Author: Peggy Smedley
Generative AI (artificial intelligence) brings great benefits to society and industry. We are seeing the rise of such technology in aviation and airlines, power and utilities, and even places like at the dentist. Data is the new oil, and if companies can capture and capitalize on it, then they have a leg up in today’s competitive, labor-constrained market. Still, there are challenges that remain. Perhaps the biggest challenge is the safety of it all. Cybersecurity is a huge concern for many businesses, as they leverage new, emerging technologies, but digging a bit deeper there are other safety concerns to consider…
I recently had the extreme pleasure of joining Don Bent, chief operating officer, Oshkosh Defense, on a tour of a manufacturing facility right here in South Carolina where they are building the future postal truck. “Delivery vehicles are actually the perfect opportunity for battery electrics and the reason is because they drive relatively short distances,” he says. “They start and stop a lot and then they come home every night to the same location so they can recharge them. It is the perfect opportunity for that.” Oshkosh Defense has been in the 900,000-sq.ft. space, which is 20 acres under roof,…
Rapid urbanization worldwide means every five days, the world adds buildings equivalent to the size of Paris. Every five days. Many companies know cutting emissions can provide significant benefits to business and the environment, but that is often easier said than done. Now, the United Nations is providing a blueprint, of sorts, for the construction industry to cut emissions. The built environment is already responsible for 37% of global emissions. A report published by the UNEP (UN Environment Programme) and the Yale CEA (Center for Ecosystems + Architecture), under the GlobalABC (Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction), offers a plan…
AVs (autonomous vehicles) will unlock opportunities for businesses, consumers, and society, but the road to reaching true autonomous driving is a long one—with bumps, pivots, and potholes—and with many challenges and opportunities. So, the question at hand is: what comes next? To answer these questions, we must first unpack where we are right now. We know different levels of autonomy include semi-autonomous that require driver assistance to fully autonomous. And of course, the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) has the 6 levels of driving automation, which ranges from fully manual (0) to fully autonomous (5). The reality is right now…
Here in the state of South Carolina, we have significant interest in recognizing and advancing innovative strategies to support EVs (electric vehicles). The hope here is that it will facilitate and encourage investment and economic development in this sector. The opportunities are vast. Roughly one year ago, in an executive order from the office of the Governor, we see South Carolina has experienced and cultivated tremendous growth, which has an annual economic impact of more than $27 billion and includes more than 500 companies and more than 74,000 professionals in the state across all automotive. At the time, the SC…
Perhaps one of the greatest opportunities the construction industry has at its proverbial fingertips today is to bring together sustainability and infrastructure to create a world of tomorrow that just might stand the test of time. Many recognize this, yet there are still many challenges that stand in the way. ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) acknowledges this as well and has developed a new standard that provides guidance to infrastructure owners on their journey to build a more sustainable infrastructure. The objective here is to help develop and implement sustainable solutions throughout a project’s entire lifecycle. The ASCE 73-23…
What happens when the robots don’t rise up? There are those who fear robots will displace humans, but have you taken a moment to consider when robots are just not up to the task at all—simply, they are not the right fit. What about when robots require more attention and care than hiring a human to do the job? One new survey looks into this conundrum that many manufacturers face with legacy systems. The Challenge This research from Visual Components suggests more than half of manufacturers in the U.K. say time-consuming manual programming is required for robots to complete welding,…
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go to Singapore to attend the annual Year in Infrastructure conference. Here Bentley Systems addressed key industry challenges—namely the engineering resource capacity gap—and highlighted solutions. “There is already an average of one unfilled position for every 10 infrastructure engineers at work,” says Greg Bentley, CEO, Bentley Systems. “In fact, presumably as a result of this engineering resource capacity gap, it seems that our application users are working days that are longer by an average of 23 minutes since pre-pandemic 2019. So, all of us who contribute to infrastructure engineering are ever more…
I have written many times about the manufacturing industry here in South Carolina—and the success stories continue to ring across the state, so much so that on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, Governor Henry McMaster even issued a proclamation recognizing National Manufacturing Day and October as the official Manufacturing Month in South Carolina. What types of progress are we making here in South Carolina? Today, the manufacturing industry has a presence across all 46 counties with an annual economic impact of $206 billion, accounting for tens of thousands of jobs statewide, according to the Economic Impact of Manufacturing in South Carolina,…
Many industries are facing new challenges amid a worker shortage, changing economic conditions, rising fuel costs, and the need for sustainability. Perhaps there is no greater place for this than the aviation and airline industry. These industries have also been grappling to meet increased customer demand with the emergence of innovation. This is a recent conversation I had Julie Shainock, global managing director for travel, transport logistics, and hospitality, Microsoft. Let’s take a moment to explore a few of the hurdles and opportunities that this industry faces. (I would also be remiss if we did not note the Israel-Hamas war…