2021 Technology Trends (Covid-19 vaccines, AstraZenica, Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen, Gamaleya, CanSino)

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Stroke Survivors Walk Faster and Farther by Using Soft Robotic Exosuit

The 2019 APAC Data and Digitization Report

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Dubai Internet City Celebrates its 20-Year Anniversary

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EDITOR‘S NOTE

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ver the past few years, the electronics manufacturing industry is changing quite faster than anyone expected. Although this is a positive thing to note, it also meant that many companies are finding it hard to keep up with the trends.

Among these emerging trends, the most common and starting to become increasingly popular are the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and virtual reality (VR).

The development of IoT can be attributed to three preexisting technologies, the internet, cloud computing, and smaller sensors. Combining the three gave way to more devices getting interconnected quicker and easier. Many businesses have started to make smart decisions based on the real-time information provided by the interconnected devices. When paired with other technological innovations, IoT is likely to drive more efficient decisions both for short term and long term.

Although big data has been previously used by larger companies exclusively, even small to medium-sized ones can now accessed it because of the increasing sources of data readily available. This has resulted in electronics manufacturers using big data information in reducing their operational

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2021 Global Electronics and Technology Trends costs all while boosting profit margins and market share.

The management can now overcome any problems, as well, as they can predict and avoid those using big data.

VRs, while many believe are revolutionary in the gaming sector, are also becoming very useful in electronics manufacturing. When coupled with computeraided design, VR can help designers tweak their products more accurately and make modifications quicker before the actual production begins.

As a result, inspection time is reduced since workers can easily identify and fix errors before the product is created. The cost of labor and the possibility of producing

inaccurate and poorly designed products are also significantly lowered.

However, trained people in these fields has been surprisingly low, creating a skill shortage in the electronics manufacturing industry. So to overcome this problem, companies are starting offer training to prospective hires and making themselves attractive to pre-trained candidates.

* For any inquiries, please contact Mr. Rohan Suares Address: LG Electronics Gulf, P.O Box 61445, Dubai, U.A.E, Tel. # +971 52 710 0999, Email: rohan.suares@lge.com

CON TENTS

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Co Ban Kiat: Celebrating 100 Years of Providing World Class Hardware Solutions

A Smart Helmet to Detect Covid-19 Infection

22 2021 Global Electronics and Technology Trends

42 Stroke Survivors Walk Faster and Farther by Using Soft Robotic Exosuit

46 The 2019 APAC Data and Digitization Report

58 Air Dryers Vs. Paper Towels: What’s the Difference?

66 The Covid-19 Survival of Engineering Companies Lies in Digitalization

70 The Future Of Engineering And Its Impact On The Industry

74 Data and Digitization Report UAE Market

50 Dubai Internet City Celebrates its 20-Year Anniversary

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82 Sharaf DG Energy challenges warehouses and factories to reduce emissions

F E AT U R E S T O RY

Co Ban Kiat: Celebrating 100 Years of Providing World Class Hardware Solutions

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o Ban Kiat Hardware Inc. has remained steadfast in sharing its genius innovations and technological solutions to multitudes of people in need, effectively entrenching itself as one of the largest purveyors of hardware, tools, small appliances, and machinery in the Philippines. As CBK Hardware nears its century-long existence, it is worth noting that before prospering into the hardware giant it is today, the brand began on a humble journey. Like any trailblazing business in any industry, the journey to a position of global leadership is not without its peaks and valleys.

The Rich History of CBK Hardware Co Ban Kiat Hardware Inc. was founded in 1920 in the heart of Binondo, Manila’s own Chinatown, due to the business acquisition efforts of the Cobankiat family patriarch. After the Wholesale buy and sell hardware business was fully acquired by the family in 1924, the business prospered for another 15 years. From its peak performance, the brand entered its first valley in the form of the devastating World War II. Fortunately, the family and their business bounced back in 1945 and re-established their headquarters in Binondo 4 years later.

the birth of Hardware Workshop stores inside SM Supermalls. Johnny Cobankiat’s other notable accomplishments include the inauguration of Coby’s Design Center as a means to answer the increasing demand of high-end architectural hardware products and the accretion and introduction of Ace Hardware USA in the country on 1997, with CBK Hardware Inc. as one of its suppliers.

In 1952, CBK Hardware was incorporated and from that day on an endless market expansion effort was made. The business began dealing in and distributing traditional hardware, a wide array of appliances, and any tool that promoted ease of life.

In 2003, the company continued to be the leading supplier in all major retail hardware stores such as Wilcon Depot, All Home, D.I.Y Hardware, Citi Hardware, and MC Home Depot, to name a few.

Mayapa Wood Products and Interior Solutions, Chubbsafes, and Lincoln Electric have also recently added to its growing world-class brand portfolio.

Needless to say, these procurements will not be CBK Hardware’s last set of acquisitions.

Business prospered further and in 1990, Johnny Cobankiat introduced the retail concept for hardware products in the country which led to

CBK Hardware Inc. acquired Mayapa Wood Products and Interior Solutions in 2013, joining the ever-extending family and business network.

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It is proud to be the most innovative manufacturer of quality wood products and interior solutions in the Philippines today.

In its vision to provide word-class hardware solutions, CBK Hardware added global brands including Chubbsafes and Lincoln Electric. Truly, CBK chooses only the best brand and quality products to serve.

Needless to say, these procurements will not be CBK Hardware’s last set of acquisitions.

2015 marked the start of CBK’s corporate social responsibility efforts. In their vision to give back to the Filipino community and engage in ethically-oriented practices, Co Ban Kiat Hardware began undertaking efforts of philanthropy, activism, and charity.

Supported by their employees and partners, numerous non-government organizations and foundations received monetary aid, product donations, and services from the company.

As of yet, CBK Hardware has gone nowhere else but upward in its journey to supply the country with world-class, life-improving technological and hardware solutions.

And what are these world-class, lifeimproving technological and hardware solutions?

CBK Hardware Today: Projects and Industries These are the countless hardware and home improvement products and services CBK Hardware utilizes to realize market leadership in every market segment. CBK Hardware has dipped its toes in different business units to cater to multiple industries, such as building materials, hardware, wholesale and retail, oil and gas, HVACR, electrical, power generation, construction, mining, machinery, equipment, utilities, telecommunications, automotives, and 9

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manufacturing, to name a few. Out of all of these areas of expertise, the retail, construction, industrial, and ecommerce sectors are Co Ban Kiat Hardware Inc.’s fortes.

For wholesale and retail business segment, CBK Hardware supplies to over 2000 partner wholesale and retail stores nationwide, which includes D.I.Y stores, roadshops, depots, and much more for 68 brands and over 6,000 SKUs. For industrial, the brand has both ensconced strong distribution channels in innumerable business sectors and boasts an expansive list of automotive, hospitality, service, and other industry clientele who all trust in 12

the brand to supply them with superb improvement solutions. In the area of construction, the brand has been one of if not the most trusted partners of hardware suppliers of distinguished real estate developers and construction companies nationwide. Lastly, CBK Hardware Inc. has been looking to the future in the area of ecommerce, priding itself to be the first hardware distributor to aggressively offer products online through websites, partner ecommerce platforms, and social media accounts. Truly, CBK Hardware Inc. has come a long way and, fortunately for them, there is still a long, long way to go.

Together in Excellence: Brand Portfolio CBK Hardware Inc.’s product portfolio has lengthened and evolved over the years since its establishment in 1920. Currently, the brand is one of the country’s leading suppliers of the top-of-the-line hardware and home improvement materials to a long list of brands. CBK Hardware Inc. is constantly putting its nose on the grindstone and burning the midnight oil, invigorated by its vision to be the largest network supplier of the biggest brands in the world in the hardware industry. Its employees are the backbone of the company as they endlessly source the best products to supply its customers.

With 68 trusted global brands of building materials, electrical,

houseware, power equipment, outdoor, plumbing, hand and power tools, CBK Hardware Inc. has been steadily paving the way to a brighter future for the Philippines and the world. They have served over 1,500 industrial and commercial organizations with over 6,000 hardware products to choose from. They have satisfied over 1,600 roadshop customers, partnered with over 600 home building specialty stores nationwide. CBK Hardware has distributed items that have aided in erecting over 50 premium 5-star hotels, residential condominiums, and secure office buildings.

In their 100 years, CBK Hardware Inc. has accumulated an extensive list of global brands. They have been distributing brands such as Baldwin, Chubbsafes, DeWalt Power Tools, Dormakaba, Facom, Fairbanks Scales, 13

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Lincoln Electric, Nilfisk Professional Cleaning Equipment, Pelican, Proto, Ridgid, Shop-Vac Vacuums, Stanley Hand Tools, Toho, Viper Cleaning Equipment, Westinghouse, Yale Locks, and more. These brands are all being smoothly distributed to customers who want to get more bang for their buck when it comes to home and facility improvement, safety and security, D.I.Y projects, energy conservation, cleaning and disinfection, and the like.

Supplied and shared out by CBK Hardware Inc., these brands are truly together in excellence.

Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts Business in the hardware industry is not the only way the brand is helping the world become a better place. CBK Hardware Inc.

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is also partaking in multiple advocacies, philanthropic endeavors, humanitarianism, and charity work, because those in the company are wholeheartedly committed to contributing towards the growth of society and the environment.

Hundreds if not thousands of people from different walks of life have benefited from CBK Hardware Inc.’s initiatives, from the intensive CSR programs to the hardware donations for the improvement of living facilities. Stomachs have also been fed in the conducted feeding programs.

The goodwill of CBK Hardware Inc., was also gifted to the neglected children and elders residing at different charitable institutions. Another CSR campaign entitled Pailaw ni Juanita was also dedicated to Mrs. Juanita Co, the company’s shining beacon of hope who

shared her blessings by giving out large amounts of flashlights by teaming up with different NGOs known for their advocacies in livelihood, peace, order, and education.

Through a fruitful partnership with ABSCBN’s Mission Possible, CBK Hardware Inc. has also provided state-of-the-art hardware solutions to a near endless quantity of customers as well as the neediest. This showcase of livelihood was able to transform the lives of 5 case studies in little ways by donating quality power and hand tools that have helped increase income generation.

CBK Hardware is also an active supporter of Brigada Eskwela, a school preparation program for the upcoming academic year by donating hardware materials and engaging their employees in constructing, painting, and cleaning the different areas of each selected educational institution.

Environmental conservation is also an area in which CBK Hardware Inc. volunteers.

Recently, those in the company have implemented many clean-up drives such as the one in the coastline of the Las PiñasParañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) in partnership with Haribon Foundation last August 11. #WithCBKweCanHELP Donation Drive has also been created In response to the increasing number of individuals who are in dire need of help due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This donation drive’s proceeds have been donated to children and elderly in chosen institutions. Other drives include the 100 Donation Drive which is a 10-month long CSR project that aims to help 100 organizations.

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To the Next 100 Years With all of these financial and tool donation drives, feeding programs, partnerships with humanitarian organizations, and other forms of noble CSR efforts, CBK Hardware Inc. is building the community and fostering an environment of togetherness. While their tools and appliances certainly do help in improving the home situation, charity and philanthropic endeavors such as these are what can improve the overall life situation of both the givers and the receivers.

As the company enters a new century, there will be even more local and global brands to acquire and form a partnership with, more ways to help out and give back to the community that deserves the utmost care, more homes and buildings to improve using the many tools and appliances the brand has in its disposal, and more individuals to help in any way.

In the same way the brand was ever-present in the last century, so too will CBK Hardware Inc. be present, proactive, and professional in the next. With endless brands to befriend, CSR efforts to initiate, facilities to improve and establish, and people to help, CBK Hardware will always lend a helping hand.

Where to Buy? For 100 years, Co Ban Kiat Hardware Inc. is the most trusted distributor of home improvement and hardware items in the Philippines.

Let’s shop wisely. #StayAtHome and order online at your convenience. Visit us in the following sites and enjoy deals, discounts, and more!

Website: https://www.cbkhardware. com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ cbkhardware/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ cbkhardware Join our Fast Growing Viber Community http://%20https//bit. ly/3ebeCXU

Co Ban Kiat Hardware, Inc.

Ground Floor, Cobankiat Building II, 231 Juan Luna St. Binondo Manila, Philippines.

Phone +632 8243-1931 Phone +632 8243-5263 Phone +632 8894-6561 Email info@cobankiat.com.ph ; ind@cobankiat.com.ph

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About CBK Hardware For almost a hundred years, a family’s surname has become synonymous to the country’s biggest hardware supply company. Co Ban Kiat Hardware Incorporated, of the Cobankiat family has a regular client network of more than 1,500 industrial organizations; 1,600 traditional community hardware stores, and 584 home building specialty chain of stores across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

This ever-growing conglomerate traces its humble roots to Manila Chinatown, as a pioneer enterprise started by family’s patriarch, Mr. Cobankiat in 1920. Despite the ruins of World War II, the business goes back to its feet in 1948, rebuilding a storefront from the very same spot where it was known for three decades.

This ever-growing conglomerate traces its humble roots to Manila Chinatown, as a pioneer enterprise started by family’s patriarch, Mr. Cobankiat in 1920. Despite the ruins of World War II, the business goes back to its feet in 1948, rebuilding a storefront from the very same spot where it was known for three decades.

While the Filipinos continue to rebuild their lives post war, CBK Hardware sees the opportunity to introduce the retail concept once unheard for in hardware industry. Cobankiat Hardware brought the first DIY business in the Asia. A do it on yourself concept that created Cobankiat hardware in the Philippines. The Hardware Workshop Store is the fruit if this endeavor. CBK Hardware further cemented its legendary distribution channel with the creation of Coby’ Design Center in Edsa Shangi La in 1996, a specialty store that caters to discriminating taste of modern Filipinos.

In 1997, Mr. Johnny Cobankiat, the 4th generation Cobankiat leader, set another milestone for the company when he brings a franchise of Ace Hardware USA to the Philippines, and signs up CBK Hardware as one of its major suppliers. This further expanded into delivering quality world class products nearer to families of Filipino overseas workers in the countryside.

A century’s excellence can quickly pass, and guided by the vision to be the largest network supplier of the biggest global brands in the hardware industry, CBK Hardware resolve to source the best products to supply its customers anytime and every time.

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Over the past several years, the change in electronics manufacturing industry has been accelerating. This caused many players in the industry to experience difficulty in keeping up with the trends. While there have been many changes in electronics, there are a handful that will likely continuously make an impact in the coming years.

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Trends in the Industry Internet of Things The entirety of the electronics industry has been increasingly interested in the world of Internet of Things (IoT), an interconnection of different equipment and devices through the internet. Leveraging this technology, the electronics manufacturing industry has greatly benefited from this in a variety of ways. Among the notable ones are lowered costs, increased product innovation and efficiency, and improved safety.

With this, prevention is becoming a priority for the bulk of the electronic businesses, and predictive maintenance is among the most common ways of doing so.

This can be done by utilizing several technologies depending on what equipment a company is using. But much of this task is by integrating IoT technology that can monitor an equipment’s health, predict when and how it may fail, and allow managers to avoid such breakdown.

Predictive Maintenance

Shifting from B2B to B2B2C

A company’s production schedule is easily affected by equipment breakdown. This can cause substantial revenue loss, especially when repairs take a long period of time.

Many electronics manufacturers traditionally operate in a business-to-business (B2B) approach, but recently, this has started to shift to a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) model, allowing consumers to

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purchase directly from manufacturers. This apparently increased profit as companies skip the retailers and provided a faster time to market products.

The B2B2C approach is improved by better consumer data, allowing manufacturers to change their products and services and providing better relationships with customers.

A business will need to leverage existing e-commerce platforms and logistics divisions, though.

Supply Chain Leverage Every company in the industry should focus on being competitive. While this can be done in many ways, one of the most popular is pointing toward the supply chain, where businesses hope to avert the constant reduction in price.

Thankfully, many innovative technologies are starting to emerge in the logistics field and allowing businesses to improve areas across the entire supply chain.

This, in turn, made operation more efficiently and reduced cost in several key areas.

ERP Systems Among the core factors in keeping a competitive and lean company is the Enterprise resource planning (ERP). This is because it provides many benefits, including automating and optimizing a business’ processes with realtime information, making quicker decisions that are much more accurate, and becoming much more affordable and easier to implement.

Big Data Traditionally, larger companies have exclusively use big data, mainly because small to mediumsize businesses don’t have access to it.

Thanks to the latest advances with IoT and other technologies, this is no longer the case.

Companies can now acquire information from a wide range of sources, making big data much more usable than it previously was.

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Among the notable ones are lowered costs, increased product innovation and efficiency, and improved safety.

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AR & VR Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have started to become more useful in a handful of capacities, especially in the design phase of products since VR can now be integrated with computer-aided design. AR and VR allow designers to produce more accurate and reliable changes to their product even before the production phase starts.

3D Printing There is a variety of benefits when using 3D printing in electronic manufacturing, with lowered production costs being one of the top perks. This also makes prototyping quicker for the business and allows designers to easily troubleshoot and test their products. Although this will need a huge investment up-front, it can reduce cost further for the business as it allows tooling to be completed on-site.

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Continued Reshoring Reshoring has been a relatively unexpected trends in the past few years but has been impacted by a handful of factors. The trends has been driven by more active economies in the world that has boosted their cost of operations in many countries, thus increasing wages.

Difficulty in Finding Employees The use of technology has dramatically increased in many industries, but training in this field has apparently not kept up in pace. This created a skill shortage in many niches, including the electronics field.

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Stroke Survivors Walk Faster and Farther by Using Soft Robotic Exosuit

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troke is the leading cause of serious longterm disability in the US with approximately 17 million individuals experiencing it each year. About 8 out of 10 stroke survivors suffer from “hemiparesis�, a paralysis that typically impacts the limbs and facial muscles on one side of their bodies, and often causes severe difficulties walking, a loss of balance with an increased risk of falling, as well as muscle fatigue that quickly sets in during exertions. Oftentimes, these impairments also make it impossible for them to perform basic everyday activities.

To allow stroke patients to recover, many rehabilitation centers have looked to robotic exoskeletons. But although there are now a range of exciting devices that are enabling people to walk again who initially were utterly unable to do so, there remains significant active research trying to understand how to best apply wearable robotics for rehabilitation after stroke. Despite the promise, recent clinical practice guidelines now even recommend against the use of robotic therapies when the goal is to improve walking speed or distance.

In 2017, a multidisciplinary team of mechanical and electrical engineers, apparel designers, and neurorehabilitation experts at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Wyss Institute for Biologically 42

Inspired Engineering and Boston University’s (BU) College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College showed that an ankle-assisting soft robotic exosuit, tethered to an external battery and motor, was able to significantly improve biomechanical gait functions in stroke patients when worn while walking on a treadmill. The cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary team effort was led by Conor Walsh, the Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at SEAS and Wyss faculty member, Lou Awad, an Associate Faculty member of the Wyss, and Terry Ellis, from BU. Now, the same team took a critical step forward in translating their technology towards a rehabilitation strategy. Using an untethered version of the robotic exosuit that carries its own battery and motor, they

showed in a cohort of six post-stroke survivors with hemiparesis that their device could significantly increase individuals’ walking speed by an average 0.14 meters per second, with one individual walking as much as 0.28 meters per second faster.

These same individuals, when asked to walk as far as they can in 6 minutes, were able to go 32 meters farther, on average, with one person traveling over 100 meters farther. These findings are published in IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology (OJEMB).

“The vast majority of people who have had a stroke walk slowly and cannot walk very far.

Faster and farther walking after physical therapy are among the most important outcomes desired by both, patients and clinicians. If neither speed nor distance are changed by a therapy, it would be difficult to consider that therapy to be effective,” said Awad, the study’s first author.“The levels of improvement in speed and distance that we found in our exploratory study exceeded our expectations for an immediate effect without any training and highlight the promise of the robotic exosuit technology.”

Awad also is Assistant Professor at BU’s College of Health and Rehabilitation: Sargent College and Director of the Neuromotor Recovery Laboratory.

The robotic exosuit deployed in this study weighs less than five kilograms and targets the limbs of stroke survivors during distinct phases of the gait cycle. Fully mobile, it is powered by a battery and initiated by an actuator unit both worn at the hips.

It delivers mechanical power to the ankles via a cable-based mechanism, whereby the cables and other parts of the robotic exosuit are anchored to the body by lightweight functional textiles. Adding further to its low weight and potential to reduce gait asymmetries is the fact that patients wear it only on the impaired paretic side, unlike rigid exoskeleton systems – many of which need to be worn on both sides.

Walsh’s team designed the robotic exosuit to assist with plantar flexion, the ankle movement that pushes the foot down into the ground during the stance phase of the gait cycle, and with dorsiflexion, in which the foot is lifted up and the toes pulled toward the shin during the swing phase. Both these movements are variably impaired in post-stroke hemiparetic walking, and survivors often exhibit a “drop foot”, an inability to raise the foot from the ankles. Walsh, whose group has pioneered and broadly validated soft exosuit technology over the

last years, is the founder of the Harvard Biodesign Lab. To demonstrate broad applicability for their approach in stroke survivors with hemiparesis, the team focused on six hemiparetic individuals with varying severities and types of impairments that were all entered a chronic phase. After an initial clinical assessment of patients, and adjustments of the robotic exosuit to individuals, the researchers performed a series of tests on a 30-meter walkway.

Wearing the exosuit unpowered did not cause any disadvantages with regards to participants’ walking speeds, distances, or energy costs compared to when they were not wearing the exosuit.

When the robotic exosuit was then powered on, “we saw important and immediate improvements in walking speed and distance which are meaningful outcomes that make a real difference in everyday lives of individuals who have sustained a stroke. It’s these kind of clinically meaningful outcomes that stimulate excitement among physical therapists and others in the rehabilitation community,” said co-author Ellis, Director of the Center for Neurorehabilitation at Sargent College and Associate Professor and Chair of Physical Therapy at BU. “Our engineering and clinical teams at Harvard and Boston University are highly motivated by these results to refine the technology and study its immediate impact in stroke survivors with a wide range of walking abilities. We are also eager to explore therapeutic applications in both clinical settings and day-to-day walking in the home and community,” said Awad.

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The 2019 APAC Data and Digitization Report

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s data volumes continue to grow and become more disparate by the day, the time is now for organizations to implement ways to efficiently leverage this critical data. In July 2019, Alteryx surveyed 500 businesses to understand how data and analytics are driving their businesses to thrive in this data-led world.

The new Alteryx-commissioned research uncovers the benefits and impact of data analytics in digitization projects across six of the most digitally advanced countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC).

This report summarizes the key findings of the research and uses the information gathered to provide a snapshot into how companies are progressing in their analytic journey. It explores the current thinking into the value of data, the primary data challenges, the culture of data and analytics and the key technology enablers to demonstrate how a smart approach to data guides the way to successful digitization.

Commenting on the findings of the research, Alan Jacobson, chief data and analytics officer at Alteryx said: “The business case for data has truly been acknowledged. While many are still balancing data inefficiencies with the challenge of a shortage of skilled data workers, this latest research from Alteryx underscores that investing in data and analytics alone won’t deliver real business-altering results. Whether performing precision marketing to improve sales or analysing data from various departments across an organization, the world of business is quickly becoming the world of analytics. A smart approach to data and a data literate culture will guide the way for successful digitalization.”

Abboud Ghanem, Senior Director – Middle East and Africa at Alteryx, added: “There is no doubt that data is key in driving business success in 46

the minds of businesses. Every data worker, regardless of technical acumen, wants to be able to easily find and understand what information is at their disposal; have the flexibility to prep, blend, enhance and analyse data from more sources; and easily operationalise analytic models through a collaborative and governed platform. At Alteryx, we will continue to make the Alteryx Platform easier to use for all data workers, while extending its ability to handle more sophisticated data science outcomes for trained data statisticians in order to create an analytics-centric culture across most every industry and functional areas of business.”

Data is permeating every part of business and is key to success • With over three quarters of survey respondents (79%) agreeing that data is a critical corporate asset for driving the business forward it’s clear that businesses are taking advantage of what seems to be insurmountable data sources

across industries and internal functions.

• When it comes to where businesses are in their analytical journey, almost two thirds (62%) of businesses class themselves in the advanced stages of their analytic journeys.

• For those businesses leveraging data for insights over two fifths (41%) report the major business benefit as increased productivity, followed by over one third (36%) citing they gained better insight into customers, and over one third (34%) stating the ability to make savings and efficiencies for my department or organisation.

• Businesses are also seeing soft benefits increase. Over over three quarters (79%) agreed that using data analytics has helped break down internal silos. Respondents cited improved employee satisfaction (41%) as a benefit of using data. Overall two in five (40%) said that analytics improved work-life balance and are able to better balance their lives after embracing data in their role.

• Businesses can’t win in analytics without the human element • With digital skills classed as a major priority for businesses, over four in five (83%) agree that everything they are investing in data and analytics is useless without people who understand it.

• roving that businesses simply cannot proceed to tackle the technical challenges existing in a data-driven industry without the right workforce, more than two fifths (41%) reported that it was easier to access the talent needed to manage analytics than last year, while almost one in three (32%) have a team of dedicated data scientists for all their analytics work.

• Only one in five businesses reported that a talent shortage prevented them from becoming a data-driven business.

• Those who are leveraging data report several key factors that they still need to overcome in order to be more efficient. When allocating time to performing impactful data analyses, one in three (33%) cite data quality as a big challenge to building a data pipeline for the business, followed by almost one third (30%) stating a lack of strong data governance is a major contributing factor to wasted time that could have been spent assembling insights.

• A culture of data and analytics is needed to transform data into actionable insights • When it comes to the building blocks for their digital transformation initiatives, over four in

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five (81%) agree that empowering people is the key to digital transformation.

Stressing that empowering employees to affect business-change with data will enable them to succeed in their digital transformation initiatives, over one third (35%) state a culture of data and analytics will be the biggest game changer for analytics success while two fifths (40%) state they need more focus on employee skills and talent to drive transformation.

Businesses are starting to build this culture to derive value out of their data, as almost one third (30%) have a clear enablement strategy based around community, training, and tools that drives our data analytics usage and over one quarter (29%) hold regular data workshops to inspire data workers to generate insights as part of our data analytics strategy.

In an increasingly data-driven world, over two thirds (70%) of respondents agree that data is so valuable that it’s become a new currency, and the same number agree data progression is also key to career progression.

Technology can be an enabler or constraint to data analytics success

• Proving data will always be at the forefront and one of the most important drivers of success and true digital disruption, businesses across the UAE reported the top three technology enablers having the greatest impact on their business today as data and analytics (42%), artificial intelligence/machine learning (36%) and blockchain (33%).

• When asked their top technology priorities to continually modernize their analytic journey, UAE businesses digital transformation enablers (47%), getting more value out of our data resources (47%), and further investment in data platforms and services (46%) in order to accelerate time-to-insight and break barriers.

• Technology can also be a constraint to a data-driven business. When asked which key technology enablers they are prioritizing investment in within the next five years to support a variety of initiative for data analytics success almost one third cited data and analytics (32%), just ahead of blockchain (28%), and artificial intelligence/machine learning (27%).

• UAE businesses anticipate the biggest technology game-changers for data analytics success within the next five years to include: self-service analytics (31%), augmented data discovery (27%) and explainable AI (27%).

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Dubai Internet City Celebrates its 20-Year Anniversary TECOM Group’s communities home to 6,500 businesses, 95,000 professionals and 27,000 students

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ubai Internet City celebrates its 20year anniversary, starting as a vision announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai to anchor the Emirate as the regional technology hub.

provides extraordinary competitive advantages for tech companies, including world-class infrastructure, an ideal environment for business success, a culture that embraces rapid growth and innovation, and finally, unrivaled simplicity of doing business.

Pioneering the first dedicated tech community in the world, Dubai Internet City

The success of Dubai Internet City was the first in a series of successes that translated the

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same leadership vision, setting the foundation for TECOM Group. Fast forward 20 years, the Group has ten thriving sector-focused business communities in Dubai that are home to over 6,500 businesses and more than 95,000 professionals.

In addition to Dubai Internet City, these business communities are Dubai Media City, Dubai Knowledge Park,

Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Outsource City, Dubai Science Park, Dubai Design District, and Dubai Industrial City.

Today, the Group—a member of Dubai Holding—is a major contributor to the rapid growth of Dubai’s knowledge and innovation-based economy and the transformation of the Emirate into a magnet for some of the world’s top companies and talent.

TECOM Group’s CEO, Malek Al Malek, said: “We started as a vision of His Highness and two decades later, we are proud to be a key economic contributor to the inspiring story of Dubai. In the past 20 years, we have successfully attracted thousands of businesses across core sectors, proving at the same time that we are a bedrock for homegrown innovation.”

Under the same vision of

advancing the economy of the future and to support the budding entrepreneurship ecosystem, TECOM Group also launched startup incubator in5 in 2013, providing an innovation pipeline and a solid link between the top-notch educational institutions that host over 27,000 students within its communities and its business partners. This also provides opportunities for more businesses to succeed and equips upcoming talent with future-proof skillsets. The incubator currently hosts over 200 startups who raised 400 million Dhs by the 3rd quarter of 2019.

Having set the scene for the region’s rapidly growing startup ecosystem, Dubai Internet City is home to the biggest success stories that have inspired the region, such as the Careem-Uber deal, the Amazon acquisition of ecommerce marketplace Souq, and the funding deal of

Anghami, amongst others.

The Group’s business communities continue to witness steady growth. Al Malek commented: “To further drive innovation, productivity and economic growth in Dubai, we are on a mission to set new world benchmarks when it comes to doing business. As our ecosystem matures, we foresee more innovations and local success stories coming out of our communities and soaring to global recognition”.

TECOM Group’s business communities comprise passionate and committed executives, who have risen through the ranks to form a team driven by 100 per cent UAE nationals who are leading the future of the economy of Dubai— qualifying a new generation of distinguished Emirati leaders.

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A Smart Helmet to Detect Covid-19 Infection * World Security unveiled a new Smart Helmet that is designed to make contactless detection of people potentially infected with COVID-19 while ensuring the highest levels of safety and security * World Security is the first security services provider in the UAE to adopt and use the revolutionary headgear which is packed with high-precision sensors, processors and transmission systems

World Security, the innovative security solutions provider of DP World, UAE Region has unveiled a new Smart Helmet that is designed to make contactless detection of people potentially infected with COVID-19, and help ease the movement of traffic in areas where it operates, while ensuring the highest levels of safety and security.

World Security is the first security services provider in the UAE to adopt and use the revolutionary headgear, which is a product of decades of innovation and research and is positioned to be the first choice for epidemic prevention activities. Made of advanced tough, yet lightweight materials, it is packed with high-precision sensors, processors and transmission systems.

The KC N901 Smart Helmet’s top five powerful functions are: Efficient contactless temperature recording, rapid screening for both indoors and outdoors, rapid screening of vehicles and passengers, and rapid face recognition and identity verification, using thermal imaging that enables the invisible visible.

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Mohammed Al Muallem, CEO and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region, said: “With the reopening of the economy, we have now entered a new phase where monitoring public places for potential infection has become imperative. By introducing this technology at a time when the fight against the pandemic is in full swing, World Security has reaffirmed its commitment to keeping the community secure. As the frontline economic growth engine, DP World, UAE Region and its businesses are strictly adhering to the COVID-19 containment programme requirements, and we’re constantly working towards introducing such new and effective measures to ensure business continuity.�

A key to the security requirements of DP World and many other crown jewel economic assets in Dubai, World Security has been providing security solutions for over two decades in the region. The global pandemic was a never-before tackled, new challenge encountered by this established company and required unprecedented solutions.

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Air Dryers Vs. Paper Towels: What’s the Difference?

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ashing of hands is important especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proper handwashing not only reduces the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), it can prevent the spread of other viral illnesses such as cold and flu.

According to Unicef, respiratory viruses like coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread when mucus or droplets containing the virus get into your body through your eyes, nose or throat.

Most often, this happens through your hands.

Hands are also one of the most common ways that the virus spreads from one person to the next. During a global pandemic, one of the cheapest, easiest, and most important ways to prevent the spread of a virus is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water.

However, we do not address what happens after handwashing.

Convenience rooms or toilets are primarily used for every human’s egestion activities. Today, as long as they are kept appropriately clean, they are some of the favorite places in a building.

One area of priority in a toilet is the process of hand drying after toilet use.

Hand drying is generally done by the use of a paper towel or air dryers. However, there is a persistent debate on which hand drying method is best. This has given rise to queries such as, “are hand dryers cleaner than paper towels?” and vice versa.

Here, we examine the debate and what makes the difference between these two methods of hand drying.

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Why Hand Hygiene Is Important A lot of diseases and germs are transmittable by hand contact. After the preventative measure of hand washing, hand drying is next in order.

Hand drying is important because any left-over bacteria on the hands after washing can be removed. These are other considerations that make hand drying an important act: • Hand Washing May Be Done Wrongly: It is common knowledge that washing the hands with soap is the most effective hand hygiene habit.

However, there is no quality control system to confirm proper handwashing in a toilet. Hand drying is then the last resort to save most people. • Germs Can Easily Be Passed Through Wet Skin: Germs tend to remain on improperly washed hands. The hand in a wet state can quickly transfer just about any form of germ to other surfaces.

Germ survival is less likely on dry skin.

The use of air dryers and paper towels are the main methods of hand drying. As mentioned, there has been a constant comparison on which of the two is the best.

Let’s examine them.

Hygiene Paper towels are the clear winner in this comparison. Paper towels are one-use. All you need to do is wipe your hands with it and then dump them in the bin. This accounts for effective hand drying and less contamination within the space of the toilet.

Jet air dryers blow fast air to the point that it might cause germs to fly through the toilet space.

This puts other and future toilet users at risk of contamination. Warm hand dryers, with the warm environment they create, are believed to aid bacteria growth.

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Also, it might require more discipline to use a hand dryer. Toilet users sometimes have to wait for up to a minute for the air dryer to dry their hands thoroughly.

If many people are waiting in line to use the air dryer, some might forgo it completely. This increases the likelihood of having incompletely dried hands when leaving the toilet, increasing their risk of contracting and spreading germs.

The Cost Difference Both air dryers and paper towels serve the fundamental purpose of maintaining healthy habits. From a medical point of view, cost shouldn’t be a factor of consideration. Still, cost drives most business decisions. So, it must be considered.

A paper towel dispenser has a very insignificant initial cost, but its running cost racks up your expenses pretty quickly. On the other hand, air dryers are known for their higher initial cost of purchase and significantly lower running costs.

The running cost of paper towel dispenser comes from the cost of buying paper towels while that of an air dryer comes from energy costs. You can lower both operating costs by buying less expensive paper towels and buying more energy-efficient air dryers.

In this comparison, the air dryer wins.

This is because paper towels still cost so much more over the years, and their use is hardly controllable.

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Environmental Friendliness The carbon footprint of both hand drying methods must also be weighed to know which one performs better.

Paper towels can be examined based on the material they are made of and how they are disposed of after use. Paper towels are made of a new paper from trees or recycled waste papers. Trees are used to produce paper towels, which has a considerable effect on the environment. Although paper towels can be made with recycled paper, they end up in landfills or are composted because they cannot be recycled.

Notably, paper towels do not use electricity. However, they have a long chain of production and disposal that negatively impacts the environment.

Air dryers, on the other hand, have a high environmental impact when in use. About 20 to 80 grams of CO2 equivalents are produced whenever they are used. However, there are more energy-efficient options, like jet air dryers. Most of them come with tags that detail their energy efficiency.

Air dryers win in this comparison rank.

Modern and Low Maintenance Option Air dryers are a more advanced option compared to paper towels. They typically look trendy, parched against the wall as though they are interior decoration items. This is one of the reasons many organizations invest in them. Also, air dryers are a low maintenance option. They do not require a trash can or ever get exhausted.

Paper towel trash cans need to be cleaned out and the dispenser refilled often. Using paper towels might amount to an increase in toilet staff responsibilities.

Air dryers, on the other hand, afford easier toilet cleaning and less concern on how users will get their hands cleaned.

Final Thoughts The debate between air dryers and paper towels is most unlikely to end soon. This is partly because it is a debate being used to fuel the marketing of either product. The priority in hand drying is to ensure that maximum hand hygiene is achieved.

Paper towels are the winners when it comes to hand hygiene. However, air dryers trump paper towels in terms of cost, environmental friendliness, and a more modern outlook.

Many businesses may opt for an air dryer without much consideration. However, it is a worthy consideration that companies who want to maintain a very hygienic environment go for paper towels. The prioritization of hygiene over costs can be an excellent way to boost company image.

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The Covid-19 Survival of Engineering Companies Lies in Digitalization

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he impact of the Coronavirus has been a shock reverberating across every aspect of our lives and in every business.

In the engineering sector, the current global pandemic is forcing the hands of industrial, construction, manufacturing, energy, and HVAC to prepare for a post-COVID-19 world.

As many countries are beginning to relax, or look at relaxing, measures imposed as a result of the crisis, engineering firms need to be ready to rapidly evolve to address a very different world and a possible recession.

The future of engineering and contracting services is a moving target, and institutions must streamline their operations and be able to cost-effectively bring the

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right products to the right customers.

It is important that engineering and tech companies are able to adapt in order to ensure a smooth reopening of financial markets and the economy, whether that be digital or physical.

Being agile won’t just save us, it will sustain us To succeed in a market that keeps changing, you need to be able to move quickly and be agile, composing new products and services faster.

Even with restrictions relaxing in many countries, the expectation is that many employees will continue to work from home and that face-to-face interactions will continue to be limited. The

value of enabling an agile engineering workforce through digitalization has increased even more. Simply put, new solutions are needed across many industrial sectors, and the push for digital remains a top priority.

There are also millions unable to work who are receiving support from governments backed by banks and financial institutions by implementing measures like payment holidays and delayed interest payments. This is where the ability to be agile and flexible, and work in a dynamic environment is vital.

Investing in digitalization and putting it at the center of the engineering strategy provides a competitive edge and longevity. To build the best experience, tech companies

need to start changing with the market, instead of hoping the market will stop changing.

Enter composable banking for engineering firms Today, even the simplest banking service involves a complex orchestration of core systems, transaction processing, decisionmaking, reporting, analytics, authentication, security and more. Monolithic platforms make it harder to incorporate the latest capabilities and tools, and the opportunity for financial institutions today is to replace any component whenever needed without embracing new technical risk.

Composable banking is a new approach to building banks and lending businesses that treats change as a constant. It is about having the control to use fit-for-purpose technologies to compose precisely the right design and delivery of financial services infrastructure.

With fintechs coming in and attracting industrial customers with digital offerings, it becomes increasingly important for the established ones, like the big banks, to work on retaining their engineering customers by digitising, and fast. To serve an agile market, financial institutions need to compose new products and features faster than everyone else to predict demand and to better serve existing customers like renewables, contractors, oil & gas, construction, water treatment and telecoms.

COVID-19 has had a transformative effect across societies, economics and offices. As market dynamics keep on changing, engineering, energy, industrial and technology have a chance to make a positive impact on their customers.

Composable banking offers innovative solutions for organisations to create their own architecture for new products and services faster.

It helps financial institutions create modern customer experiences to compete in the digital era — and constantly evolve them to respond to change.

In the long-term, companies can choose to embrace the new world based on rapid evolution and modern ways of working, or continue on the old paths which will see them unable to adapt when needed most.

Embracing the fintech era for engineering companies

There is one thing in common for organisations, regardless of how far they have come with digitalization. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that you can no longer manage your business the same way as before.

For many businesses, adopting new and agile ways of operating based on composable banking will help guide their path and prepare them for the very different time that lies ahead of us.

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The Future Of Engineering And Its Impact On The Industry There is no doubt that Genetic Engineering, which is the basis of modern Molecular Biotechnology, will be the most interesting scientific field of the next century. Because the initial achievements to date promise a lot. Although they evoke mixed feelings of excitement, anxiety and confusion in the world, as seen recently with the possible modernization of human cloning or genetic control of longevity, and many others.

The opportunities are only likely to grow across all areas, especially the Asian and Middle Eastern markets where new concepts are forever evolving. In this instance, people wanting to move into this line of work should look at educating themselves in all areas of advancements and give yourself the opportunity to complete your goals.

Change is coming Due to the advance of digitization, the range of job profiles demanded by employers is increasingly wide and jobs are constantly appearing that until a few years ago were unthinkable that they existed. This makes the gap between job demand and the reality of the labor market widening.

The engineering sector is particularly affected for this reason, it is one of the sectors that generates the most vacancies and it is very difficult to fill them, according to an analysis of trends in the labor market carried out by the human resources company Randstad. The market needs expert professionals in all emerging branches of engineering.

Any company must have a multidisciplinary profile, with great versatility and analytical capacity, strategic vision, proactivity and adaptation to change, since they are the characteristics most sought after by companies. Especially after the COVID-19 crisis, it’s vital that companies are providing adequate risk assessments for all workers - or could humanity be replaced by more digital aspects?

Some of the areas and profiles most in demand in the short and medium term are: • Electrical engineering: Due to the growth of society, the need to meet various requirements in the fields of engineering related to the generation and use of energy,

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Robotics in more areas?

the design of electromechanical elements and the automation of systems is generated.

• Smart cities: The population is increasingly concentrated in cities, which are experiencing a rapid evolution towards aspects of intelligent management of resources, efficient urban planning, sustainable mobility and other elements that make up a Smart City. This panorama requires the specialized work of engineers with knowledge in Open Data, artificial intelligence and systems and application development capable of creating technologies for these objectives.

• Biomedicine and biotechnology: Although engineers already had a presence in the medical and health areas, it is one of the newer professions at an academic level.

• Industrial organization: It is one of the least technical profiles of engineering in the industrial field, but it is one of the most demanded by companies and, also, one of the most successful among students despite being relatively new.

• Industrial design: Design is applied in all aspects of society. Its objective, however, is not only aesthetic, but also seeks to make all the products it creates more useful, comfortable and efficient. Design is a distinctive element in the very competitive market in which we find ourselves.

The main challenge of building robotics continues to be the integration of robotics from the controlled environment of a factory to a changing environment such as construction activities. The potential of the robot is its ability to carry out work beyond mere manual operation, but also beyond industrial repetition and its direct control by digital data. Robots are becoming more autonomous and can perform more functions and tasks, reducing the waiting time for them to be used in construction.

At first, the supervision of professionals and their interaction with robots in construction will be essential. Robots’ difficulty in navigating complex environments will initially require significant human intervention. However, the trend is for less skilled workers to be replaced by robots, while higher skilled workers will collaborate with the latter.

The speed and precision of a robot can dramatically increase productivity on a construction site. The challenge is undoubtedly the ability to program it to perform the right tasks efficiently. In addition to the benefit in the field of productivity, the accident rate of workers will also be reduced, as robots carry out part of the jobs that involve more occupational risks. Robotics can completely transform construction as we understand it today.

The impact of technology in construction can influence not only work processes, but also architecture, engineering and creativity in the design of new environments. The great challenge is that robots do not replace human capacity and that they help improve architecture, aesthetics, productivity, design, safety and quality of life for construction professionals.

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Data and Digitization Report UAE Market

Executive summary

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As data volumes continue to grow and become more disparate by the day, the time is now for organizations to implement ways to efficiently leverage this critical data.

In July 2019, Alteryx surveyed 500 United Arab Emirates (UAE) businesses to understand how data and analytics are driving their businesses to thrive in this data-led world.

The new Alteryx-commissioned research uncovers the benefits and impact of data analytics in digitization projects across six of the most digitally advanced countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and AsiaPacific (APAC).

This report summarizes the key findings of the research and uses the information gathered to provide a snapshot into how companies across the UAE are progressing in their analytic journey. It explores the current thinking into the value of data, the primary data challenges, the culture of data and analytics and the key technology enablers to demonstrate how a smart approach to data guides the way to successful digitization.

Commenting on the findings of the research, Alan Jacobson, chief data and analytics officer at Alteryx said: “The business case for data has truly been acknowledged. While many are still balancing data inefficiencies with the challenge of a shortage of skilled data workers, this latest research from Alteryx underscores that investing in data and analytics alone won’t deliver real business-altering results. Whether performing precision marketing to improve sales or analysing data from various departments across an organization, the world of business is quickly becoming the world of analytics. A smart approach to data and a data literate culture will guide the way for successful digitalization.”

Abboud Ghanem, Senior Director – Middle East and Africa at Alteryx, added: “There is no doubt that data is key in driving business success in the minds of businesses across the UAE. Every data worker, regardless of technical acumen, wants to be able to easily find and understand what information is at their disposal; have the flexibility to prep, blend, enhance and analyse data from more sources; and easily operationalise analytic models through a collaborative and governed platform. At Alteryx, we will continue to make the Alteryx Platform easier to use for all data workers, while extending its ability to handle more sophisticated data science outcomes for trained data statisticians in order to create an analytics-centric culture across most every industry and functional areas of business.”

Data is permeating every part of business and is key to success • With over three quarters of survey respondents (79%) agreeing that data is a critical corporate asset for driving the business forward it’s clear that businesses are taking advantage of what seems to be insurmountable data sources across industries and internal functions.

• When it comes to where businesses are in their analytical journey, almost two thirds (62%) of UAE businesses class themselves in the advanced stages of their analytic journeys.

• For those businesses leveraging data for insights over two fifths (41%) report the major business benefit as increased productivity, followed by over one third (36%) citing they gained better insight into customers, and over one third (34%) stating the ability to make savings and efficiencies for my department or organisation.

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• Businesses are also seeing soft benefits increase. Over three quarters (79%) agreed that using data analytics has helped break down internal silos. Respondents cited improved employee satisfaction (41%) as a benefit of using data. Overall two in five (40%) said that analytics improved work-life balance and are able to better balance their lives after embracing data in their role.

Businesses can’t win in analytics without the human element • With digital skills classed as a major priority for businesses, over four in five (83%) agree that everything they are investing in data and analytics is useless without people who understand it.

• Proving that businesses simply cannot proceed to tackle the technical challenges existing in a data-driven industry without the right workforce, more than two fifths (41%) reported that it was easier to access the talent needed to manage analytics than last year, while almost one in three (32%) have a team of dedicated data scientists for all their analytics work.

• Only one in five businesses reported that a talent shortage prevented them from becoming a data-driven business.

• Those who are leveraging data report several key factors that they still need to overcome in order to be more efficient. When allocating time to performing impactful data analyses, one in three (33%) cite data quality as a big challenge to building a data pipeline for the business, followed by almost one third (30%) stating a lack of strong data governance is a major contributing factor to wasted time that could have been spent assembling insights.

A culture of data and analytics is needed to transform data into actionable insights • When it comes to the building blocks for their digital transformation initiatives, over four in five (81%) agree that empowering people is the key to digital transformation.

• Stressing that empowering employees to affect business-change with data will enable them to succeed in their digital transformation initiatives, over one third (35%) state a culture of data and analytics will be the biggest game changer for analytics success while two fifths (40%) state they need more focus on employee skills and talent to drive transformation.

• Businesses are starting to build this culture to derive value out of their data, as almost one third (30%) have a clear enablement strategy based around community, training, and tools that drives our data analytics usage and over one quarter (29%) hold regular data workshops to inspire data workers to generate insights as part of our data analytics strategy.

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• In an increasingly data-driven world, over two thirds (70%) of respondents agree that data is so valuable that it’s become a new currency, and the same number agree data progression is also key to career progression.

Technology can be an enabler or constraint to data analytics success • Proving data will always be at the forefront and one of the most important drivers of success and true digital disruption, businesses across the UAE reported the top three technology enablers having the greatest impact on their business today as data and analytics (42%), artificial intelligence/machine learning (36%) and blockchain (33%).

• When asked their top technology priorities to continually modernize their analytic journey, UAE businesses digital transformation enablers (47%), getting more value out of our data resources (47%), and further investment in data platforms and services (46%) in order to accelerate timeto-insight and break barriers.

• Technology can also be a constraint to a data-driven business. When asked which key technology enablers they are prioritizing investment in within the next five years to support a variety of initiative for data analytics success almost one third cited data and analytics (32%), just ahead of blockchain (28%), and artificial intelligence/machine learning (27%).

• UAE businesses anticipate the biggest technology game-changers for data analytics success within the next five years to include: self-service analytics (31%), augmented data discovery (27%) and explainable AI (27%).

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Sharaf DG Energy challenges warehouses and factories to reduce emissions Sharaf DG Energy advises companies to look to their warehouses as the first step to becoming more sustainable

Sharaf DG Energy, one of the leading solar energy solution providers in the UAE vows to tackle the issue of climate change head on, stating that the starting point should be within warehouses and factories across the region.

Manufacturing represents 54% of the world’s energy consumption and is responsible for 20% of global emissions – increase in efficiency can help to conserve energy and contribute to global CO2 reductions. Rising environmental issues and growing economic uncertainty means manufacturers must rework their current practices to ensure more is done to reduce harmful emissions and waste disposal that has a negative impact on the planet.

The logistics industry is becoming increasingly aware of its ecological impacts meaning warehouses and factories are the perfect starting place for companies to implement sustainable solutions. A combination of extensive unused rooftop space, the need for generating clean and reliable energy and the possibility of generating additional income makes warehouse ideal for solar.

The concept behind green logistics is to create measurable reductions in CO2 emissions due to daily operations from logistics and warehousing activities. To optimize operations, it is essential to create strategies that will lower costs and conserve energy.

“As the climate emergency accelerates, factories and warehouses must adapt and create new strategies with sustainability at the core of their business” says Vice President of Sharaf DG Energy, Sanjay Dabur. “There is an opportunity to turn the negative into positive and use the current environmental climate as an opportunity to look internally – Middle East manufacturers should implement the necessary changes towards becoming more sustainable – streamline processes and begin to see this as an opportunity as apposed to a threat”.

“Installing solar panels on a warehouse is financially beneficial as well as a great way to utilise empty roof space” says Mr. Dabur. “The key advantage of using solar panels is that a warehouse can become more self-reliant by producing its own energy which can amount to significant savings over time”.

Sharaf DG Energy believes the companies that will successfully navigate the current environmental issues are those that embrace sustainable solutions across their factories and supply chains – improving operations whilst increasing sustainability means higher productivity and smoother processes that will in turn benefit all areas of the company.

By making the switch to solar, Dubai warehouses could benefit from extensive annual savings, security from producing their own clean energy that isn’t dependant on stability of the energy market, along with the biggest advantage being less pollution of the planet.

Sharaf DG Energy was founded in 2014 as a progressive and forward-thinking enterprise – bringing together global experience and local knowledge to create sustainable energy solutions.

Sharaf DG Energy hails from the wider Sharaf Group comprising of 47 companies with presence in 40 countries across MENA, Africa, India & Asia. The Sharaf Group continues to dominate sectors including Shipping & logistics, Industrial, real estate, travel & tourism, IT and financial & retail since its establishment in 1975.

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