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Indmeas Digiday in the end of May gathered together over 30 professionals on energy, forest and petrochemical industries. The speakers of the day discussed the theme from their companies’ point of view and told examples of tremendous steps that have been taken with the help of digitalization. We had some interesting discussions around the theme, and it was really eye-opening to notice that certain points concerning implementation of a digital project stand out no matter what branch the company is working on.
86% of the Finnish companies have defined digitalization as one of their most important goals (Source: Link 1.) However, I would guess that the amount of companies, where they really make concrete daily moves to realize that goal, is much smaller. The will and the need are there, but now the companies should lead the project to the goal. As we stated in the Digiday, this demands risk taking, strong leadership and customer orientated functions.
Towards innovation through risk taking
Stora Enso’s Marko Yli-Pietilä was presenting their Digitalization Fund project, which is a great example of risk taking in a traditional company on forest industry. Stora Enso is funding development of the digitalization yearly with 10 million euros, which means that anyone in the company may apply funding for their ideas without counted payback time (which is usually a requirement in traditional IT-projects). Only approximately 2% of digitalization projects turn out to be successful, but the idea behind the Digitalization Fund project is to allow experiments and learn from them. According to Yli-Pietilä, a company must be ready to invest on this kind of development projects, if they want to gain results. The probability for innovations grows along the amount ideas that are put into the ‘digital funnel’, presented by Yli-Pietilä.
Implementing the change demands strong leadership and good networks
The biggest challenge in implementing digital projects seems to be leading the change and keeping it. How to get the whole organization engaged in the cultural change and new ways of working. Taking the change till the end demands strong vision about where we are heading to and also a real enthusiasm for the benefits that the digitalization brings us. In addition to these, you need good networks and appropriate partners. As Mika Järvensivu from Deloitte states, no one will manage alone on this path, you need several kinds of talents and motivated people. Companies who have succeed in this, have according to Järvensivu one thing in common: Digitalization is executed in the whole company’s DNA.
Taking customers in the project multiplies the possibilities of digitalisation
The statement, that Indmeas’ CEO Risto Kuoppamäki presented in his opening speech, was highlighted in all the keynotes during the day: Value for the end customer should always be the force that steers the digital projects.
”People place the questions, technology gives the answers – and customer defines the tools”, said Deloitte’s Järvensivu in his keynote, and underlined the importance of understanding the customer’s business and it’s challenges.
Timo Aaltonen from Fortum showed us how Fortum has lifted their customer service on a completely new level along their Smart Living -concept. With the help of digitalisation, the manual thermostats have been replaced with artificial intelligence, when it is possible to follow and regulate the temperature per apartment, based for example on weather forecast. Along with a more stable room temperature this also leads to energy savings and a smaller carbon footprint – and naturally to more convenient customers. As a summary from Aaltonen’s presentation; the services of digitalisation can be utilized more effectively when the end customer is taken in the project already in the development phase.
Indmeas’ Sales Director Ville Tiainen wrapped up the same thought in a sentence ‘no digi just for digi’. Digitalization should never be a meaning by itself, it should always give additional value for the business and daily actions in a way or another.
Eveliina Päiväniemi
Marketing Manager, Indmeas
We help the energy and process industry to utilize process data in daily operations and business development.
