Process Excellence news – Delta Air Lines, Santander, Appian, BPM growth & more

Fisker makes new digital operations and transformation hire, ABBYY and Novelis expand partnership to leverage AI across the US

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Michael Hill
03/08/2024

PEX Network brings you the latest news in process and operational excellence (OPEX), business process management (BPM), digital transformation, process mining, low-code technology, intelligent document processing (IDP), Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen and more.

Week of 03/04, 2024, includes:

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Delta Air Lines’ operational excellence sees it crowned 2024 Airline of the Year

Delta Air Lines’ “outstanding operational performance” has seen it named the 2024 Airline of the Year by aviation publication Air Transport World (ATW). Established in 1974 to recognize excellence across airline operations, the ATW Airline Industry Achievement Awards are given to global organizations that have distinguished themselves through outstanding performance and superior service.

Delta delivers world-class operational excellence and elevated experiences that continue to create opportunities for recognition by some of the world’s most reputable organizations, the firm stated. “This is a tremendous honor and a direct reflection of the dedication of our 100,000 people worldwide,” said Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines. “Through our nearly 100-year history, it’s our people that continuously set us apart and their care and professionalism that will take us to even greater heights as we soar into the future.”

Delta’s success is a truly gigantic team effort, but it also takes exceptional visionary and motivational leadership, added Karen Walker, group editor-in-chief of ATW.

READ: 5 operational excellence trends for 2024

Booming BPM marketed predicted to hit $33.8 billion by 2032

The global BPM market size reached US $ 14.7 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to a value of $ 33.8 billion by 2032, according to the latest report by IMARC Group. The market is experiencing growth driven by the rising pursuit of operational excellence, the growing integration of digital technologies and the increasing need for scalability and flexibility in modern operations, the research stated. The BPM market in the Asia-Pacific region is experiencing substantial growth, driven by the increasing adoption of BPM solutions in emerging economies like India and China, it found.

The future of BPM is expected to witness the rise of intelligent BPM, leveraging advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and analytics for more predictive and adaptive business processes. With the increasing prevalence of the Internet of Things (IoT), BPM is likely to integrate more closely with IoT technologies for improved connectivity and data-driven decision-making.

READ: 6 trends that will shape BPM in 2024

Santander streamlines US operations with digital transformation and job cuts

Spanish bank Santander has cut around 320 jobs in the US as it focuses on digital operations, Reuters has reported. The European banking giant laid off around 2.4 percent of its total US workforce (13,489), what the company said was part of its investment in digital capabilities and simplified processes to adapt to changing customer needs.

“These steps have resulted in an update to our staffing model that impacts a small percentage of our branch colleagues,” the bank said. Santander aims to launch a fully digital platform in the US this summer in its consumer and commercial units. The staff cuts were first reported by Bloomberg News.

Business Transformation Exchange Europe announced for June

Global events company IQPC announced that the next edition of Business Transformation Exchange Europe will take place June 26-27, 2024, at the Marriot Heathrow Hotel in London, UK. Participation is strictly limited to senior executives from leading corporations to facilitate true peer-level networking for delegation and speakers, while the intellectual content of the conference program is specifically designed for the seniority and maturity of the participants, developed following nine months of in-depth research.

Confirmed speakers include senior representatives from American Express, Netflix, London Stock Exchange and DHL.

RSM publishes 2024 Family Office Operational Excellence survey

RSM, the leading provider of assurance, tax and consulting services for the middle market, released its 2024 Family Office Operational Excellence survey. It explores how 100 US and Canadian family offices are adapting their operations to overcome complex challenges such as evolving tax laws, technology advancements, cyber security threats and the ongoing talent shortage. The findings shine a light on the drivers reshaping family offices’ operational strategies to cut costs, save time and realign their operating model for the future. Challenges include best-in-class technology dilemmas, cyber security concerns and outsourcing issues.

“Family offices are facing a time of great challenge and change,” said Tony Wood, national leader for the global family office practice at RSM. “They find themselves at an inflection point where they will need to address a variety of pressing concerns related to their people, processes, data and technology to strengthen their operating model, focus on long-term growth and maintain resilience across their entire enterprise, including their operating businesses and investment structures.”

Fisker focuses on digital operations and transformation with new appointment

American automotive company Fisker announced the hire of Saydulu Kolasani as SVP, enterprise, digital operations and transformation. Kolasani will oversee Fisker’s technology infrastructure, cyber security, digital platforms, enterprise systems, architecture data and operations. In his new role, Saydulu intends to focus his expertise on optimizing operations, building highly scalable platforms, enhancing customer experiences and driving revenue growth, the firm said.

“Saydulu brings exceptional experience and capability to the company and I’m excited to work with him on refining our innovations and technologies, while also pushing the envelope on what we can do with software in our vehicles and with information systems to streamline our business,” commented Henrik Fisker, chairman and CEO.

Appian unifies generative AI, data and process automation

Process automation software provider Appian announced availability of the latest version of the Appian Platform, introducing a new generative AI prompt builder AI skill which lets users easily leverage generative AI in a secure and private AI architecture that accelerates their business processes. The release also introduces Appian Case Management Studio and enhances Appian’s Data Fabric Analytics across the Appian data fabric, empowering users with an AI-assisted business intelligence capability.

“Appian’s generative AI prompt builder puts functional AI directly into the hands of decision makers, leading to faster outcomes than ever before,” said Michael Beckley, CTO and founder of Appian. “We will continue to release more innovative generative AI tools that make our users more impactful in what they do.”

By letting business technologists tailor their case apps to fit specific needs without heavy reliance on IT, Appian is putting the power to improve how casework is done directly in the hands of the people doing the work, added Beckley. “Caseworkers are further assisted by AI, which is embedded throughout to increase understanding, enhance productivity, and help them complete tasks more efficiently.”

DOWNLOAD: 2024 generative AI and intelligent automation trends report

Thinaer launches partner program to expand manufacturing digital transformation ecosystem

Manufacturing digital transformation company Thinaer announced the launch of a new partner program to help customers maximize their technology investments with the company. The program is designed to enhance customer experiences by addressing manufacturing and operational blind spots across both commercial and classified area processes, while also delivering comprehensive datasets to drive AI initiatives seamlessly, according to the firm.

The partnership program significantly elevates Thinaer’s reach by fostering the development of an extensive and comprehensive data set, empowering better production decisions and ensuring regulatory compliance. It also streamlines customization and implementation processes, ensuring seamless scalability across use cases. “We’re stitching together an ecosystem that spans every corner of both commercial and classified processes, illuminating previously unseen blind spots,” commented said Bryan Merckling, CEO of Thinaer. “Our commitment lies in ensuring that no challenge goes unmet, and no inefficiency unchecked, as we pave the way in providing the most complete data set for digital transformation and AI initiatives.”

ABBYY and Novelis expand partnership to leverage AI across the US

Process intelligence and IDP vendor ABBYY has expanded its partnership with process intelligence and intelligent automation company Novelis into the US. Novelis successfully used ABBYY’s portfolio of intelligent automation solutions to drive greater document efficiency and strategic process visibility for several European clients in government, banking and insurance, and will now replicate this success in the US, according to a press release.

“Working with ABBYY has significantly broadened the effectiveness of our customers’ automation initiatives,” said Catherine Stewart, president and general manager for the Americas at Novelis. “Their purpose-driven approach to AI and IDP lay the foundation for our automation strategies to excel in their specified areas, while process intelligence ensures our efforts are focused on the right areas in the first place.”

Click Boarding, Liberty Global make new operational excellence hires

Employee onboarding and experience platform Click Boarding announced the appointment of Stephanie Davis Neill as chief operations officer (COO) to accelerate operational models for enhanced effectiveness and streamline processes. Davis Neill joins from The Aaron’s Company, Inc. where she built and led customer-centric operational support teams. “The addition of Stephanie Davis Neill as COO positions Click Boarding to amplify operations and ultimately propel its clients to new heights,” read a press release.

Broadband, video and mobile communications services provider Liberty Global announced the appointment of Severina Pascu to the newly created role of SVP, commercial and operations. Reporting to CEO Mike Fries, Ms. Pascu will provide operating and commercial expertise in the management of the company’s core FMC champions and venture activities, leading specific growth and operational improvement programs in both consumer and business segments.

“Severina is a world-class operator and leader. Her strong focus on driving change will be instrumental in accelerating the execution of our in-market strategies and shaping our future success,” said Fries.

British Airways invests £100 million to improve operational excellence

British Airways is investing £100 million in machine learning, automation and AI to revolutionize its operation, speed up departures and respond to disruption. Innovative new tools are helping to predict delays (prompting pre-emptive action to reduce disruption) and analyze real-time weather, aircraft capacity and customer connections data to help teams make better decisions. Since the introduction of the systems, alongside several new processes and ways of working, the airline has seen improvement to its on-time departures.

The airline is also investing £750 million in its IT infrastructure to move 700 systems and thousands of servers to the cloud by early next year.

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