automation News

Equipment Breakdown Tops Small Restaurant Claims List

With restaurant sales projected to top $1 trillion and reach record-breaking heights this year, a California-based insurance technology company versed in the space recently analyzed data from more than 30,000 small business restaurant owners across the U.S. to determine the …

Amazon Rolls Out Robotic System at Houston Warehouse to Speed up Deliveries

Amazon.com said on Wednesday it was using a robotic system at one of its Houston warehouses to improve inventory management and speed up deliveries, building on its years-long bet that automation will help boost sales and worker safety. The technology, …

Climate Change Adds Workplace Costs and Hazards

As Texas baked in this summer’s record temperatures, local UPS driver Chris Begley started feeling unwell before collapsing at a customer’s premises. The 57-year-old’s death in hospital was announced in late August – just as his trade union was ratifying …

Lawsuit Against State Farm Alleges Racial Discrimination in Claims Handling

State Farm’s claims handling process is the subject of a new lawsuit alleging disparities between the insurer’s treatment of claims from Black policyholders versus claims from white policyholders. The suit filed Dec. 14 against State Farm Fire & Casualty Company …

Viewpoint: Becoming a Data-Informed Organization

We hear a lot of talk these days about the virtues of data-driven organizations. That’s certainly reasonable up to a point — but what does it really mean? When it comes to routine operational decisions, in particular, the current bias …

Farmers to Deploy ‘Spot,’ a 4-Legged Robot, for Property Inspections

The newest member of Farmers Insurance Group’s catastrophe response team is a four-legged robot that vaguely resembles a headless greyhound. Farmers announced that it purchased a remote-controlled robot dubbed “Spot” from Boston Dynamics and expects delivery this fall, after the …

11th Circuit: Discovery May Include Executives for Insurer Accused of Disability Discrimination

A woman pursuing a disability discrimination claim may depose senior executives at the insurance company that fired her, a federal appellate court ruled Monday, overturning a decision by federal judge in Alabama. Montgomery attorney Julian McPhillips said the 11th Circuit …

Pandemic’s Labor Reshuffle Likely Just Starting For US Workers

WASHINGTON — If the coronavirus pandemic produced its own brand of anxiety for American workers trying to stay healthy while balancing job and family demands, the coming return to “normal” will pose a new set of challenges. Like whether to …

Viewpoint: How Automation is Digitally Transforming the Insurance Industry

Innovation in the insurance industry is no longer a buzzword. It is fast becoming a catalyst to win market share. In the past, the industry has been a slow adopter of emerging technologies. The industry was also marred by other …

Boeing’s Humans Step in After Robots Fumble Assembly of 777 Jets

Score one for the humans. After four years of trial and error, Boeing Co. is dumping the robots that build two main fuselage sections for its 777 jetliners and the upgraded model known as 777X. Instead, the Chicago-based planemaker will …