The Record - Issue 20: Spring 2021

111 delivering these products. Indeed, we are already seeing operations being proactively managed to minimise any environmental impact. In addition, organisations will increasingly move from automated to autonomous opera- tions as workforce capacity is rationalised to market conditions. They will need to embed higher levels of intelligence into their operating assets and operational applications to smoothly adapt to new requirements while consistently meeting operational goals, quality, safety and complying with regulatory norms. Currently, employees with a high level of expertise supervise the complex assets that power mission-critical operations to ensure safety. However, as operations become autono- mous, assets will likely be supervised remotely. This means that companies will increasingly build availability, reliability and safety into their assets with the help of more pervasive sensors, data aggregation, predictive analytics and pre- scriptive guidance to pre-empt failures and take the right remedial actions to restore safe opera- tion with minimal disruption. The rise of automation will also change the role humans play. As the next generation starts to resume its responsibilities, expertise based on years of experience will gradually be replaced by a new digital skill set. Designers, engineers, operators and managers will be equipped with the information, analysis, automation and guidance they need to enable them to execute tasks efficiently and safely – both individu- ally and as part of a digitally connected team. Consequently, the human role will become less about handling the transactional and proce- dural aspects of work, and more about using digital tools to gain deep insights and offer additional capabilities. This will create a new framework for learning and development, with companies focusing on upskilling people with competencies that will be relevant in the new digitally connected workplace. The outcomes of digital transformation initi- atives that have been accelerated over the past year have underscored the critical role of tech- nology in the industrial sector. Not only is it an enabler for the future industrial enterprise, but it also allows them to break down information and process silos with a common digital thread across the asset lifecycle and the operational value chain. We are now entering a new era where major industrial operations are creating experiences as intuitive and compelling as consumer technology – and that can only be a good thing. Ravi Gopinath is chief cloud officer and chief product officer at AVEVA MANU FAC TUR I NG & R E SOUR C E S