In this article, John Denslinger waves goodbye to the barcode, replaced by QR codes and RFID tags, and ponders whether AI will enhance and refresh both for another 50 years. Hard to believe the humble barcode turned 50 this year. It all started in June 1974 with scanning an inauspicious pack of Juicy Fruit gum. Some say it ushered in an era of transactional automation, while others pointed to the benefits of inventory management. It did both, but more importantly it generated data, information useful to sales, marketing and operations. IBM is credited with the linear barcode as we know…

To empower the EV rollout, John Denslinger suggests switching the focus from car sales to the number of charging stations brought on-line. EV sales have stalled. Dealer lots are full of unsold EV inventory. Automakers have scaled back EV production and expansion investments. Demand has noticeably shifted to hybrids. What on green earth has happened? The Federal government threw billions of dollars in subsidies at the auto industry, battery makers and leading-edge technology companies. It offered generous financial inducements to states and municipalities for charging infrastructure. Tax credits were offered to consumers. It enacted provisions for upstream needs such as…

This month, John Denslinger highlights new standards impacting the design, manufacture and operation of heavy-duty trucks, then explores six areas of opportunity. The EPA recently finalized stronger national greenhouse gas pollution standards for heavy-duty vehicles specifically targeting freight trucks and Each contributes to lower fuel consumption. These standards apply to upcoming model years 2027 to 2032. Manufacturers tasked with balancing sustainability requirements and the quest for greater fuel efficiency have more visibility now, but the larger question might be: will truck manufacturers have sufficient time to apply optimizing technology that satisfies both worlds given the design window for model years 2027-2029 is likely…

In this article, John Denslinger argues that good or bad, AI is fast becoming inseparable to human activity and AI’s lifeline is definitely the data center. For the past year, much has been written about the explosive growth of AI. The enablers are savvy hardware and software companies, often called the darlings of Wall Street. You know the names. They top the NASDAQ leader board almost daily. While these component companies garner headlines, data centers are the real AI lifeline. Each and every online action lives on in data centers making it indispensable in the age of digitalization. But not…

In this article, John Denslinger acknowledges that GenAI is still at trial phase, but the trend is clear—every organization, every employee can elevate performance. ‘Knowledge is power’—Sir Francis Bacon, Philosopher and Statesman (1597). Quite certain, Sir Francis never foresaw the degree of human achievement made possible with GenAI. With a few keystroke prompts, GenAI has given ordinary people easy access to massive data accumulations. Maybe the quote should be updated to say: ‘Knowledge is power, GenAI powers knowledge’. OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, was groundbreaking. It influenced untold investments in a wide range of AI developments transforming approaches…