TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) reveals today the results of its latest survey* to gain further insights into the current and future state of industrial autonomy in process manufacturing. The survey shows that the number and awareness of potential environmental benefits of industrial autonomy in process manufacturing is increasing.
The global survey included 534 respondents representing 390 companies from the chemical & petroleum, life sciences, oil and gas, power generation and renewable energy sectors. It was conducted in seven countries (China, India, Japan and Saudi Arabia).
Key insights
Concerning environmental sustainability, 45% expect industrial autonomy to have a significant effect, while 36% anticipate a moderate impact on dynamic energy optimization, water management, emissions reduction, and other areas. Only 6% of respondents expect industrial autonomy to have any effect on environmental sustainability.
The pace of industrial autonomy projects implementation is increasing. 51% of those surveyed are now scaling deployment across multiple facilities, and 19% report that they have deployed in a minimum of one facility or business operation.
Productivity improvements in production and manufacturing processes will deliver the highest return of investment (ROI), with 31% ranking it first, and another 20% ranking it second. Health, safety, and the environment is emerging as a key ROI area with 26% ranking it either first (13%) nor second (13%).
The ongoing COVID-19 epidemic is making it difficult to achieve industrial autonomy. According to the survey, 33% of manufacturers have deployed remote operations at single sites while 31% have used multi-sites for industrial autonomy.
C-level executives play a crucial role in plant level autonomous planning. Survey respondents said that the Chief Digital Officer (38%), Chief Technology Officer (34%), as well as Chief Information Officer (31%), are the primary final decision makers. These decision-makers are supported and assisted by senior level technical professionals. 43% of respondents said that the Chief Digital Officer has significant influence over plant autonomy decisions.
It is encouraging to see in our latest survey that environmental sustainability is emerging, which is where the shift from automation to industrial autonomy (which we call IA2IA) is expected to make a significant impact. Tsuyoshi Abe, senior vice-president and head of the Marketing Headquarters, Yokogawa Electric, said. However, almost half of respondents to our survey see lack of a clear roadmap as the greatest obstacle in implementing industrial autonomy. This shows the importance to have a clear roadmap to industrial autonomy, and to find the right partner to help you develop it.
You can download the survey report by visiting the following website.
https://www.yokogawa.com/ia2ia/
* The “Global End-user Survey on the Implementation of Industrial Autonomy” was conducted on behalf of Yokogawa by research company Omdia in September 2021 among 534 respondents from 390 companies across seven global markets: China, Germany, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, and the US. Respondents comprised manufacturers/end-users, OEMs, and systems integrators in the chemical & petrochemical, life sciences, upstream and mid-stream oil & gas, refining, power generation, and renewable energy power generation industry sectors. The survey respondents were in IT management, operations/project/plant management, and corporate management.
About Yokogawa
Yokogawa offers advanced solutions for customers in the areas of measurement and control. This includes a wide range industries such as energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, and materials. Yokogawa solves customer problems regarding optimization of production, assets, supply chain, and information. The effective application of digital technology allows for the transition to autonomous operations.
Yokogawa was established in Tokyo in 1915. It continues to work towards a sustainable world through its 17,500 employees and a global network that spans 119 companies across 61 countries.
For more information, please visit www.yokogawa.com
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