Drives & Controls March 2023

OPINION n management system for desk booking that helps to cut energy wastage in unused areas. What may have seemed like small savings in the past will be more important than ever for businesses in 2023. We’ve seen interest in our digital transformation expertise and smart factory capabilities increase dramatically – OEMs want clear visibility of their machines and site operations to optimise their equipment and processes. This will gain momentum as they push IoT data to the cloud and analyse elements as simple as how many times a door has been operated, or to identify leaky pipes. Viewing data at such a granular level will allow industrial organisations to make incremental improvements to improve their operational efficiency. 2. Sustainability: regaining energy resiliency and product independence As companies look to focus on ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues and their triple bottom line (profit, people and planet), reducing environmental impact is starting to creep up the list of priorities. As well as optimising existing operations, organisations are looking to embrace greener tech and energy sources. But instead of simply throwing money at the issue, they now realise that stability and strategic thinking are needed. For example, some of the key trends that look set to continue are the mass purchasing of green energy, and the rise of energy prosumers in segments such as food and beverage, and life sciences. A collective approach to funding sustainable energy sources has been a revolutionary step towards greener industry. To accelerate the drive to net-zero, companies have been coming together to guarantee a long-term commitment to using green energy to developers, who use this as collateral for loans to build solar or wind plants. Once built, the developer can sell the energy back to the grid and supply the companies that called for more sustainable energy sources. Organisations will continue to look for clever ways of securing their supplies of products or ingredients, while reducing production and logistics emissions and mitigating supply chain disruption. 3. People: revamping the image of industry People will continue to be a major focus this year. Cultural transformation is needed alongside digital transformation to remove barriers to success, such as a lack of understanding, or roadblocks caused by internal politics. People can be a barrier to digital adoption, and with skill shortages predicted to slow automation progress, ensuring that employees have the right skills will be crucial. If teams and talent are not ready to deliver on projects, there is a risk that investments will be wasted. The fight for talent looks set to continue, forcing organisations to get more creative to attract people to industry. Increased marketing and partnerships with schools and higher education will be vital to get talent on board, and a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, will be key when building this ecosystem of early talent. Diversity of thought and ideas will be crucial to driving further innovation across digital transformation and greener tech, and this is only possible through expanding our pool of talent. Industry needs to focus on digital transformation, sustainability and talent. This will prove a delicate balance with the uncertainty and turbulent economic times ahead, however these areas provide a wealth of opportunities for growth and innovation. n Di rect