In my blog article Data Overload, I examined the rise of a new type of professional, the Data Scientist. In this blog, I explore the role of the Data Detective. Data science and data analytics are closely associated with the Industry 4.0 initiative. Scientists have been utilising data to solve…
One of the fundamental tenants of the Industry 4.0 initiative is resource efficiency and eco-friendliness. The build-up of plastic waste is a growing planet-wide concern. Plastic waste must be reduced. Scientific and industrial advancements are converging on finding solutions to this growing problem. Approaches to reducing plastic waste include using…
I recently had an unexpected event in my career. A contract that I relied upon was, without warning, suddenly stopped. I was shocked. It shook me to my core. Psychologist Abraham Maslow would have defined it as an assault on my psychological need for safety, in this case, financial safety….
To build and maintain a culture of continuous improvement, it is necessary to honestly evaluate process changes to see if they have resulted in an improvement. This is often done as part of Deming’s Plan Do Study Adjust (PDSA) cycle. In some organisations where I have worked, there was pressure…
Zoe Keane of Recruit Ireland interviewed me on the topic of Job Satisfaction and how to achieve it. These are some of the uncut highlights of our conversation. You may find some of my answers surprising. What is job satisfaction? The core of job satisfaction is to be fulfilled in…
I was aware of the Smart Factory concept, but I knew little about the systems that enable it. So I decided to take a look at two smart factory systems OPC-UA and RAMI 4.0 AAS. The innovations of the last 200 years have brought humanity countless benefits. As industrial growth…
The idea of a fully autonomous car has become widely accepted. Each year new models of car come closer and closer to the self-driving concept. One often overlooked aspect of autonomous transportation is the idea of Urban Air Mobility. (UAM). UAM is the realisation of the pilotless air taxi, a…
In this blog, I recommend the two best resources on the internet regarding digital twins and how they can improve production capacity and efficiency. The Digital Twin (DT) concept is often allied to the Industry 4.0 movement. NASA first described the idea of a digital twin in 2011 as a…
It is hard to escape from the word innovation; from CVs to performance appraisals and company mission statements, it is omnipresent. In the 1990’s it was synergy; in the 2000’s it was collaboration. Today the must use word is innovation. The expression innovation has its origins in the Latin word…
It’s a chip crunch and you’re the CEO. Let’s try my new calculator for a bit of fun. You have recently been appointed the CEO of a major semiconductor company. Set your good die per wafer targets, factory output and the average selling price of your ICs and CPUs. What…
