Are you among the Canadian business leaders who are considering moving some or all of your manufacturing activities to Canada, or back to Canada as the case maybe? For decades, the lure of manufacturing outside Canada has been strong. Mexico, China, and other Asian countries have made it very attractive financially. Manufacturers could get up and running relatively quickly and reap ongoing cost savings through [...]
There was an era when CIOs had to push hard to get new technology understood and accepted. Now the adoption of certain technologies has accelerated beyond anyone’s imagination, and other technologies that were previously not considered important have come to the fore. CIOs are having to readjust rapidly to the ‘next to normal’. (more…)
There are good surprises and there are bad surprises – like discovering that, somewhere in your food and beverage manufacturing business, there are serious gaps that are draining your bottom line. Even worse, you don’t always realize it until the damage is already done. (more…)
There is no industry in the world that has been unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, for some organizations that had already implemented digital technologies, they were able to pivot their business and ride the waves of change, disruption and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. (more…)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining a lot of attention and the interest has accelerated like other areas of technology as a result of the pandemic. If you are a mid-size manufacturer, your attitude might be that AI is for the big boys, not guys like us. However, the world has changed significantly in 2020 and manufacturers need to adapt to new realities. I’ll discuss [...]
Following a six-month stint in a dining-room chair, glued to Zoom or my cell phone, I am now free. Now on lockdown level 1, I have managed to visit the office, had meetings with real people and I have even had my first beer during a bush break. While I bask in my newfound freedom, I can’t help but wonder why costs rose during [...]
When your customers need a ride, they turn to Uber. When they’re hungry, they turn to DoorDash. When they want to buy the latest gadget, they turn to Amazon. Online habits like these have set a new level of expectation for the service your customers receive, even in a business setting. (more…)
As we come to the end of a tumultuous year, some writers have mused what we would do if we could reboot 2020. Reboot is a term that has become familiar through using computers. In the same way that rebooting a computer changes the way it is operating, when you reboot you change how you currently operate. It means to start something or do [...]
As a mother of an avid horse rider, I have noticed a development where horses are now being bred to be far more athletic. In the ‘old days’, the preferred showjumping warmblood breeds had stronger hind legs to handle the propulsion of the jumps. Lately, the horses have been cross-bred with lighter more athletic breeds, resulting in a winning combination of strength and stealth. [...]
The role of the CIO is changing from performance and efficiency to include systems that give insights that can enrich the customer experience; one of these is implementing chatbots. This new technology brings not only opportunities but also challenges. Unlike previous IT projects, these new systems have not only technology and business impacts but also human and even ethical impacts. (more…)
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