Technology 'can help address uncertainty'
Leapfrogging technologies, economic uncertainties and ever-changing consumer behaviour are forcing corporate leaders to face multifaceted challenges that are entirely different from the past.
Yokogawa Electric, a leader in industrial automation technology, is helping businesses navigate uncertainty by integrating its operations and deploying cutting-edge digital solutions. The company's director, Hitoshi Nara, is steering the organization through a complex global landscape of economic challenges, rapidly changing consumer behavior, and the need to adapt to new technologies.
Yokogawa has established a globally integrated system framework, moving away from the traditional siloed approach of individual departments. This shift enables seamless connectivity across the entire organization, fostering a culture of learning, adaptation, and rapid decision-making. The company is also building centralized systems, such as global HR, ERP, and CRM systems, to ensure business continuity in the face of retirements and transitions.
Yokogawa's strategy aligns with the broader trend of Western companies creating comprehensive system architectures first, enabling all branches worldwide to operate on the same standard. The company is actively developing IA2IA (Industrial Automation to Industrial Autonomy), a transition from basic automated systems to fully autonomous operations, leveraging advanced AI and digital twins to optimize critical stages across the value chain, from upstream extraction to downstream refining and chemical processes.
In addition to its expertise in the energy industry, Yokogawa has expanded into materials industries outside Japan, including cement, pulp and paper, specialty chemicals, fibers, and mobility. The company collaborates closely with customers to co-develop solutions for each unique industry challenge, such as addressing sustainability regulations and supply chain complexity.
Amid global economic volatility, Yokogawa emphasizes stable operations that balance safety, security, efficiency, and quality. The company places great importance on developing personnel at all levels, offering programs to enhance knowledge and capabilities tailored to each country. Nara encourages employees to think independently, propose ideas, and embrace new challenges to help drive the organization forward.
Customers attending Yokogawa exhibitions, such as Gastech, are particularly interested in technologies that boost business operations, improve the environment, and promote cleaner energy sources like LNG and hydrogen. Yokogawa helps industries accelerate digital transformation and decarbonisation through intelligent automation, data integration, asset optimization, and the convergence of operational technology and information technology.
The company showcases solutions that unlock operational data value, improve asset reliability, optimize energy efficiency, and reduce carbon intensity.
Written by urgent.news from Bangkok Post Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
