dealerscope

Pioneer Music Company   (PMC) today announced the expansion of its distribution facilities in Elk Grove Village, IL. The century-and-a-half-old company serves the distribution needs of various audio, video, surveillance, networking, and remote management products. This latest facility in the Chicago metro area builds on PMC’s history of success with an additional 20,000 square feet of warehouse space and a training facility capable of accommodating over 50 attendees. “The role of the distributor is changing faster than ever before, and we’ve invested in that change,” says PMC Vice President and sixth-generation owner, Alec Haight. “The last five years we strategically expanded our footprint in the Central Midwest. After refining operations and introducing more automation and value-add services to our business, we are beyond excited to scale our vision into the Northern Midwest market, starting with welcoming the local Chicago dealers to our family.” Haight says the expansion is a r...

In partnership with IFA Berlin, Tech Up For Women kicked off its first International TECH UP TALKS Webinar Series around the hot topic of Artificial Intelligence. Host, Faye Holland, Founder, and Director of Cognitive, welcomed Khadija Mustafa, Sr. Director, Head of Global Partnerships for Autonomous Systems, AI & Research Division of Microsoft, who spoke about how AI is changing the workforce and why diversity in this industry is so important. “AI fundamentally impacts the way we live our lives,” says Mustafa, adding that we are using some form of AI every day, whether we realize it or not. Its most basic use cases are within voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Netflix suggestions, but AI also extends into countless other areas of life like music and art, and even, she says, to make the “perfect Cheeto.” “AI is becoming pervasive,” Mustafa admits, “and it is only going to keep growing.” This notion has given rise to the concept of singularity and fear that jobs will suddenly be...

Homes are getting smarter every day. Throughout the pandemic, consumer adoption of “smart” devices – those with connectivity and remote monitoring and management features – has risen steadily. By the end of 2020, 40 percent of U.S. broadband households had  at least one  smart device. The right push could accelerate the category’s steady growth of the past few years into a period of rapid adoption and proliferation. Smart consumer electronics are already powerful and capable; the push they need is increased convenience. Convenience is a powerful motivator. Once consumers have found an easier way of doing something, they won’t willingly go back to doing it the hard way. The litany of recent announcements from the makers of leading AI assistants are compelling not only because they’re cool, but also because they dramatically increase the convenience of smart devices. For example, the Ring Doorbell’s ...