By working together, we can use data to achieve net zero

Kerry Grimes, Head of Global Partners at AVEVA.

Working to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis is fast emerging as the biggest KPI ahead of the industrial community for 2022. Approximately 97% of business leaders polled in a recent Deloitte survey say that their companies have already experienced the negative impacts of climate change. Now we will need to team up with partners and peers to build and execute a comprehensive action plan to tackle these challenges. Bringing global warming levels down to 1.5°C is something no company can achieve on its own.

About 80% of major international companies now report on sustainability, and thousands of enterprises have committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 through initiatives such as the Race to Zero and Business Ambition for 1.5°C. AVEVA is aligned to the highest level of ambition for climate targets, with a commitment to the Scope 3 standard comprising both direct and indirect emissions.

We see 2022 as year of collaborative digital transformation aimed at achieving our common sustainability goals. Connecting to the connected industrial economy could be the first step. This data-led network links enterprises along a single digital data thread that connects engineering, operations, supply chain, and employees. It uses the power of the cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize performance and unlock value and sustainability gains for every stakeholder.

Unlock industrial growth using AI-driven automation

Sectoral leaders have already embraced industrial automation as a route to increasing productivity. Industry-specific AI empowers these organizations by providing sector-specific decision support and unified intelligence.

When leveraged over the cloud, these systems are now operable remotely, anytime and anywhere. Because they collect greater amounts of data about operational systems, leveraging this information supports workers in making faster and more effective decisions making.

Despite its factories in Asia being closed to its workforce, manufacturer Schneider Electric was able to achieve 30% increases in productivity, even while operating remotely. AI systems from AVEVA leveraged over Microsoft’s Azure cloud contributed to this achievement.

Enhance sustainability gains by sharing data

But why stop at one facility? Gartner has shown that for companies that operate across different geographies, cloud-based data-sharing improves integration of working teams and drives the decision-making that helps minimize carbon use, increase profit, and ensure agility.

An example here is the way Veolia Water Technologies leverages the cloud to unify engineering teams across five continents on a single, data-centric platform. The company uses an integrated AVEVA and Microsoft solution to help generate new ways of increasing business value for customers. Overall, this global leader in water, waste, and energy was able to enhance operational insight and improve process efficiency. An immediate result was a 20% improvement in IT agility and freeing up of resources, while project transparency was enhanced through improved engineering visibility. Veolia can now realize maximum benefit from each drop of water produced across the world, thanks to a holistic operations view that combines the collective expertise of teams with unified data to identify opportunities for resource efficiency and energy savings while sparking innovation and sustainable operational improvements.

Build cross-industry partnerships to achieve global targets

Industrial front runners are now looking to go one step further by sharing data—securely but agnostically—across the entire industrial ecosystem. Expanding connected networks to suppliers, partners, and even industrial peers can drive exponential, sustainable growth for all players across the value chain—while also realizing sustainability gains. AVEVA has a long history of alliances with industry partners; we are now looking forward to extending these partnerships for the greater good.

Our partnership with Microsoft, for example, focuses on three key areas: platform integration, a multi-solution engagement approach, and a shared go-to-market strategy. The approach has already proven successful, with Veolia and with other customers such as Total and SCG Chemicals.

Anotherexample of cooperation in action is the global biofuels leader Neste. The Finnish-headquartered company uses a strategic digital solution to reduce emissions from conventional refining while boosting production of renewable diesel, saving energy emissions by up to 20% and helping teams benefit from improved collaboration and real-time operational agility in supply chain management. Now the company is using data collected throughout its value chain to improve their operations and help other companies reduce their own emissions in turn.

In the wake of the disruption of the past two years, digital technologies underpin the way we operate. As we look to achieve our goals for 2022 and beyond, collaborations will be essential to driving innovative ways of doing business. Digital partnerships are needed to protect the planet for ourselves and for our children. Working together can achieve net-zero more quickly.

Learn how AVEVA and Microsoft are collaborating to accelerate digital transformation in the industrial sector here.