PEX Network brings you the latest news in process and operational excellence (OPEX), business process management (BPM), digital transformation, process mining/intelligence, low-code technology, intelligent document processing (IDP), Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen and more.
Week of 04/08, 2024, includes:
- ProcessMaker acquires Workfellow to add process intelligence capabilities
- Irish manufacturer Mannok wins operational excellence award
- Caspar Jans and Russell Gomersall launch BPM360 podcast
- Microsoft announces new AI hub in London
- GBTEC releases Arty for AI-powered BPM
- Everest Group publishes IDP Products PEAK Matrix 2024
- Digital transformation accelerates in life sciences industry
- Automation Anywhere partners with Google Cloud to support business transformation
- IBM to help Canadian enterprises leverage generative AI
- Vanderlande introduces predictive maintenance at Heathrow Airport
ProcessMaker acquires Workfellow to add process intelligence capabilities
Business process automation and IDP firm ProcessMaker announced the acquisition of process intelligence company Workfellow. The move marks a significant step forward in ProcessMaker’s mission to enhance and expand its suite of solutions, integrating task and process mining technologies that enable businesses to discover inefficiencies and unlock new opportunities for improvement, according to a press release.
“Today marks a significant milestone for our clients, our teams and our partners,” said Alex George, CEO of ProcessMaker. “By combining our expertise in business process automation with Workfellow’s leadership in process intelligence, we are setting a new benchmark for innovation and excellence in helping businesses optimize their operations and achieve their goals.”
As part of the acquisition, the founders of Workfellow, Kustaa Kivela and Henri Wiik, will both join ProcessMaker’s leadership team.
READ: 7 process mining myths debunked
Irish manufacturer Mannok wins operational excellence award
Irish manufacturer Mannok clinched the Operational Excellence Award at the first-ever Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2024, held in Dublin, Ireland. The award was open to any manufacturer in Ireland that used operational excellence to ensure processing and manufacturing efficiency and excellence over the past year and a half. Mannok’s submission detailed its Leading Excellence Program, centered on achieving the highest operational standards across the business through teamwork, problem-solving, innovation and leadership, according to The Impartial Reporter.
“We are delighted to have won this prestigious award at the inaugural Manufacturing Excellence Awards,” said Kevin Lunney, COO at Mannok, said. “I would like to congratulate the Operational Excellence team, and the wider Mannok team on this achievement.”
READ: 5 operational excellence trends for 2024
Caspar Jans and Russell Gomersall launch BPM360 podcast
BPM leaders Caspar Jans and Russell Gomersall announced the launch of BPM360 – a new podcast covering all things related to BPM. Every other week, a new episode will dive into one topic in the very broad field of BPM, the pair said. The podcast is available via Apple podcast, Spotify or its homepage.
“For years, Russell and I have been engaging in conversations around many topics in the BPM field and we felt it was now time to record these conversations and enable all interested people out there to join in on the fun and experiences we have to share,” Jans tells PEX Network. “We strive to share as much BPM knowledge, pitfalls and experiences as possible so our listeners can get the most out of their own BPM endeavors” The pair are also encouraging listeners to send in questions that will be discuses in selected episodes.
Microsoft announces new AI hub in London
Microsoft is opening a new AI hub in the heart of London, UK. Microsoft AI London will drive pioneering work to advance state-of-the-art language models and their supporting infrastructure and to create world-class tooling for foundation models, the tech giant said.
The new AI hub will be led by Jordan Hoffmann, AI scientist and engineer, who will be joined by a group of Microsoft AI team members based in the London Paddington office, wrote Mustafa Suleyman, EVP and CEO of Microsoft AI. In the coming weeks and months, Microsoft will be posting job openings and actively hiring individuals who want to work on interesting and challenging AI questions of our time.
The Microsoft AI London hub adds to Microsoft’s existing presence in the UK, including the Microsoft Research Cambridge lab. It also builds off Microsoft’s recently announced £2.5 billion investment to upskill the UK.
GBTEC releases Arty for AI-powered BPM
Intelligent BPM and digital process automation (DPA) provider GBTEC announced the launch of Arty – new AI capabilities for business process transformation. With the release of features such as the AI Modeler, AI Translation Service and AI Copilot, GBTEC is paving the way to operational excellence through AI, the firm stated. Arty will collaborate side by side with process stakeholders (human workers), facilitating digital initiatives and creating hyper-efficient, digital and automated workflows, it added.
“AI is a technological imperative on our strategic roadmap,” said Gregor Greinke, founder and CEO of GBTEC. “These pioneering AI features not only yield user-friendly products for thousands of users worldwide, but also propel companies to an unprecedented level on their journey to operational excellence.”
READ: Future of BPM: Adaptive processes, automation & learning from failure
Everest Group publishes IDP Products PEAK Matrix 2024
Research company Everest Group published its IDP Products PEAK Matrix 2024, evaluating 26 IDP vendors and positioning them as Leaders, Major Contenders, Aspirants and Star Performers based on their respective capabilities and offerings. It also evaluated 10 leading banking-specific IDP providers and 10 leading insurance-specific IDP providers, positioning them in the respective Matrix.
The IDP Products PEAK Matrix Assessment 2024 (alphabetical order):
- Leaders: ABBYY, AYR, Indico Data, Microsoft, Tungsten Automation, UiPath, WorkFusion.
- Major Contenders: Appian, Automation Anywhere, Datamatics, EdgeVerve, EXL, Google, HCLTech, Hypatos, Hyperscience, IBM, Infrrd, JIFFY.ai, KnowledgeLake, Laiye, Nividous, Rossum.
- Aspirants: Alkymi, Hypatos, SS&C Blue Prism.
- Star Performers: AYR, Microsoft, Rossum.
Banking-specific IDP Products PEAK Matrix Assessment 2024 (alphabetical order):
- Leaders: UiPath, WorkFusion.
- Major Contenders: ABBYY, Appian, AYR, EXL, Indico Data, Tungsten Automation.
- Aspirants: AntWorks, Datamatics.
Insurance-specific IDP Products PEAK Matrix Assessment 2024 (alphabetical order):
- Leaders: Indico Data, UiPath.
- Major Contenders: ABBYY, Appian, AYR, EXL, Infrrd, Tungsten Automation.
- Aspirants: AntWorks, Datamatics.
Digital transformation accelerates in life sciences industry
Digital transformation is accelerating in the life sciences industry reveal amid key digital engagement trends in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device sectors. That’s according to a new report from intelligent engagement platform ON24. The report concluded that personalization has the biggest impact on elevating health care professional (HCP) engagement with life sciences companies have seen a 22 percent increase in engagement with calls-to-actions (CTAs) since 2022.
“Today, HCPs are increasingly digitally-savvy and expect life sciences brands to deliver a customer-first digital experience,” said Callan Young, chief marketing offer at ON24. “Our research demonstrates that the life sciences companies prioritizing omnichannel commercial strategies, AI-powered innovation and personalized experiences have the potential to outperform their competitors and lead the industry now and moving forward.”
READ: 10 digital transformation pitfalls and how to avoid them
Automation Anywhere partners with Google Cloud to support business transformation
AI-powered automation company Automation Anywhere announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud to leverage the combined power of generative AI and its automation models to help optimize and transform businesses. Automation Anywhere is utilizing Google Cloud’s Gemini models and Vertex AI platform to launch customizable new generative-AI powered solutions, unlocking new value for enterprises across a range of industries, according to a press release.
Using Google Cloud’s Gemini models and the advanced capabilities of Vertex AI, Automation Anywhere’s platform now can integrate different types of information from text to code to audio to image and video. This empowers employees to use natural language to request automations across systems, generate personalized content, summarize dense documents and automate workflows, the firm stated.
“We’re pleased to partner with Automation Anywhere to bring new generative AI capabilities to customers,” said Ritika Suri, director of technology partnerships at Google Cloud. “With Gemini models, Automation Anywhere can enhance experiences across industries, enabling organizations to streamline and simplify many time-consuming tasks.”
IBM to help Canadian enterprises leverage generative AI
IBM announced a new Cloud Multizone Region (MZR) in Montreal, Quebec designed to help clients address their evolving regulatory requirements and leverage technology such as generative AI with a secured, enterprise cloud platform. The opening of the new Montreal MZR is planned for the first half of 2025, with IBM’s expanded presence in Canada expected to help clients throughout the country manage their emerging and existing regulatory demands while driving innovation.
The Montreal MZR will be comprised of three Availability Zones designed to provide availability, consistent cloud services and greater resiliency to help clients run mission-critical workloads, IBM said. “We are committed to enabling Canadian clients to drive growth and innovation, while helping them demonstrate their compliance and keep their data secured,” commented said Alan Peacock, general manager of IBM Cloud.
READ: Generative AI’s game-changing role in digital transformation
Vanderlande introduces predictive maintenance at Heathrow Airport
Logistic process automation vendor Vanderlande introduced predictive maintenance to the baggage handling system at Heathrow Airport in the UK. Vanderlande will equip approximately 2,000 assets in Terminal 3 with sensors, incorporating cutting-edge solutions from Amazon Web Services (AWS), the firm said. Well maintained assets are essential for seamless baggage operations, but there is risk of unplanned system downtime caused by wear and tear, it added. By deploying sensors on critical equipment and harnessing smart data, asset degradation patterns are identified and addressed before they can disrupt operations, according to Vanderlande.
“Vanderlande’s predictive maintenance solution is unique in its ability to be scaled almost indefinitely, without fundamental changes to its architecture and edge tooling,” commented Iain Grierson, chief engineer – baggage handling systems at Heathrow. “The harnessing of machine learning at the cloud layer allows application across a wide range of front-line assets in a way we believe will fundamentally shift the way maintenance is delivered at Heathrow.”
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