The Australian & New Zealand publication, Process Technology sought business thought leaders’ outlooks for 2022. Emerson’s Boris Gabin shared his thoughts. When asked about growth opportunities for automation in 2020, Boris responded:
I am very optimistic about the growth opportunities we see in the industry, driven predominately by global demand for resources to support a sustainable future and meet net-zero targets. Capital investment in lithium, hydrogen and renewable energy projects in Australia is an indication of this trend.
Expansion of autonomous operations to address human safety and the current skilled labour shortage is another opportunity that will drive growth across the industry. Digital transformation is an enabler to support our customers achieving top quartile performance, across their capital investments and operations. Emerson Automation Solutions in Australia and New Zealand has secured key wins with these industry growth opportunities, as we align with our company’s unified global purpose to “drive innovation that makes the world healthier, safer, smarter and more sustainable”.
Boris was asked about the three biggest challenges facing the automation industry in 2022.
The three biggest challenges I see across the industry are risk associated with cybersecurity, supply chain resilience and the shortage of skilled labour. Cybersecurity — or lack of it — is a major risk to business. It is essential that solutions deployed are aligned with the Australian Cybersecurity Framework and meet specific industry regulations to ensure company operations, data, assets, people and intellectual property are not impacted by global cybersecurity threats.
Supply chain resilience and the influence of global dynamics are impacting investment decisions and schedules. Local presence and support in major cities and key regional areas allows Emerson to mitigate some of these challenges as we continually review how we can better serve our customers and ensure service levels are met and exceeded. And with the pandemic closing international borders, the pool of skilled labour is limited. Coupling this with an ageing workforce, managing labour attrition through creative strategies is imperative to address immediate resource requirements to support the industries we serve.
Read the article for his thoughts on the effects and mitigation strategies around the COVID pandemic, remote operations, and assisting manufacturers in their decarbonization/sustainability initiative.
Visit the Sustainability section on Emerson.com for more on Emerson’s sustainability framework and how it is designed to ensure greening of, greening by and greening with strategies.
