Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Mark Scanlan
Physics of Side Actions: An Introduction to Elasticity and Thermal Expansion
Preloading side actions are a great example of innovative solutions that provide compensation for flex, compression, elasticity and thermal effects on movable cores. Source (all images) | PFA Inc. Elasticity and thermal expansion are two material properties affecting mold performance. A better understanding of these properties provides an opportunity for better mold designs. It is also a resource when troubleshooting molding problems and demonstrates how preloading improves performance.
Roots, Threads, and Possibilities: How Learning from Some Origin Stories of Evangelical Youth Ministry Can Help Navigate a Challenging Future
1. Introduction The world has changed dramatically in recent years and continues to do so at an almost alarming rate. Whether it is the ongoing influence of the digital revolution and recent breakthroughs in AI technology, the interruptions and impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the global climate crisis, increasing military conflict, or the epidemic of poor mental health among younger people, this is a volatile and complex time to grow up in.
Cisco AI Enhances Retail Operations
Retail has been one of the sectors most transformed by digital innovation, and artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of this change. Cisco has been instrumental in enabling retailers’ adoption of AI technologies to gain operational insights, enhance customer experiences, and improve operational efficiency.
Preloading Slides for Optimal Mechanical Performance
Achieving core preload above the injection force enables the production of parts with perfect match lines, tight tolerances and clean textures. Source (all images) | PFA Inc. Preloading is essential to create force in a part or assembly after working on it as this prevents flex, stretch, gaps, twists and unwanted movement. Without preloading, all bars, rods, joints, structures, cables and similar items move under load. Bolts are a great example and often the easiest to visualize.
Can AI improve soccer teams' success from corner kicks? Liverpool and others are betting it can
Last Sunday, Liverpool faced Manchester United in the quarter finals of the FA Cup—and in the final minute of extra time, with the score tied at three-all, Liverpool had the crucial opportunity of a corner kick. A goal would surely mean victory, but losing possession could be risky. What was Liverpool to do? Attack or play it safe? And if they were to attack, how best to do it? What kind of delivery, and where should players be waiting to attack the ball?
Can AI improve football teams’ success from corner kicks? Liverpool and others are betting it can
© 2024 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
Can AI improve football teams’ success from corner kicks? Liverpool and others are betting it can
Last Sunday, Liverpool faced Manchester United in the quarter finals of the FA Cup – and in the final minute of extra time, with the score tied at three-all, Liverpool had the crucial opportunity of a corner kick. A goal would surely mean victory, but losing possession could be risky. What was Liverpool to do? Attack or play it safe? And if they were to attack, how best to do it? What kind of delivery, and where should players be waiting to attack the ball?
Something exciting is brewing for NRF24
As retail’s golden quarter draws to a close, we’ve set our sights on one of the biggest retail conferences of the year: NRF’24 in New York City. With hundreds of speakers from the industry’s biggest brands, and more than 40,000 people attending from across the world, it’s the perfect place to share knowledge, gain new insights, and debrief from one of the most challenging holiday retail periods in memory.
Combating retail theft & fraud
Shrink in retail, and more specifically, theft & fraud components, have long been accepted as a cost of doing business. In the last few years, we have seen both consumer and associate theft & fraud explode. To the point where big-name retailers have closed higher risk stores that have been deemed unsustainable, due to the levels of loss.
Lift up and empower your associates
“Our employees are our most valuable asset”, we’ve heard that a lot over the years, but rarely do retail associates get the same level of attention that the retail consumers do. That, in part, has contributed to the challenging retail labor market, where acquisition and retention of staff is now taking center stage.
Tips to optimize your drive-thru
Would you wait 5 minutes in a drive-thru line? How about 10 minutes? Speed is imperative for drive-thrus, especially when there’s a long line. A quick and effective drive-thru has become the norm of what a consumer expects. They want to order and leave the line as quickly as possible. According to Bluedot, 85% of consumers will consider or outright leave a perceived long line. So how can Cisco help you optimize your drive-thru, shorten the line and capture otherwise lost revenue?
Personalise customers’ in-store experiences. First step: security
printer friendly version Personalise customers’ in-store experiences. First step: security Issue 5 2023 Retail (Industry), Cyber Security By Mark Scanlan, Global Industry Lead for Retail, Industry Solutions Group, Cisco Systems. Adding more personalised digital consumer experiences in the store, and on-the-go, opens the door for new opportunities … and vulnerabilities.
Personalize in-store experiences. First step? Security
Adding more personalized digital consumer experiences in the store, and on-the-go, opens the door for new opportunities … and vulnerabilities. Digital transformation enables retailers to meet consumers’ ever-changing expectations across all channels, but also means potential exposure of highly valuable personal and financial data. Protecting the consumer (and the brand) is part of the new retail experience that shoppers want and expect.
Supporting sustainability in retail operations
In the last year, I have talked with many retailers who are working towards sustainability goals. Important drivers for such goals include corporate purpose, reputation and/or rapidly increasing demands from stakeholders at large either because sustainability is synonymous with their brand, or because their customers are using sustainability as one of their buying criteria, but rarely because the retailer believes they can save money at the store level.
NRF 2023: Back in person
All the planning, design and execution for NRF 2023 are now behind us, but I returned home from New York feeling like it was worth every ounce of effort we put into it… It was amazing to be, not only back in person, but back to 2020 levels of participation with so much pent-up enthusiasm and interest from the attendees that visited.
The Security Risks for the Agile Retailer
In recent years, retailers have been forced to be more agile, responding rapidly to quickly changing business landscapes and consumer expectations. Retailers rushed to bring curbside and home delivery services to market and send their knowledge workers from the headquarters and contact center home in some hybrid capacity. Security has always been of critical importance in retail.
On the road again: NRF 2023
What a chaotic few years it has been! We are finally getting back on the road and will be in-person at NRF 2023! Our team has been working around the clock to provide you with an onsite experience that is aligned to the topics you as retailers are battling in this current climate including associate engagement, intelligent operations, personalization, ensuring compliance and many more.
The Security Risks for the Agile Retailer
In recent years, retailers have been forced to be more agile, responding rapidly to quickly changing business landscapes and consumer expectations. Retailers rushed to bring curbside and home delivery services to market and send their knowledge workers from the headquarters and contact center home in some hybrid capacity. Security has always been of critical importance in retail.
Forces and Calculations Are Key to Sizing Core Pull Hydraulic Cylinders
Hydraulic cylinders provide mold designers and molders with opportunities for improved performance and flexibility. Extending actions beyond the mold base and pulling slide cores at complex angles can simplify design, reduce mold size and decrease cost per part. Proper cylinder sizing is critical to performance. The use of hydraulic locking cylinders often provides more capability in a smaller footprint, thus enhancing these effects. Image courtesy of Manuel Martinez, Absolute Tool Technologies.
Customer Behavior in Retail
In an industry known for its intense competition. Personalization of a shopping experience can drive a 40% larger basket (transaction size) according to the Boston Consulting Group. But, how can retailers better understand their customers, particularly in-store, in order to personalize the experience? From the arrival of the first online retailers, and the eCommerce channel many have established, the retailer has maintained visibility of how customers behave on their site.
Understanding the Security Needs of Retailers
Remember when a retail transaction was as simple as going to a store, selecting your items off the shelf, bringing them to a cashier, and making your payment in cash or check? Those days are long gone. The Security Risks of Digital Transformation Almost every retail transaction is significantly more complex and involves some level of personal customer data. Retailers are using advanced analytic tools to gather information on customer behavior, both online and in-store.
Remember when a retail transaction was as simple as going to a store, selecting your items off the shelf, bringing them to a cashier, and making your payment in cash or check? Those days are long gone. The Security Risks of Digital Transformation Almost every retail transaction is significantly more complex and involves some level of personal customer data. Retailers are using advanced analytic tools to gather information on customer behavior, both online and in-store.
Is your youth group ‘church’? Yes. And No.
Mark Scanlan is Tutor in Theology and Youth Ministry and Lead Undergraduate Tutor at St Mellitus College. He sat down with Director of Research Lucie Shuker to talk about his book ‘An Interweaving Ecclesiology’. LUCIE: “Hi Mark, thanks for dropping by to tell me about your book! I know it’s based on research you did for your PhD, after 20 years of experience in youth ministry.
Changing childhood: How do Gen Z see the world differently?
How do young people see the world differently from older generations? The Changing Childhood study polled views on climate, technology, mental health and the future – here’s some headlines. The UNICEF Changing Childhood study explores the convergences and divergences between two generations, those aged 15-24 and people aged 40 and over. 21,000 people were surveyed across 21 countries (including the UK) ranging from high incomes countries to low incomes ones.
How to Solve Core Pull Flash and Part Issues
Achieving core preload means that you can make parts with perfect match lines, tighter tolerances and clean textures. Photo Credit: PFA Inc. Molds in production often have various core pull side-actions, while designed with the best of intentions, do not fulfill current needs.
Evolving Threat Landscapes: Learning from the SolarWinds Breach
During 2020 we saw a huge expansion and adoption of online services precipitated by a global pandemic. By all accounts, a good proportion of these changes will become permanent, resulting in greater reliance on resilient, secure services to support activities from online banking and telemedicine to e-commerce, curbside pickup, and home delivery of everything from groceries to apparel and electronics.
Retail network segmentation landscape
For as long as I can remember, retailers have recognized the importance of segmentation. The perils of mixing transactional data with other types of network traffic are significant. Yet, many retailers have found that a lack of attention in this area results in the compromise of transactional or Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
Troubleshooting quick die change in stamping operations
Even for those with experience implementing quick die change (QDC), unexpected problems occur and unfamiliar details need attending to that could have a major impact on QDC system performance. Being armed with knowledge about potential problems can help you avoid getting blindsided by them. Doing so helps to keep employees safe and solidify a good return on investment (ROI).
How to Use Hydraulic Locking Cylinders to Improve Plastic Injection-Molded Part Profitability
Profitability impacts everyone in the mold supply chain because the mold builder, molder and OEM must consider both mold cost and cost per part, which is highly dependent on mold complexity. The challenge is finding the most creative solution to meet requirements at the lowest overall cost for the mold builder, molder and OEM. Hydraulic locking cylinders can provide a solution. Mold builders can easily produce right-sized simple molds because part size fundamentally defines mold size.
Goooooooal! New research on the best way to score at the Women's World Cup
Sport science can offer some valuable insights to the teams contesting the 2019 Women’s World Cup currently underway in France. Our new analysis of every goal scored at the last Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015 revealed the most effective way for teams to put one in the back of the net – and it’s all about turnovers, quick movement, and transitions. Our study found that the middle third of the pitch is the most effective area for gaining possession and creating goalscoring opportunities.
here's the best way to score at the Women's World Cup
Sport science can offer some valuable insights to the teams contesting the 2019 Women’s World Cup currently underway in France. Our new analysis of every goal scored at the last Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015 revealed the most effective way for teams to put one in the back of the net – and it’s all about turnovers, quick movement, and transitions. Our study found that the middle third of the pitch is the most effective area for gaining possession and creating goalscoring opportunities.
A New Farm Bill Has Landed
By Mark Scanlan One of the biggest unanswered questions going into 2018 was whether Congress would overcome the partisan and policy hurdles necessary to adopt a new farm bill. Not only did Congress deliver, but it did so by historic margins. The Senate voted 87-13 in favor of H.R. 2, The Agriculture Act of 2018, and the House passed it by a 369-47 margin.
Mold Side-Actions: How, Why and When They Work
As advances in technology have driven market globalization and shortened product life cycles, mold design and production methods have been pressured to keep pace. The success of moldmakers in the future will be defined by their ability to discern the advantages and disadvantages of the ever-broadening options. With a fundamental understanding of these various side-action methods, moldmakers can choose and apply the optimal solutions to today's applications.
How to implement quick die change
Few lean manufacturing methods increase press uptime, lower per-part costs, and provide an immediate return on investment (ROI) as readily as quick die change (QDC) does. Although the merits of QDC likely are well understood within the stamping field, tailoring a program to a company's current equipment and operational requirements can be challenging. Generally, implementing a QDC program is an easy and straightforward process, if it is done by grouping dies and presses in an orderly way.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Mark
Contact Mark, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack