This Week's Herman Trend Alert Demand-Driven Workforce Development

The Herman Trend Alert October 25, 2006 Robots Respond to Skilled Labor Shortage Recently, Joyce attended WIRED Magazine's NextFest technology show in New York City to research the interface between leading-edge technologies and workforce/workplace trends. We will share information gathered in Herman Trend Alerts. In back rooms of casinos and other hospitality venues that that offer mass-produced beverages, bartenders labor away, mixing the same drinks for hours at a time, out of the view of guests. They mix alcoholic drinks and pour non-alcoholic beverages for long periods of time without stopping. Not only is the work repetitive, but the challenge of providing product consistency is significant. Enter RoboBar(R) by Motoman, the robot-bartender. With RoboBar, the hotel or casino will have an "employee" that will work seven days a week for 24 hours a day without needing a break, while requiring only cursory maintenance. (Motoman robots have a Mean-Time Between- Failure rating of over 62,000 hours (more than seven years). The electrical consumption costs about 30 cents per hour, more than made up in the absence of costs due to spills, over-pours, and mistakes. RoboBar's consistent pours result in better inventory and quality controls and may be programmed to change the amount of alcohol in a drink at different times of the day. The savings is estimated at 10 to 20 percent in materials alone. The price of the high-production model, the most versatile (64 ingredients versus ten), is $200,000, estimated to pay for itself in less that a year. As more orders are received and the machine is mass produced by the end of 2007 or 2008, the manufacturer believes the cost will come down to about $150,000. For front of the house applications, the machine also features a small screen with a male or female character (programmable) who "takes the order" and responds, using artificial intelligence and speech recognition technologies. The robot may be customized with the establishment name as well as advertising messages to promote entertainment or services offered by the venue. Click here for more information. Replacing four skilled bartenders, RoboBar is only the beginning of nonindustrial applications for robots. What's next? RoboBar is a registered trademark of Motoman, Inc. © Copyright 1998-2008 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." DON'T BE LEFT BEHIND! If you've been thinking about attending our valuable Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program, don't delay--only three spaces remain. With the employment market heating up, many positions are literally impossible to fill. Attend this course and you will learn dozens of low-/no-cost valuable strategies to attract and retain the talent you need. Recertification credit from HRCI. Next program: May 22-23, Charleston, SC. Call Carol at 336-282-9370 or visit http://www.employeeretentionspecialist.com. GET INSIDE THE MINDS OF YOUR EMPLOYEES Find out what's really going on inside the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-648-1918 or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. NEW BABY BONUS Book Joyce to speak on the West Coast in 2008 and receive 100 of her books of your choosing. There is a new baby in the family, Spencer Jay, and Joyce would appreciate more opportunities to watch him grow. For more about Joyce, visit http://www.hermangroup.com/joyce.html or call Joyce at 336-210-3548. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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