Technology · December 03, 2020

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Drives Resiliency During a Crisis

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought cutting-edge technologies like data analysis, machine learning, automation and artificial intelligence, or AI, into the mainstream. But while many businesses have rushed to embrace these tools, others have stayed on the sidelines, hesitant to commit to new approaches.

Then COVID-19 disrupted supply chains, production processes, safety procedures and the core concept of the workplace. As your company endures these shocks and wrestles with massive economic setback, perhaps you've taken a deeper look at how Industry 4.0 can help your business—not only with everyday efficiency, but with resiliency in the face of significant marketplace challenges.

Adapting during a crisis

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was a pandemic. Not long after, the US economy virtually shut down, only allowing essential businesses such as healthcare providers, drugstores, food processors and grocers to remain open.

Facing both a sharp falloff in demand and a workforce urged to stay at home to keep family and loved ones safe, business owners scrambled for survival. Although government aid programs provided some relief, savvy leaders pivoted their businesses to meet new market demand.

Frequently, the new business approaches demanded by COVID-19 relied on Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as:

Robotic systems and telehealth platforms that allow doctors and other health professionals to provide care while maintaining a safe distance
Heightened connectivity that enables employees working from home to collaborate on projects
3D printing that facilitates accelerated production of health and safety equipment and fills critical supply chain gaps for numerous manufacturers
Virtual reality platforms that allow for remote training and high-level service and troubleshooting to remote industrial sites

Reopening smartly

As the economy gradually reopens and you welcome employees back to the workplace, you're likely asking them to follow rules regarding masks and distancing while ensuring healthy ventilation. For many, restarting also means incorporating new processes such as:

AI-streamlined approaches to labor-intensive jobs such as data entry, transcriptions and image sorting
Data-driven perspectives, including dashboards, on remote employee accomplishments and outcomes
Remote control of manufacturing processes, troubleshooting and maintenance
A renewed focus on the customer in sales and marketing, relying upon advanced customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning systems
Real-time monitoring and analysis of inventories, materials and supplies

As managers acclimated to the tech advances, these advances helped them address today's new realities and better prepare companies to manage the variables of the future.

What's next

Future issues may not be as overwhelming as a pandemic. Still, supply chain disruptions and obstacles resulting from weather-related issues and technology complications are on the rise.

As part of your long-term planning process, take an honest look at how an investment in Industry 4.0 advances could increase the agility and nimbleness of your business in the face of all kinds of challenges. Consider tapping developments such as:

More in-depth automation and integration of manufacturing processes
AI and virtual reality-enhanced operations and maintenance
Sophisticated cybersecurity platforms that monitor and resolve issues before they become a problem
A resilient supply chain that accounts for your key suppliers plus their top suppliers
Cloud-based resources that support every aspect of your company while ensuring business continuity

Business challenges figure to grow in size and complexity. By embracing Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, your organization will be better equipped to navigate the next crisis.

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Bonus Offer

Offer is valid on new accounts only. Company must spend $3,000 within the first three months of account opening to receive the bonus. 10,000 bonus points will be credited within 60 days of qualification under the description: Commercial Spend Bonus.

Earning Points

Accelerated Rewards Tier: Earns one and a half (1.5) points for each dollar you spend for net retail purchases (gross retail purchases less any returns or credits).

There is no monthly point cap and points do not expire as long as you remain in the Accelerated Rewards Tier.

Rewards Redemption

Businesses in the Accelerated Rewards Tier may redeem points for (i) cash back to a First Citizens checking or savings account or credit card statement credits, (ii) credit towards a First Citizens personal loan or mortgage principal, (iii) Pay Me Back statement credits, (iv) travel rewards, including airline tickets, hotel, car rentals, cruises and tours, (v) retail gift cards and certificates and (vi) merchandise and (vii) donations. Businesses in the Accelerated Rewards Tier have access to additional experiential rewards and a fixed point value airline travel reward.

These Terms are only a summary. Other restrictions and requirements apply. The full First Citizens Rewards® Program Rules will be provided upon enrollment and are accessible via the program website at FirstCitizensRewards.com at log in.

Program Rules are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Bonus Offer

Offer is valid on new accounts only. To qualify, company must spend $3,000 within the first three months of account opening to receive the bonus. $100 rewards dollars will be credited within 60 days of qualification under the description: Commercial Spend Bonus.

Earning Cash Back

Cash Back Rewards: Earns (i) one (1) reward dollar for each one hundred (100) dollars you spend for net retail purchases (gross retail purchases less any returns or credits), (ii) five (5) reward dollars for each one hundred (100) dollars you spend for net retail purchases in the following rewards categories: utilities and wireless phone (4 additional reward dollars on top of the 1 reward dollar for each one hundred dollars earned on net retail purchases) for the first twelve (12) months from account opening; three (3) reward dollars for each one hundred (100) dollars you spend for net retail purchases thereafter (2 additional reward dollars on top of the 1 reward dollar for each one hundred dollars earned on net retail purchases), (iii) two (2) reward dollars for each one hundred (100) dollars you spend for net retail purchases in the follow rewards categories: gas and office supplies (1 additional rewards dollars on top of the 1 reward dollar for each one hundred dollars earned on net retail purchases).

Rewards Categories: Merchants who accept Visa credit cards are assigned a merchant code, which is determined by the merchant or its processor in accordance with Visa procedures based on the kinds of products and services they primarily sell. We group similar merchant codes into categories for purposes of making reward offers to you. We make every effort to include all relevant merchant codes in our rewards categories. However, even though a merchant or some of the items that it sells may appear to fit within a rewards category, the merchant may not have a merchant code in that category. When this occurs, purchases with that merchant won't qualify for rewards offers on purchases in that category.

There is no monthly point cap. Reward dollars earned are available for redemption for a 3-year term. Reward dollars expiring during the year will be cleared from the Program Account on the last day of the month in which they expire.

Rewards Redemption

Businesses may redeem reward dollars for (i) cash back to a First Citizens checking or savings account or credit card statement credits and (ii) Pay Me Back statement credits.

Program Rules are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Bonus Offer

Offer is valid on new accounts only. To qualify, company must spend $3,000 within the first three months of account opening to receive the bonus. 10,000 bonus points will be credited within 60 days of qualification under the description: Commercial Spend Bonus.

Earning Points

Base Rewards Tier: Earns (i) one (1) point for each dollar you spend for net retail purchases (gross retail purchases less any returns or credits), (ii) three (3) points for each dollar you spend for net retail purchases in the follow rewards category: gas stations (2 additional points on top of the 1 point per dollar earned on net retail purchases), (iii) two (2) points for each dollar you spend for net retail purchases in the following rewards categories: restaurants and travel (airlines, auto rental, and lodging) (1 additional point on top of the 1 point per dollar earned on net retail purchases).

Businesses may earn up to 10,000 points per calendar month, excluding bonus points. Points earned are available for redemption for a 3 year term. Points expiring during the year will be cleared from the Program Account on the last day of the month in which they expire.

Rewards Redemption

Businesses in the Base Rewards Tier may redeem points for (i) cash back to a First Citizens checking or savings account or credit card statement credits, (ii) credit towards a First Citizens personal loan or mortgage principal, (iii) Pay Me Back statement credits, (iv) travel rewards, including airline tickets, hotel, car rentals, cruises and tours, (v) retail gift cards and certificates and (vi) merchandise and (vii) donations.

Program Rules are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

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You'll need to be an existing First Citizens Business Customer with a Business Digital Banking login to open an account.
Your business must be a sole proprietorship, an LLC or a corporation. If you have any other business structure, you’ll need to visit a branch to open an account.

Let's get started

A few things to know before opening an account:

You'll need to be an existing First Citizens Business Customer with a Business Digital Banking login to open an account.
Your business must be a sole proprietorship, an LLC or a corporation. If you have any other business structure, you’ll need to visit a branch to open an account.

Let's get started

A few things to know before opening an account:

You'll need to be an existing First Citizens Business Customer with a Business Digital Banking login to open an account.
Your business must be a sole proprietorship, an LLCor a corporation. If you have any other business structure, you’ll need to visit a branch to open an account.

Let's get started

A few things to know before opening an account:

You'll need to be an existing First Citizens Business Customer with a Business Digital Banking login to open an account.
Your business must be a sole proprietorship, an LLC or a corporation. If you have any other business structure, you’ll need to visit a branch to open an account.

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2,500 New Enrollment Bonus

The new enrollment bonus offer is available at account opening to new cardholders in the Accelerated Rewards Tier of the First Citizens Rewards® credit card or existing cardholders who upgrade to the Accelerated Rewards Tier. Not valid with any other promotional offers.

Earning Points

At the Accelerated Rewards Tier, you will earn 1.5 points for each $1 you spend for all net retail purchases (gross retail purchases less any returns or credits). Earned points are calculated on actual dollars spent rounded up or down to the nearest point. Points will be deducted from the available rewards account balance for all returned purchases. There is no monthly point cap and points do not expire as long as you remain in the Accelerated Rewards Tier.

Redeeming Points

Each point is worth $0.01, which means that 100 points equals $1 in redemption value. Redemptions start as low as 10,000 points. Some limitations may apply.

You may redeem points back into other First Citizens banking products:

Cash Back to an existing First Citizens Bank checking account, savings account or credit card account
Account credits towards a First Citizens personal loan or mortgage

Cash back and account credit redemptions must be completed through the Program website, however a statement credit back to your First Citizens Card can also be redeemed through the First Citizens Rewards Call Center. The redemptions will post within 2-8 business days. No First Citizens card or mortgage account credit will be applied, in whole or in part, against any monthly minimum payment due, however, account credits to your First Citizens consumer loan will be applied first to your outstanding interest and any remaining amount will be applied to your principal.

Cardholders in the Accelerated Rewards Tier may redeem 50,000 points for one continental flight when the flight is booked at least 21 days in advance and includes a Saturday night stay. This reward is only available for redemption on coach tickets priced below $1,000.00. Tickets priced above $1,000.00 are not eligible for this reward.

Redemptions are also available for travel, including airline tickets, hotel, car rentals, cruises and tours, retail gift cards and certificates, donations and merchandise.

You may use points for a Pay Me Back® redemption, meaning a statement credit for the corresponding dollar amount will be applied to your First Citizens Rewards card that was used for the purchases over $100. Some exclusions apply to certain categories of transactions. No statement credit will be applied, in whole or in part, against any monthly minimum payment due.

These terms are only a summary. Other restrictions and requirements apply. The full First Citizens Rewards® Program Rules will be provided upon enrollment and are accessible through the program website at FirstCitizensRewards.com at log in.

Program rules are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Earning Reward Dollars

With Cash Back Rewards, you will earn 1 reward dollar for each $100 net dollars you spend for net retail purchases (gross retail purchases less any returns or credits). Earned reward dollars are calculated on actual dollars spent rounded up or down to the nearest point. Reward dollars will be deducted from the available rewards account balance for all returned purchases.

There is no monthly earnings cap. Reward dollars earned are available for redemption for 3 years. Reward dollars expiring during the year will be cleared from your Program Account on the last day of the month in which they expire.

Redeeming Reward Dollars

Each reward dollar is worth $1, which means that $100 reward dollars equals $100 in redemption value. Redemptions start as low as $25 rewards dollars.

You may redeem reward dollars back into other First Citizens banking products:

Cash Back to an existing First Citizens Bank checking account, savings account or credit card account
Account credits towards a First Citizens personal loan or mortgage

Cash back and account credit redemptions must be completed through the program website, however a statement credit back to your First Citizens Card can also be redeemed through the First Citizens Rewards Call Center. The redemptions will post within 2 to 8 business days. No First Citizens card or mortgage account credit will be applied, in whole or in part, against any monthly minimum payment due, however, account credits to your First Citizens consumer loan will be applied first to your outstanding interest and any remaining amount will be applied to your principal.

You may redeem rewards dollars for account credits to be deposited to your First Citizens checking or savings account or applied to your First Citizens credit card, consumer loan or mortgage.

You may use reward dollars for a Pay Me Back® redemption, meaning a statement credit for the corresponding dollar amount will be applied to your First Citizens Rewards card that was used for the purchases over $100. Some exclusions apply to certain categories of transactions. No statement credit will be applied, in whole or in part, against any monthly minimum payment due.

Program rules are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Earning Points

At the Base Rewards Tier, you will earn 1 point for each $1 you spend for all net retail purchases (gross retail purchases less any returns or credits). Earned points are calculated on actual dollars spent rounded up or down to the nearest point. Points will be deducted from the available rewards account balance for all returned purchases.

At the Base Rewards Tier, cardholders may earn up to 10,000 points per calendar month. Points earned are available for redemption for a 3-year term. After the 3-year term, points expire and can no longer be redeemed. Points expiring during the year will be cleared from your Program Account on the last day of the month in which they expire.

Redeeming Points

Each point is worth $0.01, which means that 100 points equals $1 in redemption value. Redemptions start as low as 10,000 points. All rewards redemptions can be made through the First Citizens Rewards Center by telephone or through the program website. Some limitations apply.

You may redeem points back into other First Citizens banking products:

Cash Back to an existing First Citizens Bank checking account, savings account or credit card account
Account credits towards a First Citizens personal loan or mortgage

Redemptions are also available for retail gift cards and certificates, donations and merchandise.

These Terms are only a summary. Other restrictions and requirements apply. The full First Citizens Rewards® Program Rules will be provided upon enrollment and are accessible through the program website at FirstCitizensRewards.com at log in.

Program Rules are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

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[Music]

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Drives Resiliency During a Crisis

Adapting during a crisis

Reopening smartly

What's next

Financial insights for your business

Bonus Offer

Earning Points

Rewards Redemption

Bonus Offer

Earning Cash Back

Rewards Redemption

Bonus Offer

Earning Points

Rewards Redemption

Let's get started

Let's get started

Let's get started

Let's get started

Thank you. We'll be in touch.

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