The topic ‘Future of Work’ has become a mainstream talking point over the last 5-7 years, principally driven by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on the workforce in the not too distant future. So, what should companies in the industrial gas space (and its ecosystem) be thinking about and planning […]
The Rise of Private Equity in the Industrial Gases industry
Over the last 5-10 years the presence of private equity in the industrial gas industry has dramatically increased. Not just at the mid-market level (with local and independent producers/distributors), but now they have made their presence known on the regional and global stage with companies like PAG Capital in China and CVC Capital globally with the Messer Group. Taking a closer look […]
Why the interest in Coal Gasification by Industrial gas companies?
The industrial gas industry provides products that are not typically known by the average consumer but, are critical to the manufacturing process of products they use everyday (i.e., computers, cell phones, packaged foods, gasoline, etc.). There was a famous tagline used by BASF twenty (20+) years ago that said, we don’t make a lot of the products you buy…we […]
Blockchain….why all the hype?
The topic of Blockchain is all over business and technology news but, if you ask an operational executive to explain why all the hype, chances are they will have a difficult time explaining its value. This response is not unusual because the technology is a bit complex, and it’s only proven use case is cryptocurrencies like […]
From RPA to “Intelligent Automation”
My last few articles have focused on the rise of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) from a disruptive solution focused on a small segment of the marketplace, to one that is now being piloted or used on a small/medium scale by many Fortune 1000 companies (see past articles). Per HfS Research, RPA market size is forecasted to […]
Why Are ~30% of RPA Implementations Failing?
Thanks to Kurt Cannon (SVP, LIQUID) for his contribution About a year ago, I recall chatting with a CIO of a >$0.5B concern and asking if he was familiar with the term “RPA.” To my surprise, he was not but, very quickly came up to speed due to its potential. That example is becoming very […]
RPA Beyond the Back Office
Recently, I did a quick Google search on the term “Robotic Process Automation (RPA),” and received more than 1.2 million hits! From a quick scan, it appeared that few of the hits were more than 2-3 years old, which goes to show how fast RPA interest and growth have materialized. Its growth is largely due to implementations […]
What’s Next for Robotic Process Automation?
Have you noticed all the articles (and even movies) showing how robots will be replacing human jobs over the coming decades? For years we’ve seen robotic progress in production lines but, the chatter is now about impact to office and administrative jobs. One recent quote from the Bank of England stated machines might take over 80 million […]
Why All the Hype around RPA?
As we start a new year, we typically assess how the previous year went and look forward to what is ahead, often with aggressive goals both personally and in business. The business goals typically center on reduced costs, improved customer experience, revenue/margin growth and regulatory compliance. Many tools (or methodologies) throughout the years have enabled achievement of […]
The Importance of Strategy and Governance for Global Business Services
Welcome to my third article in a series focused on insights, experience and practical advice on an operating model called Global Business Services (GBS). The GBS operating model is the latest step in the evolution of shared services (SS). To refresh your memory, SS is an operational model that’s been around for decades. It enables […]