automatic News for 11-16-2019

Why Shares of Rockwell Automation Are Soaring Today

Shares of Rockwell Automation jumped more than 13% on Tuesday morning after the industrial technology company reported better-than-expected results for its fiscal fourth quarter, and guided for an earnings range that exceeds analysts’ consensus forecast for its next fiscal year. Many industrial-focused companies are suffering amid the current slowdown in the manufacturing sector, but Rockwell appears to have a portfolio that can weather this storm. Rockwell Automation, which provides robotics and technologies that help automate factories and assembly lines, reported adjusted earnings of $2.01 per share on revenue of $1.73 billion, beating expectations for EPS of $1.92 on sales of $1.65 billion. Its operating margin fell slightly from 20.8% to 20.2% due to restructuring charges, but for the full fiscal year, its operating margin was up. Ahead of this report, investors had feared Rockwell Automation’s manufacturing customers were cutting their capital spending, and management twice reduced its earnings guidance this year. 

The company credited its wide reach with helping power this latest earnings beat. Rockwell Automation also provided an optimistic outlook for its fiscal 2020, saying it expects earnings of between $8.70 and $9.10 per share. Analysts had been expecting $8.52 per share. Moret says he expects cost-cutting moves undertaken this year to boost results, and said the strength of the company’s products should be a counterweight to the weakness in the industrial sector. Rockwell’s core business, placing automation and Internet of Things tech inside factories, could be attractive in a slowing market as manufacturing customers attempt to streamline and do more with fewer workers. 

It’s been a roller-coaster year for Rockwell Automation’s shares: They’ve traded up 10% and down 10% on the year at various points in 2019 prior to Tuesday’s surge. Given the economic climate, more volatility is possible in the near term, but for long-term investors, this company is heading in the right direction. 

Marketing Automation

The right marketing automation software can help businesses and marketers streamline engagement, drive efficiency, expose real-time insights to drive ROI. However, successful demand generation, email marketing, and lead management engagement hinge on integrated and modern platforms to follow a potential customer across all digital channels to provide timely, personalized, and exceptional customer experiences. Marketing automation is the type of software that automates, streamlines, and manages marketing communications tasks throughout the buyer’s journey. Marketing automation consists of cross-channel marketing software that customizes content and automates the targeting, timing, and content of outbound marketing messages in concert with prospect actions and behaviors. Which is why businesses need marketing automation software to orchestrate the process and entice buyers with fresh content as they move through the sales process. 

Marketing automation software can guide the conversations, timing, and personalization with useful content that helps turn buyers into customers-and customers into loyal customers. The science of marketing automation software is the engine that automates message delivery, identifies market segments, and manages buyer journeys. Marketing automation tools make marketing processes more efficient and effective. Marketing automation streamlines your digital marketing efforts, reduces human error, and helps you achieve better results. Marketing automation can involve multiple types of content-case studies, leading pages, social media, mobile messaging, digital advertisements, and more. 

While marketing automation software is a powerful tool that can help you be more productive, it won’t do all the work. Marketing automation can involve multiple types of content, including case studies, leading pages, social media, mobile messaging, digital advertisements, and more. Using marketing automation can help align your marketing and sales teams. 

Mars CEO: Automation means ‘massive obligations’ to workers

Automation is set to radically transform every industry on the planet. Grant Reid, the CEO of Mars, recently sat down with Business Insider to discuss the $35 billion company’s approach to technology and automation. Grant F. Reid: Yeah, so I think people are looking for you know, premiumization, I think is a very interesting space. So that’s an interesting area, you know, for something, a brand like M&M’s. 

I think the way that our consumers are using social media to connect with us is pretty interesting, so there’s a lot of really interesting areas around technology. So what we’ve been able to do with our data through our vets is actually using artificial intelligence, to a 95% confidence level, tell you when your cat may be having renal problems two years ahead of any… and that was just launched in the last week or so, actually. Reid: Well, a lot, all the way through the range, everything from, if you look at the phenomenon of Amazon and Alibaba and JD.com, et cetera, et cetera, the way people buy your products, peruse your products, think about your products, communicate with you, is so much different. It’s actually all through the value chain, and it’s creating massive opportunities but massive obligations as well. 

Reid: Yeah, so we’ve been big on automation since we really came into being, which is, how do we… efficiency is one of our principles. So we have our own Mars university, which has won awards around the world. We’ve invested considerably in retraining 10,000 of our associates in the manufacturing plants to get them ready for that next role. It’s not just investing in the technology, but you’re investing in your associate base. 

So it’s not just about investing in them when it’s automation, but it’s investing in them to make sure that we’re taking away pain points in their life, and we’re trying to do both of those things.