Published in Chemical Industry Digest. Annual – January 2024 issue
Chemical Industry Digest (CID): As the New Year has begun, it is always a time to look at the year that went by and then look forwards. So, what would you say are two or three of the most important trends of the last year that have impacted Indian business and industry, and more particularly, your industry?
Ashish Gaikwad (AG): Advancements in science and technology are helping businesses to enhance safety, improve efficiency and reliability, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,enabled by industrial digitalization. This has also given rise to an urgent need to protect this critical digital infrastructure from cyber threats, and yet empowering individuals teams in a constant-ly evolving workforce. In the areas of industrial auto-mation, the world has evolved, and currently we seeadvanced software, autonomous systems, and intel-ligent robotics, and connected smart devices that can perform complex tasks and optimize manufacturing processes. The three global megatrends that we are fo-cusing on and relevant for India in the coming decade are: the future of Commercial Aviation, advanced AI-based Automation, and Energy Transition.
Here are some of the innovations and milestones from Honeywell standpoint that serve as examples of the many breakthroughs making the world safer, smarter, and more sustainable.
- Increased usage of Industrial Digitalization, AI-ML based Manufacturing Excellence Systems: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already transforming thefactory automation industry, with machine learning algorithms that can analyze vast amounts of data, pro-vide superlative decision-support, and predict equip-ment failures, avoiding downtime. Manufacturing Excellence Platform and Integrated Remote operations help optimize the manufacturing process and work-flow, thereby orchestrating the best outcomes. AI inte-
grated automation provides more power to the opera-tors in making the process efficient by leveraging real-time data captured by the sensors. In the near future,we can expect AI to become even more sophisticated,with the ability to learn from experiences and make de-cisions autonomously. - Enhanced Capabilities to monitor increasing Cyber threats: As digitalization proliferates – the cy-ber threats increase. A centralized dashboard that al-lows operational technology (OT) cybersecurity lead-ers to monitor and respond to cyber threats remotely,either at a single site or across multiple locations. OT cyber threats, which target the underlying technology systems that control industrial facilities, are increasing in frequency and intensity, as Honeywell research has shown. Breakthrough technology allows teams at com-panies with industrial environments to monitor their cyber landscape in near real-time, instead of relying on historical post-facto data.
- Technology is paving the way for renewable fu-el production. Decarbonization needs renewable fuels. E.g. SAF – Airlines can blend up to 50% of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with conventional jet fuel. It can re-duce greenhouse gas emissions by 88% compared to conventional jet fuel. Sustainable aviation fuels are expected to contribute around 65% of the emissions re-duction needed for the aviation sector to reach net-ze-
ro by 2050, according to the International Air Transport Association. Similarly, production of Green Hydrogen using renewable power, with a highly efficient and op-
timized automation solution brings down the cost of production substantially. At Honeywell, we have the technology to deliver it at scale.
CID: How do you foresee both global and domestic economic situ-ations evolving, its impact on industry and the industry trends you feel will shape the course of your industry in 2024?
AG: It is believed that the global industrial automa-tion market is growing at a CAGR of 8.2%. The market “Increased usage of Industrial Digitalization, AI-ML based Manufacturing Excellence Systems:Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already transform-ing the factory automation industry, with ma-chine learning algorithms that can analyzevast amounts of data, provide superlative deci-sion-support, and predict equipment failures,avoiding downtime. Manufacturing Excellence Platform and Integrated Remote operations help
optimize the manufacturing process and work-flow, thereby orchestrating the best outcomes.”
size is expected to be US$ 323 billion in 2023. As India transcends to become a US$5 trillion economy, there lies a compelling opportunity for the industrial auto-
mation business to grow. India is already witnessing a surge in manufacturing activities across diverse sec-tors with the Government of India’s “Make in India”and these further boosts automation for industrial cus-tomers. India’s Industrial Automation Market is pro-
jected to grow from USD 13.23 billion in 2023 to US$ 25.76 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 14.26%. The ris-ing awareness of Industry 4.0 concepts and the increas-ing emphasis on digital transformation provides fer-tile ground for the integration of advanced automation
technologies as we move ahead.
AI/ML based automation technologies will havea transformative impact on automation solutions.Honeywell combines automation and AI to make man-ufacturing plants safer, smarter, and sustainable. Wealso improve employee experience by automating the
repetitive tasks. Honeywell is creating better solutions,adopting robotics and automation technologies for re-petitive manual processes that limit productibility and scalability, enhancing employee safety by providing real-time decision-making aids.
CID: Digitalization is inescapable. What is the progress that you have made in your company in digitalization of your operations? at benefits have accrued so far? How are you proceeding with reskilling of your workforce on digitalization?
AG: The industrial sector is embarking on a new era of fully autonomous operations in which machines, equipment, and systems can perform their tasks
and make decisions without human intervention. At Honeywell, we are proud of the progress we are mak-ing in embracing digitalization and make our internal operations fully autonomous
We have implemented AI co-pilots for our custom-er-service team that has helped accelerating work by 30-40%. The co-pilots sit beside our team members,helps in analyzing massive amounts of data and guid-ing them in terms of what programs to focus on and how to go about solving them.
We’re harnessing AI to power how we work with our customers. Our data warehouse and infrastructure enable us to quickly deploy decision-engines into our IT systems, creating a coherent, at-scale, available en-vironment that powers the entire enterprise. We have
built machine-learning models to guide our sellers in their daily work, such as suggesting which opportuni-ties to focus on, what actions to take and when to take them.
Generative AI tools help our customer and techni-cal support teams address customers’ questions in one-twentieth the time with improved accuracy. We’ve in-tegrated AI into our technical-support operations, en-abling customers to receive answers to their technical
questions within minutes or seconds, as opposed to the day or two it previously took.
Our field service teams are routed with an AI en-gine that matches technicians’ skills and certifications with the customer’s installed equipment, resulting in boosting productivity, reducing “no-trouble-found” calls and increasing job satisfaction for our technicians
by improving their ability to deliver high quality out-comes.
Reskilling on digitalization: Honeywell Accelerator, the new operating systems launched three years ago creates more consistent business and operating mod-els for upskilling and to better serve our customers. It helps in producing terabytes of data about our people,
processes, and technologies that we use to drive con-tinuous improvement. The recent advancements in AI adoption and availability of generative AI have added rocket fuel to our Accelerator models, enabling them to advance our learning and improvement cycle.
Also, Honeywell’s workforce excellence program empowers each worker with insights and advice to make better decisions faster, work more effectively and help increase plant performance. The program is built around your people and defined by your business. It is
a consultative process which is role-based and results- driven, tailored to meet your specific objectives.
CID: As you know Artificial Intelligence (AI) together with volumi-nous data management and analytics is bringing innovative para-digm changing transformations for business and industry. What are your plans and strategies to incorporate AI in your business?
AG: Honeywell is embracing AI in every facet of its business interventions. AI co-pilots for our customer-service team are leveraged for accelerating work to analyze massive amounts of data and guiding them in terms of what problems to focus on and how to go about solving them. Our data warehouse and infra-structure enable us to quickly deploy decision-engines into our IT systems, creating a coherent, at-scale, avail-able environment that powers the entire enterprise.We have built machine-learning models to guide our sellers in their daily work, such as suggesting which opportunities to focus on, what actions to take and when to take them. Our field service teams are routed with an AI engine that matches technicians’ skills and certifications with the customer’s installed equipment,resulting in boosting productivity, reducing “no-trou-ble-found” calls and increasing job satisfaction for our technicians by improving their ability to deliver high quality outcomes.
We have a robust roadmap to improve our busi-ness, including analyzing customer purchase pat-terns, enhancing our e-commerce experiences, creat-ing dynamic demand generation campaigns and un-covering new growth opportunities. Now, we are em-bedding AI into our solutions, helping our customers achieve higher output, yield and quality. For example, we are addressing the skilled labor shortage through more automated systems that operate with fewer or no people. We’ve built a strong foundation of connect-ed offerings, such as technologies enabling remote in-dustrial operations, worker productivity in warehous-es, quality assurance in the life sciences industry and emissions management for buildings and industrial plants, all powered by Honeywell Forge software. By tying AI into Honeywell Forge, we will deliver solu-tions for our customers that increase operational effi-ciency, minimize downtime, and save energy
CID: It is a high-tech world we are in, as never before. Those who hold the levers of technology will dart forward, driving business for-tunes. This means for those companies investing in result-oriented R & D. To what extent is this perception held dear and to what extent is your R & D and innovation driving your business?
AG: In today’s competitive world, staying competi-tive means embracing innovation at every touchpoint and this is only possible through rigorous research and development (R&D). Technology enhancement and robust research and development efforts has become
pivotal for all manufacturers to thrive in an increas-ingly dynamic environment. Innovation is imperative to solve the world’s toughest challenges and make it a better place
Honeywell’s unwavering commitment to innova-tion, safety, sustainability, and technological advance-ment for more than 100 years has solidified its repu-tation as a global leader in multiple industries. As it continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible, Honeywell remains at the forefront of driving progress and shaping the future of industries worldwide. The organization spends billions every year on continuous innovation and new products that will create new rev-enue streams both for itself and our customers. Our of-fering teams spend much of their time engaging with customers, collecting, and observing the Voice of the Customer (VOC). Our VOC efforts help us identify the best outcomes possible by providing insights into our customers’ challenges, their priorities, and the levers in their operations. This deep understanding of co-hab-itation leads to natural co-innovation. We can quick-ly go from idea to concept to prototype with seamless feedback from the customer.
CID: In a matter of the last few years to now and into the future many technologies are converging. Apart from Industry 4.0 and AI, other transformational technologies are Machine Learning, 3D Printing, Blockchain, Robotics, Drones, Synthetic biology, Virtual Reality and Augmented Virtual Reality, Digital Twins and perhaps more to come. What are your views on this huge convergence of transformational technologies and what could be the shape of things to come?
AG: The impact of advanced automation, driven by ad-vancements in various technologies, is addressing the evolving needs of manufacturing, making it more effi-cient and safer. The strategic integration of all technol-ogies is transforming the industry towards data-driv-en solutions that optimize processes, improve quality, and reduce costs. It is evident that Industry 4.0 and AI is not merely a chapter in manufacturing history, but an ongoing macrotrend promise to bring unprecedent-ed levels of productivity, innovation, and global con-nectivity to industries, businesses, and society at large. In this new era, we will see humans working along-side AI-powered systems to reinforce the contribution of industries to society that will be beyond efficiency and productivity as core goals. We believe the best for automation is yet to come, and we are shaping its fu-ture at Honeywell.
