. For a mid-sized refinery of 200 KBPD capacity, this equates to a value of more than $100 Million in margin improvement and 10% emissions reduction.
Emissions reduction is accelerated by digital solutions that provide visibility and insight and can help reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. Applications ranging from a digital twin of the asset to optimisation capabilities improve resource efficiency in process operations and identify the maximum potential reduction in emissions.
The benefits of digital solutions for emissions management include clear visibility of emissions across sites and enterprises, optimisation across emissions, margin and yield objectives, and improvement in emissions reporting speed, accuracy and context. It also helps find and reduce the largest emission sources to meet targets and predict and avoid exceeding carbon dioxide allowance and taxes. n
For manufacturers looking for innovative solutions to generate new revenue streams, reinvent supply chains and optimise operations, AWS offers comprehensive cloud services and AWS Solutions, an extensive partner network, and the highest standards for privacy and data security to enable cutting-edge automation, Machine Learning or ML, the Internet of Things, robotics, and analytics.
AWS’ industrial experience helps manufacturing companies transform their business using their valuable operations data to provide new insights to optimise productivity, quality, machine availability, and sustainability. All the services are built on AWS and available for customers to use in their cloud transformation.
To make it easier for customers to transform their manufacturing operations in the cloud, the
company introduced AWS for Industrial in 2020. The initiative features new and existing services and solutions from AWS and the AWS Partner Network or APN, built specifically for developers, engineers, and operators at industrial sites. AWS solutions include reference architectures, AWS CloudFormation templates, deployment guides, and Quick Starts to help customers speed deploy their applications. Many of these services can operate both from a cloud and an edge environment.
The difficult part of manufacturing is the number of variables at play. At the software and data level, there are more than 350 different protocols used in the industry. These are built into machines and feed into siloed software stacks. With AWS solutions, it is possible to connect to these different protocols and normalise the data at the point of creation, analyse it in a single instance and start
AWS can help manufacturing companies evolve their business models by using valuable operational data and providing new insights.l Leverage ML and AI to enhance real-time analytics capabilities and maximise production and predictive maintenance to increase uptime.
l Automate quality inspection with fast, fully scalable Computer Vision solutions to improve accuracy and reduce cost.
l Adopt Cloud services to drive innovation and agility needed to unlock transformational growth and disruption.
building upon new insights. Another complex issue in manufacturing is the average machine age, which is just over 20 years. This means there is an incredible amount of analogue machinery with no data sources to tap into. With these types of machines, AWS works with many of its partners to layer technology onto these machines to bring data and insights where they may not have had this capability before. Amazon Monitron is an example of how this is done. AWS developed a low-cost vibration and temperature sensor for rotating equipment.
Leading manufacturers work with AWS to reduce costs, speed time to market, optimise production, meet sustainability objectives, and create new revenue streams across five common solution areas. These align with their highest-priority use cases like engineering and design, smart manufacturing, supply chain, sustainability, and smart products and services. In smart manufacturing, for instance, to remain competitive, manufacturers need to maximise productivity, asset availability, product quality, and worker safety, ideally while lowering costs. To do this, they access disparate plant data from their Operational Technology systems using AWS services to gain new insights to improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness.
Manufacturers can leverage ML and artificial intelligence to enhance realtime analytics capabilities to maximise production and enable predictive maintenance to increase uptime. More than ever, manufacturers focus on quality to maintain
brand reputation, satisfy their customers, and manage costs. AWS can help manufacturers customise and automate quality inspection with fast, fully scalable Computer Vision solutions to improve accuracy and reduce cost.
Most manufacturers recognise the need for new technologies to meet these customer demands and get to market faster. Additionally, they need to innovate to remain competitive and build products faster, better, and cheaper. The pandemic and economic environment have added significant pressure to keep production and supply chains moving to meet demand. This rapid pace of change created a renewed spotlight on business agility and digital maturity. Cloud services can enable the innovation and agility needed to unlock transformational growth and disruption.
AWS has vast experience driving digital transformation with leading manufacturing companies and a deep history of developing industrial solutions. n
YASSER HASSAN
Managing DirectorCommercial Sector, MENAT, AWS.
Manufacturers need to innovate to remain competitive and build products faster, better, and cheaper
Digital transformation or the application of digital solutions is aimed at unlocking efficiencies in existing operational processes and achieving overall business objectives around efficiency and profitability. This is where Emerson’s sensing technologies are helping customers. It enables organisations to measure critical operational variables across their plant, while its integrated safety and control systems ensure that operational parameters and processes are optimally managed for the highest levels of safety, throughput, and efficiency.
Emerson’s software and automation technology portfolio is at the centre of innovation and disruption in all areas where automation is deployed from the process and hybrid industries to discrete industries. This is well rooted in the company’s purpose of driving innovation that makes the world healthier, safer, smarter, and more sustainable.
Over the past few decades, Emerson has grown to become one of the largest manufacturing
automation companies by footprint in the Middle East and Africa region. It has the widest range of automation technologies, from control and safety systems to measurement instrumentation, flow control valves and instrument valves.
The control and safety valves ensure that processes are within operating limits. The asset management portfolio has a slew of monitoring and diagnostic technologies that help measure the performance and reliability of critical and essential assets, identifying problems before they occur and helping operators take a more predictive and proactive maintenance approach.
Emerson’s ecosystem of business applications and hardware required to support manufacturing solutions is comprehensive and includes a range of products and services that work together to provide a complete solution. One key offering is the Plantweb Digital Ecosystem. It is a scalable and secure portfolio of transformational technologies, software, and services that drive real performance improvement in the areas of production, reliability, safety, and sustainability.
Its vast industry experience is helping Emerson drive innovation and automation to make manufacturing safer, smarter, and more sustainable.
Vice President, Northern Region - Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, Emerson Automation Solutions.
The ecosystem combines Emerson’s deep industry expertise and experience with the strength of the Automation Solutions Portfolio. It includes smart sensing technologies that leverage wireless communication networks and collect operational data that was previously not accessible to operators. Once collected operational data can be used in several ways.
From an asset reliability standpoint, Plantweb Insight and Asset Management Solutions help customers extract the highest levels of performance and reliability from critical assets. Emerson’s Plantweb Optics solution can even distribute critical asset diagnostic information across different plant operator personas to speed up operational and maintenance workflows.
l Use integrated safety and control systems to ensure that operational parameters and processes are optimally managed.
l Implement solutions such as real-time monitoring and tracking, data integration, and automation to improve plant efficiency and responsiveness.
l Deploy sensors and automated data collection systems to track quality and compliance, and identify and reduce energy consumption.
From a contextualisation standpoint, operational data is organised and made suitable for data science applications like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. This helps in getting insights that help in improving operational performance.
Common challenges in implementing and deploying digital solutions in manufacturing include integration with existing systems, data management and security, change management, lack of skilled workforce, high cost, lack of standardisation, and cybersecurity. Careful planning is required to overcome these challenges, but digitisation can bring significant benefits to manufacturing operations.
Digitisation of manufacturing can bring a wide range of benefits to manufacturers. By implementing digital solutions
such as real-time monitoring and tracking, data integration, and automation, manufacturers can improve efficiency and responsiveness. It also helps reduce costs and increase revenue. In terms of asset management, digitisation can enable real-time monitoring and tracking of equipment, leading to more efficient maintenance and increased equipment uptime.
In production and supply chains, digitisation can improve visibility, coordination, and control of activities, leading to increased efficiency, reduced costs, and improved responsiveness to changes in demand. Similarly, digital tools such as sensors and automated data collection systems can help organisations better manage and track quality and compliance while it can help manufacturers identify and reduce energy consumption.
Digitisation also enables realtime monitoring and analysis of equipment, which can be used to predict when maintenance will be needed and plan accordingly, thereby reducing downtime and maintenance costs.
With the industry facing the pressing issue of carbon emissions from manufacturing, the process of digitising manufacturing processes can help companies better manage their carbon footprint by providing real-time data and analytics on energy consumption and waste reduction. By implementing digital tools such as energy management systems and smart factory technologies, companies can optimise their operations and reduce their environmental impact. To sum it up, digitisation can be seen as a powerful acorn from which a forest of sustainable manufacturing practices can grow. n
Epicor is working with customers to create industry-specific software solutions and services that enable a world of better business.
Epicor offers a global cloud ERP solution for manufacturers with a deep industry focus to serve simple to complex manufacturing processes across multiple industries. Its capabilities include omnichannel sales management, production planning and scheduling, quality, distribution, and finance with composable performance-driven solutions to optimise results.
The offering also includes a robust
Manufacturing Execution Software or MES portfolio with capabilities such as the Internet of Things, energy monitoring, digital twin, process control, and guided digital work instructions. Epicor’s other key solutions for digital transformation include Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, enterprise content management, CPG or Configure, Price, Quote, and eCommerce.
These solutions are generally available in the cloud and require no additional hardware or
systems outside of the edge devices, the PCs, tablets, and handheld devices used in the plant. Some of the MES installations may, however, require servers and a Machine Interface Unit (MIU) to handle edge computing capabilities. Many manufacturers get overwhelmed with the prospect of transforming digitally. By phasing in transformation with continuous improvement initiatives, manufacturers can achieve greater success. ERP today offers a complete toolset to help manufacturers automate processes inside and outside of its ambit. By value stream mapping the most important streams and tackling these first, the rapid ROI propels the business to new streams.
l Adopt a process engineering approach to maintain the accuracy of planning models and troubleshoot operations.
l Get sensors, instruments and analysers to collect real-time data from equipment and processes for insights into emissions, margin and yield.
l Use the digital twin of the asset to optimise capabilities and improve resource efficiency in process operations.
At Epicor, ERP is the foundation and offers a rich toolset with tools such as Automation Studio for building workflow between processes and integrating other systems. It delivers Application Studio for modifying the UX to support organisations’ unique configurations. It also trains the IT business analyst on how to use the tools to optimise and automate business processes. The company also believes that digital transformation can help in all areas of the business by reducing operating costs, speeding up processes, reducing errors, improving quality and empowering employees. Here are some examples of how digitisation can help improve efficiency leading to a better return on investment.
l Implementing AP Automation in the finance office can help reduce paper, automate previously manual processes, and reduce errors.
l Implementing Guided Digital Work Instructions
can ensure that quality part is made every time. It also reduces the onboarding time and brings in efficiency.
l Automating data collection on the shop floor can help to improve operational efficiency, reduce errors, and empower workers with information.
Digitisation of manufacturing can help better manage carbon emissions. Automation and the use of digital documents can help reduce the consumption of paper by the organisation. Automation of processes can help increase operational efficiency and provide metrics to help manufacturers better understand where they can improve. It also helps in monitoring the energy used in the plant. This can help customers understand and reduce their power usage. Besides, process control helps manufacturers understand when they have a good part versus a bad part reducing wasted time upstream and helping reduce material usage. n
Epicor solutions are generally available in the cloud and require no additional hardware or systems outside of the edge devices
Liferay adds portal, content, and commerce capabilities enabling a manufacturer to provide secure B2C, B2B, and B2E experiences.
Liferay helps manufacturers to provide superior digital experiences through a variety of solutions and use cases. A customer self-service portal built on Liferay can help manufacturers reduce costto-serve and improve customer experience by streamlining business processes and empowering customers to manage their accounts, access knowledge, and solve problems independently.
In addition, Liferay’s Commerce solutions help companies by supporting complex B2B requirements and driving the adoption of new online sales channels that utilise powerful digital experience tools. The distributor and supplier portal solutions help partners maximise their sales with easy access to critical knowledge and documentation, branding guidance, and product information.
When it comes to tackling the challenges of legacy IT, Liferay’s integration platform can connect all data sources and easily integrate them into backend systems like Enterprise Resource Planning, Product Information Management, and
Customer Relationship Management, thereby providing a unified view of accurate, real-time data on one platform.
The goal of Liferay’s Digital Experience Platform is to make it easy for customers to do business with manufacturers. It does so by simplifying processes for the customers and internal teams. Consequently, the platform offers a robust environment for creating, managing, and optimising incredible digital experiences for customers, while providing low code tools, connectors, and client extensions that make it easy to develop highly customised solutions.
When it comes to business applications and hardware, manufacturers can lean back and rely on Liferay Experience Cloud, the flexible DXPas-a-Service, that allows them to create, launch, and optimise digital solutions with the agility and convenience of SaaS. This means that Liferay will not only manage and maintain the infrastructure and Liferay DXP application, but also apply updates, ensure that the application is up-to-date, and autoscale to meet demand.
l Plan and coordinate to ensure that new technologies do not disrupt existing operations while integrating with legacy systems.
l Take robust security measures to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA.
l Evaluate the cost and benefit of digitisation and develop a realistic budget for implementation and deployment.
l Chalk out a plan to train the workforce so that employees have the knowledge and skills to operate digital systems.
A manufacturer may face several such challenges on its digital transformation journey. Careful planning and coordination are required to ensure that new technologies do not disrupt existing operations while integrating with legacy systems. Data security and privacy are the other critical concerns. Robust security measures are needed to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA.
Manufacturers also need to evaluate the cost and benefit of digitisation and develop a realistic budget for implementation and deployment. The interoperability of devices is another issue that needs to be dealt with since digital systems need to communicate and share data seamlessly.
Organisations may also need to address factors like workforce training to ensure that employees have the knowledge and skills to operate digital systems. Resistance to change is another challenge that may slow down adoption and hinders progress. Similarly, any digital transformation initiative must also take into account the scalability issue to ensure that digital systems can scale with the business and adapt to changing needs.
The digitisation of manufacturing can provide gains and efficiencies, and return on investment for the following business areas.
Production efficiency: Digitisation optimises production processes by providing real-time monitoring, and control of manufacturing operations. This leads to improved quality, reduced waste, and increased
throughput.
Maintenance and repair: Digitisation helps to predict and prevent equipment failures, minimising unplanned downtime and maintenance costs.
Customer experience:
Empowering customers through digital self-service not only reduces the cost to serve but also vastly improves the customer experience as it enables customers to find what they need or conduct transactions anytime, without needing to add additional staff.
Supply chain management: Digitisation improves supply chain visibility, allowing manufacturers to track materials and products throughout the supply chain, thereby optimising inventory levels, reducing lead times, and improving delivery times.
Quality control: Digitisation can help automate quality control processes, reducing the risk of human error and improving product quality. By using realtime data analytics, manufacturers can identify quality issues early and take corrective action before products are shipped to customers.
In the face of massive supply chain disruption in recent years, digitisation of manufacturing can be an effective aid in the optimisation of supply chains. By utilising digital solutions like distributor and supplier portals to track materials and products across the supply chain, manufacturers can optimise logistics and delivery routes, cut lead times, and reduce transportation-related emissions. By offering real-time monitoring and efficient management of energy-intensive operations as well as employing sensors and data analytics, digitisation can assist in improving energy use in industrial processes. Additionally, it can help identify areas where waste can be reduced and assist manufacturers in sustainable sourcing by tracking the origin of materials. n
CHRISTOPH EBERT Industry Marketing Manager, Liferay.IFS, the global cloud enterprise software company, announced results of its global research study which uncovers field service companies’ biggest challenges and key priority areas over the next 12 months. The findings highlight immense tension between opportunity, skills and technology, to outpace market disruption.
Technology superiority has become the most significant competitive differentiator in field service, overtaking customer experience. Yet with nearly half, 46% of respondents reporting that their companies still struggle to meet service level agreements, SLAs and 37% citing outdated or insufficient technology as an ongoing pressure, there is a clear technology gap which needs to be closed.
Combined with the other top concerns of lack of a skilled workforce, 40%, and change management and user adoption of new technology, 37%, field service organisations are under considerable pressure to not only fulfil customer obligations, but also to remain competitive and achieve future sustainability goals. The latter is now ranked the number one future-focused initiative, followed closely by updating legacy service management systems and leveraging emerging technology.
Field service companies recognise the benefits of digitalisation
Since 2018, there has been clear uptick in technology adoption and critical investments. The 2022 research shows the implementation of Artificial
Intelligence, AI has more than doubled, from 22% to 46%, Reverse Logistics grew, from 25% to 54%, and the implementation of Chatbots has almost quadrupled, from 11% to 44%.
The respondents citing technology superiority, 29%, as their most significant differentiator has tripled since 2018, and has overtaken customer experience, 26%. This trend underscores how companies understand that not investing in the right digital technology means they are at risk of becoming obsolete in a highly competitive market characterised by disruption.
Deel, the global HR company, announced launch of Deel HR, US Payroll, and Deel Engage, making it possible, for the first time, to hire, manage, and pay global teams compliantly on one platform. This news comes just as Deel hits $295 million annual recurring revenue at a $12 billion valuation – up from just $57 million ARR a year ago, prior to announcing its partnership with the UAE government to attract the best global talent and highgrowth companies to the region.
Work’s gone global, but until now, no HR platform has handled everything for everyone, anywhere. Most teams use up to 16 different tools for international team management, creating data silos,
tech consolidation concerns, and inconsistent team experiences. Deel has streamlined everything needed to hire, manage, and pay global teams in one platform. New functionality includes:
Deel HR – The global-first Human Resources Information System, HRIS with everything needed to compliantly manage an entire global workforce – from direct employees to international
contractors, to EOR employees. Deel HR will be free for businesses with fewer than 200 people, roughly a $20k savings for companies.
US Payroll – This marks the expansion of Deel’s global payroll offering with its first in-house payroll engine, starting in the US. It will never be simpler to handle payroll for global teams, all in one platform.
Deel is making it possible to hire, manage, pay global teams compliantly on one platform
Dubai-based innovative and technology-driven home maintenance specialist Hitches & Glitches part of the Farnek Group, is forecasting a surge in demand for smart home security products. Over the next seven months, besides annual leave, business trips and adhoc weekend getaways, there will be over
80 days of national and school holidays coming up, meaning potentially, residents could be spending a considerable amount of time away from their UAE home.
To help combat criminals, in 2018 H&G teamed up with smart home security company Ring, which has a number of award-
Ericsson and Batelco, part of the Beyon Group, have successfully deployed Ericsson Customer Acceptance platform, an enterprise blockchain-based solution for the automated collection of acceptance records upon fulfilment of agreed project deliverables. Batelco is the first telecommunication service provider to deploy the solution.
Ericsson Customer Acceptance provides significant and impactful results to the customer acceptance process. It reduces the time spent on acceptancerelated activities per site by up
to 42 percent, thereby achieving faster time-to-market with accuracy. Ericsson Customer Acceptance also simplifies the process by providing a single interface for submitting and approving acceptance documents and displaying real-time status of every acceptance item submitted to the platform.
Combined with other services and software capabilities, Ericsson Customer Acceptance also helps reduce CO2 emissions by removing the need for on-site customer visits to complete the acceptance process.
winning products including the Floodlight Cam, the first motionactivated security camera with two-way talk, built in floodlights and a siren; the Chime Pro, HD camera; the Spotlight Cam Wired solution and two models of the award-winning Video Doorbell. Although the majority of the increased demand is for villas, H&G is now receiving inquires for commercial offices in some of Dubai’s freezones as well as residential apartments.
The most popular product in Ring’s portfolio is its Video Doorbell Elite which allows residents to answer their door from anywhere in the world, via a two-way voice call and one-way live streaming of any visitor, through their smartphone app or laptop. If any suspicious movement is captured by the Ring camera, a notification is sent and the user has the option to contact Dubai Police via their Home Safety Programme, who will dispatch an officer to check on the property, affording peace of mind 24x7.
Apart from enabling site quality assurance and improving the acceptance flow, blockchain secures the integrity of acceptance documentation and enables transparency and traceability between the parties involved.
Atlas AI, a provider of geospatial intelligence products informing investment in sustainable and inclusive growth, announced the public release of its Atlas of Human Settlements 2021 data layers for Turkey and Syria in response to the recent earthquake. The AHS data offers crucial intelligence for crisis management bodies in their immediate efforts to respond to the disaster, as well as to help
inform the most sustainable approach to long-term rebuilding efforts.
Available on Google Cloud’s Analytics Hub and powered by BigQuery, the AHS provides a comprehensive and up-to-date view of human settlements around the world, delivering precise information on the evolving footprint and density of human activity through the application of artificial
IBM and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre announce a collaboration to use IBM’s artificial intelligence technology to discover new insights in NASA’s massive trove of Earth and geospatial science data. The joint work will apply AI foundation model technology to NASA’s Earth-observing satellite data for the first time.
Foundation models are types of AI models that are trained on a broad set of unlabelled data, can be used for different tasks, and can apply information about one situation to another. These models have rapidly advanced the field of natural language processing technology over the last five years, and IBM is pioneering applications
of foundation models beyond language.
Earth observations that allow scientists to study and monitor our planet are being gathered at unprecedented rates and volume. New and innovative approaches are required to extract knowledge from these vast data resources. The goal of this work is to provide an easier way for researchers to analyse and draw insights from these large datasets. IBM’s foundation model technology has the potential to speed up the discovery and analysis of these data in order to quickly advance the scientific understanding of Earth and response to climaterelated issues.
IBM and NASA plan to develop several new technologies
intelligence, AI to satellite imagery. With the outdated information offered by the best alternative source, the Global Human Settlement Layer, GHSL from 2018, the AHS layers offer the most up-to-date pre-crisis data from 2021, are of superior quality, and are delivered with annual updates at a spatial resolution of 10 meters. The package includes three data products, including a built-up surface map, built-up index map, and settlement map. The AHS product is explicitly designed to help response agencies answer questions such as:
l Where were buildings clustered in the highest density before the incident?
l Which clusters coincide with the highest population density?
l How best to approach , access the densest built-up parts within settlements?
to extract insights from Earth observations. One project will train an IBM geospatial intelligence foundation model on NASA’s Harmonised Landsat Sentinel-2, HLS dataset, a record of land cover and land use changes captured by Earth-orbiting satellites. By analysing petabytes of satellite data to identify changes in the geographic footprint of phenomena such as natural disasters, cyclical crop yields, and wildlife habitats, this foundation model technology will help researchers provide critical analysis of our planet’s environmental systems.
In a major boost to the sports and entertainment sector in Abu Dhabi, Krews, a Hub71 startup, secured an agreement with Abu Dhabi Entertainment Company to digitise the operations of Zayed Sports City and ACTIVE Al Maryah through its integrated platform QPortal. The agreement will bring a host of benefits to both customers and the venue, streamlining activities, improving the customer booking journey, and enhancing operational efficiency.
Founded by Emirati brothers
Ahmed and Khalifa Al Qubaisi, Krews’ QPortal is transforming the sports and entertainment sector by providing venues with extensive enterprise solutions that enable them to efficiently create, manage, monitor and analyse operations at the fraction of the cost.
By connecting assets across the entire operational ecosystem and streamlining activities, the portal enhances the customer booking journey with speed and agility. The partnership reinforces Krews mission to disrupt and accelerate
Ooredoo Kuwait has partnered with Ericsson to implement Ericsson Billing across its network. The billing system upgrade has enabled 5G evolution across Ooredoo Kuwait’s network and supported in developing competitive marketing strategies for a variety of 5G products.
Ericsson Billing has significantly improved Ooredoo Kuwait’s customer experiences and increased operational efficiency leading to better Lead to Cash, L2C. As the system implements an information security policy with centralised Identity Management, IDM and transport layer security, it offers best-in-class billing security that is in line with Ooredoo Kuwait’s group security policy.
Ericsson Billing offers Ooredoo Kuwait a lowrisk, high-reward way to collect and secure revenue
the digital transformation of the sports and entertainment industry in Abu Dhabi and make impactful change in the region.
Built in-house by a team of local experts, the turnkey system enables a seamless customer journey, and is helping entities optimise operations to unlock revenue opportunities and increase sales. The portal offers an entirely automated and flexible process, allowing venue operators to easily manage and update the system.
Since implementing Krews’ tech solutions earlier this year, ADEC has processed over 17,000 bookings for its venues including all sports facilities in Zayed Sports City and Active derived from all sales channels including website, mobile app, and tele sales.
Krews joined the Hub71 community in 2019, benefitting from a strong network of government entities, corporates, investors, and leading industry partners to unlock access to capital, market opportunities and talent.
both traditional telecommunication and digital services, such as 5G and Internet of Things, IoT. It also supports Ooredoo Kuwait in reducing the total cost of ownership by optimising system performances to increase their self-sufficiency.
SITA is innovating with cutting-edge technology to strengthen its airline, airport, and border solutions in partnership with travel identity company Zamna Technologies. Zamna’s solution uses a decentralised blockchain based model to transform how passenger data, such as passport, visa, and health information, is verified and handled, bringing security, ease, and efficiency benefits for traveller’s airlines, airports and governments. The first deployment will be focused on AACO’s 30+ airlines.
Instead of passengers presenting travel documents repeatedly to every touch point, each time they fly, Zamna’s ability to verify and securely persist such data will provide SITA customers with ongoing automation enhancements, supporting SITA’s vision of a completely digital travel experience.
Airlines and airports will benefit from a tested and verified technology for reduced processing times, and less infrastructure needed to process passengers. At the same time, border agencies will experience fewer exception cases and fewer passengers requiring onsite processing as the border checks are completed
pre-departure.
Across the journey, the passenger will enjoy peace of mind that the data is being handled even more securely and that they have satisfied all regulatory requirements to travel. The solution also enhances security for SITA’s clients, whose data is managed in a safe, private, and decentralised manner.
Airlines, airports, and governments can drive operational savings by having confidence in the accuracy and timeliness of traveller data. Verified traveller data will be securely shared throughout the journey, eliminating duplicate processes, increasing trust, and improving the passenger experience.
The UAE health authorities has launched the national drug tracking system Tatmeen, the region’s first platform of its kind to track and trace pharmaceutical products. With this innovative system, the UAE is taking a major step towards ensuring the immunity and security of its medical supply chains. The highly advanced track and trace platform was unveiled by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi, and the Dubai Health Authority.
The “Tatmeen” platform, which provides modern electronic tracking services for medicines and medical products, has been developed in partnership with a number of major technological entities to enhance the reliability of the supply chains of pharmaceutical products.
The state-of-the-art platform will significantly enhance control over all medicines circulating in the country, by creating a seamless electronic network connecting federal and local authorities, factories, distributors, pharmacies, and consumers. This will allow for vigilant monitoring and tracking of pharmaceuticals, in line with national health plans for building a world-class drug security system. The
platform will also help position the UAE as a recognised global innovator in the field of medicine supply safety.
Since its operational launch, the “Tatmeen” platform has seen impressive results, including the tracking and tracing of 1.2 million drug packages across the UAE. Over 3,500 diligent and dedicated employees have worked tirelessly to protect the medical supply chain while adhering to the highest health and safety standards. The platform has also provided training to 1,200 individuals, equipping them to join the “Tatmeen” team, with a total of 250 training hours completed over the past two years. Additionally, the platform has attracted 1,760 partners ready to collaborate and utilise its benefits.
Rockwell Automation, dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, announced it has helped Falcon Group boost machine utilisation by 162.5% using the ThingWorx IIoT platform, part of the
FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, powered by PTC. Headquartered in Dubai, Falcon Group comprises five industrial operations. One of these is a specialist precision engineering and fabrication company that
In alignment with UAE’s Vision 2031 to position the country in the Top 10 for quality healthcare, Aster DM Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare providers in GCC and India, unveiled the full-fledged version of myAster app, the region’s first integrated healthcare platform providing access to hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres and pharmacies as Aster continues to lead the healthcare delivery into the next dimension. The platform extends features to empower patients with an end-to-end care facilitation and provide seamless access to its healthcare ecosystem.
Following its introduction in July last year, the myAster app now ranks as No1 topfree medical app on the App Store and Play Store, touching over a million lives, due to its huge acceptance among patients as a one-stop digital
healthcare platform for patients, offering a single point access to a comprehensive range of healthcare services.
Aster’s Digital Health Team has innovated and developed the solution over a period of two years; curating and enhancing the customer experience with a potential to offer healthcare and wellness solutions to over 10 million people.
Patients can use the app for a range of services such as appointment booking, consulting doctors online or in-person, accessing prescriptions, scans, medical records and order medicines online; delivered to their homes with the touch of a button.
Some of the key features of the app include booking appointments from among 430 doctors across five hospitals, 48 clinics and over 20 medical specialties. The app also
caters for the demanding needs of customers in the aerospace, automotive, marine, healthcare, defence, oil and gas, and steel industries. At the heart of its operations are 16 CNC machines, all of which are essential to the company’s machining capabilities.
Before support from Rockwell Automation, Falcon Group was considering purchasing additional CNC machinery to keep pace with customer demand and to support maintenance downtime for critical machines. When at peak capacity, to meet order dates, the company had subcontracted work to competitors. But before signing off on additional machinery, the company decided to assess its current asset utilisation
video consultations, online payments through secure gateway, access to online pharmacy with doctor prescription delivered to homes within 90 minutes, and order health and wellness essentials online as well as to avail offers and deals. Through the app, patients can also access their scans and medical reports.
(Left to right) Brandon Rowberry, CEO Digital Health, Aster DM Healthcare and Alisha Moopen, Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare. allowsTechnology Innovation Institute, a global scientific research centre and the applied research pillar of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council, announced that its Directed Energy Research Centre’s stateof-the-art Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory at the Tawazun Industrial Park facility near Abu Dhabi is now fully operational. The EMC testing facility will leverage its E3 test system to provide highquality engineering services to DERC’s partners, stakeholders, and other relevant entities, while supporting local industries with better EMC compliance.
As the first research facility of its kind in the UAE and the wider region, the new lab leverages the E3 test system – comprising more than 16 tests dedicated to EMC validation – and is expected to promote improvements in product quality while reducing cost and time spent on external validation. The EMC validation is a key milestone of any electronic product development.
Prior to the facility’s establishment, local industry stakeholders were required to travel abroad to validate their products. Now, these stakeholders can test their equipment for multiple international EMC standards right here in the UAE. While the facility itself does not operate as a certification lab, it conducts independent engineering and prequalification EMC tests for systems and subsystems, in addition to preparing accurate and impartial associated reports for the customers.
The launch of the EMC lab will strengthen DERC’s reputation as a global centre of expertise in directed energy prequalification testing while providing TII first-mover advantage. In addition, it will grant the UAE crucial tech sovereignty as a credible directed energy research and development hub.
The AMANA Construct vertical of Group AMANA has delivered the third phase of the DB Schenker mega logistics centre in Dubai, which will serve as a key distribution hub for the GCC. AMANA completed construction of the enormous 37,000 sqm of green warehouse space utilising 100% renewable energy. This takes the Group’s total logistics footprint in Dubai to 84,000 sqm.
AMANA is at the forefront of disrupting the construction sector, making it faster, safer, greener, and smarter by leveraging technology and modular construction methodologies through its subsidiary DuBox. As a market
leader in building green logistics centres in the region, AMANA used the offsite construction method at the DB Schenker logistics centre to deliver improved product quality and a 30% reduction in construction duration.
AMANA also used BIM and MEP services to streamline the construction process and to collaborate through cloud-based and network servers. BIM enhanced project coordination between the various teams and clients. It also ensured standardised products were produced in a factory environment, then shipped and assembled on site. This
ensured faster construction, better coordination between departments, safer sites and less waste.
AMANA’s commitment to delivering clean building practices and high quality is reflected in the existing tools and technologies it used throughout the DB Schenker logistics centre. Through its company DuBox, AMANA significantly reduced carbon emissions during construction.
AMANA Construct completes 37,000 sqm DB Schenker logistics centre using renewable energyInfosys, a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, is bridging technology and purpose at the Australian Open 2023, with empowering technologies for fans, players, coaches, media and the surrounding ecosystem. Now in the fifth year of its partnership with Tennis Australia, Infosys is using its bespoke ‘tennis platform’ to evolve experiences for the 2023 tournament while shaping AO’s future vision. New experiences in 2023 include:
Infosys collaborated with Tennis Australia to define, design and develop Engage, a prototype digital platform that will support Tennis Australia in its ambition to achieve a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2040, in accordance with the UN Sports for Climate Change Action Framework.
The platform will enable Tennis Australia to track and visualise its emissions reduction performance and will facilitate integration of vendor and supplier emissions data. The platform will enable better transparency for each AO event from 2023 onwards, across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
Infosys is also driving sustainable change in its presence at the tournament. The Infosys Fan Zone at Melbourne Park is certified as climate active, with its entire carbon footprint offset and the structure recycled.
An enhanced Player’s Portal with new AIgenerated videos will provide players and coaches with game and competitor insights for post-match reviews and pre-game analysis. Additional features
added for AO 2023 include Get into the Zone, which plays video montages of the player’s previous exceptional performances to put them in the winning mindset before the match. An opponent tendency feature will also allow players to view and analyse the statistical playing tendencies of their opponents.
Beyond players and coaches, AI Shot of the Day has been enhanced to enable Tennis Australia’s media team to quickly analyse and post social media ready clips from the best shots of each day.
A refreshed Match Centre 2.0 will live on the AO website and mobile app for all matches throughout the tournament providing fans with immersive insights such as Matchbeats, Stroke Summary, Rally Analysis, Courtvision and AI Commentary. A new win predictor makes every match more engaging to follow with a real-time prediction as the game progresses. To improve accessibility and engage a larger fanbase, Infosys MatchBeats has been enhanced to present simplified game data and visualisations with the use of contrasting colour combinations meeting Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA.
Infosys and Tennis Australia are also collaborating to nurture future leaders in the region, with year 10 and 11 students from metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria getting access to digital learning enabled by Infosys Springboard. Through a customised version of the platform, program beneficiaries have the opportunity to learn transferrable skills in areas such as inclusion, leadership, technology, and design thinking.
Infosys working with Australian Open for 50% emission reduction by 2030, new video insights
Humans have given different aspects of nature labels and like to blame things they do not understand but nature does not have any of these attachments.
Have you ever felt like life is unfair? Has one thing happened after another which does not make sense, in that, you are a good person and do not deserve such bad luck or treatment? It is a common place for people to be. It is why there is a growing multi-billion dollar wellness industry to help people out of their slump.
Not to mention the growing reliance on psychotropic drugs, which means there is actually a multi trillion dollar industry out there to help us look on the bright side of life. And in some cases to help us sleep or get out of bed in the morning.
Interestingly, while in Switzerland recently, as part of the House of Balance Davos event, there was a speaker who was affectionally referred to as Dr Doom. He spent 20 minutes detailing all of
the challenges the world is facing now and what is likely to happen in the future. It is fair to say, it was a grim outlook
It made me think, that for anyone that is not honestly happy with themselves and is needing any more evidence that life is unfair, they will have lots of news to choose from that will compound their victim state of mind.
As I was sitting there listening to the other panellists offer solutions, I was wondering why no one talked about the impact blame contribution has on creating our daily or future challenges. I had to check myself as I forgot for a moment that this connection is not obvious. It is not common knowledge that when we blame, we immediately enter into a Victim Cycle. And this mindset generates feelings of hatred, anger and revenge to name a few. Which influences every
In his book, The Blame Game: How to Recover from the World’s Oldest Addiction, Denis Liam Murphy, who coaches clients with fifteen years of entrepreneurial experience, presents the New Murphy’s Law and the secrets to recovering from the blame addiction we all suffer from.
thought and decision we make as individuals and as a species.
Ultimately, when we have our blame blinkers on, we focus on anything that we perceive as bad, negative or wrong. It is a very stressful way to live and postpones our ability to optimally perform and seek long-term solutions. Being in this victim mindset always leads to feelings of hatred, anger, that lead to abuse and conflict. And this is what we are seeing in abundance all over the world.
I help people recover from a blame addiction they do not know they have. At first, it might not seem a significant area to focus on. I thought the same. That was until I started to really appreciate how blame, and what it leads to, makes up the very foundation of our being.
I am often asked, but surely there are situations where we had no contribution, and we are the innocent victim? This is not about unpacking the horrendous experiences that occur all over the world. This is about realising how blame and the Victim Cycle it creates impacts us on a daily basis.
I see this situation in relationships all the time. Because they are blaming each other for doing things wrong, based on their ideals, they unconsciously start to do the opposite - I think you are lazy so I will be super productive, even if it makes me stressed and ill. They are unknowingly helping each other self-reflect.
One needs help to get more motivated and the other needs to learn how to relax. This becomes a lot easier to see and action when they are not wearing their blame blinkers and glasses.
Playing the victim card has become second nature. Ironically, nature is the only place where blame does not exist. It is the reason why it effortlessly flourishes, even after a traumatic event. Our relationships can benefit from the same awareness.
Understanding that anger, frustration and conflict are blame based emotions is helpful. Realising they are learnt emotions and not a natural part of the human experience is also helpful. They then become indicators you are in the Victim Cycle.
When you are in this space, it can be a great time to explain to your partner you are aware you are blaming them, and yourself. And you need some time to self-reflect. Not on what you think went wrong, but what they mirrored back to you. One of the main reasons we get angry with our partners, and others, is because they do not match our ideal of how they should behave.
Most of the time, our arguments are with the label not the actual person. Which is why if your husband does something you will be super annoyed, but if your best friend did or said exactly the same thing you would have a different reaction.
Being in the blame space keeps us attached to our ideals. But again, nature is here to help guide us. Humans have given different aspects of nature their ‘labels’ and like to blame things they do not understand. Nature does not have any of these attachments and concerns.
Everything is moving in a constant state of ebb and flow. It flourishes because its default is to adapt and find creative solutions. This is a great model for us to learn from. n
I am often asked, but surely there are situations where we had no contribution, and we are the innocent victim
In recent decades, digital technology has been successfully used to optimise plant operations, increase production, or reduce costs. But today, field-proven software can go so much further – allowing you to radically optimise your business while also calculating greenhouse gas emissions, GHG and minimising energy consumption, helping you to address Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
l Scope 1 covers emissions from sources that an organisation owns directly – for example from burning fuel in a cracking furnace.
l Scope 2 are emissions that a company causes indirectly when the energy it purchases and uses is produced. For example, the emissions from the generation of the electrical power used to power the industrial plant would fall into this category.
l Scope 3 covers emissions that are not produced by the company itself, but by those that it’s indirectly responsible for, up and down its value chain.
As complex it can be to monitor and reduce GHG emissions, you can start simple and get some immediate results. For example, by using digital technology to break down information silos, it is possible to covert raw plant data into contextualised information to enable the quick calculation of GHG emissions, energy consumption and carbon intensity and have some quick wins.
Through partnering data with different advanced applications, you can enable digital engineering and operations to positively transform your plant efficiency and turn those initial quick wins in significant medium and long term benefits.
Embarking on a digitisation strategy allows you to boost operations, increase asset reliability and futureproof your facilities. A digital twin, which replicates your company’s assets in the cloud, empowers you to make informed decisions on how to best optimise the engineering and design of low carbon processes and plants.
Ultimately, your company is empowered to rigorously contextualise data to help modify your plant’s carbon footprint and manage carbon offsets and credits – now and into the future.
A Lifecycle Digital Twin tech stack runs your plant in the cloud, converting all its raw data into valuable information to drive carbon intelligence. The combination of data fed into models and analytics – displayed through simple self-serve systems – allows your company to improve operational set points and automate power source selections, reducing emissions and energy consumption.
The digital twin runs a parallel operation to your plant in the digital environment. When it is combined with real time operational data it is able to predict behaviour with accuracy through first principle models and artificial intelligence, AI. These insights then give your teams a window into ways to improve your processes and optimise operations.
A possible approach is energy and emissions management through rigorous modeling to calculate your emissions reduction potential to stabilise and optimise operations. The ‘reduction
l Managing upstream and downstream emissions is not an easy task.
l Companies struggle to access relevant data that exists, and make it meaningful to users outside operations.
l Biggest challenge that industrial companies will face is probably to address scope 3 emissions.
l Data sharing across the ecosystem can be beneficial to your company so as to suppliers, customers and partners.
l Only with full visibility companies can identify the need to purchase carbon credits and also carbon negative options.
potential’ informs your teams of the true actionable gap that can be addressed and the limits that can be reached.
Improving the energy mix to maximise your use of clean energy is desirable but not every plant has this option. If your plant has this flexibility, you can use optimisation models to automatically maximise the use of clean energy depending on your plant operating conditions.
The next step is to improve asset reliability to minimise excursions. Many industrial processes generate more GHG emissions during startup and shutdown procedures, not to mention during accidents, so minimising or eliminating unplanned downtime is critical for keeping your carbon footprint under control.
Artificial intelligence, AI and machine learning, ML models enable early warning notifications that can prompt your staff to act in time of preventing unplanned shutdown and accidents. To take a step further, you can add inferences from rigorous models and calculate the RULE, Remaining Useful Life Estimation, adding predictions accuracy and anticipating notifications even further. This approach combined with an asset strategy optimisation can ensure maximum reliability at minimal costs.
What is more, to be able to address your carbon footprint challenges, you will need to speed projects from concept to full capacity production. For
the engineering and building stages, companies that adopt a data-centric approach with a rigorous lifecycle simulation see the best results. A unified approach allows your engineers to quickly evaluate hundreds of scenarios and optimise the project design according to your goals.
The latest technology also allows you to minimise project risks and ensure your plant is delivered on budget and schedule with an effective handover to operations. This is a critical aspect for maximising the return of your investments in digital technology.
If you have a reliable access to your plant data and effective modeling capabilities, you should also be able to identify if an upgrade is required to manage your GHG emissions and energy usage. So the unified approach can be used for greenfield and brownfield projects.
By combining your operations and engineering data, you’ll be able evaluate options to upgrade your assets to even further reduce your GHG emissions, or be able to incorporate flexibility in the energy mix so clean energy usage can be maximised.
You want to make sure you can extend the benefits of your digital investment in the engineering phase by ensuring the digital twin is properly handover to operations. When the data delivered at the end of the project can be connected to real time operational data, it can be used to guide further improvements on the plant´s operations and maintenance.
The biggest challenge that industrial companies will face is probably to address scope 3 emissions. Managing upstream and downstream emissions is not an easy task. Currently, companies struggle to access all the relevant data that exists, aggregate it to see the bigger picture, and make it meaningful to users outside operations. And it can be expensive and time-consuming to share data with colleagues and trusted partners.
The first step is certainly having visibility of the carbon footprint. Data sharing across your ecosystem can be beneficial to your company so as to suppliers, customers and partners. Only with full visibility companies can identify the need to purchase carbon credits and also carbon negative options.
This can be addressed with a fully managed cloudnative solution that enables knowledgeable experts who can enrich data streams with metadata and context to help other users understand and make sense of the data. From this it´s possible to create a master planning to develop a roadmap for net-zero. Using data to make better decisions is more and more a core function of business and society. Data is increasingly helping us solve complex problems such as managing and optimising resources to address scope 3 emissions.
Beyond managing data of your value chain, CAPEX projects will be required to build the critical infrastructure to support carbon capture and underground storage, CCUS , green hydrogen production and utilisation and the circular economy. In this case, the value of a digital approach is even higher as more agility and
collaboration among multiple stakeholders are required.
Finally, we need to remember that none of this is possible without duly empowering the workforce. By digitally enabling our teams, they will learn faster, work smarter and hence have greater insights, leading to better productivity and an improved work-life balance.
Digital technology is the number one enabler for engineers in the office, operators in the control room, field workers on the plant floor, anytime-anywhere remote workers and, of course, the leadership team which requires deep 360 degrees visibility into the enterprise.
Cloud-enabled and AI-driven applications are critical to enabling the workforce and attracting and retaining talent to the industrial environment. The digital twins of the future will empower low-carbon remote working, safe and productive working styles, real time carbon insights, and augmented decision making for optimised carbon footprints. n
Managing upstream and downstream emissions is not an easy task
The first step is certainly having visibility of the carbon footprint
ChatGPT is the perfect storm of two hot topics, chatbots and GPT3 and together, they offer an intriguing method of producing content that sounds amazingly human.
Artificial intelligence, and deployment company OpenAI announced the launch of ChatGPT, a new model for conversational AI. According to OpenAI, the dialogue provided by this platform makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer followup questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises and reject inappropriate requests.
Since its launch, social media has been abuzz with discussions around the possibilities, and dangers, of this new innovation, ranging from its ability to debug code to its potential to write
essays for college students.
ChatGPT is the perfect storm of two current hot AI topics: chatbots and GPT3. Together, they offer a wonderfully intriguing method of interacting with and producing content that sounds amazingly human. Each is the result of separate, significant improvements over the last five years in their respective technologies.
Chatbots allow interaction in a seemingly intelligent conversational manner, while GPT3 produces output that appears to have understood the question, the content and the context. Together this creates an uncanny valley effect of
l ChatGPT is the perfect storm of two current hot AI topics: chatbots and GPT3.
l Chatbots allow interaction in a seemingly intelligent conversational manner, while GPT3 produces output that appears to have understood the question.
l This creates an uncanny valley effect of Is it human or is it a computer? Or, is it a human-like computer?
l The interaction is sometimes humorous, sometimes profound and sometimes insightful.
l The perspective is to view chatbots and large language models as potentially useful tools for accomplishing specific tasks.
l Success depends on identifying applications for these technologies that offer meaningful benefits to the organisation.
Is it human or is it a computer? Or, is it a human-like computer?
The interaction is sometimes humorous, sometimes profound and sometimes insightful.
Unfortunately, the content is also sometimes incorrect and the content is never based on a human-like understanding or intelligence. The problem may be with the terms understand and intelligent. These are terms loaded with implicitly human meaning, so when they are applied to an algorithm, it can result in severe misunderstandings.
The more useful perspective is to view chatbots and large language models like GPT as potentially useful tools for accomplishing specific tasks, and not as parlour tricks. Success depends on identifying the applications for these technologies that offer meaningful benefits to the organisation.
At a high level, chatbots, or conversational assistants, provide a curated interaction with an information source. Chatbots themselves have many use cases, from customer service to assisting technicians in identifying problems.
At a high level, ChatGPT is a specific chatbot use case where the chatbot is used to interact, chat or converse with a GPT information source. In this case, the GPT information source is trained for a specific domain by OpenAI. The training data used on the model determines the way questions will be answered.
As noted earlier, GPT’s capability to unpredictively generate information that is false means that the information can only be used for situations where errors can be tolerated or corrected. There are numerous use cases for foundation models such as GPT, in
domains including computer vision, software engineering and scientific research and development.
AI foundation models such as GPT represent a huge step change in the field of AI. They offer unique benefits, such as massive reductions in the cost and time needed to create a domain-specific model. However, they also pose risks and ethical concerns as below.
Large models involve billions, or even trillions, of parameters. These models are impractically large to train for most organisations, because of the necessary compute resources, which can make them expensive and environmentally unfriendly.
These models have been built mainly by the largest technology companies, with huge R&D investments and significant AI talent. This has resulted in a concentration of power in a few large, deeppocketed entities, which may create a significant imbalance in the future.
Foundation models lower the cost of content creation, which means it becomes easier to create deepfakes that closely resemble the original. This includes everything from voice and video impersonation to fake art, as well as targeted attacks. The serious ethical concerns involved could harm reputations or cause political conflicts.
These models still require careful training and can deliver unacceptable results due to
Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 is an autoregressive language model released in 2020 that uses deep learning to produce human-like text. Given an initial text as prompt, it will produce text that continues the prompt.
The architecture is a decoder-only transformer network with a 2048-token-long context and then-unprecedented size of 175 billion parameters, requiring 800GB to store. The model was trained using generative pre-training; it is trained to predict what the next token is based on previous tokens.
The model demonstrated strong zero-shot and few-shot learning on many tasks. The authors described how language understanding performances in natural language processing were improved in GPT-n through a process of generative pre-training of a language model on a diverse corpus of unlabelled text, followed by discriminative fine-tuning on each specific task.
This eliminated the need for human supervision and for time-intensive hand-labelling. It is the third-generation language prediction model in the GPT series, successor to GPT-2 created by OpenAI.
GPT-3, which was introduced in May 2020, is part of a trend in natural language processing systems of pre-trained language representations. The quality of the text generated by GPT-3 is so high that it can be difficult to determine whether or not it was written by a human, which has both benefits and risks.
Thirty-one OpenAI researchers and engineers presented the original May 28, 2020 paper introducing GPT-3. In their paper, they warned of GPT-3’s potential dangers and called for research to mitigate risk.
Microsoft announced on September 22, 2020, that it had licensed exclusive use of GPT-3; others can still use the public API to receive output, but only Microsoft has access to GPT-3’s underlying model.
Source: Wikipedia.
their black-box nature. It is often unclear what fact-base models are attributing responses to, which can propagate downstream bias in the datasets. The homogenisation of such models can lead to a single point of failure.
The model is trained on a corpus of created works and it is still unclear what the legal precedent may be for reuse of this content, if it was derived from the intellectual property of others.
To integrate models such as ChatGPT
l Start with natural language processing use cases such as classification, summarisation and text generation for noncustomer-facing scenarios and choose task-specific, pretrained models to avoid expensive customisation and training.
l Use cases where output is reviewed by humans are preferred.
l Create a strategy document that outlines the benefits, risks, opportunities and deployment roadmap for AI foundation models like GPT. This will help determine whether the benefits outweigh the risks for specific use cases.
l Use cloud-based APIs to consume models, and choose the smallest model that will provide the accuracy and performance needed to reduce operational complexity, lower energy consumption and optimise total cost of ownership.
l Prioritise vendors that promote responsible deployment of models by publishing usage guidelines, enforcing those guidelines, documenting known vulnerabilities and weaknesses and proactively disclosing harmful behaviour and misuse scenarios. n
ChatGPT is the perfect storm of two current hot AI topics: chatbots and GPT3
An element of the INFINITI QX60 broad appeal is integration of technologies that enable productivity and connectivity. For starters, all grades include INFINITI InTouch with a 12.3-inch display featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and USB-based Android Auto. The new standard wireless device charging mat is one way to keep devices charged, but the QX60 also features abundant USB ports.
The inside of the QX60 is wholly functional for up to seven passengers. INFINITI Zero Gravity-inspired seats help deliver comfort, whether you journey is a long or short one, and the flexible seating allows you to create more passenger or cargo space according to your needs.
Aside from its aesthetic, the QX60 has a powerful performance, represented by its V6 Engine, an all-new 9-speed auto transmission, a horsepower of 279HP, 350 NM torque, and Intelligent All-Wheel Drive, making it one of the finest and most versatile three-row SUV, ideal for your family.
Kissterra, the world’s first insurance marketing operating system, announced appointment of Udi Ziv as Chief Executive Officer. Ziv’s appointment empowers Kissterra to expand its rapid growth in the insurance sector and widen into new markets, further cementing the company’s position as a leading insurance software provider.
Ziv will play a pivotal role in developing Kissterra’s growth strategy in the competitive market, signalling a new chapter of innovation in the global insurance ecosystem while expanding its already significant client base. Co-founders, Segev Shilton and Ifty Kerzner will retain an active role in the company as executive directors with responsibility for strategic ventures, acquisitions, business development, and partnerships.
Rockwell Automation has appointed Hussain Al Khater as Managing Director for Saudi Arabia. His appointment marks the latest milestone in the company’s more than 50-year commitment to Saudi Arabia’s long-term growth strategy, playing a vital role in the Saudi Arabia’s expanding energy and chemicals supply chain.
The appointment of Al Khater will herald a reorganisation of Rockwell Automation business operations in the region. The new organisation, headed by Hussain, will focus on Saudi market growth. The new structure allows Rockwell Automation to align with the requirements of the Saudi Arabia Vision and aligns it for future growth.
This realignment will support the recent MoU that Rockwell Automation signed with Saudi Aramco last year during IKTVA Forum, the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals company, to support the oil giant’s In-Saudi Arabia Total Value Add program, designed to drive local value creation, and to encourage the development of a diverse, sustainable, and globally competitive energy sector in the Saudi Arabia.
Colliers, a professional services and investment management company, announced the appointment of Raja Alameddine as Chief Executive Officer in the MENA region, effective immediately. Colliers partnered with Eltizam Group, the region’s largest physical asset management company early in 2022 and now strategically sits under the iREC Holdings division, part of the Eltizam Group.
Alameddine joins Colliers with over 30 years of experience in the real estate industry and is an expert in various asset classes, including master-planned cities and large-scale mixed-use communities. With a background in real estate development and investment banking, Alameddine’s expertise will be instrumental in accelerating the growth in the region and taking the business to new frontiers.
Ajmal Perfumes the seven-decade-old perfume connoisseur has taken a significant step forward in further strengthening its business and growing its influence across the perfumery industry has put into motion a leadership reset with the board passing a unanimous resolution to elevate Abdulla Amiruddin Ajmal as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Under his leadership, the pioneers in the world of scents are positioning the company for its next phase of growth. Abdulla’s recent election is a move to drive expansion into target markets and capitalise on the rapidly growing industry. The current incumbent, patriarch, Mohamed Amiruddin Ajmal will steward the Ajmal Group as the Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of the Ajmal Group and assist in the transition. Ajmal the unique farm-to-fragrance perfumery brand is available in 50-plus countries and across more than 300 retail outlets.
Dig, the cloud data security leader, announced appointment of Yotam Ben Ezra as Chief Product Officer. Ben Ezra’s appointment comes amid Dig’s continued growth and expansion. As CPO, Ben Ezra will lead the development and direction of Dig’s products, helping Dig further its mission to provide data security at the speed of cloud. Dig helps organisations discover, classify, protect, and govern their cloud data without giving up cloud agility and speed.
Ben Ezra is a cybersecurity industry veteran with more than fifteen years of experience in product leadership roles. Prior to joining Dig, Ben Ezra served as the Chief Product Officer at SafeBreach, the pioneer in breach and attack simulation. He has held multiple leadership roles in research and product sectors at leading organisations including Radware and Check Point Software Technologies.
Ben Ezra has a proven track record of leading teams through each step of a product’s development, research and development, product design and product marketing, to help organisations meet and exceed their business goals.
Matt Alberico moves from Amazon Care to Dario as Senior
DarioHealth, a leader in the global digital therapeutics market, announced today the hire of seasoned industry sales leader Matt Alberico as Senior Vice President of Growth to help the Company capitalise on its rapidly growing opportunities across multiple market segments.
Alberico joins Dario after leading national channel sales and partnerships for Amazon Care. In prior roles, he held sales and account management leadership roles for both Cigna and Aetna. In his new role at Dario, Matt brings valuable sales strategy experience in rapid-growth environments and a deep understanding of the market landscape and buyer needs.
Cenomi, Saudi Arabia’s largest vertically integrated retail and lifestyle ecosystem, has appointed three new Chief Technology and Information Officers, CTIOs dedicated to the implementation of worldclass digital technology infrastructure. The appointment of three new CTIOs at Cenomi Group, Cenomi Centres and Cenomi Retail, further emphasizes the company’s commitment to adopting best-inclass technology to deliver next generation omnichannel retail and lifestyle experiences.
Binoo Joseph joins as CTIO of Cenomi Group, Lijo Kankapadan as CTIO, Cenomi Centres, with Sunil Nair taking on the role of CTIO for Cenomi Retail. The appointments further bolster the company’s continued drive to enable a new era of retail, shopping and entertainment for the Saudi Arabia of Saudi Arabia, supported by strong, innovative digital and technology infrastructure.
Collabera, a global talent solutions provider, announced appointment of its new CEO, Mike Fromhold. As a staffing and talent solutions leader with more than 15 years of experience, he brings extensive knowledge of the industry and a clear understanding of the changes transforming complex talent market. Throughout his career, Mike, a graduate of Penn State University held several high-profile roles in sales, operations, and executive management; including President of Insight Global’s $2.7B Technology Division.
Mike will lead the executive team and oversee all aspects of Collabera’s strategy and operations. Sham Patel, a company founder, and executive of Collabera for over 25 years will step into a Chief Mentor role working closely with him and the leadership team during this transition period. Over the last 25 years, Collabera has transformed into a premier digital talent solutions company making significant investments around talent transformation initiatives, talent acquisition platforms, and new talent delivery models to help organisations navigate digital transformation changes, adapt, and accelerate outcomes.
Global brokerage firm SquaredFinancial announces appointment of Nour Hammoury as its Chief Market Analyst. Nour’s addition to the team emphasizes the company’s commitment to offering investors all over the world informed trading, including spot-on information, market analysis, and live market news, as well as promoting healthy trading.
Nour is an investor, independent market strategist and financial advisor. He has more than 15 years of experience focused on forex, stocks and global economic developments, as well as central bank policies and intermarket analysis. He appears regularly on major international TV networks, such as BBC, Al-Jazeera, Al Hurra, CNBC, and Bloomberg, holding open discussions and sharing insights and readings of the markets and trends.
