{"id":984242,"date":"2025-01-16T09:41:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T08:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/?p=984242"},"modified":"2025-01-24T13:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T12:59:10","slug":"microsoft-azure-and-ai-create-new-opportunities-for-ncc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/transform-sv-se\/na\/microsoft-azure-and-ai-create-new-opportunities-for-ncc\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Azure and AI Create New Opportunities for NCC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Large stones, or boulders, have long caused problems for NCC\u2019s stone sites. With Microsoft\u2019s AI technology, boulders can now be identified automatically, streamlining the work, reducing costs, and making business fairer for NCC and its customers.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Microsoft Azure and AI Create New Opportunities for NCC\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/ptBEGSGC45g?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:%2F%2Fpulse.microsoft.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of trucks pass through NCC\u2019s stone sites in Greater Stockholm each week, all loaded with stone material from large construction projects. NCC mainly purchases excavation rock from extensive blasting operations, such as the subway expansion.<\/p>\n<p>To calculate the cost of the material, the truckloads, which mostly arrive at night, are weighed on a truck scale. A picture of the load is simultaneously taken by cameras installed on the sites.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe size of excavation rock varies greatly. Some stones are too large to be fed into our crushers during blasting. We call these boulders,\u201d says Stefan Westl\u00e9n, NCC area manager.<\/p>\n<p>However, the truck scale cannot differentiate between various stone sizes; it just displays a single weight. Therefore, it is up to the truck driver to provide accurate information. Boulders are more expensive to handle because they have to be manually sorted and broken down into smaller stones with an excavator and a stone breaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a relatively costly process, and sometimes, there are weighing mistakes, which means the coverage (we charge for receiving boulders) for the costs is missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-984417\" src=\"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_5-1820x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1820\" height=\"1024\" data-contrast=\"\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_5-1820x1024.jpg 1820w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_5-300x169.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_5-768x432.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_5-1536x864.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_5-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1820px) 100vw, 1820px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>AI Became the Way Forward for Fair Measurement<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Four years ago, Nicklas Bruske, NCC business analyst IT, began exploring the possibility of using Microsoft Azure Custom Vision AI to photograph the stone loads at the various sites.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are a lot of images, and the customer center could not possibly review everything manually. With Microsoft\u2019s AI solution, I hoped to streamline the handling of the products,\u201d says Nicklas Bruske, continuing:<br \/>\n\u201cWe finally decided that the most feasible approach was to train AI to differentiate between stone products. We started a proof of concept with Microsoft\u2019s help to test how well the technology could recognize two types of stone material.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The proof of concept was successful, and Stefan Westl\u00e9n identified NCC\u2019s challenges with boulders and excavation rock. Here was a way to achieve greater fairness in the business by letting AI flag the presence of boulders in a load.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe saw the potential to get paid fairly but also to ensure our customers receive fair treatment. If the driver reports boulders and the AI later shows it is untrue, we can adjust it so the customer gets better compensation,\u201d says Stefan Westl\u00e9n.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-984331\" src=\"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_3-1820x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1820\" height=\"1024\" data-contrast=\"\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_3-1820x1024.jpg 1820w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_3-300x169.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_3-768x432.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_3-1536x864.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_3-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1820px) 100vw, 1820px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Real Business Value with Custom Vision AI<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Seeing the real business value in the solution encouraged NCC to invest more money when it was time to pilot one of Greater Stockholm\u2019s stone sites.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the pilot, we invested in cameras and worked on getting the camera placement right,\u201d says Nicklas Bruske.<\/p>\n<p>Through Microsoft Azure Custom Vision, the AI model was trained on thousands of images of stone material. The model learned to recognize boulders, and NCC then used the model\u2019s prediction (the percentage of certainty that it has found a boulder) to flag potentially incorrectly registered products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA high percentage indicates that boulders are likely present in the load. This is compared with the driver\u2019s reported information, and we mark the transactions for the customer center to review for potential errors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This created a whole new level of insight into NCC\u2019s operations. The solution has now been implemented at five of the ten stone sites in Greater Stockholm. Today, the technology automatically flags incoming stone material that is likely registered as the wrong product to pass on to NCC\u2019s customer center.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe customer center staff can now handle the work in a way that would have previously required significantly more resources. The data we collect also allows us to make smarter, more accurate decisions. This is something NCC generally works with, and this is a clear example of how it creates business value.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-984462\" src=\"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_6-1820x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1820\" height=\"1024\" data-contrast=\"\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_6-1820x1024.jpg 1820w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_6-300x169.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_6-768x432.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_6-1536x864.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_6-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1820px) 100vw, 1820px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Lower Costs with Fewer Boulders<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Another effect identified by NCC is that customers now send in fewer boulders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow they know it is more expensive for them to send boulders, fewer boulders are arriving. This means our costs are reduced because we do not have to handle and break down as many boulders,\u201d says Stefan Westl\u00e9n.<\/p>\n<p>NCC is currently calculating the exact financial impact, but Stefan Westl\u00e9n is confident:<br \/>\n\u201cIt provides positive business value. The sum of the effects\u2014fairer pricing, reduced handling costs, better customer dialogue, and a more efficient way of working for the customer center\u2014really makes the technology profitable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-984772\" src=\"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_13-1820x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1820\" height=\"1024\" data-contrast=\"\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_13-1820x1024.jpg 1820w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_13-300x169.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_13-768x432.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_13-1536x864.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NCC_Screenshot_13-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1820px) 100vw, 1820px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Multiple Future Uses<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cUsing the trained model to find boulders at the Greater Stockholm stone sites is just the beginning. We will train more models to identify other things on the loads,\u201d says Nicklas Bruske.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have standardized the camera placement\u2014right in front of the scale, directly above, twelve meters up\u2014so the solution can easily be rolled out to more sites.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stefan Westl\u00e9n concludes:<br \/>\n\u201cThe hardware and platform are in place. Potential further uses include differentiating between expensive and cheaper products and identifying trash, blasting debris, or asphalt blocks. The possibilities of creating business value in other areas of our operations are great with the new AI technology.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Large stones, or boulders, have long caused problems for NCC\u2019s stone sites. With Microsoft\u2019s AI technology, boulders can now be identified automatically, streamlining the work, reducing costs, and making business fairer for NCC and its customers. Hundreds of trucks pass through NCC\u2019s stone sites in Greater Stockholm each week, all loaded with stone material from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":889,"featured_media":984288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-984242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","specials-transform-sv-se","stories-business-optimization-sv-se","businessPriorities-data-ai-sv-se"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/984242"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/889"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=984242"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/984242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":989284,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/984242\/revisions\/989284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/984288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=984242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=984242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}