Industry 4.0: Opportunities and Challenges for Operations Management

Tava Lennon Olsen, Brian Tomlin (2020) Industry 4.0: Opportunities and Challenges for Operations Management. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 22(1):113-122. (pdf)

Industry 4.0 connotes a new industrial revolution centered around cyber-physical systems. It posits that the real-time connection of physical and digital systems, along with new enabling technologies, will change the way that work is done and therefore, how work should be managed. It has the potential to break, or at least change, the traditional operations trade-offs among the competitive priorities of cost, flexibility, speed, and quality. This article describes the technologies inherent in Industry 4.0 and the opportunities and challenges for research in this area. The focus is on goods-producing industries, which include both the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. Specific technologies discussed include additive manufacturing, the internet of things, blockchain, advanced robotics, and artificial intelligence.

Grokking Bitcoin

Kalle Rosenbaum, Grokking Bitcoin, Manning, April 2019.

If you think Bitcoin is just an alternative currency for geeks, it's time to think again. Grokking Bitcoin opens up this powerful distributed ledger system, exploring the technology that enables applications both for Bitcoin-based financial transactions and using the blockchain for registering physical property ownership. With this fully illustrated, easy-to-read guide, you'll finally understand how Bitcoin works, how you can use it, and why you can trust the blockchain.

Special Issue — M&SOM 20th Anniversary

Special Issue — M&SOM 20th Anniversary, Volume 22, Issue 1, January-February 2020 (online)

This special issue contains invited and review articles by eminent researchers in the field.

台灣軟體業的發展

 科技島讀，Ep.126 難產的台灣獨角獸｜特別來賓 XREX 創辦人黃耀文，2020/12/20

台灣獨角獸遲遲難產，讓人擔憂輝煌的半導體與電子製造業後繼無人。相較於以色列、芬蘭、烏克蘭、新加坡等在軟體領域各據地盤，台灣軟體業至今無法破繭而出，更啟人疑竇。島讀邀請成功創業家黃耀文，一起從產品定位、資本、人才等面向，分析台灣新創的錯過與值得。

Top ten insights and Popular articles with McKinsey.com readers for 2019

Our top ten insights of 2019

Most popular with McKinsey.com readers

奧丁丁 (OwlTing) 的區塊鏈多元運用

張道宜，區塊鏈不只是「幣」而已：奧丁丁多元運用，奠定食品溯源、旅宿管理基礎，Cheers， 2018-09 

2014年，奧丁丁開始涉入區塊鏈領域服務，除了接受虛擬貨幣支付外，更推出全球第一個區塊鏈食品溯源系統OwlNest，將區塊鏈「不可篡改」的特性，應用在食品履歷功能上，強化消費者對產品的信心。  

2018年8月，也與台東池上青農合作，希望在稻米種植過程中導入物聯網與區塊鏈技術，使整個生產過程更透明、更自動化、人為干預更少。 

另方面，奧丁丁也將區塊鏈導入旅宿管理，推出OwlChain系統，解決讓旅宿業者頭痛不已的重複訂房難題。目前以台灣為基地，要推向日本、馬來西亞等國市場，預計在2019年達到3萬家的規模。

呂晏慈，區塊鏈賣米　解決混米痛點賣進杜拜，商業周刊第 1628 期， 2019-01-24

HTC 與彰基推出全台首個 AI 區塊鏈 Chatbot「蘭醫師」

葛翰勳，精準掛號、轉院免繁複手續！HTC 與彰基推出全台首個 AI 區塊鏈 Chatbot「蘭醫師」，數位時代，2019.01.21

「蘭醫師」取名自彰基創辦人、來自蘇格蘭的傳教士蘭大衛，民眾透過LINE與「蘭醫師」互動對話，不僅能達到精準掛號，還提供診後衛教，如病徵與藥物說明，若AI判斷需轉院，還會提供10間院區的資訊供病患選擇。... 

RelaJet 讓聽障者聽見想聽的聲音

徐知誼，利用 AI 進行多人聲分離，RelaJet 讓聽障者聽見想聽的聲音，TechNews，2019/1/2

對於聽障者來說，最主要面臨的問題有二。第一是助聽器價格高昂，以全球六大品牌為例，平均價格約在 6 萬台幣左右，高階的甚至要 15 萬，負擔相當沉重。第二，許多傳統助聽器的效果不夠好，一旦周遭環境音量太大聲，想清楚聽見談話者講話難度就會相當高。本身也是聽障者的陳柏儒（Blue Chen）為了解決這些困境，集合一群專精 AI 演算法的團隊，創立 RelaJet 洞見未來，要以「多人聲分離」引擎，協助聽障者擁有更好的聆聽體驗。

視覺化的區塊鏈介紹

https://anders.com/blockchain/ by Anders Brownworth
右上方的網頁可以讓您動手玩

好好投資科技的 AI 深度學習演算系統

陳君毅，曾為上流社會理財，兩位外資金童拚創業，把頂級財富管理帶給普羅大眾，數位時代，2018.09.25

區塊鏈導入運輸業以了解貨運進度

楊晨欣，不用再打電話追貨運進度！IBM聯手船運公司將區塊鏈導入運輸業，數位時代，2018.08.10，

區塊鏈在許多產業持續發燒，科技廠IBM與船運公司快桅（Maersk）共同開發了一套區塊鏈船運資料交換系統 TradeLens，將全球船運資料數位化，帶進即時、視覺化的資料溝通工具。 

在過去，每間船運公司都有自己的一套系統，他們只看得到自己旗下某項貨品的運輸起點至終點，但是無法得知他家廠商、某個特定碼頭的運輸資料。這樣的情況下，假設某家公司聘請兩三家船運公司運輸貨品，他們得不斷打電話、寫E-mail到這些公司，才能追蹤到所有物品。 

以區塊鏈為基礎開發的TradeLens，希望改變這個現況，利用區塊鏈資料儲存保存且容易回溯追蹤的特性，讓全球船運公司、貿易公司，都能透過這套系統掌握所有運輸資料，從運輸業者、運輸航線、到達港口，到內陸運輸路線、海關資料等。... 

IBM表示，TradeLens在一個把包裝材料運送到生產線的例子上，將整體運輸資料透明化，省去10個步驟與5人關卡（如打電話問我的貨在哪），這樣快速的溝通模式共節省了40%的運輸時間。

牛仔拚「加密」 一頭牛賣價多 30％

Ben McLannahan，牛仔拚「加密」 一頭牛賣價多30%，商業周刊，第 1600 期，2018-07-12

牧場主人居斯基(Ogden Driskill)認為，區塊鏈技術能保住牛肉供應鏈上各個環節的價值，若能向最後買主證明，他們買的牛是在擁有陽光、草原上飼養的放山牛，每頭將可淨賺700美元，利潤近30%。 

59歲、7年前曾當選懷州州議會參議員的居斯基說：「我們的產品比別人好，但是總有人會混水摸魚摻進來，就像凱迪拉克、賓士汽車中摻著福斯；未來，我們的品質就能在市場上脫穎而出。」

Ben McLannahan, Wyoming’s pioneering crypto cowboys beef up the supply chain: Ranch owners are using blockchain to prove the quality of their cattle as the state passes laws to attract cryptocurrency start-ups, Financial Times, JULY 1, 2018.

 

Use blockchain and A.I. to cut energy bills by Electrify

Karen Gilchrist, How a 29-year-old is using blockchain and A.I. to cut energy bills by up to 25 percent, CNBC, 28 June 2018.

“Many industries are going from centralized to decentralized to the sharing economy,” Tan told CNBC Make It. “We see the energy industry as no different.” 

In the same way that Airbnb and Uber have opened up the travel and transport industries, Tan said Electrify gives customers access to more providers — both big firms and independents — on one central platform so they can easily find and compare different deals. Digital, or "smart," contracts can then be written on the blockchain, removing the need for lawyers and accountants and saving around 30 percent in transaction costs.... 

By pooling together different energy options, they hope to make it easier for people to select their preferred energy source, including renewable options. That's increasingly important as populations rise and energy demand grows. In Asia alone, annual energy expenditure is expected to rise from $700 billion to $1.6 trillion by 2035, according to the Asian Development Bank. 

However, Tan said the pair doesn't "plan to enforce our ideals." 

Instead, the company is using artificial intelligence to match people with the right plans for them based on their budget and energy usage.

Technical Whitepaper by Electrify.