TECH & AI
“Deployed properly , blockchain has the capability to counter cybersecurity risks ”
LEANNE MELNYK HEAD OF GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS , DIGINEX
When Fortune Genius entered Australian waters , the International Transport Federation ( ITF ) – the global union for shipping – carried out a digital inspection . Thanks to its tech-based grievance channels , the ITF learned directly from the vessel ’ s Burmese crew that they had been forced into working excessive – and unpaid – hours . It was , in essence , forced labour .
“ The ITF multilingual app has SMS and hotline number , Facebook page and Seafarer centres . It ’ s a powerful illustration of how multistakeholder due diligence systems , underpinned by technology , can effectively detect and remediate labour issues in supply chains ,” says Melnyk .
Aerospace manufacturing a hotbed of tech innovation Another executive who has seen some outstanding deployments of Industry 4.0 tech is Evan Sloss , Director of EMEA for iBASEt , a company that simplifies complex manufacturing with digitallyintegrated solutions . According to Sloss , complex manufacturing is one area in which technology is making a huge contribution .
“ Aerospace manufacturers are using Industry 4.0 technology to keep pace with the rapid changes required during production , sometimes right at the last moment ,” says Sloss . The sophisticated nature of space technology means that production processes often require sudden amendments due to new engineering designs and updated project requirements . “ When this happens , production-line equipment can send triggers to automated carts to find and load smart pallets and then deliver them where needed . Replacement supplies can then be automatically ordered from the inventory system . In many cases ,
100 September 2022