Digital transformation helping energy industry reach top quartile performance

October 16, 2019 11:33 am

Anil Bhatia Vice President and Managing Director, Emerson Automation Solutions – India in conversation with Athira Bejoy of OEM Update share his journey with Emerson, their latest projects and why he thinks though automation penetration is low in India, it is gradually picking up pace to build a strong foothold.

Please walk us through your journey with Emerson.
I joined Emerson as a Project Engineer in 1995 when it was known as Fisher-Rosemount India Limited. I moved in 1997 to international assignments for nine years, operating out of various world areas including Dubai, Austin, TX, USA and United Kingdom. In 2005, I returned to Emerson India and was involved in project management. Since then, I have taken up many roles at Emerson including operations, running the power business for Asia-Pacific. Finally, I took the current role, as a Managing Director and Vice President, India for Emerson Automations Solutions in 2017.

In July, Emerson announced the completion of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) Kochi Refinery upgrade with an almost 60 per cent production increase. Can you please walk us through in brief how the entire project panned out?
The BPCL Kochi Project was a very exciting one for us. We won this project by a public tender.This was a pioneer project for BPCL. The refinery, located in Kerala and part of BPCL’s Integrated Refinery Expansion Project, utilises Emerson’s wireless sensing technology. Critical information is communicated from the refinery’s nine process units to the plant’s DeltaV™ integrated control and safety systems, which the personnel monitor via centralised command centre and control room. Emerson’s Ovation™ control system helps BPCL manage the refinery’s electrical load to optimize operational efficiency and safety.

Compared to the advanced economies, automation penetration in India is still low. What do you think? Will there be a dramatic change in the near future?
I agree with you. Automation penetration is a bit low in India but it is changing and that too at a rapid pace as compared to last decade. Every year, we see enormous growth and today when we talk to any corporate about digital transformation or digital drive, they are willing to understand the fast RoI and huge benefits in performance, efficiency and safety it can bring. However, the perception of significant initial investments keep many businesses from actually taking the leap. In one of our recent surveys, we found that 90 per cent of the customers want to achieve digital transformation; however, only 20 per cent are able to achieve it.

Another angle that companies should be aware of is that IIoT and digital transformation is a fully scalable solution which is why Emerson globally promotes ‘start small, think big and move fast’. Our journey with BPCL has followed a similar pattern. We started ‘small’ with our digital technology platform, leading eventually to one of the world’s largest wireless implementions. I think this should be the theme of the industry as we move forward. All organisations have to transform to survive in today’s business world; I don’t think it is a choice anymore.

While most companies are today talking of digital transformation, do all of them have effective strategies in place for implementation?
Majority of the companies today agree that digital transformation is necessary for them to sustain and grow. The will to transform is in place; however, not all have the digital transformation implementation strategy or vision in place. In situations like this, organisations like us can be of help. We recently worked with one of the largest greenfield refineries of India, where we assisted them in creating a digital vision upfront. Likewise, for many of our customers, we visit their plant, look at their business objectives, and work with them to develop their digital transformation strategy. If someone was to ask me “Do you do digital transformation?’ I rather not answer that and instead ask them what their pain points are, which can be solved by digital transformation. A deeper understanding of our customers’ design and business vision helps us partner with them to move forward in their digital transformation journey in a more effective and faster way.

Can humans co-exist with automation and other Industry 4.0 technologies? Does India have skilled and trained manpower to make India the automation hub of the world?
I agree and disagree on this! There are certain areas where we have to do a lot and in some we are leading. AI and Machine Learning are the areas where we are behind as compared to other countries. But if you look at other conventional automation solutions, India is leading. Even at Emerson, we have more than 4,000 engineers working in our global engineering centres, which are innovation hubs for the world.

Recently, we inaugurated a Cyber Security Lab in India which is one-of-its-kind in the world after U.S. So, yes, while there is lot to be done, the good part is that India has the intellectual horsepower that is being exhibited to the world. However, a little push from the authorities and the government to invest in the right direction can create better ecosystem. In terms of AI and ML, India is catching up very fast with other countries. Hon’bl PM Modi’s Digital India’s vision will be driving this progress.

The flipside of automation and AI connectivity is the vulnerabilities that come along. How serious is the security threat?
Cyber security threat is real. But the way you design your systems, network and architecture makes all the difference. Cyber security is not something that can have a quick fix answer. You need to design your systems from Day 1, with a secure environment. Your selection of a reliable partner in your digital transformation journey is a critical decision as well in ensuring no cybersecurity threats or issues are faced by the organisation.

The new Emerson Cybersecurity Center in Pune, builds on existing capabilities and further strengthens Emerson’s technology portfolio to support the highest levels of product security across the development lifecycle. This lab focuses on defining security requirements, designing threat models and security walkthroughs, maintaining security practices and simulating cyber-attacks in industrial environments to identify and address potential vulnerabilities, reinforcing that partnering with the right solutions provider can ensure safe and secure operations for customers around the world.

“Emerson globally promotes ‘start small, think big and move fast’ for a fully scalable solution with IIoT and digital transformation.”
Anil Bhatia Vice President and Managing Director, Emerson Automation Solutions India