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Concorde was certainly ahead of its time, but some of the problems its designers encountered still exist today, such as those encountered when using commercial off-the-shelf products.

The Condor Cluster was a supercomputer built out of 1,760 Sony PlayStation 3s running on the Linux operating system. Built to analyse high definition satellite imagery, the Condor Cluster was in operation for just a few months before Sony disabled the use of Linux on the PS3, leaving no means to procure functioning Linux replacement units.

Over the last decade, manufacturers debated the pros and cons of traditional robots and cobots; often struggling to decide which to adopt in their facilities. Here we explore how the lines between the two will fade in the new decade, as each evolves and gains the benefit of the other.

To most people, man and machine seamlessly working hand-in-hand is like something out of a science fiction film. However, it is steadily becoming commonplace in the modern manufacturing facility. Here we examine the rise of collaborative robots in the manufacturing industry and considerations site managers must make when adopting them into their facility.

There is rarely, if ever, a one-size-fits-all approach to manufacturing. It is important that site managers know what considerations to make when choosing an industrial robot to automate their processes.

History teaches that energy transitions are not easy. For decades, whale oil was considered indispensable for a variety of applications, until it was gradually replaced by the cheaper and more efficient kerosene. This transition led to the extinction of industrial whaling, one of the world’s first multinational businesses.

Some manufacturers are still recovering from the repercussions of the 2008 crisis, but economists predict that another global recession could impact industry in 2020. Meanwhile, natural disasters and global warming are proving that we need to do more to preserve our resources. In times of economic instability and environmental concerns, the idea of turning production scrap into usable energy is appealing to many manufacturers.

To reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and minimise their carbon footprint, an increasing number of companies are implementing low-carbon microgrids. Just like traditional microgrids, low-carbon ones can help firms meet their energy demands without depending solely on the national grid. Unlike traditional solutions, however, these eco-friendly microgrids are almost zero-emission.

Until now, typically the worst threat that manufacturers faced from ransomware was the inconvenience of downtime and lost production while the company worked to get its systems back online using backups. Cyber attackers played a numbers game, relying on a small number of victims to pay the ransom. However, a new trend sees attackers leak the sensitive data if victims don’t pay.

According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, UK companies lose an average of nearly £3 million for every data breach they experience. While manufacturers often struggle to guard against cybersecurity threats, automation can help them protect themselves by making processes more robust.