Author: Peggy Smedley
Supply chains, in general, are very complex—supply chains for automotive are another level of complexity altogether. In addition to all the components that go into a vehicle, it also stays in the field a lot longer, which means it has a long product lifecycle. The problem is when complexity is high, this leaves room for bad actors to come in and exploit it. This is exactly the conversation I was having recently with Henry Bzeih, global industry lead for automotive, mobility, and transportation, Microsoft, and Kaivan Karimi, global partner strategy leader, automotive, mobility, and transportation, Microsoft, on The Peggy Smedley…
Everyone keeps talking about the net-zero goals set forth for the next decade—but what will that truly look like in 2035? One new report aims to identify what a reliable, resilient, decarbonized electricity supply system could reveal by that time—and perhaps more importantly the steps we will need to take to even get there. The report, “Delivering a Reliable Decarbonised Power System,” from Climate Change Committee, uses real weather data and hourly analysis of Great Britain’s power system. In the hopes of helping us all learn together, let’s see what these folks have uncovered. Let my first salvo be that…
As of January 2023, one in 20 construction jobs were unfilled. The labor shortage is a discussion that was being had far before the words COVID-19 became a common household phrase. Still, the pandemic caused hiring to stagnant. Since that time, the industry has slowly began to recover jobs lost in the early months of 2020, according to analysis from Marcum LLP, but it is still slow going—and the pace of hiring certainly would be seeing a more rapid pace if not for the construction labor shortages. I know I am preaching to the choir, but this is a big…
We are seeing the rise of cloud services, 5G, and the IoT (Internet of Things), which is changing the way media and telecom companies conduct business. Add in the intense desire to be more sustainable and we have the perfect recipe for businesses to transition legacy businesses. This is something that Scott Campbell, industry executive advisor, SAP, sees and experiences every day. Many of the customers he works with have been using SAP for a very long time. “We have had to move their businesses forward to enable them to handle 5G and Internet of Things and all these new…
If you know me, then you know I have a passion for saving lives on our roadways and building strong, resilient infrastructure that can serve the needs of all citizens, which is why my interest was piqued when I heard about Bicyclist & Pedestrian Counts, which is part of a larger program, right here in my hometown of Columbia, S.C. To start, let me share with you a little bit of background about this program. The city of Columbia had an objective to study and plan for the movement of bicyclists and pedestrians as part of the Walk Bike Columbia…
Digital twins offer many benefits to construction companies: data-driven decisions, more streamlined project delivery, money and time saved, better quality, and the list goes on and on. But as any die-hard construction professional knows this also comes with challenges. “The problem is one of the obstacles to model-based digital delivery from the creation of a construction digital twin for bidding through execution is the way the civil design models come in aren’t often complete,” says Rich Humphrey, vice president of product management, Bentley Systems. “Sometimes they get completed through CAD. Sometimes you have to integrate the models together.” Civil construction…
Cyberattacks are on the rise, as threat actors become more creative, geopolitical conflicts rise, and supply-chain disruptions continue to surge. At the same time, security teams are tasked with siphoning through a massive amount of raw data to uncover true threats. As the challenges continue to mount, this is causing general fatigue among security teams, as they continue to face all the cybersecurity and ransomware attacks thrown at them. This is where a third party can cut through all that noise and find the true threats quickly. I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Ryan Throop, executive consultant…
South Carolina is becoming an automotive state and manufacturing hub, bringing jobs for the next generation. As someone who has written about the importance of American-made manufacturing, it is so encouraging to see many companies bring production back to the United States, and I am particularly excited to see it happening here in what is now my own home state. I am not typically one to hand out accolades in the political world (this is not about politics), but in this case I can say I am proud of the efforts of Governor Henry McMaster and his mission to build…
I have been touting that we need to reach Millennials and Gen Z if we want a vibrant workforce in construction right now. Those who are already in the workforce can help fill in the gaps we are missing. As I have said, we need to show them what is possible and inspire them to do something innovative with technology. If we do, the rewards will be big for all involved—the individual workers and the company. That is the urgent need facing our workforce today—but we also need to be prepared for what is coming next. What is coming next…
Developing innovative, life-changing solutions comes with hurdles—such as getting U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Admin.) clearance for medical devices. Let’s look at one example of the process to bring such a device to market. Steven LeBoeuf, president and cofounder, Valencell Inc., began his career at General Electric, where he pioneered innovations in solid state materials, multiwavelength optoelectronic devices, high-power electronics, nanostructured materials and devices, and biochemical sensor systems. In 2006, he founded Valencell and is now the inventor of more than 100 granted patents in the field of wearable biomedical sensing. In a recent conversation, I sat down with him…