Dr Marcio Wagner da Silva, Process Engineering Manager.

What is the current state of digital transformation in process industries?
In my point of view, there are different maturity levels of digital transformation efforts and advances for different industries. In the crude oil refining industry, for example, I understand that we had good advances in the last years, but the concerns related to cybersecurity and the potential risks can act as a delayed agent for the digital transformation investments in this area. Recent events like the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline is perhaps the most well-known of all the recent cyberattacks in the energy industry, which reinforces the necessity of more investments and cybersecurity by the process industries players, mainly the high process safety risk industries like the crude oil refining processing chain. In general, we are facing good advances regarding digital transformation; here it's fundamental to remember that the digital transformation is more related to cultural change than technologies, these assumptions should stay in the base of any digital transformation effort.
What key technologies are driving digital transformation in process industries today?
Nowadays, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming extremely powerful and useful for the process industries. Again, concerns related to cybersecurity act as a delay agent considering the severe consequences of an eventual cyberattack in some process plants. Furthermore, automation and IoT devices are essential to the success of any digital transformation program.
What role does data analytics play in the decision-making processes within these industries?
Data analytics are at the base of the digital transformation efforts, especially in the process industry. The capacity to carry out an adequate data analysis can be considered a competitive advantage between the process industry players once it reveals the capacity of the company to convert their data in knowledge and learning, essential requirements for competitiveness in the modern industry.
What are the biggest challenges or barriers to digital transformation in process industries?
As aforementioned, the main barrier is the concern related to the vulnerability to cyberattacks, which is understated to be proportional to the implemented digital transformation level. Another key factor, as previously mentioned, is to promote a culture change in the organisation avoiding the well-known risk of sustaining the digital transformation efforts only in the technologies, it's necessary to promote a change of the mindset from process to a deep data analytics culture.
How are sustainability and environmental concerns influencing digital transformation strategies?
In the core of sustainability and environmental discussions is the wastage of natural resources and the deleterious effect to sustain the current extractive model of the modern industry. The digital transformation can make the process more efficient, safe, and profitable. Considering the potential impact of the digital transformation strategies over the process industry, especially related to the process optimisation, in my point of view the sustainability and environmental discussions can be mentioned as one of the main drivers of the digital transformation efforts in the process industry.
What advice would you give to companies just beginning their digital transformation journey?
Summing up my responses, digital transformation efforts should be based on a deep and real culture change, it's important to make clear that technologies are important but their role is limited as tools in the digital transformation journey.

(The views expressed in interviews are personal, not necessarily of the organisations represented)

Dr Marcio Wagner da Silva is Process Engineering Manager at a Crude Oil Refinery based in São José dos Campos, Brazil. He earned a bachelor's in chemical engineering from the University of Maringa (UEM), Brazil and a PhD. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. He has extensive experience in research, design and construction in the oil and gas industry, including developing and coordinating projects for operational improvements and debottlenecking to bottom barrel units, moreover Dr. Marcio Wagner earned an MBA in Project Management from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), and in Digital Transformation at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC/RS), and is certified in Business from Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV). 

____________________________________________________________________________________________

For a deeper dive into the dynamic world of Industrial Automation and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), explore our comprehensive collection of articles and news covering cutting-edge technologies, robotics, PLC programming, SCADA systems, and the latest advancements in the Industrial Automation realm. Uncover valuable insights and stay abreast of industry trends by delving into the rest of our articles on Industrial Automation and RPA at www.industrialautomationindia.in