Uncategorized @en_EU
If technology is to deliver a revolution in industry, it will be one that is powered by European workers. They will be both the implementers and enablers of this evolution, and in doing so will dictate its ultimate success. The European Commission has set the goal of achieving 750,000 ICT jobs by 2020. This more IT-centric workforce will be supported to harness skills previously limited to a tech-savvy elite. As technology continues to evolve, that evolution will see it further ingrained in our everyday lives. What will this mean for European industry? Benefits to industry Epson interviewed 17 industry experts, and surveyed over 7,000 European employees, in order to explore how technology is changing the European working landscape. We discovered a vision of the future in which technology is set to deliver huge benefits to industry, business and our individual job roles. As this technological transformation progresses, organisations will find an increasing need for employees with the skills to utilise technology and analyse data. Perceptions of this revolution are broadly positive. One third of respondents believe that overall their roles will become more efficient thanks to the benefits afforded by technology, closely followed by becoming more productive, more accurate and more analytical. Creativity is also set to flourish, with approximately one fifth of…
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Uncategorized @en_EU
Changing industry A revolution in technology will bring about transformation across the breadth of the industrial landscape. That change will not be uniform. Those differences are highlighted clearly in recent research by Epson, looking into the workplace of 2025 and beyond. We interviewed 17 leading thinkers on technology driven trends in European industry, and then surveyed over 7,000 European business leaders and employees to understand their awareness and perceptions of these trends, as well as their expectation on how they will be impacted. When we speak of the industrial revolution it conjures images of transformative machines delivering innovation in manufacturing. Perceptions of the new (fourth industrial) revolution are no different. European workers prominently highlighted the automotive sector and industrial manufacturing as areas expected to feel the greatest impact. But there is more to a revolution than machinery. Changing regulation Where this revolution perhaps differs from those of the past is the wider environment in which it will emerge. The modern European industrial landscape is one guided by interconnected regulation, and that regulation will have significant impact on the transformation of tomorrow. Our research highlights that 73 percent of European employees believe that new technologies will lead to more regulation and laws on liability and practices. It is here where our modern revolution may differ…
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Uncategorized @en_EU
At Epson we’re keen to explore the impact that technological transformation is having on the workplace. With the help of new research, the sheer scope of that impact is becoming clear. In our first blog in this series, ‘How will technology change business?’ we explored how European workers expect businesses to change over the next decade, and how companies should prepare. In this article, we will move on to explore the impact of these changes on individual workers and their day-to-day roles. It’s evident that technological impact is a consideration for European workers. Almost half (48%), believe that technology will directly disrupt their role within the workplace, and 6 percent go so far as to argue that their individual roles will no longer exist in a decade. The sentiment sits against a background of stark global warnings. In a 2016 report The World Economic Forum estimated the net loss of jobs to robotic automation alone could reach 5.1 million in 15 leading global economies by 20211. So are employees right to be concerned? Efficient roles If we’re to avoid the trap of imagining technology simply as a threat to jobs, we must embrace the opportunities unlocked by it, as presented by our research findings. Contrary to the negative headlines outlining job losses, there is…
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Uncategorized @en_EU
Technology is driving a revolution in how we work. Like any revolution, its perception by those it impacts could well dictate its progress. Epson has just completed research to find out what European workers expect the impact of disruptive technology to be on business. To do this, we interviewed 17 global experts and put their predictions and hypotheses to over 7,000 European business leaders and employees to help us understand how transformative technological trends are being perceived. It’s clear that we’re at a tipping point. The majority of respondents expect that technology will be revolutionary in their industries within the next 10 years. At the two extremes, eight percent expect it to be completely revolutionary, and just two percent envision no impact at all. But if business is changing, how do European workers expect that change to manifest? Changing views and changing sectors Diverse technologies will impact sectors in different ways, something recognised in the distinctive views highlighted in our research. Wearable technology was ranked highest of all the emerging technologies we screened for (including 3D printing, artificial intelligence, robotics and more). Wearables are positively viewed by 65 percent of European workers, with bio-printing and cobotics (collaborative robots) the least positively viewed, with 58 percent and 57 percent approval respectively. This disparity could be…
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Uncategorized @en_EU
Imagine a future where mass production is replaced by hyper-local printing, where the population utilises advanced technology to prevent illness in their own home, where virtual meetings take place through holograms as distant workers collaborate in the workplace of tomorrow. This future is far closer than we might think. This vision of the future of work is not the realm of make-believe, but the reality that is emerging, as revealed by recent Epson research exploring the perceptions of European business leaders and employees of the workplace of tomorrow. Over half (57 percent) of the European workforce across industries including healthcare, education, retail, and manufacturing, believe industries and organisational models will be disrupted by technology, and 6 percent professed a belief that their individual roles will cease to exist within 10 years. So, is the future going to be bleak? A positive look at change Despite the huge disruption that technology is expected to deliver, the reality is that when 17 industry experts and futurologists shared their impressions on how technology could shape the future workplace, 64 percent of European workers expressed positive sentiment about the future they predict. Optimism itself will not be enough however. Delivering a positive transformation in industry will require commitment by organisations to deliver change. As things stand, only 14…
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Uncategorized @en_EU
Advances in modern technology are occurring at a lightning speed. Yet the emergence of new capabilities and disruptive technologies could well be creating a landscape of tech-fatigue. It’s not simply consumers who are suffering from this tidal wave of technological innovation. Technology is already a core part of the modern workplace, from state-of-the-art printers to the super computers we carry in our pockets. With the emergence of so much technological innovation, is awareness keeping pace? Understanding technological awareness In recent research conducted by Epson, that surveyed the opinions of 17 global industry experts as well as over 7,000 European business leaders and employees, we explored the impact of technology on the workplace of tomorrow. It’s evident from our findings that the speed of transformation raises some challenging questions. Our research reveals a startling gap in awareness around key technologies among the European workforce. Just 60 percent of respondents surveyed had heard of wearable technologies, meaning 4 in 10 European workers had no awareness of a fundamental technology predicted to significantly impact the workplace of the future. The challenge is further highlighted by other key technologies, where awareness lagged significantly behind that of wearables. Just 37 percent of European workers are aware of technologies such as bio-printing or cobotics (collaborative robotics). Respondents also revealed a…
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Uncategorized @en_EU
Over the coming years, our industries and workplaces will undergo dramatic transformation, reshaping how companies are organised and how people work. From manufacturing and retail to education and healthcare, critical choices need to be made now in order to open up future opportunities. The way we educate and train people, the way we regulate industry, and the way we ensure that companies remain competitive and also serve society are all big topics of discussion. With this in mind, Epson recently embarked on a piece of research with the aim of understanding not just the expected major trends in workplace technologies and how they will transform industries and work, but also the willingness of people to embrace these technologies and changes. This first-of-its-kind research tested the acceptance of insights from 17 global industry experts with over 7,000 company leaders and employees in the five largest European economies. Findings suggest there are some hard choices are ahead for individuals, employers and policymakers alike with regards to technology adoption. These choices, which may well impact individual employability, corporate performance and international competitiveness, are greeted with mixed emotions towards the potential benefits (and perceived threats) of technology in different industries and economies. Across industries including healthcare, education, retail and manufacturing, over half (57%) of the European workforce believe…
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Uncategorized @en_EU
In a new Epson survey of 500 European corporations, we uncovered that although 68% claim environmental considerations are becoming more important to their organisations, only 23% are using energy efficient computers and printers. Stark differences in attitudes were revealed between large enterprises and SMEs, with 74% of large enterprises viewing sustainability as a high priority compared to only 33% for SMEs. Perhaps most surprising was that only half (53%) of European companies stated sustainability as very important overall. While environmental measures such as paper recycling, low energy lighting and increased energy efficient were found to be fairly commonplace, differences in the use of energy efficient IT solutions by organisation size were also evident. Larger enterprises (39%) were more likely to be using energy-efficient IT compared to smaller enterprises (8%) – with cost perceived as the main barrier by SMEs. By making the switch from laser to inkjet printers, companies can achieve energy savings of up to 96%, CO2 emission reductions of 92% and waste reductions of 95% – offering not only cost efficiencies but energy efficiencies too, and a reason that over half of respondents plan to make the switch in the next 12 months. But there are still misconceptions surrounding inkjet printing, including only 37% and 36% of respondents believing that inkjet had…
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Uncategorized @en_EU
The real impact of centralised printing on some businesses could include wasted time and reduced productivity, less impactful prints, and potentially unsecured data. So what’s the solution? We suggest a style of blended print technology that makes printing efficiently easy, while addressing some of the most common concerns of centralisation. The alternative to centralisation One alternative to using a centralised colour approach is to deploy colour laser printers in workgroups that have a need for greater access to colour printing. But many organisations find that while this looks like a good strategy on paper, the outcome is more expensive than they anticipated. A significant reason for this is that high-speed colour lasers often have correspondingly high recommended duty cycles – 15,000 pages monthly or more – and may be overkill if the actual page volume is lower. Most departments print well below that level. Indeed, a recent study conducted by InfoTrends found that the average page volume on colour laser printers and MFPs is less than 5,000 pages per month1. Striking a balance Given the need for ever greater productivity and cost control, more and more organisations are finding that augmenting centralised colour multifunctional devices (MFDs) with distributed colour inkjet printers makes good business sense. In using a balanced deployment of colour printing –…
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Uncategorized @en_EU
Recycling is now a central part of our everyday lives – both at home and in the office. Thanks to the spread of knowledge among the public, and the help of local and national authorities, sorting your waste according to its material has almost become a social expectation. But according to new research1, this environmentally-friendly approach is yet to find its way into every aspect of our business practice. With all the paper, toner, energy and ink cartridges it requires, printing can be one of the most damaging everyday activities we undertake – if you don’t use the right technology. Despite that, 50% of SMEs and 14% of large enterprises polled were unaware or unconcerned about the impact of their printing habits on the environment1. While inkjet technology, print policies and certifications can all dramatically reduce the harm printing causes, many of the businesses asked hadn’t considered adopting these methods. This is all the more surprising when you consider that among the same group, paper recycling and low energy lighting were both fairly common. Given the cost and productivity benefits of deploying more sustainable printing, it’s clear that SMEs need to become better informed if they’re to improve in this respect. Just 26% said they’ve already started using energy-efficient hardware like computers and printers1….
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