How Hyperconnected Industries are Using Insight to Drive Sustainable Performance

Sharing lifecycle industrial data fosters the radical collaboration we need to create a lower carbon future. Find out more at AVEVA.com

Why industrial intelligence is key to net zero.

From detergent manufacturers to renewable energy producers, today’s production networks span geographical boundaries and time zones. Until recently, industrial data from each process and facility would be collected and held on site – meaning information and analysis were only accessible to local teams. However, as technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) have proliferated, these distributed insights can now be shared and synchronized around the globe in real time. With this end-to-end visibility of information on everything from raw materials and energy efficiency to carbon emissions, remote experts can act in concert to tackle higher-order business problems.

This sort of real-time, AI-infused data from across the business lifecycle – what AVEVA calls “industrial intelligence” – can unlock tangible gains for companies, at every level. AVEVA, is an industrial software innovator whose products support 90% of leading companies in 12 industrial sectors to deliver life’s essentials with responsible use of the world’s resources. AVEVA believes that better insight can open the path to healthier margins, lower emissions and more agile responses to market challenges.

“The climate crisis is one of the defining issues of our time and we have an incredible opportunity at AVEVA to use technology to bring others together to solve it,” says Lisa Wee, Chief Sustainability Officer at AVEVA. “Leveraging industrial intelligence from across the value chain is helping to accelerate the energy transition and pushing out the frontiers of innovation.” 

How intelligence transforms the fight against climate change

Industries must slash emissions to meet net-zero targets. Europe’s “Fit for 55” package demands a 55% cut in emissions by 2030, for example, but many industrial players lack the data frameworks to measure their progress. Digitalizing industrial processes enables industries to cut emissions by up to 20%, according to Accenture and the World Economic Forum.

Companies such as Henkel, a leading German player in both industrial and consumer goods, and marketing brands such as Persil and Dial, are showing how. By mapping innumerable variables such as weather factors, equipment efficiency, production throughput and set-point deviations, industrial teams gain a cohesive, real-time view of production lines: how energy needs change from one moment to the next, or how output differs by batch. Scaled up and analyzed across its global network, this system helps Henkel to continuously improve energy efficiency and enables significant savings.

“The technology is there. The use cases are there. It is very clear how we can reduce waste and reduce energy consumption. We need to act on it” says Caspar Herzberg, AVEVA’s CEO. “Climate change is a complex problem that requires industries, governments and technology leaders to partner together to deal with this ongoing issue.”

Transparent intelligence drives radical teamwork for climate action

The size of the task ahead is bigger than any one company or economy. Achieving global targets requires collaborative effort. Never have we had such a clear picture of how we’re damaging the planet – or a better chance to repair it by working together.

UK-based Highview Power is responding by designing and scaling an entire new green industry from scratch. The company stores renewable energy as liquid air, feeding it back to the grid when needed. Sharing industrial intelligence with suppliers and partners enables Highview to match power supply to demand and bypass intermittency issues around renewables – potentially reducing the use of fossil fuels. 

Industry and transport account for roughly half of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. With emissions inextricably linked to extreme weather events, adverse health outcomes and even food supply and raw materials issues, net zero is a pivotal challenge facing our societies. 

Executing a transformation of this magnitude requires us to make the most of IoT and AI. As Rob McGreevy, Chief Product Officer at AVEVA, explains, “We envision a hyperconnected industrial value chain across sectors to make the most of tools and technologies such as AI, so businesses can collaborate in radical new ways to solve the world’s problems at scale.” 

As Henkel and Highview have shown, connected industrial ecosystems offer a path to a decarbonized, circular future. But without transparent intelligence and joint action from industries, governments and technology firms become the norm, sustainable outcomes will remain the exception.

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