PEX Network’s weekly news bulletin rounds up the latest from the process community including operational excellence (OPEX), digital transformation, business process management (BPM), process mining, artificial intelligence (AI) and much more.
This week includes:
- Wimbledon to replace line judges with AI tech from 2025
- DAFBOT aims to streamline US Air Force operations with RPA efficiency
- Channel 4 commits to digital transformation despite large loss
- San Bernadino airports focused on staff-enabled OPEX
- Dutch water supplier Vitens invests in process automation
Wimbledon to replace line judges with AI tech from 2025
Wimbledon will replace 300 line judges with AI and an electronic system from next year, the All England Club announced. All 18 tennis match courts will be installed with automated electronic line calling (ELC), removing human officials for the first time in the championship’s 147-year history. The system will be the same as the one used at the US Open since 2020, where automated voice calls are played out within a tenth of a second of the ball landing, reports Sky Sports News.
“The decision to introduce live ELC at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation,” said Sally Bolton, chief executive at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. “We consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating. For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.”
The technology is already in place at the Australian Open and the US Open, with the French Open now the only outlier. “We take our responsibility to balance tradition and innovation at Wimbledon very seriously,” added Bolton.
DAFBOT aims to streamline US Air Force operations with RPA efficiency
The Department of the Air Force Bot Operations Team (DAFBOT), held a weeklong event at Rose State College, Oklahoma, exploring robotic process automation (RPA) and how it can improve the efficiency of daily work. It invited team members from across Tinker Air Force Base, a major US Air Force base located in Oklahoma City, who were introduced to RPA, guided through bot building and created bot prototypes that can be taken back to their jobs for implementation.
“Our objective is to empower average computer users to leverage automation, thereby reducing time spent on repetitive tasks and fostering a culture of innovation and efficiency within our organization,” commented Mark Jensen, 72nd communications directorate CTO. “I am thrilled to announce the active participation of 57 students from across Team Tinker, making this one of the largest DAFBOT events to date.” The event was organized in support of the 72nd Air Base Wing to foster innovation and aid in its transition to a Digital Air Base Wing, he added.
The time savings generated by introducing automation into day-to-day operations frees Airmen, both military and civilian, to focus their attention on other tasks while reducing busy work, according to DAFBOT.
Ramnath Natarajan, Johnson Controls discusses running an intelligent automation (IA) Center of Excellence
Channel 4 commits to digital transformation despite large loss
British television broadcaster Channel 4 is committed to its digital transformation ambitions despite a full-year 2023 loss of £52 million ($68 million). That’s according to CEO Alex Mahon, speaking this week as Channel 4 published its annual report for 2023. The planned deficit was part of strategy to further fund digital transformation, Mahon said.
“2023 was another year of strong strategic progress as we grew the size of our digital business, delivering market-leading digital revenue diversification and record streaming viewing,” Mahon stated. “Our planned deficit and reduced cash were the intentional results of financing our transformation from linear to digital. As a result of our investment in this transformation, we are already seeing the upside of prioritising spend on content and digital innovation.”
Channel 4 has set out the next phase of growth with a robust and ambitious strategy for the future, Mahon added. “By committing even further to our digital transformation with our Fast Forward strategy, we are keeping Channel 4 ahead of the curve and protecting its ability to continue delivering trusted and distinctive content to the British public.”
San Bernadino airports focused on staff-enabled OPEX
The San Bernadino Department of Airports is committed to the aviation community and industry by ensuring they achieve OPEX through is number one resource — its staff. That’s according to director of airports Brett Godown, whose vision for the department starts with a three-pillar approach to OPEX: people, processes and product. “The airports and services we provide are certainly part of OPEX, and through having the right people in place with the right skills, education and experience we can deliver on OPEX,” Godown said.
The Department of Airports operates and manages six regional airports throughout the county including Apple Valley Airport, Baker Airport, Barstow-Dagget Airport, Chino Airport, Needles Airport and Twentynine Palms Airport. These airports are considered general aviation airports (non-commercial), ranging from pilot training and recreational uses to the transportation of goods and civil activities, such as firefighting and rescue missions.
Having the technical resources in administration, operation, planning and maintenance of airports is what separates his department from others, added Godown. “It’s such a niche industry that having technical resources embedded in the organization helps deliver on the mission of the department. We are a specialty department running a specialty county asset.”
Blake Hill, AccentCare explores building high performance teams
Dutch water supplier Vitens invests in process automation
Vitens, the largest water supply company in the Netherlands, signed a deal with technology firm ABB to modernize around 200,000 input and output connectors across approximately 250 sites, improving operational performance and enhancing compliance with industry standards. ABB will develop a new process automation system for Vitens, which provides 340 billion liters of drinking water annually to six million customers, according to a press release. The system will integrate existing automation standards into a cohesive framework, reducing maintenance costs and operational complexity along with providing greater visibility from a central control room, it added.
“The increasing demand for drinking water, the growing number of technical experts in our business reaching retirement age and the constant geopolitical cyber threat pose a tremendous challenge for this vital operation in the Netherlands,” said Matthijs Zwart, CIO at Vitens. “Safe, reliable and standardized process automation is essential to ensure the continuous and sustainable supply of water to our customers. ABB has qualified as our partner to achieve this ambition. Our collaboration combines ABB’s expertise in process automation with our experience in producing drinking water.”
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