Pharmaceutical/Biotech

Airline Earnings Reports Point to Uncertain Growth Trajectory in U.S. Cargo

October 28, 2016

Of the three major American carriers to publish third-quarter results so far, only Alaska Airlines Cargo saw its cargo revenues increase, up 3 percent, year-over-year, to $31m - a fraction of its growing passenger revenue, according to earnings reports. Meanwhile, United registered a 4.7 percent decline in revenues, y-o-y, to $224m and, as previously reported, Delta continued its losing streak into the quarter, with revenues falling 15 percent, y-o-y, to $167m.

Russia Adds Deepwater Port to 15-Year Transport Strategy

October 27, 2016

Maritime Executive

A new deepwater port is planned for Arkhangelsk in the north of European Russia, according to Northern Shipping Company Arkhangelsk, a Russian shipping company. The new deepwater hub will be suitable for year-round handling of large capacity vessels and will be situated 55 kilometers (34 miles) north from Arkhangelsk near Mudyug Island, in the northern part of the Sukhoye Morje Bay, says NSC Arkhangelsk.

AI Apps May Redefine Brick-and-Mortar Fashion Retail

October 27, 2016

Apparel

Picture yourself entering a department store and, instead of wandering around searching for the correct department or product, you are guided by an expert personal concierge. The concierge is not a person, but rather a humanlike smartphone assistant. Whether you want to know "where are women's shoes located?" or "is this dress available in size six?" this concierge is always at hand to assist you. This is what retail shopping may be fast becoming, thanks to the mass proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies.

Gartner Predicts Decline of Mobile Apps, Loss of IoT Data

October 26, 2016

Computerworld

The message at Gartner's recent Symposium/ITxpo was to prepare for a fast move to augmented reality, the decline of mobile apps, a major shift away from web browsing and more. Many users will expect businesses, universities and governments to respond to these shifts, the market research firm said at its annual conference.

Reebok's Liquid Factory Could Change Process and Speed of Footwear Creation

October 26, 2016

Apparel

A new generation of footwear manufacturing, spearheaded by Bill McInnis, head of future at Reebok and a former NASA engineer, is allowing the fitness brand to design and create a high performance athletic shoe faster and more efficiently than ever before, the company says.

UMass Medical Center to Use Beacons to Track Naloxone Medication

October 25, 2016

RFID Journal

University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center says it will attach Visybl's Bluetooth beacons next month to packages of naloxone, an opioid-blocking drug, to determine whether patients discard the medication before leaving the premises and to gauge their willingness to have the medicine tracked.

Holiday Season Hiring: More Companies Show Need for Human Touch

October 25, 2016

Strategy + Business

If robots are taking human jobs, they haven't made much headway in Santa's workshop - or in his supply chain. It turns out that even the most technologically advanced retailers need lots of humans to serve customers. Amazon, arguably the most disruptive force in American retailing, announced last week that it would be hiring 120,000 seasonal workers this year - 20 percent more than last year - and the Seattle giant isn't alone.

Nordstrom, Costco, UPS Join Last-Mile Delivery Study in Seattle

October 19, 2016

MultiChannel Merchant

In the heart of Amazon country, Nordstrom, Costco and UPS have joined with a team from the University of Washington in Seattle to study solutions to last-mile delivery issues in urban areas. UW's Urban Freight Lab will explore high-impact, low-cost solutions in urban areas where delivery vehicles, bicycles, cars and pedestrians all have to coexist, according to the university.

Drone Company Launches Healthcare Delivery Service in Rwanda

October 19, 2016

Supply Management

A drone service delivering blood for transfusions has been launched by the president of Rwanda. The drones are expected to make between 50 and 150 life-saving deliveries a day to remote and inaccessible clinics across the western half of the country, according to Zipline, the company behind the technology.

Industrial Automation Software Accelerates DC's Shipping, Improves Accuracy, Increases Speed

October 18, 2016

Challenge: High-volume publisher was experiencing high growth, increasing demand, and a rotating, diminishing workforce. They needed to automate their manual operation to reduce reliance on labor, increase speed and earn substantial shipping discounts.