The fear that a robot or computer could put workers in the unemployment line may be directly linked to some physical and mental health issues, says three Ball State University researchers and a Villanova University professor.

“County-level job automation risk and health: Evidence from the United States,” published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, found that exposure to automation risk may be negatively associated with health outcomes, plausibly through perceptions of poorer job security.

The research was conducted by Srikant Devaraj, a research assistant professor with Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER); Michael Hicks, CBER director; Emily J. Wornell, a research assistant professor with Ball State’s Indiana Communities Institute; and Pankaj C. Patel with Villanova University.

“While estimates of potential job losses due to automation vary for our nation— with one as high as 47 percent—most people agree that the risk of automation is significant and growing,” said Hicks, who found in 2015 that job losses in the nation’s manufacturing sectors due to automation were as high as 88 percent in recent years. “People who live and work in areas where automation is taking place are sickened by the thought of losing their jobs and having no way of providing for themselves or their families.”

In this study, researchers found that a 10-percentage-point increase in automation risk at the county-level worsens general, physical and mental health by 2.38 percentage point, 0.8 percentage point, and 0.6 percentage point, respectively.

Further, the study estimates that the 10-percentage point increase in automation risk increases overall costs by $24 million to $174 million due to increase in prevalence of poor or fair health; $6 million to $40 million due to increased physical distress, and $7 to $47 million due to increased mental distress.

The study also found that the Southern region of U.S. appears to have a higher percentage of people with worse health from exposure to automation risk. The Plains, the Midwest, and the New England regions have better health outcomes. However, there is significant heterogeneity in health outcomes across the Rocky Mountain and Southwest regions. These patterns are consistent with general health patterns in the nation—health conditions are worse in the Southern U.S., and positive in the Plains, Midwest, New England, and the West Coast.

Given these consistencies, historic regional effects could be strengthening the influence of automation risk on health outcomes, researchers found.

“The actual and felt threats from automation may not immediately manifest into morbidities, but the increasing prevalence of poorer self-reported health and feelings of deteriorating physical and mental health can have a direct and lasting impact on individuals, families, and communities,” he said. “While we cannot fully unpack the black box between county-level automation risk and health, nevertheless, it is important for policymakers to understand the health effects of automation risk.”

Companies are struggling to take efficient action across their supply chains, while facing increased demands from stakeholders.

A new international survey by DNV GL, a global quality assurance and risk management company, reveals an emerging gap between beginners and leaders when it comes to managing sustainable supply chains. The survey investigated how companies are approaching supply chain sustainability and how mature they are in their approach, and 50% rated themselves as beginners in this area.

The study was supported by GFK Eurisko and Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), a not-for-profit membership organization which operates the world’s largest collaborative platform for sharing responsible sourcing data on supply chains. More than 1,400 professionals from Europe, Asia and America responded to the survey, and the findings are compared to an identical survey conducted in 2014.

The survey identifies a set of front-running companies, defined as leaders, which have a more structured approach to sustainability in their supply chain. The leaders have moved away from self-conducted initiatives and penetrate all tiers of their value chains with their actions. They are more active than average companies and apply more structured approaches. For example, they involve third parties to a much higher extent when auditing suppliers against their own protocols or recognized methodologies, and 30% provide their suppliers with dedicated training. By implementing sustainability in their supply chain, they say they have gained brand reputation (65%), improved their ability to meet customer needs (58%) and increased market shares (32%).

Luca Crisciotti, CEO of DNV GL – Business Assurance, comments: “Building sustainable supply chains is no longer a voluntary initiative based on unstructured attempts. Companies that have experienced positive effects from their actions have adopted a more systematic approach. Those able to tackle it in a strategic and holistic way can manage their risks better and reap benefits, while responding to legislative, stakeholder and global demands.”

Overall, companies feel greater pressure to show they have a sustainable supply chain today than in 2014 (86%; +6%). Seventy-six per cent say that customers are the main drivers influencing sustainable supply chain management. Nine out of ten professionals say that supply chain sustainability is key when they are making buying decisions themselves. Nevertheless, pressure comes from multiple direct and indirect stakeholders. Today, companies are expected to proactively manage all tiers of their supply chain and to do so in a way that contributes to the world’s sustainability goals.

Of the respondents, 81% have taken at least one action to improve their supply chain sustainability. However, actions are mainly self-conducted and limited to “tier 1” suppliers, and fewer actions are taken further out in the value chain. A direct audit of some suppliers has been undertaken by 39% of the companies, 36% have required suppliers to provide information and 32% have either had a dialogue with suppliers to address the challenges or implemented a sustainability policy. Only 7% of the respondents say they have reached out to all tiers of their supply chain.

“Managing risks across the entire supply chain can be challenging and requires the collection of supplier performance data to efficiently create visibility further down the value chain. However, companies can leverage advancements in big data analytics, data sharing platforms and blockchain technology to help collect and measure supplier performance in a structured and reliable way,” says Luca Crisciotti.

The study reveals that disclosure of information about sustainability in the supply chain is still in its early stages, despite the opportunities offered by digitalization. Only 20% of respondents, including among leaders, have published information about their supply chain.

METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE

• The survey was conducted in October 2017. It involved 1,408 professionals in companies in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors across different industries in Europe, North America, Central & South America and Asia.
• The sample consists of customers of DNV GL – Business Assurance and does not claim to be statistically representative of companies worldwide.
• The questionnaire was administered using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing) methodology.
• The sample includes 60 companies defined as LEADERS. The classification of a company as a LEADER is based on a list of attributes defined by DNV GL – Business Assurance.

About DNV GL

DNV GL is a global quality assurance and risk management company. Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, we enable our customers to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. Operating in more than 100 countries, our professionals are dedicated to helping customers in the maritime, oil & gas, power & renewables and other industries to make the world safer, smarter and greener. As one of the world’s leading certification bodies, we help businesses assure the performance of their organizations, products, people, facilities and supply chains through certification, verification, assessment, and training services. Partnering with our customers, we build sustainable business performance and create stakeholder trust across all types of industries. www.dnvgl.com

Women—along with ethnic minorities, immigrants from various cultures, speakers of different languages and people with disabilities—are predicted to help fill the current supply chain workforce gap between now and 2030, as suggested on page 47 of Roadmap 2.0. Although the majority of the field is male, women now represent 35% of the total supply chain workforce, according to the 2016 Gartner-AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management and Education) Women in Supply Chain Survey.

Both the survey and Roadmap 2.0 recommend better recruitment efforts to expose women to the opportunities within the field, as well as adapting to the desires of the workforce for increased flexibility and a clearly defined career path. In MHI Solutions’ second quarter 2018 issue, four industry leaders—who happen to be female—are profiled in, “Women Rising: Four Supply Chain Leaders Making Their Mark In A Male-Dominated Field.” Each offered insights into tactics companies should be adopting now in order to recruit, retain and advance women within the field.

Shari Altergott, Corporate Director of Marketing and Business Development at Associated, has spent her entire 17-year supply chain career at the company. She says having a mentor like the company’s former president, Mike Romano, was key to her career growth.

“Under his mentorship I started to understand what a substantial impact Associated—and the material handling industry as a whole—have on supply chain. I could not believe how this field that impacts our everyday lives was virtually unknown by the general population,” she explains. “It wasn’t until I understood the industry’s size, breadth, and impact that I truly became passionate about what we do and how we help improve the quality of life of people all around the world.”

Altergott credits Romano with not only teaching her the ins and outs of the industry, but also how to be a leader—skills she further developed by first completing her undergraduate studies and later earning a Master’s of Business Administration from Northern Illinois University while still working full-time at Associated.

Her advice to companies seeking to add more women to their ranks? “Just as it is important for men in leadership positions to mentor more women in this industry, it is equally important for women in leadership positions to mentor men. Ultimately, it is good leaders that will change the face of the industry,” she concludes.

Andrea Curreri, President of Bluff Manufacturing, can recall being “the only estrogen in the room when work sessions were held. Things have changed a little bit, but there’s still not many of us upper level executives of the female form.”

As a result of greater acceptance of—and impact by—women in the field, Curreri is “also seeing a lot more creativity resulting from greater diversity of thought and perspective, and that’s really refreshing. And men are much more open to women’s contributions as well.”

Like many woman in a leadership role, Curreri pairs authority with empathy. “I think many women who rise to higher levels do a very good job of balancing strength and holding people accountable with making changes that are more family-friendly and create a better work-life balance,” she continues. “For example, I implemented paid time off and flex time, and made sure laptops were available to those who want to work from home if they have a sick child.”

Julie Elliot, Co-Owner and Human Resources Manager of Battery Watering Technologies, says one of the most interesting things about supply chain is the diversity and breadth of opportunities within the industry.

“I think the term ‘supply chain career’ is misunderstood by the mass majority. There are so many different jobs in this industry, including customer service, purchasing, accounting, graphic arts, engineering, shipping/receiving, machine operators, production and quality control,” notes Elliott.

“When you break down the job titles and descriptions, it sounds much more interesting and less industrial—which makes it more appealing,” she continues. “As an industry, we need to continue to educate the kids coming out of high school and in college about the job opportunities in our industry in order to attract the best people, regardless of gender or race.”

Lorin Cassidy Wolfe, President and CEO of Acco Material Handling Solutions, has aggressively taken charge of her own career. That allowed her “able to navigate male-dominated fields and excel through performance and results,” she says.

“Having said that, I have also experienced others trying to ‘talk over me’ and gender disparity through unequal pay. Notably, I was told once after I ‘leaned in’ and asked for a promotion for a job I was already doing that I should ‘just put my head down and let my results speak for themselves,’” Wolfe recalls.

Based on her experience, Wolfe offers this advice for women considering a career in supply chain: “First, seek out mentors with varying perspectives in every chapter of your career to champion your growth and provide honest feedback. Second, don’t let your ambition exceed your impact—impact the company as if you have the job you want, never do the minimum in the job you have, and don’t be afraid to ask for the job. Finally, pay it forward by mentoring others and providing guidance.”

To read the entire article and learn more about Altergott, Curreri, Elliot and Wolfe, click here.

The last mile is one of the most fundamental and crucial stages of a retailers’ supply chain process. It is therefore no wonder that so much time and effort is being allocated by companies to deliver a top-class service to their customers whilst trying to balance the growing costs.

To further explore the topic, EFT has produced a whitepaper—The Last Mile Retail Study, 2018—on the current state of the last mile, the challenges that retailers are facing, and the steps they are taking to assess their competition and set their brand ahead of the rest. Topics include:

• The biggest last mile challenges facing retailers
• The importance of the customer’s last mile experience
• The most pressing requirements that customers are demanding
• The need for same day delivery
• What last mile investment retailers are making for the future

METHODOLOGY

Eft surveyed 129 supply chain executives from retailers, manufacturers and brands alongside 194 executives from leading global logistics providers. The audience surveyed covered both North American and European markets. No individual responses were considered in any capacity to preserve anonymity of the respondents.

ABOUT EFT

eft Supply Chain and Logistics Business Intelligence is the global leader in business intelligence and C-level networking for the transport, logistics and supply chain industry. We specialize in connecting senior industry executives with their industry peers, and with the crucial information they need to excel in their work. For 16 years, eft has provided the industry with essential business intelligence in the form of news, reports, benchmarking data, white papers and C-level events. Through constant direct engagement with industry leaders, we ensure our products and events are directly tailored to meet the industry’s needs.

 

In the 2018 Annual Industry Report, MHI and Deloitte identified 11 NextGen technologies that have the potential to disrupt supply chains. This video is the first of a four-part NextGen Supply Chain Update series that will take an in-depth look at the most relevant topics and case studies from the 2018 report.

In the report, cybersecurity was identified as one of the top barriers to NextGen supply chain innovation adoption. Blockchain is also highlighted, not only for its potential to address cybersecurity threats but also for its unique ability to establish trust and transparency in supply chains.

Robotics, Vision and Motion Control Industries Set New Growth Records in 2017

The North American robotics, machine vision and motion control markets continue to set new records, reports the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the leading global advocate for the benefits of automating, revealed its annual report on automation and robotics market statistics.

“What I find most telling about these results is not simply that the automation market continues to grow, but that it is growing in such a wide variety of industries,” according to Jeff Burnstein, President of A3 . “New industries continue to embrace robotics, vision, and motion, reaping the benefits of automation.”

Robotics: $1.9 billion in total sales
2017 was a milestone year for the North American robotics market as it surpassed previous high water marks in all four statistical categories: order units, order revenue, shipment units, and shipment revenue.

The amount of robots sold in North America last year surpassed all previous records. Customers purchased 34,904 total units representing $1.896 billion in total sales. These numbers show growth of 0.9% in units and 0.1% in dollars from 2016. While automotive-related orders were down compared to the previous year (-7.3% in units and -3.8% in dollars), non-automotive orders fueled the rise in 2017 with 20.5% growth in units and 7.3% in dollars.

The industry also set records for North American shipments in 2017: 33,575 robots valued at $1.938 billion shipped to customers last year. This is an expansion of 8.7% in units and 6.9% in dollars over 2016 levels, with non-automotive related shipments once again providing the growth. 2017 shipments increased 29.7% in units and 19.7% in dollars from 2016 results. The largest growth rates for units shipped came from the plastics and rubber (59.6%), metals (53.9%), and food & consumer goods (44.2%). Automotive shipments were flat in both units and dollars compared to 2016.

Vision and Imaging: Demand Reaches Highest Levels at $2.6 Billion
More imaging components and systems were sold than ever before last year as demand for machine vision solutions reached record levels in North America. In 2017, total Machine Vision (MV) financial transactions in North America grew 14.6% over 2016 to $2.633 billion. Total machine vision financial transactions is comprised of both systems and component markets. In 2017, total systems markets increased 14.8% to $2.262 billion, while total component markets grew 12.3% to $359 million.

The market began the year in the first quarter with $596.5 million in total financial transactions, increased in the second quarter to $644.9 million, and reached an all-time high of $696.4 million in the third quarter.

Despite a slight contraction, the fourth quarter was still the second best quarter ever for total machine vision financial transactions in North America, bringing increases of 16.7% to $694.8 million overall, 18.2% to $604.6 million in systems, and 5.7% to $87.8 million in components on a year-over-year basis.

Industry experts are bullish on all component markets except imaging boards (flat) for the first half of 2017. The industry also expects application specific machine vision systems (ASMV) and smart camera sales to remain flat over the same period.

Motion Control and Motors: 8.1% shipment growth
Shipments of motion control and motor products grew 8.1%, from $3.245 billion in 2016 to $3.559 billion in 2017. The largest product category in terms of sales is motors, comprising 38.1% of total shipments. Actuators & mechanical systems is second largest with 18.5% of shipments. Motion controllers was the fastest growing category in 2017, increasing 20.7% to $196.4 million, followed by AC Drives (12.7% to $388.0 million) and Actuators and Mechanical Systems (12.4% to $658.2 million).

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About The Association for Advancing Automation (A3)
The Association for Advancing Automation is the global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. A3 is the umbrella group for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA – Advancing Vision + Imaging, and Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA). RIA, AIA, and MCMA combined represent over 1,070 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups, and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward. For more information, visit: A3 www.A3automate.org, RIA www.robotics.org, AIA www.visiononline.org, MCMA www.motioncontrolonline.org.