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Accenture Initiates Acquisition of PLM Systems to Improve Product Data Design, Engineering, Manufacturing; Nigel Stacey, Mauro Marchiaro, Alberto Codrino Quoted
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Accenture Initiates Acquisition of PLM Systems to Improve Product Data Design, Engineering, Manufacturing; Nigel Stacey, Mauro Marchiaro, Alberto Codrino Quoted
Nigel Stacey
Nigel Stacey

Accenture’s branch in Italy has entered into an agreement to acquire Turin-based boutique systems integrator PLM Systems to expand the company’s product data in design, engineering and manufacturing for its customers, Accenture reported on Tuesday. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Digital technologies like artificial intelligence are taking product lifecycle management to a new level. This offers industrial companies a huge opportunity to transform a core business function – engineering”, said Nigel Stacey, managing director and global lead of Accenture Industry X.0. “PLM Systems’ expertise and experience in product lifecycle management will allow us to help clients make the best use of their product data.”

PLM Systems has specialized in designing and building information systems for product lifecycle management. The company’s clients are Italian and international automotive, industrial equipment, fashion and aerospace and defense companies. 

The company’s product lifecycle management systems have helped companies manage all relevant information about a product from its inception to its disposal. Companies have integrated them in engineering and other functions to innovate and manage new products.

“PLM Systems will be a cornerstone of progressing Accenture’s leadership in engineering digitization services,” said Mauro Marchiaro, managing director, Strategy & Consulting at Accenture in Italy. “We will combine our Industry X.0 capabilities with PLM Systems’ methodologies and solutions. This combination will allow us to make the industrial product development process more efficient and sustainable for our clients.”

Accenture’s acquisition of PLM Systems will enhance the company’s capabilities and presence in the market for digital engineering services. Its team will join Accenture Industry X.0 in Italy as part of Accenture’s digital technologies to improve how industrial companies design, engineer and manufacture products and services and operate industrial facilities.

The acquisition of PLM Systems will contribute to Accenture’s overall growth strategy to expand critical skills and capabilities in strategic, high-growth areas. PLM Systems marks the fourth digital manufacturing advisory, services and solutions provider that Accenture has acquired recently. 

It is following Callisto Integration in Canada, Silveo in France and Enterprise System Partners in Ireland. Other recent acquisitions Accenture has made to strengthen its Industry X.0 business include German embedded software company ESR Labs.

“We’re excited to become part of Accenture,” said Alberto Codrino, CEO of PLM Systems. “Its client base and global footprint will offer our team new opportunities to expand their skills and we can develop even better technology solutions for clients to innovate and manage new products.”

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all of these services. 

We combine unmatched experience and specialized capabilities across more than 40 industries — powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. With 509,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture brings continuous innovation to help clients improve their performance and create lasting value across their enterprises.

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Akima Logistics Services Secures Spot on $6.1B IDIQ KRACEn Contract by U.S. Navy; Scott Rauer Quoted
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Akima Logistics Services Secures Spot on $6.1B IDIQ KRACEn Contract by U.S. Navy; Scott Rauer Quoted
Scott Rauer
Scott Rauer

Akima has announced that its subsidiary, Akima Logistics Services, was awarded a spot on the ten-year, $6.1 billion Kits, Recovery, Augmentation, Components and Engines (KRACEn) Multiple Award Contract (MAC) to support the U.S. Navy, the company reported on Tuesday.

“As one of 42 small business industry partners, Akima Logistics Services will help enable COMFRC to effectively use the KRACEn enterprise contract vehicle allowing the Navy to meet its sustainment needs expeditiously while delivering improved outcomes,” COMFRC Executive Director Roy Harris said.

Commander, Fleet Readiness Center (COMFRC) awarded the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ), enterprise contract vehicle to 42 small business industry partners to enable U.S. Navy, government customers and international partners to procure aircraft maintenance services and sustainment support faster than before.

Under the contract, Akima Logistics Services will provide maintenance services and support for single satellite sites, small aircraft quantities, personnel to augment government maintenance teams, and overhaul capabilities for aircraft components and subsystems.

The MAC’s scope of work, which is set aside for small-businesses, includes modification kit build and installations, recovery of downed aircraft, repair and overhaul of aircraft and components, repair and overhaul of engines, and augmentation labor supplement for maintenance both ashore and afloat.

The contract work will follow simple platform, organizational-level Contractor Logistic Services (CLS) requirements involving few aircraft, elemental or off-aircraft tasks. The CLS Division, formally known as the Fast Acquisition Solutions to Enable Readiness (FASTER) team, was charted by Commander, Naval Air Systems Command in 2018 to improve acquisition speed and quality of services by developing expertise in CLS contracting.

“We are excited to be part of the KRACEn contract and eager to immediately provide value through our agility and experience,” said Scott Rauer, President of Akima’s Facilities Solutions Group. “This award further demonstrates Akima’s proven ability to provide customers with world-class aircraft maintenance services in support of their most critical efforts.”

About Akima

Akima is a global enterprise with more than 7,500 employees, delivering agile solutions to the federal government in the core areas of aviation, construction, facilities and logistics, IT and mission support, protective services and detention management, and systems engineering.

As a subsidiary of NANA, an Alaska Native Corporation owned by more than 14,300 Iñupiat shareholders, Akima’s core mission is to enable superior outcomes for our customers’ missions while simultaneously creating a long-lived asset for NANA consistent with our Iñupiat values. In 2019, Washington Technology ranked Akima #38 amongst the top 100 government contractors.

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Crystal Group Joins NVIDIA’s Partner Network to Transform Compute Capabilities; Bob Haag, Craig Weinstein Quoted
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Crystal Group Joins NVIDIA’s Partner Network to Transform Compute Capabilities; Bob Haag, Craig Weinstein Quoted
Bob Haag
Bob Haag

Crystal Group, a leading designer and manufacturer of rugged high-performance computer hardware, has joined the NVIDIA Partner Network (NPN) as a Preferred Solutions Integration Partner, Crystal Group reported on Monday. 

"Collaboration between industry leaders is vital across industries; we're extending our joint support to adjacent markets, such as power, to provide real-time, comprehensive situational awareness in complex operations," said Bob Haag, vice president of sales and marketing at Crystal Group. 

NVIDIA and Crystal Group's partnership will deliver transformative compute capabilities suitable for demanding, deployed environments. Haag added that the partnership will support Crystal Group's ability to harness graphics processing units (GPU) to advance the delivery of reliable high-performance computers in extreme, EMI-intensive environments. 

Crystal Group represents a new frontier in the use of AI for a burgeoning range of diverse applications across multiple domains. Crystal Group's unparalleled expertise will benefit the automotive industry, Smart Grid substations, and oil well production and monitoring, and the U.S Department of Defense, as the demand for video processing, signals exploitation and streaming capabilities intensifies.

NVIDIA GPUs will be integrated into Crystal Group's portfolio of rugged, high-performance computer hardware solutions to enable AI operations, high-powered visualization capabilities and supercomputing applications. 

The applications will analyze petabytes of data and raw intelligence orders of magnitude faster than what is possible through traditional CPUs. NVIDIA’s GPUs require careful design and consideration of size, weight, thermal and durability characteristics, which are Crystal Group's engineering specialty.

"With the increasing need for virtualization and sensor inputs in critical markets, such as oil, gas, and autonomous vehicles, NVIDIA is thrilled to see Crystal Group using the power of our GPUs," said Craig Weinstein, vice-president America's Partner Organization at NVIDIA. "Becoming an NPN partner will enable Crystal Group to deliver the best visual computing solutions to their end customers."

About Crystal Group, Inc.

Crystal Group, Inc. is a technology leader in rugged, high-performance computer hardware, specializing in the design and manufacture of rugged servers, embedded computing, networking devices, displays, and data storage for high reliability in harsh environments. 

An employee-owned small business founded in 1987, Crystal Group provides the defense, government, commercial and industrial markets with in-house customization, engineering, integration, configuration management, product life-cycle planning, and support services.

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SBA, DoT Release PPP Loan Forgiveness Application During COVID-19 Pandemic
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SBA, DoT Release PPP Loan Forgiveness Application During COVID-19 Pandemic
SBA
SBA

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the U.S Department of the Treasury (DoT), has released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application and instructions for the application, the administration announced on Monday. 

SBA’s recent release form and instructions have described how borrowers may apply for forgiveness of their PPP loans, consistent with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).  

The administration also announced that it will soon issue regulations and guidance to further assist borrowers as they complete their applications and provide lenders with guidance on their responsibilities. The form and instructions include several measures to reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers.

Of the new regulations, the SBA has provided options for borrowers to calculate payroll costs using an "alternative payroll covered period" that aligns with borrowers' regular payroll cycles as well as flexibility to include eligible payroll and non-payroll expenses paid or incurred during the eight-week period after receiving their PPP loan.

The SBA has included step-by-step instructions on how to perform the calculations required by the CARES Act to confirm eligibility for loan forgiveness and borrower-friendly implementation of statutory exemptions from loan forgiveness reduction based on rehiring by the end of June 2020. 

In addition, the administration has added new exemptions from the loan forgiveness reduction for borrowers who have made a good-faith, written offer to rehire workers that was declined. 

The PPP was created by the CARES Act to provide forgivable loans to eligible small businesses to keep American workers on the payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic. The documents released today will help small businesses seek forgiveness at the conclusion of the eight-week covered period, which begins with the disbursement of their loans.

About Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations.

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Deloitte Releases “CFO Signals Survey” Analyzing Executive’s Adaption to COVID-19; Joe Ucuzoglu, Sanford Cockrell III Quoted
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Deloitte Releases “CFO Signals Survey” Analyzing Executive’s Adaption to COVID-19; Joe Ucuzoglu, Sanford Cockrell III Quoted
Joe Ucuzoglu
Joe Ucuzoglu

Deloitte has conducted a chief financial officer (CFO) survey, “Deloitte CFO Signals, Survey,” to analyze how executive teams have focused on adapting operations for near-term performance, as well as how leaders evolve business amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company reported on Tuesday. 

"While CFOs are naturally occupied with addressing the near-term realities of these challenging times, it is encouraging to see widespread recognition that an acceleration in digital transformation will lead to significant opportunities and real benefits for society over the long-term," Joe Ucuzoglu, CEO of Deloitte US. 

Deloitte’s CFO Signals has tracked the thinking and actions of CFOs within national enterprises. The report has provided key insights into the business environment, company priorities and expectations, finance priorities and CFOs' personal priorities. The Deloitte CFO Signals survey for the third quarter of 2019 was conducted during the period opening May 4, 2020 and ending May 8, 2020. A total of 156 CFOs responded.

The survey noted that perceptions of North America fell drastically, with 1 percent of CFOs rating current conditions as “good.” 58 percent expect better conditions in a year, up from 35 percent. Perceptions of China's current conditions fell slightly to 9 percent, and expectations for a year from now rose sharply to 51 percent.

CFOs' initial optimism has diminished with 60 percent of respondents noting that the milestone will not be reached until 2021 or later. The majority of CFOs optimistic regarding their companies' ability to resume on-site work on at least a limited basis, while under half say they will resume on-site work as soon as governments allow it.

The financial executives have noted that they expect major increases in remote work, automation and cloud computing. 75 percent of CFOs expect more of their workforce to work remotely and nearly half expect a smaller real estate footprint.

75 percent noted that their respective organizations are able to sufficiently manage the risks of on-site work, and most do not expect to provide hazard pay. Additionally, over 70 percent say those who can continue to work remotely will have the option. 

Deliotte’s survey noted that year-over-year growth expectations notably decreased, with each metric hitting a new low and turning negative for the first time. Revenue growth slid from 3.7 percent to -8.6 percent and earnings growth fell from 6 percent to -18.7 percent.

55 percent still say U.S. equity markets are overvalued despite very sharp market declines and 30 percent of respondents expect changing FX rates or currency values to impact their business over the next year.

"The pandemic's fallout has been both severe and widespread, resulting in a dramatic drop in CFOs' perceptions of global economic activity… CFOs are cautiously optimistic about reopening, as they work to navigate the future with a remote workforce, and an eye on returning to near normal operational levels in early- to mid-2021," said Sanford Cockrell III, national managing partner of the US Chief Financial Officer Program, Deloitte LLP.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 7,000 private companies. Our people work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today's marketplace — delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthy society. 

Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Now celebrating 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. 

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Gen. Richard Clarke on AI’s Role in SOCOM’s Information Warfare Efforts
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Gen. Richard Clarke on AI’s Role in SOCOM’s Information Warfare Efforts
Richard Clarke
Richard Clarke

Gen. Richard Clarke, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), said artificial intelligence will play a key role in SOCOM’s information warfare initiatives in the coming years as military commanders become more focused on information, Defense One reported Monday.

“As we look at the info space and in our fight for competition … working in the information space can have the greatest impact in the coming years.” Clarke said at the annual SOFIC conference.

SOCOM will establish a new office this summer to leverage AI to screen captured mobile devices, facilitate language translation, counter Taliban messaging and support other missions. 

“How can I, in real-time, sense what the enemy is stating publicly so we can counter that messaging so we can see what they’re working in the Twittersphere, or what they’re working in the information environment so that we can respond in real-time at the speed of relevance,” Clarke said.

James Smith, acquisition executive at SOCOM, said the command will introduce a program in 2021 to provide mission commanders with better AI platforms. A part of that program is focused on developing visualization software that can enable commanders to see tactical information and “SOF-peculiar” data such as social media trends and population dynamics.

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Anil Cheriyan on How GSA’s TTS Helps Address Agencies’ Digital Needs During COVID-19 Pandemic
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Anil Cheriyan on How GSA’s TTS Helps Address Agencies’ Digital Needs During COVID-19 Pandemic
Anil Cheriyan
Anil Cheriyan

Anil Cheriyan, director of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Technology Transformation Services, said his team has seen a significant increase in the demand for its services as agencies address their digital technology requirements during the coronavirus pandemic, FedScoop reported Monday.

“The demand for our services has really grown significantly,” Cheriyan told the publication in a videoconference. “A lot of the agencies that we serve are now beginning to face a significant amount of change on their own in terms of digital adoption, their own working from home, teleworking, as well as needing to put out a lot of information.”

He also cited the demand among agencies for digital services from GSA’s Centers for Excellence, 18F and Presidential Fellows Program and how the Login.gov team within TTS helped the Small Business Administration come up with a web portal for the Paycheck Protection Program.

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DoD’s Proposed Measure Seeks to Allocate Over $2B to End U.S. Dependency on China for Rare Earth Supplies
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DoD’s Proposed Measure Seeks to Allocate Over $2B to End U.S. Dependency on China for Rare Earth Supplies
Pentagon
Pentagon

The Department of Defense (DoD) has proposed a measure that seeks to advance direct investments to end the country’s dependence on China for rare earth elements used to produce munitions, hypersonic systems, missiles and other weapons systems, Defense News reported Monday.

The proposed bill would increase spending caps under the Defense Production Act to allow DoD to allocate up to $1.75B in funds for rare earth minerals for use in missiles and munitions and up to $350 million for microelectronics.

The Pentagon proposed the legislation, which would also remove spending caps involving hypersonic weapons, in early May for inclusion in the annual defense spending bill.

“China is currently the sole source or primary supplier for many chemicals required to make ingredients in missiles and munitions end items,” the DoD measure states. “A sudden and catastrophic loss of supply due to restrictions from foreign suppliers, industrial accidents, natural disasters, or wartime damages would impact critical DoD programs for many years and severely disrupt DoD munitions, satellites, space launches, and other defense manufacturing programs.”

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NASA Creates Int’l Agreements for Artemis Mission Participation; Jim Bridenstine Quoted
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NASA Creates Int’l Agreements for Artemis Mission Participation; Jim Bridenstine Quoted
Jim Bridenstine
Jim Bridenstine

NASA has established a bilateral agreement where countries interested in the Artemis deep-space exploration mission may participate in program activities in line with a set of principles, SpaceNews reported Friday.

The agreements, dubbed Artemis Accords, will cover all lunar exploration activities except for the lunar Gateway and support the establishment of “safety zones” to allow NASA and other stakeholders’ program operations without human interference.

Activities supporting the Gateway will be authorized through a separate intergovernmental agreement, according to SpaceNews.

Mike Gold, acting associate administrator for international and interagency relations at NASA, said at a prior interview with the publication that the agency may also provide incentives to participating countries that comply with U.S. principles.

Jim Bridenstine, administrator of NASA and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, said at a prior meeting that the agency needs a "framework for how we’re all going to cooperate on the surface of the moon.”

The announcement comes after NASA completed an interagency review in a move to secure approval to share program documentation with other countries, according to Gold.

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IT Expert Bobby Saxon Named Deputy CIO of CMS
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IT Expert Bobby Saxon Named Deputy CIO of CMS
Bobby Saxon
Bobby Saxon

Bobby Saxon, acting director of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services’ emergency preparedness and response operations, has been appointed to serve as the agency’s deputy chief information officer, Fedscoop reported Friday.

He will serve as one of the two CMS deputy CIOs, with the other being George Hoffmann, a former vice president at General Dynamics Information Technology.

Saxon first joined CMS in 2017 to serve as the CIO of Healthcare.gov, a health care service administered by CMS. The former serviceman also supported IT operations at the U.S. Army as a colonel.

Both Saxon will and Hoffmann will serve under Rajiv Uppal, CMS CIO.

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