New & Noteworthy

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Getting the cap on the bottle: Inside P&G’s robot ambitions

Our Next Generation Automation theme examines industries that are using robots and automation to increase productivity. Read this article to learn how P&G is finding opportunities to automate more systems and increase their use of more flexible robots.

One Number to Gauge Where the Economy Is Headed

With low bond yields, some investors are increasing equity allocations.

An Ohio Factory’s Test: Will Higher Wages Help More Than They Hurt?

The Covid-19 pandemic has provided a rare opportunity for some employers to increase their labor budget and improve their overall sales.

In a first, most North American robots last year didn’t go to automotive plants

It’s no surprise that 2020 shipments of robots were up due to the pandemic. What may surprise you is who was ordering them.

With Rare Speed, Gene Editing Emerges as Biotech’s New Cutting Edge

The scientists behind the gene editing technology Crispr-Cas9 were awarded the Nobel Prize, resulting in phenomenal returns on Wall Street.

Smaller Is Big in New E-Commerce Warehouses

Retailers are meeting new consumer demands by combining automation with smaller, urban distribution sites for fast delivery.

Meat Processors Expedite Plans to Implement Robotics as Pandemic Increases Pressure

"Tyson, Smithfield, Cargill and JBS are all looking into ways to incorporate more automation as they modernize their plants."

Amazon Plans to Put 1,000 Warehouses in Suburban Neighborhoods

With competitors at hand, Amazon moves to keep its 2-day delivery promise.

Covid-19 Vaccine Race Turns Deep Freezers Into a Hot Commodity

As a COVID-19 vaccine nears completion, supply-chain methods are adapting to evolving needs.

A New Push For Warehouse Automation

To meet demands and offset labor during COVID, we’re seeing an accelerated use of automation in the retail supply chain.

From shipping containers to security concerns, a COVID-19 vaccine supply chain takes shape

According to STAT, temperature controlled containers, a critical but often overlooked part of the global supply chain, will be needed to deliver COVID vaccines around the world.

Companies Step Up Distribution Automation Under Pandemic Strains

Robots are helping speed the flow of goods while workers maintain social distance in warehousing and fulfillment operations.

Why Automation Is Crucial To Manufacturing Resiliency

The economic crisis brought on by Covid-19 has uncovered hidden vulnerabilities in global supply chains. One of the most glaring: a lack of responsiveness and adaptability.

Post-Pandemic Supply Chains Seek ‘Resilience,’ Report Says

‘State of Logistics Report’ says ‘painful and chaotic’ 2020 will likely lead to more stockpiling, shifts in manufacturing.

US E-Commerce Sales to Jump 18% In 2020, But Not Enough to Offset Retail’s Decline

It may take up to five years for offline sales to return to prepandemic levels.

Warehouse Robots Provide Crucial Link In Supply Chain

Consumers buying items online was a major trend steadily rising prior to COVID-19, and then exploded during the outbreak.

Eyes on Hemophilia Prize, Regeneron Adds a $100M Wager on Joint Development Campaign with Intellia

These two partners are expanding on their joint horizons, adding in vivo projects while laying out a path to jointly develop new drugs for hemophilia A and B.

Gap Rushes in More Robots to Warehouses to Solve Virus Disruption

See how the Gap is using automation to overcome the challenges of Covid-19.

Companies Rush to Replace ‘Just in Time’ Supply Chains with ‘Just in Case’ Contingencies as Covid-19 Upends Global Manufacturing

“It takes 2,500 components to make a car, but just one component to not make a car,” said Madhur Jha, head of thematic research at Standard Chartered in India.

L’Oréal Replaces Five Machines with One Smart System

Facing SKU proliferation and shorter runs, the L’Oreal Group replaced an outdated system with a new track-based system of movers that brings fast changeover and high output.

FDA Gives Emergency Authorization for CRISPR-Based Diagnostic Tool for Coronavirus

The FDA on Thursday, 5/7/20, approved a new diagnostic tool that employs the revolutionary CRISPR gene-editing technology to determine if someone is infected with the novel coronavirus.

CFOs Look to Ramp Up Automation Investments Amid Pandemic

Companies weigh new technologies to strengthen their shared services, customer relationship management.

Regeneron’s CEO Says We Could Have a Covid-19 Treatment ‘Quickly’

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced a breakthrough in the search for a Covid-19 treatment.

In A 1st, Scientists Use Revolutionary Gene-Editing Tool To Edit Inside A Patient

For the first time, scientists have used the revolutionary gene-editing technique known as CRISPR to modify genes in cells inside the human body, in the hopes of enabling blind people to see, NPR has learned.

DNA Sleuths Read The Coronavirus Genome, Tracing Its Origins And Looking For Dangerous Mutations Copy

Reading the genome (which is made of RNA, not DNA) also allows researchers to monitor how 2019-nCoV is changing and provides a roadmap for developing a diagnostic test and a vaccine.

Grocery Delivery Goes Small With Micro-Fulfillment Centers

Companies trying to get closer to customers and keep costs down turn to smaller sites heavy with automation.

Preparing for New Wave of Treatments, Fujifilm Drops $55 Million for Gene Therapy Center

The preparations to serve biopharma’s explosion of gene therapy pipeline candidates continues.

Muni-Bond Desks Stand to See Big Wins If Trump Loses

Elizabeth Warren wants to tax those she calls ultra-millionaires. Bernie Sanders has targeted the top 0.1%. And Joe Biden is seeking to reverse President Donald Trump’s tax cuts.

’Tis the Season for Surge Robots as Holiday Hiring Finds Automation

The holiday hiring frenzy is under way and robots are joining the rush to seasonal jobs.

Urban Alliance: Giving High School Students Experience in the Corporate World

Bethesda Magazine spotlights Najmah Abdur-Rahman's time in the Urban Alliance internship program with Chevy Chase Trust’s Amy Newman, Senior Trust Officer.

The Drones Are Coming! How Amazon, Alphabet and Uber Are Taking to the Skies

Companies are firing up fleets of unmanned aircraft in a race to deliver everything from electronics to food.

Waymo and Renault to Explore Autonomous Mobility Route in Paris Region

This route in particular is being explored as a lead-up project to potentially be ready in time for the Paris Olympic Games.

The Huge Waste in the U.S. Health System

A study finds evidence for how to reduce some of it, but also a large blind spot on how to remove the rest.

Cat-Litter Rivals Pounce on New Shipping Strategies

Clorox, Nestlé spend millions on factories to cut high costs for making and transporting heavy product.

Retail Bankruptcies Rise, Store Closures Skyrocket in First Half of 2019

Store closures in the first six months of the year have already exceeded the number of bricks-and-mortar stores closed in all of 2018.

Consumer Electronics Manufacturer ASUS’s CTO Says AI Will Unblock Industry 4.0 Adoption

The manufacturing industry is undergoing technological transformation, but progress has been slow. From robotics and automation to AI, technological advancements have arrived, yet roadblocks exist that prevent widespread adoption.

Scientists Attempt Controversial Experiment To Edit DNA In Human Sperm Using CRISPR

First it was human embryos. Now scientists are trying to develop another way to modify human DNA that can be passed on to future generations, NPR has learned.

A First Look at Amazon’s New Delivery Drone

For the first time, Amazon today showed off its newest fully electric delivery drone at its first re:Mars conference in Las Vegas.

Blackstone Bets $18.7 Billion on Amazon Effect in Warehouse Deal

The mall is now a warehouse, and Blackstone Group LP is betting $18.7 billion on the shift.

How Amazon Goes Small to Make It in New York

From The Wall Street Journal: Developers are building high-end homes in revitalized urban neighborhoods with waterfront views for residents drawn to quality of life and prime location.

The Latest Housing Hotspot: Downtown and by the River

From The Wall Street Journal: Developers are building high-end homes in revitalized urban neighborhoods with waterfront views for residents drawn to quality of life and prime location.

Nvidia’s researchers teach a robot to perform simple tasks by observing a human

From TechCrunch: Researchers are now thinking about how robots and humans can work in close proximity to humans and even learn from them.

Two-thirds of world population will live in cities by 2050: UN report

From CNN: The coming decades will see the growth of colossal megacities as the world's population increasingly moves into urban environments, a new United Nations report predicts.

Levi’s Project F.L.X. redefines the future of how jeans are designed, made and sold

Levi’s is now using an automated laser system to make distressed jeans which were previously made through a manual process.

Amazon Go, a high-tech version of a 7-Eleven with no checkout lines and no cashiers

From Recode: Amazon Go allows customers to grab items and just walk out without stopping to pay.

City-center robot distribution is speeding up one-hour delivery

From WIRED UK: Fulfillment centers are coming to underground parking garages, moving distribution from out-of-town warehouses to right next to where people live.

America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

From Bloomberg: The so-called retail apocalypse has become so ingrained in the U.S. that it now has the distinction of its own Wikipedia entry.

Waymo now testing its self-driving cars on public roads with no one at the wheel

From TechCrunch: Waymo, the former Google self-driving car company is launching public road tests of its autonomous minivans with no safety driver on board.

We Survived Spreadsheets, and We’ll Survive AI

From the Wall Street Journal: History shows technology fuels new kinds of jobs in addition to the ones it renders obsolete.

Nordstrom Tries On a New Look: Stores Without Merchandise

From the Wall Street Journal: Adapting to changing customer habits, another retailer tries inventory-free stores.

Automation Nation

From CBS News: With our economy becoming more and more dependent upon machines, what will that mean for the future of employment?

Do You Live On The Front Lines Of Automation?

From Fast Company: If you live in Las Vegas, El Paso, or Louisville, there’s a particularly good chance that your job could be taken by a robot in the next two decades.

Machines of Loving Grace

By John Markoff: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots A well-researched introduction to the history of robotics and artificial intelligence in the United States.

Chains are banking on this new strategy to combat the restaurant apocalypse

From Business Insider: Struggling restaurant chains are turning to a new strategy to try and appeal to customers: delivery.

The Parts of America Most Susceptible to Automation

From The Atlantic: Economists expect that millions of American jobs are going to be replaced by automation in the coming decades. But where will those job losses take place?

There’s one major thing everyone gets wrong about Amazon and the retail apocalypse

From Business Insider: Amazon and the rise of online shopping have been repeatedly blamed for the staggering rate of store closures and bankruptcies disrupting the retail industry in the US.

The industrial robotics market will nearly triple in less than 10 years

From re/code: Collaborative robots are expected to account for a third of that market.

Warehouse Startup ShipBob Raises $17.5 Million Amid Expansion Push

From the Wall Street Journal: Funding round to allow company to open e-commerce distribution centers in more cities.

Artificial Intelligence Looms Larger in the Corporate World

From The Wall Street Journal: Artificial intelligence, long a subject of fanciful forecasts, is starting to enter the corporate world in a much bigger way, as costs decline and the need increases to identify patterns within ever-growing troves of business data.

What We’re Reading

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