As businesses continue to move out of the triage stage, into post-quarantine, and begin to grapple with complex operational hurdles associated with reopening, it’s apparent that the process will be neither simple nor without challenges. Michael Kalil, COO of Farbman Group, joins us to explain how to prepare properties for a safe return and increased occupancy in a post-quarantine environment.

Preparing your employees to successfully re-enter the workplace is more complex than simply preparing the workplace for their return. Many employees have spent the past several months hunkered down at home, in control of their environment, defining the “new normal” for themselves and their families. Now they’re being asked to relinquish that control and venture back to offices, warehouses and factory floors that suddenly seem unfamiliar and even dangerous.

Around the globe, new ways of working, coupled with rapidly changing technologies, are disrupting the manufacturing industry and skills needed. Up-skilling and re-skilling of manufacturing employees will be crucial to building operating-model resilience. In Istanbul, MESS—a leading employers’ association representing the most important manufacturing companies in Turkey—is addressing this challenge by establishing a distinctive technology center called MEXT. Today on the blog, Barış Arıkan, Head of Ecosystem & Partnership Development for MESS, joins us to explain how this digital transformation center will help create the next generation of workers.

The topic of Artificial Intelligence is not a new one, but it continues to play a leading role in how Industry 4.0 is evolving. With the recent COVID-19 shutdown as a new X-factor, we have what can be called an accelerator, as many businesses were forced to rely on fewer employees, and turned to AI to get things done. Mike Szudarek from Marx Layne & Company joins us on the blog to discuss the impact of AI in the post-COVID landscape.

As many manufacturers begin to reopen plants across the country, ensuring the safety of workers is critical. From appropriate personal protective equipment to maintaining physical distance from other employees, many manufacturers are not sure what steps to take to ensure the safety of workers in the time of Coronavirus. This week on the blog, Matt Keil from SICK discusses how to maintain social distancing measures in your plant while still operating efficiently.

Andreas Hassold and Matteo Dariol of Bosch Rexroth Corporation are back on the blog to share 6 main steps or principles to guide you along your smart manufacturing journey. Learn more about how to approach the next steps towards your Factory of the Future.

COVID-19 has created uncertain conditions for individuals, families, businesses and the broader community. The stay-at-home orders and forced business closures have resulted in a drastic reduction in demand for goods and services, requiring many businesses to carefully review cash flow and financing opportunities to help survive both the COVID-19 emergency and beyond. Ben Smith, CPA, of Clayton & McKervey, joins us on the blog to discuss how data analytics can help businesses understand cash flow issues, invoicing opportunities and optimal inventory management strategies.

How disruptive are COVID-19’s unexpected impacts proving to be for your business? How clear is your team’s line of sight over the next year or two? Businesses are reopening, but for many it’s too soon to discern and understand the new normal. This week on the blog, Shepherd Advisors provides an overview of scenario planning and explains how companies use this tool to navigate through profound market uncertainties.

When businesses place focus on a company culture that is deeply connected to the company's foundational purpose, it creates employees who are fueled by vision, freed by trust and focused on the same priorities. This week on the blog, Eric Davis, Automation Alley's technology investment analyst, outlines the fundamental pieces needed reach your strategic goals as a team through his experience working with a local kombucha brewery.

Quantum computing has been a theoretical playground for physicists, mathematicians, engineers and scientists for more than 40 years. If recent claims by IBM, Google and Honeywell are to be taken at face value, then the software and hardware capabilities required to harness the power of quantum computing and its underlying algorithms are closer to reality than previously estimated. This week on the blog, Automation Alley's Noel Nevshehir gives and overview on what quantum computing is and how this technology could change the world as we know it.