Connected World

• The Incredible Tidal Wave of Product Returns

  It is the start of the new year, and the 2025 Christmas holidays have come and gone with the blink of an eye it seems. I was at a Christmas party when a friend asked me a question I could not immediately answer. He asked: “How much of the Christmas presents given actually get returned [...]

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• Manufacturing’s AI Dystopia and Next Steps

  AI (artificial intelligence) brings promise—but also profound unease within manufacturing. In this commentary, we examine the darker, dystopian lens through which many in the industry view technology. This week’s commentary builds on blog series, following on from last week’s deeper discussion examining manufacturing’s utopian vision of technology. Let’s start by asking what is the dystopian [...]

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• Construction’s Dystopian AI Narrative

  If you have been following along in our blog series, then last week you read as we explained construction’s utopian view of technology. It is important to recognize that alongside optimism, AI (artificial intelligence) has sparked deep unease in construction, which is why for today’s blog, we are going to take a closer look at [...]

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• Rebuilding the Pipeline: Investing in the Future of Skilled Trades

  In the past few years, there has been a new, renewed interest in working in trades. I have personally heard it talking to friends and seen a growing interest in the media as well. The numbers seem to back this up as well. The U.S. Dept. of Labor suggests there are more than 2,300 new [...]

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• Fact of the Week – 1/12/2026

  #Factoftheweek Off-highway vehicles telematics systems will rise to 17.6 million units worldwide by 2029, growing at a 12% rate. This is up from 10 million in 2024, and includes off-highway vehicles in construction, mining, agriculture, and forestry. Construction represents the largest share and is driven by OEM telematics systems. Agriculture and mining are the second [...]

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