Rebecca Gibson |
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that global greenhouse gas emissions must be halved by 2030 to prevent a climate catastrophe. Now that deadline is rapidly approaching, pressure is mounting for businesses to make a quantum leap in sustainability policy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions and other climate goals.
“The coming years will be critical to the world’s success in staving off climate change and 2021 is the year for climate action,” says Peter Herweck, the new CEO of AVEVA. “The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend towards sustainability by showing what could be possible if the world works together to create change. During the first half of 2020, greenhouse gas emissions fell by 17 per cent and people reaped the benefits of quieter skies and cleaner air and water. With that vision ahead of us, organisations are increasingly opting to build back better by implementing more sustainable paths that will develop a better future for us all.”
Digital transformation is already revolutionising the way the industrial sector approaches sustainability. With the integration of OSIsoft, AVEVA has developed the concept of ‘Performance Intelligence’ to explain how the combination of its industrial data management and its leading software portfolio can unlock success in today’s operating environment.
Bringing together industrial software with a market-leading industrial data platform will enable AVEVA to broaden and deepen its relationships with customers and develop its ability to assist customers on their energy transition journeys.
“Performance Intelligence has the potential to redefine how industries engineer, operate and innovate,” says Herweck. “It combines industrial data, artificial intelligence-infused analytics, the cloud and digital twin technologies to provide teams with broader and more accurate insights, simplify design processes, optimise operations, minimise energy use and maximise performance in real time. By doing this, Performance Intelligence increases energy efficiency, reduces waste and boosts circularity throughout engineering and operations.”
This digitisation creates a tremendous amount of process, production and design data that can be input into a digital twin, where it is refined and infused with artificial intelligence and analytics to generate new levels of Performance Intelligence. All this is then delivered through our integrated hybrid cloud portfolio to help customers achieve Performance Intelligence.
“By pairing AVEVA’s end-to-end software portfolio and OSIsoft’s data-contextualising PI System, our customers can create a single digital thread that spans the entire life cycle – from process simulation and engineering design to project execution, operations control, value chain optimisation and asset performance,” says Herweck. “Employees can use this rich, reliable data to visualise and manage all the essential processes throughout the industrial life cycle, enabling them to make faster and more precise decisions. This leads to significant time and efficiency savings, which boosts their sustainability performance.”
Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, for example, has deployed OSIsoft’s PI System for operational data management and the AVEVA System Platform to optimise vaccine production. The technologies have allowed the organisation to integrate its automation platform with plant information and use AVEVA’s digital and data analytics capabilities to drive efficiencies across the manufacturing process.
“Acquiring OSIsoft has also significantly strengthened AVEVA’s position in the power generation, transmission and distribution end markets, allowing us to drive efficiencies for engineering, oil and gas companies like Neste, Saudi Aramco, TechnipFMC, and many others,” says Herweck. “Our software can save 15-30 per cent in energy costs, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 9-15 per cent, and cut industrial downtime – and therefore waste – by 25 per cent.”
AVEVA is also collaborating with Microsoft to help customers facilitate sustainable business outcomes by leveraging cloud technologies, big data analytics, Microsoft Azure AI and Microsoft Azure Machine Learning. In 2020, it was one of 10 enterprises involved in launching Microsoft Energy Core to reshape the future of the global energy industry.
“Together, AVEVA and Microsoft equip the manufacturing, energy and industrial sectors with the robust technologies they need to transition to – and thrive in – a digital-first ‘new normal’,” explains Herweck. “Our solutions enable customers to deploy faster, reduce energy consumption, cut emissions and share collaborative innovation, thereby boosting efficiency. Unlocking new technology innovations and digital solutions also supports process improvements, efficient energy management and successful workforce transformations, underpinning Performance Intelligence across organisations.
“The unique combination of Microsoft’s end-to-end solutions in the cloud, OSIsoft’s data management software and AVEVA’s deep industry expertise empowers businesses to capitalise on the power of technology and quickly become more agile, resilient and sustainable.”
This article was originally published in the Summer 2021 issue of The Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.