In case anyone still had any doubts, Pramesh Maheshwari, president of Honeywell Process Solutions, stepped on stage and matter-of-factly reminded an audience full of process control professionals of one simple fact: digital solutions will be at the forefront of the industrial future.
Maheshwari and other Honeywell business leaders mapped out the company’s business vision to open this week’s 2024 Honeywell Users Group (HUG) Conference at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
Their vision focused on three key trends driving the future of the global industrial sector, each requiring a proactive approach utilizing new and existing technologies that will help businesses stay “ahead of the curve”—the event’s main theme. Those key trends include artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and the energy transition.
“Imagine a world that is incredibly efficient. That’s the power of AI. Imagine a world that is safer. That’s the power of cybersecurity. Imagine a world that is cleaner. That’s the power of energy transition,” Maheshwari said. “Finally, imagine a world that is a better place to live. That is what it means to stay ahead of the curve.”
AI delivering real benefits
AI has captured the imaginations of control systems engineers and operators for its potential as a gamechanger on efficiency and its ability to help solve real-time issues on the plant floor. Honeywell isn’t sitting back and dreaming of the future, however.
“At Honeywell, we don’t just imagine AI, we deploy it. These advancements lead to new levels of productivity,” Maheshwari said.
Like many in the industry, they understand the power of AI and the caution everyone must use when deploying it. “The power of AI is daunting,” added Lucian Boldea, president and CEO, Honeywell Industrial Automation. “The revolution we sit in from a technology standpoint is an awesome responsibility.”
Yet Boldea and Honeywell are full steam ahead on automation, knowing automation is also a key to pushing forward on digital transformation, as well as the other two key trends of cybersecurity and energy transition. He’s bullish on automation technology saying, “the tools we have in front of us make it a great time to be alive.”
To illustrate that point, the company announced at HUG a strategic collaboration with Chevron to develop advanced, AI-assisted solutions to help operators make decisions to enhance efficiency for refining processes and improve safety within the industrial automation space.
"Advancements in AI will change the way companies like Chevron innovate, learn and solve problems at the plant level," Boldea said. "AI-assisted automation is key to helping improve industrial plant performance while also addressing industry's workforce shortage through institutional knowledge capture, workflow digitalization and accelerating the learning curve for the next generation."
Through this collaboration, Chevron's operators will also be able to leverage AI infused into Honeywell's Experion distributed control system (DCS), making them future-ready and more informed in the control room.
Automation key to energy transition
It’s just the beginning as automation gets even smarter. Good thing, too, since there are growing challenges to tackle. One of the top priorities for Honeywell is helping achieve a more efficient and productive energy transition. These days, the world is experiencing weather changes and demand issues that make the development of smart energy infrastructure a priority.
“We face the dual challenge of modernizing our infrastructure and the ever-evolving expectations of our customers,” said Amol Motivala. President, Honeywell Smart Energy. “At Honeywell, we are committed to providing solutions that will navigate the conflict. Changing weather factors coupled with rising demand for data and electric power have put significant pressure of the U.S. electrical grid,” he continued.
He noted that much of the North American population may face significant electrical shortages as soon as this coming year. Even more staggering: the 125,000 houses reported to U.S. fire departments each year because of natural gas or liquified petroleum gas (LPG) leaks—a full 25% increase compared to the prior decade, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). These numbers likely only represent a fraction of the total number of gas leaks, as many go unreported.
Clearly, these are issues requiring solutions such as Honeywell’s next-generation smart meter, the NXU, which Motivala said sets a standard for smarter and safer gas utility solutions. The ultrasonic meter is designed for residential households and delivers high-performance measurement as well as automatic shut-off to increase safety in gas utility operations, according to Motivala. He said customers can expect improved operational efficiency. More importantly, it represents a leap forward to fend off those growing challenges facing gas operators these days, he said. For example, the meter includes built-in cellular IoT connectivity, allowing utilities to respond to issues in real-time, ultimately enhancing service reliability and customer satisfaction.
One of Honeywell’s top priorities is to aid utilities in their digital transformation, Motivala said. “No matter where you are in this process, whether replacing the entire network or upgrading the existing user infrastructure, we have solutions to make the transition as seamless as possible.”
Motivala added he is “filled with optimism” about the road ahead for not only utilities, but also the upstream oil and gas sector, which faces another serious issue. Appearing via a video message, Girash Saligram, CEO of Weatherford International, said, “One of challenges facing oil and gas is hydrocarbon emissions. What Weatherford and Honeywell bring together are the gas sensors and data technology that help create a seamless solution.”
Meanwhile, cybersecurity continues to challenge everyone, and the process industries are no exception. But Honeywell has long been on the forefront of fighting back against cyber-threats. Maheshwari pointed out that effective cybersecurity is an all-encompassing task. “When it comes to cybersecurity it is not just an IT issue, it is a full business priority,” he said. “Honeywell is actively adding more and more solutions to protect customers’ data and operations.”
In the end, Honeywell sees a clear vision of a safer, more productive and more sustainable industrial sector, driven by smart, digital solutions.
