Epicor "2027 future factory” vision implies above all increased use of smart technologies. There is no doubt the future factory would be automated. But this is only the "the tip of the iceberg". Changes related to the Industry 4.0 will cover virtually all areas of activity: from sales and marketing, through project management, operations and production management, shopping, services and products management to finance and HR. Let’s take a closer look at how - according to Epicor - production will evolve over the next few years.

Today servitisation already shapes the "production landscape" - companies try to create more revenue streams from the service. In future services market will be increasingly automated. This will allow the deepening of integration with customers’ systems and processes to easier understand their needs and resolve problems more quickly. IT technologies will make manufacturers stop being suppliers and become business partners. The analytical systems provide sales and marketing departments with information on how many and which products customers expect. And - thanks to flexible products’ design, agile prototyping - it would be possible to create products’ versions fitting closely to the specific needs of each customer. Supply chains will be replaced by the supply network to automatically optimize collaboration with suppliers in real time.
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An example of practical use of the IoT concept may be Boers & Co FineMetalworking, manufacturer of mechanical parts and products of high assembly precision. Through combining the Epicor ERP system with Internet of Things, Boers created a smart factory with the use of affordable and available on the market components.

To improve operational efficiency Boers created the plan of the company in which workers have a preview of each machine with status marked with a colour. This makes it easy to see when the machine starts to show signs of performance degradation, which may suggest the need for maintenance. In the result, lines operate smoothly and the company avoids serious mechanical failures.
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According to research conducted by MonsterPolska.pl, only 15% of young people in the labour market would like to work in a large corporation. 45% prefer medium-sized companies. Nonetheless, also payment no longer represents a key criterion while choosing a job. Only 27% of respondents have chosen this factor.[1]

What is there to be done in present times in order to create attractive workplaces for young talents? Which factors will have positive effects on the selection of a company as a place of work? First of all, you have to know the needs of potential employees because MonsterPolska.pl research results clearly show that the majority of employers do not know nor understand them.
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How to prepare for challenges of tomorrow? Can the future be effectively provided at all? In particular in the information technology area? This is certainly not easy, but there are examples that prove that it can be successful sometimes - Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, knows something about it, although he also experienced spectacular "failures".

Precise forecasts are of course long shot, but looking carefully at the socio-economic megatrends and key technologies shaping the contemporary world you can be really close to accuracy. Epicor decided to look at the megatrends that will have the greatest impact on the factories in the next few years. If we know what precaution should be taken and how to use it, we could acquire an opportunity to generate two significant benefits: increase of efficiency and reduce costs.
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The example of ordering new car in authorised car dealer best illustrates the difference between traditional and postmodern approach to ERP system. When ordering a car, we can choose different options such as type of bodywork, drive mechanism and equipment. In making decision we can choose what we want, but when car is assembled in accordance with the contract, room for manoeuvre is very limited. It is similar when it comes to traditional ERP system.

Whereas the postmodern approach is totally different. This is as if we could modify appearance and components in a used car giving it completely new functional characteristics. In practice, this implies selecting primary ERP solution to handle main business operations as well as several different applications that suit best the remaining processes in the organization.  All systems must be integrated and create a consistent and coherent IT solution.
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The difference is already noticed at the universities when it comes to engineering, IT or any studies associated with new technologies. There are still not enough women studying there, even if this number slightly increased lately. Also stereotypes regarding the perception of certain group of occupations as typically male are still present, though increasingly less. Report “Women and IT" prepared by Carrots Foundation shows that there are 3.4 women per 10 men employed in the IT industry is.[1] One-third of Todis Consulting, implementation partner of the world’s leading business IT solutions’ vendors, employees are women. This coincides with the result of the report. On the other hand, the report "Women in technology - the presence of women in Polish IT system” created in 2016 by the Institute of Innovative Economy (IIG) shows that "there are only 48 women out of total number of 452 highest management positions in Polish IT sector. This is little more than 10% of top management. There are only 9 women (5%) in this sector who are holding position of President of the Management Board"[2]. In this case Todis Company, whose CEO is a woman, is in following new trends minority.

On the other hand, there is a growing conviction that mixed teams, comprised of women and men, are more innovative. Several concrete examples show that their work makes a positive contribution to productivity and creativity. This has been influenced by, inter alia, women soft powers, such as the wider perception of the situation, effectiveness in peaceful troubleshooting with their simultaneous high-level IT qualifications. There is a strongly optimistic trend showing that an increasing need of managing diversity in teams can be observed by the IT companies. Shortages of skilled professionals on the market as well as rather negative forecast certainly have an impact on it. There is also exchange of positive experience. Although there are still less women than men in the IT industry, for several years constant increase in their number is noticeable both in employment, especially in large companies, as well at the universities. Employers value competences, irrespective of gender. Many new technology and communication market leading companies already undertake action in order to prevent any possible negative future effects of the shortage of qualified staff. They introduce different types of projects and women professional development programs in STEM* industry in their structures, while closely monitoring the results of the above activities. Moreover, employers, somewhat forced by the situation on the market, no longer pay that much importance to technical education and put more emphasis on hobbies, self-education, trainings etc.
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Primarily, M-Files enables the elimination of information silos, which have a negative impact on the daily activities of an organization. It provides quick access to the right data and content and is easy to use on a daily basis. This tool helps with classifying and correctly organizing databases and allows information to be managed by what it is, not where it is. M-Files can be installed in the cloud, on premises, or as a hybrid solution. In the age of cyberattacks, data security in the network is extremely important, and M-Files is an ISO 27001 Certified ECM provider. It includes check-in/check-out with audit trails, secure metadata-driven user access permissions, and prevention of data-loss, etc. M‑Files open architecture supports connectors to other systems and repositories, including network files shares, email, file-sharing services, CRM, ERP, and legacy ECM systems, etc. With the development of the legal market, the demand for dedicated IT solutions for law firms has increased. Lawyers need IT tools that facilitate gaining and maintaining clients, as well as efficient management solutions.

Running a law firm requires efficient document management. Companies from the legal sector have to deal with immeasurable quantities of documents, which need to be safely stored, shared and explored. Moreover, these documents usually contain confidential information and may be available only to selected employees.
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Rafał Jakubowski [RJ]: Deltares works on smart solutions, innovations, and applications for people, the environment and society, with a focus on deltas, coastal regions, and river basins. Nevertheless, the institute does not have a branch in Poland. How did you establish this cooperation?

Anna Turzańska-Sadlej [ATS]: The same way as with our other collaborations: satisfied customers recommend us. We do not usually carry out sales and promotional activities abroad. Nevertheless, we have a unique skill-set, and we work with international corporations that operate globally and often recommend us to other companies within their group.
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