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If you’re struggling to keep up with the speed and volume of information that is being generated today, you can use a robotic process automation system to reduce your workload.
Robotic Process Automation or RPA is the automation of business processes in software.
In summary, this is computer software that manages repetitive decision making tasks to decrease human workload. [Read more…] about How is Robotic Process Automation revolutionising businesses around the world?
A recent Roland Berger study, which analyses the impact of robotics in logistics, provides some interesting data in this regard.
It indicates a cost reduction of between 20 percent and 40 percent and an improvement in productivity of between 25 percent and 70 percent.
Increased production and cost reduction is already a reality for many small and medium-sized companies that are experiencing increased profitability and reduced production costs thanks to the automation of certain processes using mobile manipulators such as Robotnik’s RB-KAIROS+. [Read more…] about How Robotnik’s RB-KAIROS+ mobile manipulator can helps improve productivity in SMEs
Halodi Robotics has signed an agreement to provide 140 humanoid robots to ADT Commercial, a US-based provider of commercial security, fire, life safety and risk consulting services. This is believed to be the largest deal of its kind involving humanoid robots.
The two companies will demonstrate their joint solution at the ISC West trade show in the Las Vegas Convention Center, stand 20019, from March 22-25.
The agreement is the result of the strategic partnership announced in April 2021 where Halodi Robotics secured an investment from ADT Commercial to develop a robot to complement their physical security solutions. [Read more…] about Halodi Robotics to supply 140 humanoid robots to security company ADT
Digital transformation has become synonymous with development and success. Digitalization helps companies to serve their customers better, work more efficiently and gain a prerogative over competitors. To update the format of work, one needs the right technology. One of them is robotic process automation (RPA). Let’s consider the RPA benefits for digital business transformation.
Robotic process automation is a technology based on software robots, chatbots, AI, or ML. It automates repetitive tasks that are usually performed manually.
The program imitates human behavior and performs routine operations instead of a person or together with a human. Recently, a new trend has emerged – to train RPA and make it smarter with the help of AI and ML algorithms.
One of the main advantages of RPA is that such software works more accurately and faster than a human, performing all the necessary calculations more efficiently.
The technology works with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), third-party web services, and outdated software. Therefore, there is no need to redesign the corporate program to implement an RPA system.
With the implementation of RPA, a team has time for more valuable tasks: customer service, increasing sales, and adjusting the marketing strategy. RPA also provides analytics about the operation and performance of an organization.
Based on the extracted data, the management adopts a digital strategy for the development of the company, and robots speed up and simplify its implementation.
According to Gartner, digital transformation (DT) is the application of information technology to build a new business model. The management implements IT solutions to improve operations and communication with customers and increase sales.
Automation streamlines the work of companies and supports digital transformation in insurance, finance, logistics, medicine, and other industries. PWC found that businesses can automate 45 percent of tasks and save $2 trillion. UiPath calculated that RPA reduces costs by up to 80%. Organizations see investments pay off in less than a year.
RPA systems encourage businesses to rethink how they work and improve operations. For example, when the personal data of an employee changes, this information must be entered into all documents related to the specialist.
A bot will edit information in payroll systems, benefits, and other programs. The program simulates the keystrokes and mouse clicks that a human would make. The bot learns from an HR manager to update records in payroll systems.
Companies use RPA in different ways in business digitalization processes:
In any company, there are basic repetitive tasks that can be automated. Therefore, the cost of robotic process automation software is growing. In 2020, enterprises spent $1.3 billion on innovation (Gartner). According to Forrester, in 2021, this figure grew to $2.9.
However, automation is no substitute for digital business transformation. This is a small albeit significant part of modernization. Organizations are applying the benefits of RPA to separate solutions. Digitalization is embracing more important challenges of an enterprise.
Robotic process automation is of use for digital transformation.
1. Robotization accelerates DT.
Digitalization implies that the company creates robotic process automatization software that will improve the business model. It can also update the old system, which is also laborious.
In any corporation, there is at least one outdated program that is risky to touch. It holds the critical functions of the company and replacing it with a modern version will cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The RPA allows you to enhance and automate old systems without risk to the company. It would take an RPA software company 2-6 weeks to launch a robot for a single task. As long as the technology is functioning, it is possible to update the old software or create new solutions.
2. It guarantees the quality of digital business transformation.
One of the top priorities of DT is to improve employee efficiency and productivity. Machines rule out human errors. Tasks are completed quickly and efficiently. A person would need 4 hours to create a monthly report. RPA allows doing it in 25 minutes. A specialist will profit from the time saved and perform more tasks than before.
3. It provides an enhanced digital experience.
A significant component of digital transformation is high-quality customer service. People don’t like to wait for a long time for an insurance company to process a claim or a bank to approve a loan application.
They want to quickly resolve issues and forget about them. Automation provides a perfect digital experience. The same chatbot can communicate with customers 24/7 and respond to multiple buyers at the same time.
4. It collects analytics to implement the modernization strategy.
Software bots work with corporate data. The information collected by RPA can be examined to identify patterns. For example, which procedures are performed more often and when exactly. This kind of information will be useful to continually improve operations and drive your digital transformation strategy forward.
5. It opens up new opportunities for team members.
Employees who are burdened with routine tasks are more likely to change jobs. The Forrester study The Impact of RPA on Employee Experience found that employee engagement increases when specialists are freed from repetitive tasks. Employees can participate in more complex and beneficial business cases.
Robotic process automation software can automatically collect, upload, or synchronize call center customer information. The operator no longer needs to do this manually while simultaneously communicating with the caller. Instead, they will focus on an emotional connection with the client.
The first step towards robotization is to make sure that the automation goals are in line with the DT strategy. When the global goal of digitalization is to improve the quality of the customer experience, RPA must influence this indicator.
It is also worth doing the following:
1. Consider long-term planning.
Forbes estimates that up to 50 percent of RPA deployments fail initially. One of the reasons for that is the high expectations of management. Automation is not as easy to scale as it seems. Transition to machines needs to be carefully planned and well managed.
One needs to maintain a large fleet of software bots. It is worth understanding whether robots will “take root” as digitalization spreads in the company. Will they interfere with future scaling?
2. Clearly define robotization success metrics.
To evaluate how successful the implementation of the RPA system has been, it is useful to establish success metrics in advance. These indicators are:
It makes more sense to identify measurable benefits at the very beginning of the program so that investments in robotic automation can pay off.
3. Engage an RPA software company.
Updating the ERP, financial system, or website that the bot is “visiting” can disrupt an automated task. The program will collect and process incorrect information. You should cooperate with IT professionals who will not only create robotic process automation software but also be able to support it in the long term.
4. Prepare employees for future innovations.
For robotization to go smoothly, the staff must be ready for changes. They must understand that certain tasks will be delegated to the robot. Companies need to change their mindset and culture so that team members perceive RPA not as a competitor but as an assistant.
RPA is an ideal first step towards the digitalization of companies and the development of tomorrow’s business models. But thoughtless automation without planning and success metrics will fail.
For maximum benefit, it is worth identifying the tasks for automation, assessing the potential profitability of the system, and choosing a reliable RPA software company.
Experienced IT specialists will offer a comprehensive solution to problems, help to implement the software in the company’s workflow, and provide support.
About the author: My name is Alexandr Khomich, and I data with a diverse set of interests across machine learning, finance, and technology. Currently, I work as a CEO at Andersen. Being a part of the IT family for years, I aim at transforming IT processes in support of business transformation.
Author’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-khomich
Author’s email: a.khomich@andersenlab.com
Researchers at the Technology Innovation Institute in the UAE are developing a new paradigm for teaching robot swarms how to allocate themselves to tasks efficiently.
The ideas – published in the paper, Group-Size Regulation in Self-organized Aggregation in Robot Swarms – could spark interest in better ways of controlling lots of simple robots to do more complicated tasks independently, with little or no outside communication.
Much prior work has been done to organizing swarms of drones to perform impressive tasks, such as a coordinated light show. But these approaches often relied on centralized coordination, expensive equipment in each drone, or both. [Read more…] about UAE scientists figure out way to get swarm robots to split up tasks efficiently
The rapid development of technology has changed the way businesses work. With robotics, AI, and machine learning gaining immense popularity, many think these will replace employees in completing the work tasks.
The trucking industry is one of the sectors impacted by the latest technologies. Therefore, many worry that truck driving jobs will disappear due to automation.
The innovation of self-driving vehicles might change the work process, and many speculate that advanced machines will replace truck drivers. Some predict that up to 3 million driving jobs might disappear due to automation. [Read more…] about Automation Isn’t About to Make Truckers Obsolete
By Catherine Graham, Johns Hopkins University
In four experiments on pig tissues, the robot excelled at suturing two ends of intestine – one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in abdominal surgery
A robot has performed laparoscopic surgery – also known as keyhole surgery or minimally invasive surgery – on the soft tissue of a pig without the guiding hand of a human.
The people responsible say this is “a significant step toward fully automated surgery on humans”.
Designed by a team of Johns Hopkins University researchers, the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot, or STAR, is described today in Science Robotics.
Senior author Axel Krieger, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering, says: “Our findings show that we can automate one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in surgery: the reconnection of two ends of an intestine. [Read more…] about Robot performs laparoscopic surgery without guiding hand of a human
DHL Supply Chain, the global and North American contract logistics business unit within Deutsche Post DHL Group, is making a $15 million investment in robotics solutions from Boston Dynamics.
Boston dynamics is famous for making scary humanoid and canine robots but it has also become one of the leading developers of mobile robotics, and the robots it will supply DHL – which include an autonomous mobile robot with arm called “Stretch” (main picture) – will “further automate warehousing in North America”.
The companies have signed a multi-year agreement that begins with equipping DHL facilities with Stretch, Boston Dynamics’ newest robot specifically designed to automate the unloading process in distribution centers. [Read more…] about DHL to invest $15 million on Boston Dynamics robots for supply chain operations
Robots may be able to assist in various ways in the ecommerce industry. Some of these roles include marketing, providing customer service, and even content generation.
With the advent of new technologies, many companies are using robots to make their businesses more efficient. These robots are used for various tasks on ecommerce websites like order fulfillment, inventory tracking, picking and more.
Examples of robots include virtual assistants, chatbots, machine learning systems, and robot sellers.
Virtual assistants are the main type of robot used in eCommerce – they aid users in accomplishing tasks by providing any requested information about products or services. [Read more…] about How Robots Can Contribute to the Ecommerce Industry
Michel Spruijt, GM and VP of BrainCorp Europe, looks at how robots are being integrated into the working environment and how these intelligent machines will operate alongside the human workforce
Technology has seen significant progress over the last half a century, with artificial intelligence playing an important role.
Robots are now no longer a thing of fantasy but instead are being integrated into businesses across multiple industries.
They are making inroads across facilities as the need for greater efficiency in operations becomes a priority. [Read more…] about Opinion: What does the future of robot-human interaction look like?
