Should You Trust AI in Manufacturing? April 26, 2024 In our day jobs, we analyze, build and invest in technologies that leverage AI and machine learning to do things such as optimizing procurement cost savings strategies based on an underlying price forecast for a particular grade of metal. This can tell manufacturers when to lock into long-term agreements with a supplier, when to float the underlying material price via an index, when to buy on the spot market, etc. We’ve found AI (especially neural networks for price prediction) to be a pretty exceptional tool in our technology crib for building solutions which enable manufacturers to do things they could not previously accomplish with the same degree of efficiency, speed and consistency — not to mention delivering a superior outcome. Moreover, in one of the companies we run, we estimate that we are doing the work of at least twice the … [Read more...] about Should You Trust AI in Manufacturing? Global and International Industrial News Publisher Page
Terrorism, the US Corporate Response, and Economic Implications November 8, 2023The tragically horrific events of early October in Israel are unparalleled in the 21st century for the global Jewish community. Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been targeted and killed simply for being who they were. The tragedy was not limited to Israelis. A minor fraction of the deceased were US citizens. As of October 13th, the death toll of US citizens stands at 27, with 17 still missing. Arutz Sheva reports that this ranks as the fourth deadliest assault on US civilians by foreign entities in history, following 9/11, the 1992 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and the 2016 ISIS attack on an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando. Surplus Record resolutely condemns the appalling violence and terrorism inflicted upon Israel by Hamas and its allies, including Iran. Our hearts go out to the grandparents, parents, teenagers, children, and … [Read more...] about Terrorism, the US Corporate Response, and Economic Implications Global and International Industrial News Publisher Page
The Costly, Illegal Secrets of Corporate DEI September 14, 2023As an outgrowth of the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down race-based admissions at two top universities, Corporate DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs are under legal attack for violating non-discrimination and equal opportunity laws. DEI programs extend into company supply chains as well, thanks to supplier diversity programs which have favored specific demographic ownership over others in terms of contract award decisions and even specific set-asides. In the Supreme Court ruling, Chief Justice Roberts observed that the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause may never be used in the negative or operate as a stereotype. In other words, you can’t harm specific classes of individuals by favoring another. The Supreme Court found that The University of North Carolina violated the Equal Protection clause by … [Read more...] about The Costly, Illegal Secrets of Corporate DEI Global and International Publisher Page
Unraveling the Complexities: China & US Relations August 8, 2023If one subscribes to the narrative as presented by media headlines, it would appear that the relationship between China and the US is languishing at an all-time low. Some of this may simply be misunderstanding due to a lack of direct dialogue. For example, evidence suggests the “spy balloons” were likely anything but after further examination, despite US headlines during the crisis that stoked serious vitriol within the Chinese politburo initially, without functional relations between the countries to deescalate the situation. And of course issues concerning Taiwanese sovereignty and the South China Sea continue to reach potential flashpoints on a weekly basis. Nevertheless, beneath the frosty rapport between the US and China lies a host of internal challenges within China itself — separate from its relations with the West. China is … [Read more...] about Unraveling the Complexities: China & US Relations Global and International Publisher Page
Infrastructure: Bipartisan Case for Investment (A Postcard from London)By Jason Busch and Lisa Reisman July 27, 2023Greetings from London, dear readers. This week, we find ourselves traversing the UK engineering marvel that is “Crossrail.” Crossrail, a product of over a decade of meticulous planning and development, is a new 72-mile train line that burrows under virtually all of Central London, significantly reducing many journey times. The planning team behind it asserts that this mammoth project brings “an additional 1.5 million people to within 45 minutes of London’s main employment, leisure, and business districts.” Crossrail’s construction is an engineering triumph. It took eight powerful tunnel boring machines nearly three years to carve out 26 miles beneath London. Some sections of Crossrail lie as deep as 450 feet below the surface of London, far deeper than the subway or the “Underground.” Despite the hefty price tag of … [Read more...] about Infrastructure: Bipartisan Case for Investment (A Postcard from London) Global and International Industrial News Publisher Page