Latest news with #Samsara
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
AI Promises to Make Blue-Collar Work Safer and More Efficient
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Across the workforce, automation, machine-learning and generative AI seem to be reshaping everything. While there is little doubt that the latest tech is driving huge changes in how knowledge workers operate, manufacturing and other physical, on-site work is also increasingly adopting emerging technology. Technology leaders in blue-collar industries and vendors in this space point to a few developments helping push AI forward, even though SaaS and cloud uptake has been somewhat slower in these fields than in others. The latest technology is largely being used to prepare, inform and connect frontline workers so they can operate more efficiently and spend less time on admin work. "It was actually hard to get data from physical operations, historically," Kiren Sekar, chief product officer at Samsara, told Newsweek. "If you think about trucks driving all over the place, equipment out at remote sites, workers performing field services 10 or 20 years ago, it was hard to understand what was going on. Versus in a financial institution, you can connect all of the electronic banking records into a computer: same for retail, same for health care." Samsara offers camera, sensor and analysis systems that help operations leaders in manufacturing, logistics, waste management, other municipal services and food production to improve safety and efficiency. Its first product was a sensor that tracked temperature, GPS location and vehicle diagnostics, and, later, the company added dashboard cameras. Sekar notes that the cost of sensors and cameras going down, the improved coverage of wireless networks and, finally, cloud data storage paired with machine learning and generative AI has allowed for the world of "physical work" to accelerate technology adoption. "You need to get all the data from the physical world that previously was offline, bring it into the software, and then once you get it into software, you should be able to make these operations a lot better," Sekar explained. "That was the thesis for starting our company." At Axis Water Technologies, a Texas-based water treatment and services company, chief technology officer Aaron Bagwell began in field service and operational management roles, learning Salesforce administration while working as a general manager to get on his current path to CTO. He said Axis Water uses Salesforce's AI-powered frontline service to support pre-visit prep, knowledge sharing and post-visit summaries. The company also uses a sales coach to help teams with customer conversations. "They can fix problems faster in the field and get the customer taken care of much quicker," Bagwell told Newsweek. "If someone runs across a problem that's not in a manual, we can go create a knowledge base article; that way, when another guy comes across the same problem, he doesn't have to spend the same two hours troubleshooting the next time." Bagwell points to the importance of building advocates to drive adoption and identifying high performers and other respected people across various teams to help make the case for new tech. He said that in the first month, around 10 percent of the field had used the products, and a few months later, it's up to around 90 percent. "Some of our technicians have been in here since we were still on pen and paper," Bagwell said. "Those guys are a little bit harder to get buy-in from. They say, 'I could have filled up my invoice in five minutes on paper.' But look what you gave the customer now. We're able to give this long paragraph of post-work summary with photos and everything ... give them a good, curated document." Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva Efficiency in the Field As Newsweek previously covered, some simple AI tools are expanding pathways into blue-collar work and also making significant progress on safety. For companies with vehicle fleets, such as moving, delivery, field technicians and truck drivers, decreasing accidents can be a significant driver of cost savings. Samsara is helping companies optimize operations and incentivize safe driving in a way that is also helping with retention. "It's a traditionally very high turnover environment," Sekar explained. "[One client] was dealing with increasing accident costs, and of course, there's a human cost of that as well," Sekar said of a prominent shipping and logistics company working with Samsara. "Their accident cost dropped by 49 percent ... a lot fewer injuries. Then they started using the technology to help reward safe driving, and they sawtheir job turnover and vacancies drop by half." Samsara has grown to over $1.5 billion in recurring revenue and expanded a client list that includes DHL, Sysco, Home Depot and the City of Denver. Before Samsara, Sekar's last company, Meraki, sold to Cisco, where it remains a thriving business unit. He shared that before that he and some of his cofounders were installing Wi-Fi networks for businesses. "We're seeing this really rapid adoption, whereas 10 years ago, you saw a lot of pen and paper, clipboards. The computer systems were literally green screens of text, and that's been really changing rapidly over the last handful of years," Sekar said. Taksina Eammano, EVP and GM of field service at Salesforce, reiterated that emerging technology is improving the capabilities of information capture for people who work on-site. "There are so many more next-generation products that have signals that tell us what we need to do. They can warn us before something needs maintenance and needs repair, so we can be more efficient and [environmentally friendly]," Eammano told Newsweek. She emphasized that technicians can collect much richer information in advance of their appointments to make them go smoother and ease the transportation burden on field teams. "Our mobile devices are so much more powerful now to be able to get data to search this moment," Eammano explained. "You don't need all your measurement pools, because you can use AR to fairly accurately measure and screen where things are." These sensors can save field workers small chunks of time that would be spent on guesswork or early diagnosis. "Say you're an elevator company and you're servicing, like, a hotel," Eammano said. "Saving you 20 minutes of not just walking around—and knowing the exact location to walk to—is really powerful. ... This is all the things that happen in the background getting you prepared to get on-site." Saving 10–20 minutes over the course of four to seven visits per day across thousands of employees can add up to significant time savings. "When you call the contact center, you don't just say the machine is broken. We have more detail," Eammano said. "So the technician goes out there, and they feel like, you know, they know what's going on." Making the Job More Attractive Despite a lot of effort to highlight the stability and strong pay of trade work, especially for electricians and plumbers, younger people remain heavily interested in other buzzy fields, such as technology and social media or entrepreneurship. But opportunities run aplenty in trade fields, which typically experience high annual turnover. Increasingly, software is being deployed to focus on connection and information-sharing, with the ultimate goals of retention, onboarding and ongoing training. "Because of high turnover, every year, the vast majority of the workers in a job are new. So anything you can do to bring that down and make new people more effective is super valuable," Sekar notes. These industries also often have a glut of older, highly experienced workers. This creates two challenges: transferring knowledge to new employees and the possibility of understaffing as waves of older workers retire. Though some recent research suggests interest in blue-collar work is growing in the youngest cohort of the workforce. "There's certain customers and industries where they're facing silver tsunami retirement challenges and [loss of] institutional knowledge from out in the field," Eammano said. "We also had this whole COVID break, where we didn't send as many apprentices for on-the-job training. So there's been this knowledge gap." At ABM, a facilities management company that provides services like custodial, HVAC, parking and landscaping, a heavy emphasis has been placed on retention with this group, even though high turnover has long been considered a cost of doing business. "We're piloting different things at our frontline supervisory level," Lisa Syacsure, VP of field operations at ABM, told Newsweek. "And hopefully it'll make a huge impact on our retention." Because chain restaurants and coffee shops often offer higher pay than ABM, Syacsure said, ABM's retention strategy has been focused on manager quality and career guidance. Syacsure pointed to updated leadership training and an AI coaching tool that is customized for different roles and geographies. "We've developed playbooks, refreshing those playbooks and really focusing on that frontline manager and ensuring that they onboard correctly and hire well," Syacsure said. "Then ensuring our frontline supervisors engage and support those team members." Syacsure is also working with her team of around 100 HR reps to share their technology wins. She admits she was a novice to AI when she was recently promoted to her VP role but has since embraced the emerging technology and its possibilities. "I have a weekly Friday call with my entire team, and we do case studies," she said. "I would pull up ChatGPT, and then, with the 24/7 coach that we've been piloting, I started showing my team: I have this issue, What would I do? ... [I] share my screen, and I show them how to use it and how it works. So now that they are utilizing the coach virtually as well, they're seeing the impact that it can have on their role." Another company, the Montreal-based WorkJam, offers an intranet built to connect and develop frontline employees. It can also help with flexible shifts and even pay-as-you-work plans. So far it has been particularly popular with retail and convenience store clients. "The adoption levels are fairly low for a typical intranet," Steve Kramer, cofounder and CEO of WorkJam, told Newsweek. "The adoption level for frontline is maybe 20 to 25 percent," in part because these workers still need to log into other systems to manage their pay, benefits or schedule. WorkJam aims to combine all of these in a solution that is purposely built for the frontline employee and has met some early success with clients like Ulta, Shell, Kroger, Hilton, JCPenney and Circle K. "We're typically getting like 95 percent plus adoption with high 80 to 90 percent weekly average usage," Kramer said. Kramer's philosophy is that keeping frontline workers connected and informed is going to be the best way to drive retention and high customer satisfaction. WorkJam also has modules for learning and recognition. "The employers will be able to drive operational excellence in a way that they weren't able to before, but at the same time, the frontline workers are able to have better clarity and knowledge around what they should be doing, how they should be servicing their customers and also potentially get recognized in a more objective way for the work that they're doing as well," Kramer said. With high turnover, an improved onboarding and ongoing education experience could lead to more internal promotions, improved customer satisfaction and wider best-practice sharing. "Organizations are not educating their frontline in the most effective way, so it has an impact on customer service, on service consistency," Kramer said. "It certainly has a big impact on compliance too."
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mixing Applied Science with Unusual Options to Target an Opportunity in Samsara (IOT)
Here's a dirty little secret about unusual options screeners: every day, you're going to find securities that trigger the algorithm due to their aberrant transactions relative to prior trends. But that doesn't mean that every single idea on the list is worth a hoot. You got to find a way to mathematically pinpoint probabilistically enticing trades. Otherwise, you're going to be chasing noise. For those who are looking for an empirically compelling idea, Samsara (IOT) should be on your radar. In my column 'The Saturday Spread,' I mentioned that the fleet management and safety platform provider — which is one of the leaders in applied artificial intelligence — may have a realistic chance of moving higher due to a rare quantitative signal. More News from Barchart Option Volatility And Earnings Report For July 21 - 25 How to Make a 3.0% One-Month Yield By Shorting UBER Puts What Gamma Exposure is Saying About Alphabet Stock Ahead of Earnings Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know. Sign up now! We'll get to that point later. More recently, IOT stock was one of the highlights in Barchart's Unusual Stock Options Volume screener. On Friday, total options volume hit 9,562 contracts, representing a lift of 52.12% over the trailing one-month average. Call volume reached 8,531 contracts, with put volume down at 1,031 contracts, yielding a put/call ratio of 0.12. On the surface, this ratio seems bullish, implying that more trades are engaging calls than puts. However, options flow — which focuses exclusively on big block transactions likely placed by institutional investors — showed that net trade sentiment on the day slipped to $131,200 below parity, thus favoring the bears. Most of the calls? They were sold calls, otherwise known as credit-based transactions. In other words, traders were underwriting the risk that IOT stock would not rise to the profitability threshold, which is around $44.20 with an expiration date of Sep. 19, 2025. While the options flow data might seem discouraging at first, as adventurous speculators, we can still aim for profitability below the aforementioned implied ceiling. Using Math to Formulate a Strategy for IOT Stock In any real analysis, the study must disclose a null hypothesis. Regarding the equities sector, the null hypothesis is the assumption that there is no mispricing. In other words, whether you read this article on IOT stock or not, your performance will not deviate from expected norms. Therefore, our job as analysts is to reject the null — that is, present an investment or trading idea that has a higher-than-random chance of generating alpha. In this case, I have defined my null hypothesis as the baseline probability of IOT stock rising over a one-week period, which is 52.66% (from January 2019 onward). So, my alternative hypothesis must reliably beat this performance stat; otherwise, there would be absolutely no point in writing this article. Luckily, I'm not in the business of wasting my own time. To deliver an empirical, falsifiable signal, though, I cannot use the continuous scalar signal of the stock price. Instead, I prefer to compress (discretize) price action into market breadth or sequences of accumulative and distributive sessions. Through this approach, I'm able to analyze root demand — at the end of the session, was the market a net buyer or net seller? By conducting the above exercise across rolling 10-week intervals, I was able to categorize Samsara's demand profile as below: L10 Category Sample Size Up Probability Baseline Probability Median Return if Up 2-8-D 2 50.00% 52.41% 5.32% 3-7-D 11 54.55% 52.41% 7.00% 3-7-U 2 0.00% 52.41% N/A 4-6-D 23 65.22% 52.41% 6.21% 4-6-U 5 80.00% 52.41% 11.61% 5-5-D 26 61.54% 52.41% 6.37% 5-5-U 20 60.00% 52.41% 4.27% 6-4-D 11 45.45% 52.41% 7.11% 6-4-U 42 42.86% 52.41% 5.19% 7-3-D 1 0.00% 52.41% N/A 7-3-U 19 57.89% 52.41% 6.08% 8-2-U 4 25.00% 52.41% 19.07% 9-1-U 1 0.00% 52.41% N/A In the past two months, IOT stock flashed a 4-6-D sequence: four up weeks, six down weeks, with a negative trajectory across the 10-week period. Ordinarily, with the balance of distributive sessions outweighing accumulative, you would expect the bears to dominate proceedings. However, the 4-6-D historically represents a sentiment reversal. In 65.22% of cases, the following week's price action results in upside, with a median return of 6.21%. Should the bulls maintain control for a second week, the median performance is an additional 3.75%. Theoretically, with IOT stock closing at $39.24, it could be poised to exceed the $43 level over the next few weeks. Interestingly, last week, IOT also flashed the 4-6-D sequence and from Friday, the trailing five-day performance was 5.03%. It's possible, then, that there could be something cooking here. Taking What the Market Will Give Us At this moment, arguably the most tempting idea is the 40/41 bull call spread expiring Aug. 15. This transaction involves buying the $40 call and simultaneously selling the $41 call, for a net debit paid of $50 (the most that can be lost in the trade). Should IOT stock rise through the short strike price ($41) at expiration, the maximum reward is also $50, a 100% payout. Now, the question may be, how trustworthy is the 4-6-D sequence? With the market being an open system, anything can happen, which adds complexity to any transaction. However, running a one-tailed binomial test, the aforementioned sequence generates a p-value of 0.1594. Colloquially, this means that there's an 84.06% confidence level that the signal is not merely noise. To be sure, 84.06% would not be considered statistically significant, with science requiring a threshold of 95%. But science deals with closed systems, not open ones like the equities arena. In context, I would argue that the 4-6-D sequence is empirically intriguing. With the high payout and low debit required, it might be worth consideration. On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. 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Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jim Cramer Considers KKR & Co 'Absolutely Terrific'
KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) is one of the 14 stocks Jim Cramer recently looked at. The company received a comment from Cramer during the episode, as he said, 'I also like KKR. I think KKR is absolutely terrific.' A modern looking financial adviser sitting in front of a trading monitor, gesturing to a group of investors. KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) is an investment company that deploys capital across private equity, real estate, credit, and infrastructure. It targets a wide range of industries and asset classes through majority and minority stakes. Additionally, Cramer was bullish on the stock at the beginning of the year, as he commented during a January episode: 'I am gonna say that I like the stock very much and I think those guys are so smart. I would be a buyer… At one point it was down really big today. That made no sense to me whatsoever.' Furthermore, Baron Fifth Avenue Growth Fund stated the following regarding KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) in its Q1 2025 investor letter: 'Our second largest addition in the quarter was to the alternative asset manager, KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR). Similarly to Samsara, we took advantage of the volatility in the stock market to add to this great business. While investors are concerned about the potential near-term slowdown in realizations, capital markets activity, and carry (performance fees), we remain focused on the long term. Various secular tailwinds that benefited KKR thus far continue – this includes the growing allocation to alternatives, its diversified asset class exposure, its successful track record of performance, and its significant exposure to the growth of private credit through its ownership of Global Atlantic, which has a differentiated positioning thanks to the structural match in duration between the asset side and the liability side.' While we acknowledge the potential of KKR as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Geek Dad
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #4
Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #4 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: Ram V continues to take us deeper into the mystical side of the DCU than any other writer has in a long time. Mitch Shelley has completed his latest evolution as Resurrection Man, dying peacefully of old age – and as such, has evolved to be immune and above time itself. Now in the company of a mysterious cosmic being named Samsara, he has gained full awareness of his countless past lives. This allows him to discover his past – which casts new doubt on his original simple origin from the 1990s, and gives him ties to one of the DCU's greatest villains and his original crime that kicked off his reign. But it also opens his eyes to the ultimate betrayal he committed – turning on a woman who was the closest he had felt in centuries to a true love, and sabotaging her creation that could jeopardize the world. And it's exactly that creation that now comes into focus, as the truth behind Samsara's presence is revealed. The warriors. Via DC Comics. It's interesting that the main villain of the series so far – or so it seemed – doesn't really play a role in this issue, but a much bigger threat emerges. That keeps in touch with the non-linear nature of this story, which makes it feel unlike any other Black Label book. How often do you see a book that takes place not just over centuries but over millennia? As we head into the last act, it's clear that the true enemy Mitch Shelley is facing here is himself, or rather the parts of himself he had locked up for eons. And in that time, he's managed to accumulate many enemies – including some that he might need again now. The guest appearance at the end of the issue is fascinating, especially given that we last saw him in a very different Black Label series. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite DC works of Ram V, and is a similarly bold reinvention of the character as his take on Swamp Thing from a few years back. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Business Wire
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
Cappagh Browne Cuts Dangerous Driving Behaviours by 95% in Just One Week with Samsara
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading wastewater services company Cappagh Browne, which serves more than 1.5 million customers on behalf of Southern Water, has reduced dangerous driving by 95% in just one week following targeted safety training powered by AI Dash Cams and GPS-tracking technology from Samsara, the pioneer of the Connected Operations ® Platform. Before installing Samsara's smart AI-augmented platform, the business had limited visibility into driver behaviour. Manual processes and unreliable tracking systems led to growing compliance pressures and rising operational risks, prompting a need for a modern approach to fleet safety and oversight. By adopting Samsara's Connected Operations Platform, the team now has holistic, real-time visibility into driver behaviours such as harsh braking, mobile phone use, speeding, seatbelt violations, and inattentive driving, enabling immediate coaching and faster safety interventions. Since rolling out Samsara's AI Dash Cams and Vehicle Gateway technology, Cappagh Browne — which carries out more than 65,000 jobs annually across its 250-vehicle fleet — reported significant improvements in fleet safety, including: An 88% decrease in at-fault accident claims within one year, significantly reducing insurance costs and vehicle downtime. A 10% reduction in overall fuel spend through better route planning and driver coaching, delivering measurable savings and greater efficiency. A 17% drop in speeding events, leading to safer driving and reduced risk exposure. An increase in vehicle inspection completion rates from 80% to 93%. At the same time, vehicle inspection time was cut by more than half, boosting both compliance and productivity. £100,000 in annual cost savings, achieved through fewer accidents and improved efficiency. Matthew Reid, Head of Plant & Transport at Cappagh Browne, said, 'It's all about awareness. Once drivers understood the risks, they were motivated to self-correct unsafe habits themselves. Educating drivers on best practice around vehicle idling as well is paying dividends.' Cappagh Browne has also introduced safety stand-downs and integrated Samsara footage into driver training programmes. Real-time idling reports are being used to reinforce fuel-saving habits across the fleet. 'Cappagh Browne's results show how connected operations can make a real difference to safety and efficiency in the utilities sector,' said Philip van der Wilt, SVP and GM EMEA at Samsara. 'With better visibility and data to guide decisions, they've built a stronger foundation for smarter, safer, and more sustainable operations.' The company is now expanding its use of Samsara into new operational areas, with plans to streamline compliance monitoring and strengthen incident response across its wastewater network. Supporting Resources Case Study Images About Samsara Samsara (NYSE: IOT) is the pioneer of the Connected Operations ® Platform, which enables organizations that depend on physical operations to harness Internet of Things (IoT) data to develop actionable insights and improve their operations. With tens of thousands of customers across North America and Europe, Samsara is a proud technology partner to the people who keep our global economy running, including the world's leading organizations across construction, transportation and warehousing, field services, manufacturing, retail, logistics, and the public sector. The company's mission is to increase the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of the operations that power the global economy. Samsara is a registered trademark of Samsara Inc. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
