SUCCESS

A FIRST 4 STEPS TO

SUCCESS

Khaled AlShami, Director, Solution Consulting, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Infor discusses what it takes to ensuring that companies are executing their industry 4.0 strategies efficiently

Against the backdrop of an increasingly uncertain global economy, one area of consistent investment has been digital transformation. Within manufacturing, that means the ongoing evolution towards Industry 4.0.

The rationale is simple enough. Manufacturers that are willing to embrace Industry 4.0 connectivity and modern automation opportunities stand to see significant improvements in productivity—not only on the shop floor, but also across the enterprise.

Another reason that these programmes are still being developed is because they can engender a great deal of confidence amidst volatile markets. Industry 4.0 improvements are all very tangible and quickly identified and measured. According to a joint survey on smart factories from PwC and the Manufacturing Institute, productivity gains, reduced labour costs, and uncovering new revenue streams are among the top benefits for manufacturers that have deployed Industry 4.0 technologies.

This confidence is so strong that while many manufacturers are still in the research and pilot stages, the survey reports that 73% of them are planning to increase their technology investments over the next year. But where exactly should manufacturers look to secure these early wins and focus their investment plans to deliver not only resilience but growth?

1. Shop-floor optimization Manufacturers can use Industry 4.0-ready technologies to help digitize shop floor processes that are still largely paper-based. Today, many manufacturers still use paper trails to monitor the progress of work orders, the location of parts, and sometimes even the assembly sequence and steps for a specific order. This is not only inefficient in the immediate, ‘here and now’ but it restricts the speed and agility that is vital for new product development to help drive the future growth of a manufacturer.

Modern software provides ways to automate and streamline steps as new functionality anticipates the needs of the user, based on roles and custom-defined workflows. Modern software empowers faster decision-making with easy-to-read dashboards, workbenches, and consumable reporting.

2. Transparent supply chain Efficiently filling customer orders is top of mind for manufacturers. According to a survey from industry advisory firm BDO, 23% of midmarket manufacturers are looking to supply chain technologies to help speed up order cycle times.

In an age where we can track every personal delivery to our home, businesses (including manufacturers) now realise that they need end-to-end supply chain technologies that give them a network-wide view of inventory on order, so they can see where potential bottlenecks may be—whether it’s from the supplier during transport, or once it makes it to the manufacturing facility.

3. Workforce augmentation Automation often strikes a note of fear into many manufacturers, but collaborative robots, or “cobots,” aren’t here to replace human workers, but to work side-by-side with them to help handle the heavy work or repetitive tasks that can be hard on employees’ bodies over time.

With cobots taking on some of the more monotonous tasks, human employees can focus on activities that require more dexterity, creativity, reasoning, and critical thinking. This has the potential to be truly transformative over the long term.

Just as robots can help on the shop floor, workforce management and human capital management systems can help a manufacturer’s employees succeed as the roles and responsibilities within the workplace shift. These software tools can provide ease of use, automation, and analytics that help managers plan the use of resources and control labour costs, while also enhancing the employee experience.

4. Predictive asset maintenance It’s mission-critical for shop floor equipment and assets to keep running—even when the machinery is past its prime and needs frequent repairs or even replacement. With minimal resources and numerous demands for their time, maintenance teams need to develop and follow optimal strategies.

Reactive maintenance isn’t an acceptable strategy—fixing broken equipment, one emergency after another, is an inefficient use of resources and can even result in entire production lines shutting down. A predictive maintenance strategy, however, can catch issues before they become expensive and time-consuming problems. Khaled AlShami Director, Solution Consulting, MEA

Modern enterprise asset management software systems contain powerful predictive capabilities combined with innovative business intelligence and artificial intelligence that uses algorithms and data science to identify patterns in data points and project next-likely outcomes. Users can explore “what if” scenarios and obtain forecasts of likely costs and probable demands to help drive decision-making.

It is worth concluding on a note of realism. Industry 4.0 is not a panacea for the current issues impacting global manufacturing – it wasn’t before COVID19 hit and it still isn’t now. But it is a set of tools that can not only improve the response to issues such as economic difficulties imposed by the coronavirus, but also drive future growth and strength within the sector.

As an example of digital transformation, Industry 4.0 can lead a lot of businesses forward, but early wins will be critical to maintain confidence and investment levels, helping businesses to realise positive initial progress and develop competitive advantage.

D-LINK DWR-925W 4G LTE M2M ROUTER

D-Link has launched the DWR-925W 4G LTE M2M Router in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region to offer seamless connections to businesses. The easy-to-deploy, high performance 3G/4G router features a dedicated Gigabit WAN port and dual-SIM 4G LTE mobile broadband for maximum redundancy and flexibility for intense machine-to-machine applications.

DWR-925W comes with 4 Gigabit LAN ports to connect wired devices for high-speed activities and same time enjoy high-speed wireless IEEE 802.11AC with speeds of up to 1200 For some, the thought of Chromebooks conjures an image of an affordable mid-to-low-end device, possibly for use by a student. However, over the last few years, Chrome OS has entered the workspace in a real way, including seriously highend devices.

Mbps, so that you can access the Internet and transfer data quickly over wireless for better flexibility.

Equipped with powerful VPN tools and advanced remote management combined with ease of use make the DWR925W ideal for both large-scale and individual deployments.

Customers can effortlessly connect to their high-speed 3G/4G LTE mobile internet backup network connection with the DWR-925W 4G LTE M2M Router. They can enjoy brisk combined downlink speeds of up to 300 Mbps with dual SIM load balancing mode, taking advantage of the speed needed for fast, responsive Internet access.

D-Link’s new router can be deployed in a remote location to access IP cameras and systems without physical contact. The blazing fast LTE connection allows multiple users to access e-mail and stream music and video on the go.

Highlights:

Connectivity: Blazing fast combined LTE speeds up to 300 Mbps with dual SIM load balancing mode, Gigabit Ethernet for broad compatibility, Dual-SIM for High Reliability and speed, Wireless IEEE 802.11AC for flexible network access.

Simplicity: Plug-and-Play with Ethernet interface, Easy-to-use web interface for advanced cases

Advanced VPN and Management Features: Support for IPSec, PPTP, L2TPv2, GRE, OpenVPN Tunneling

Rugged and Flexible: Wide operating temperature and humidity

HP PRO C640 CHROMEBOOK ENTERPRISE

Tolerance

AWS OUTPOSTS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the general availability of AWS Outposts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). AWS Outposts delivers fully managed and configurable compute and storage racks built with AWS-designed hardware that allow customers to run compute and storage on-premises, while seamlessly connecting to AWS’s broad array of services in the cloud. AWS Outposts brings native AWS services, infrastructure, and operating models to virtually any datacenter, co-location space, or on-premises facility. With AWS Outposts, customers can use the same AWS APIs, control plane, tools, and hardware on-premises as in the AWS cloud to deliver a truly consistent hybrid experience.

Customers in the UAE and KSA who have workloads that require low latency access to on-premises systems, local data processing, or local data storage can benefit from AWS Outposts. These include applications that may need to generate near real-time responses, need to communicate with other on-premises systems, or control on-site equipment (e.g. factory floor The HP Pro c640 Chromebook Enterprise is designed for users to easily navigate work in the cloud. The device is powered by the latest 10th Gen Intel processors and users can spend more time getting work done with up to 12 hours of battery life and HP Fast Charge, which recharges the battery to 90% in 90 minutes. It is arguably the world’s Thinnest 14" Business Chromebook with an aluminum-exterior device that's stylish and easy to carry. You can intuitively, easily navigate cloud work with the performance and privacy features of the ultra thin HP Pro equipment, health management systems, and retail point of sale systems). Customers can also use AWS Outposts to securely store and process customer data in countries where there is no AWS Region. This is important for organizations in highly regulated industries and countries with data sovereignty requirements.

Highlights

AWS Outposts delivers pre-configured racks of compute and storage to bring AWS services, AWS designed infrastructure, and operating models on-premises. The infrastructure is the same as is used in AWS Regions.

With AWS Outposts customers can choose from a range of compute, storage, and graphics-optimized Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances, both with and without local storage options, and Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) volume options.

Customers can easily run a broad

range of AWS services locally, inc640 Chromebook Enterprise that also has full Chrome Enterprise3 manageability and security for IT.

Highlights

Durability. The world’s thinnest 14” Chromebook with a stylish aluminium exterior, the Chromebook is designed to pass rigorous MIL-STD testing and has a backlit keyboard that resists spills up to 350 ml of water.

Enterprise-grade security. The HP Privacy Camera with intecluding Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), and Amazon Elastic MapReduce (Amazon EMR), and can connect directly to regional services like Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) buckets or Amazon DynamoDB through private connections.

grated shutter helps protect from camera hacks while an optional integrated fingerprint sensor provides fast access.

S e a m l e s s - c o l l a b o r a t i o n . Equipped with Wi-Fi 6 and HP’s proprietary extended range LAN, cloud users get increased networking range and performance. The 180-degree hinge lay-flat design and built-in webcam and audio allow for easy collaboration, and the integrated HDMI port removes the need for dongles.

CLOUD COMPUTING SPECIALISTS, SECURITY AND DATA PROTECTION ANALYSTS IN DEMAND

UAE organizations are experiencing increased demand for individuals with deep technology skills, according to a new research by the International Data Corporation (IDC). The research commissioned by Microsoft titled ‘Future of Work Skills’ and covers findings from key markets across the Middle East and Africa to examine insights, trends and challenges that the region is facing amidst its digital transformation journey.

The report finds that over 90% of organization in the UAE are in the process of implementing their digital transformation initiatives. However there remains a gap in the depth of digital experience and skills needed to support these ambitious journeys. This is especially in the case of specific business functions such as marketing, sales and human resources. As it stands, 66% of businesses in the UAE expect to see an increase in positions that require deep technology skills over the next two to three years.

Recognising the cloud as a foundational technology needed to drive digital transformation, almost 73% of UAE-based organisations are already using some form of cloud-based solution. However, more than half of surveyed companies still lack the cloud computing skills they need, while 67% agree they will need even more advanced skills in coming years. UAE organizations are also aware that dig

FUTURE OF WORK THE UAE’S MOST IN-DEMAND DIGITAL SKILLS Who are companies looking for?

Today In 2 Years

AI & machine learning specialists 40% IT services managers 37% AI and machine learning specialists 47% IT services managers 48%

Good networkers 41%

*Percentage of companies that lack these necessary skills Cloud computing specialists 58% Mobile technology specialists 38%

Good networkers 53% Cloud computing specialists 67% Mobile technology specialists 55%

74% UAE companies expect an increase in demand for positions that require extensive use of digital systems and applications for work

Source: Future of Work Skills 2019 22% of UAE organisations battle to recruit staff with digital skills IT, marketing, sales and HR report the biggest skills gap

68% of businesses in the UAE are actively upskilling their employees

ital skills are not the only capabilities needed to help them compete in the digital age. This is evidenced by the fact that 41% of companies indicate they are lacking necessary networking skills and 53% believe they will need more of those skills in the future.

A key strategy is to retain and upskill existing staff, with 77% of companies saying they find this an effective approach to acquiring the digital skillsets they require. In fact, with the goal of developing a future-ready workforce, almost 70% of companies have reskilling programmes in place, many of which are now available for people to attend remotely.

To address the skills gap, Microsoft has set up a virtual training ecosystem designed to benefit, not only students and young professionals, but also employees specialising in certain skills that may soon be less needed or even obsolete. Initiatives like the Microsoft Cloud Society, till date, has over 256,000 members across the Middle East and Africa, and platforms such as the AI Business School are empowering individuals to remotely upskill in areas around AI, Cloud, Data and Security.