Manufacturing, logistics and procurement - April 2019

25 April 2019

Supply chain and manufacturing threats and challenges
In the research paper (3.96 MB), “Securing Smart Factories: Threats to Manufacturing Environments in the Era of Industry 4.0,” Trend Micro Research discusses the most noteworthy threats to the manufacturing industry, identifies the weak points that attackers may take advantage of, and provides relevant security recommendations.
DHL has released its first annual Risk Report. The report examines last year's major supply chain challenges and identifies trends that will shape the risk landscape in 2019. In 2018 the world's top three risks were uncertainties concerning trade flows, cyber security incidents, and climate change paired with extreme weather conditions. You can download the report after filling in your details.

Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI)
A European approach on Artificial Intelligence (AI) will boost the European Union’s competitiveness and ensure trust based on European values. The European Commission has already invested significant amounts to bring benefits to the society and economy. A recently published factsheet (142 kB) provides an overview of AI in Europe.
The CEN-CENELEC Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence was established in December 2018. The decision to establish the Focus Group followed the Stakeholders’ engagement workshop ‘Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence – building a framework with standardization’ organized by CEN and CENELEC in September 2018, with the aim to launch a high-level discussion on standardization in the field of AI and agree on a roadmap for AI standardization by 2020. The kick-off meeting was planned in April 2019. You can download the CEN-CENELEC Roadmap for AI Standardization (373 kB).
The International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) and TNO recently signed an agreement confirming that TNO will become the Dutch IDS Hub, a promising European standard for sovereign, controlled and ultimately audit-proof data sharing. With the establishment of the Dutch IDS Hub, initiatives in the field of secure data sharing will gain a significant boost.

Use of robotics
According to a new PMMI report, 2018 represented a major step in expanding the use of general robotics. For the first time, industries like food, consumer packaged goods, and life sciences are expanding robotics applications across their entire production lines in significant numbers. This expansion into new industries with new applications impacts how robots are designed and where they are being implemented, as new emphasis must be placed on flexibility, versatility, intelligence, connectivity, and precision. You can download an executive summary here (2.57 MB).
VDMA has announced that in 2018, the German robotics and automation sector reached the 15 billion euro mark for industry sales for the first time - an increase of 4%.

Determining the sensory characteristics of products
A new ASTM International standard will help companies determine the sensory characteristics of products using small groups of people. The guide will soon be published as E3093. The new standard covers occasions in which a group of no more than 10 people evaluate a product or series of products for a specific objective. The aim of the guide is to provide best practices.

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