1208-copy
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to a new episode of KT Talks. Today we're joined by Ahmed Radwan,
00:05Lead Business Manager at ABB Motion Business in the MIA region.
00:10Ahmed, thank you so much for being with us today.
00:12It's a real delight and a real pleasure to be with you here today.
00:16So we want to, if you could please share a bit about your background,
00:19the different markets that you operated in,
00:22and what really keeps you connected to ABB for the last 18 years?
00:26Well, I've been with ABB now for almost 18 years,
00:29heading towards my 19th year in the company,
00:33and I feel really proud of everything I do in the company.
00:36I started in Egypt and I did a lot of different roles within the company,
00:42mainly around business development, sales, account management.
00:46What's really common and keeps me going is all the roles that I've been doing in ABB
00:52is in the front-end operations, in the markets, closer to the customers.
00:56And this is really my passion.
00:58If I reflect on my journey and the nature of the markets where we operate in at the moment,
01:03and the nature of the Middle East and Africa region,
01:06I think my own learnings is mainly around people and customers.
01:12This is what's going to make you successful, right?
01:15If you take care of the people, if you're people and you take care of your customers.
01:19And our region is very diverse, with a very wide geographical footprint.
01:25Every market is different, every customer is different,
01:29I would say every single opportunity is different.
01:31So you need to be very, very flexible
01:33on how to deal with the different scenarios you have in the market.
01:37The Middle East and Africa has its own unique set of challenges.
01:41At the same time, it offers you a lot of different opportunities.
01:45It's all about how you look positively to this
01:48and how you do the right things from a customer perspective
01:51to capture the maximum out of these relevant opportunities.
01:55Something very unique about ABB that keeps me really going full speed ahead
01:59is this kind of very inclusive organizational culture that we have.
02:04So we offer a very inclusive and diverse, I would say,
02:08platforms, communities to our teams, to our people,
02:13to maximize the performance.
02:17One more thing that I've been also experiencing over the years
02:21is the unique learning and development culture and opportunities we have in ABB.
02:27So we invest a lot in our people so they can grow, develop,
02:32and also pay back to the company with outstanding performance.
02:36So I would refer to these three elements.
02:38It's all about people and customers.
02:40We are very unique with the people we have.
02:44We wake up in the morning getting more passionate about serving our customers
02:49with our innovative technology, the inclusion,
02:52and the inclusive culture that we have in the organization,
02:55and also really the outstanding learning and development opportunities.
02:59One more critical success factor for us is the global scale and coverage.
03:03So we firmly believe that the closer we get to our customers,
03:06the more successful we are.
03:08We are a global company, but we act local,
03:10because we know the business is local, right?
03:13So we strategize and think from a global perspective,
03:16but we drive actions closer to the customers in the markets,
03:21in the local markets where we operate,
03:23because we understand also culture makes a big difference.
03:27Amazing. I think being customer-centric is very essential,
03:30and understanding the local market is more important
03:33than having a global strategy.
03:37Everything we build, we build around our customers, right?
03:40The starting point is to understand the customer needs, challenges,
03:45so you can help them addressing this by developing solutions
03:49that would match the customer expectations.
03:51Very interesting. Thank you.
03:53So with your experience and your background,
03:56what recent innovations are you most excited about?
03:58If you could tell us, please.
04:00Well, the entire world is speaking about energy transition
04:02and how we can really make the future a more sustainable one.
04:06I have a lot of passion, and this is a topic which is very close to my heart,
04:11how we can hand over the planet to the next generation
04:13in a much better condition.
04:15We in ABB stand for productivity in a low-carbon society.
04:20At the heart of this is the energy saving, right?
04:23And how we can reduce emissions by saving energy.
04:27In ABB, we say the best power is the power that you don't use,
04:32or the best energy is the energy that you don't use.
04:35The demand on power will be doubled up to 2050,
04:38and also the population is going to reach close to 9.7 billion by 2050.
04:43And everything is going electric.
04:45Before we start producing more electricity,
04:48it's better to look on how we can optimize the utilization of the energy platforms
04:54that we have at the moment and save energy.
04:56And that's why I'm extremely passionate about the new technologies
04:59and energy-efficient products that we in ABB produce.
05:04We have state-of-the-art and cutting-edge motors and drives,
05:08energy-efficient products that would help customers, industries,
05:13and societies to reduce energy and cut emissions.
05:17So I'm proud that every day we push the boundaries of the technology
05:22to help our customers become more sustainable and greener in the future.
05:27It's important to know that the International Energy Agency
05:31qualifies energy saving as the first fuel against climate change
05:37and the first fuel towards a more sustainable energy system in the future.
05:43That's very, very exciting, and we can't wait to use your products.
05:48If you could please tell us how AI and digital connectivity
05:51transform the industry landscape.
05:53Let's start with digitalization,
05:55and we try to make it a bit of a simple piece of information.
06:00Getting the industrial assets connected to the Internet of Things network
06:06will help customers run it in a more efficient and reliable way,
06:12save energy, cut emissions.
06:15On the other side, you can run it at a lower maintenance cost
06:20and avoid a lot of unplanned shutdowns.
06:22So there is a twin benefit in how digitalization could really serve the industry.
06:28It's all about analytical data that you get out of these assets
06:32to make the right decisions at the right time.
06:35So you can save maintenance costs, avoid downtime,
06:43reduce energy consumption, reduce gas consumption.
06:47So it's kind of an ideal or optimum.
06:50It's going to help building an ideal and optimum operating model
06:54so you can make the best use of the assets.
06:57That's on the digitalization side.
06:59The potential of artificial intelligence for the industry is very clear,
07:05and we in ABB understand that very well.
07:08As we speak, we have around 250 artificial intelligence-related projects ongoing.
07:23And we do that closer to our customers so we can make a bigger impact.
07:28A very good example is our partnership with Amazon Web Services.
07:33We support them to build data centers that run 24-7
07:38in a much more energy-efficient way.
07:41Wow, that's very interesting, actually.
07:43I mean, who wouldn't want to save costs and optimize performance?
07:49I think that's very interesting.
07:51If you could please tell us what are the strategies that you found
07:54most effective for driving profitable growth
07:56while maintaining high customer satisfaction?
08:01Well, my own view, according to my experience in the front-end organizations,
08:07being always close to customers.
08:09So the first one is always think from customer perspective.
08:13This kind of external in-view is extremely important for any business organization
08:19to understand the dynamics out there in the marketplace.
08:23And then you tune your strategic thinking, your processes,
08:26all what you can do according to what's happening in the market
08:30so you can really bring a completely different value to your customers.
08:33That's first.
08:34Second, it's about commitment.
08:36So you need to honor your commitments and deliver what you promise to customers.
08:41That's equally important.
08:44Third thing is, I would say, exceptional service positions
08:49in the markets where you operate.
08:51Closer also to your customers,
08:53which means that you need to provide the right level of support
08:57and the right level of service on quality, on time,
09:01at the right investment cost needed.
09:04And I would end up with partnerships, right?
09:07We partner with our customers.
09:09We have too many different channels in the ways we go to the market.
09:13Partnership for growth is an important pillar for success in the future.
09:24Well, this is one of the most interesting pieces in the business we do
09:30and one of the most powerful strengths within ABB.
09:34I would again refer to this kind of global scale and coverage.
09:38So we are here to stay,
09:41and we get closer to our customers in all the attractive markets
09:45where we really need to operate.
09:47And so we built a lot of common communities,
09:52platforms with the unique domain expertise that we have
09:56and bring it closer to our customers.
09:58We have the right engagement forums across the organization
10:02because, as I said, it's a global company
10:05with unique knowledge and domain expertise.
10:08To harness the power of this knowledge,
10:11you need to bring it closer to the markets
10:13and closer to the customers
10:15so you can bring really a completely differentiated value.
10:18And so within the organization,
10:20we build a lot of common forums, common communities,
10:24common platforms, which is customer-focused
10:29in a way to make sure that we collaborate
10:32and we team up in a very professional way
10:35closer to our customers.
10:37I think building community is very essential.
10:39People want to always feel like they are part of something bigger,
10:42so I think this is very important.
10:44And what is critical for the success of these kind of common communities,
10:48platforms, is the information flow and access to information,
10:54access to know-how and technology and unique domain expertise.
10:58This is what our customers also expect from us.
11:01That's why we are bringing these kind of experiences
11:04closer to our customers,
11:06so we can manage these kind of cross-border transactions
11:10with the needed speed.
11:12Of course, speed is very essential.
11:16What trends do you foresee shaping the future
11:19of motion solutions in the region?
11:21Well, we have too many trends,
11:24but I would vote first for decarbonization.
11:29Enabling low-carbon society is one of our core values,
11:33and we see an increasing demand and momentum
11:36for all of our customers.
11:38Through our innovative products, solutions, and also our people,
11:42we are involved in the entire value chain,
11:44from supporting renewable power generation sources
11:49into supporting special and emerging applications
11:52into the industry,
11:54up to the support of improving the grid stability.
11:58The second trend from our own perspective
12:01is the circular economy,
12:03and there are a lot of talks around that.
12:05Circularity is the alternative of the classic linear production,
12:08consumption, and disposal process.
12:11In ABB, we speak about energy efficiency,
12:14sustainability, decarbonization, and circularity all together,
12:20not in isolation.
12:22So we understand fully the critical need
12:26to innovate new products and drive energy efficiency,
12:31but we also understand
12:33that the resources across the globe are limited,
12:36and we need to make the best use of the resources wisely
12:40and with respect.
12:42This is how we think that we need to drive
12:45towards a more resource-efficient future
12:47by applying best-in-class practices
12:50when it comes to the circular economy.
12:52Interesting. Thank you.
12:54As the industry continues to develop
12:56more AI-driven solutions and technologies,
12:59what do you see ABB's role evolving,
13:02and how do you see it in the coming years?
13:05ABB is one of the largest engineering,
13:10electronic, and electrical manufacturers
13:14across the globe,
13:16with around 140 years of history,
13:19with a proven track record of supporting customers
13:22with products, solutions, and software-driven solutions
13:27so they can optimize their operation
13:30and make the best use of the energy
13:34and drive towards a more resource-efficient future.
13:37We help our customers optimize, electrify,
13:40decarbonize their processes while maximizing productivity
13:44and making the best use of every single unit of the energy
13:48while lowering the waste as well.
13:51On top of the above, our innovative products
13:55and pioneering technology is going to help the customers
13:58also outside the traditional sweet spots
14:01and the traditional applications,
14:03which is going to help the decarbonization
14:05as one of the future trends.
14:07These kind of things like hydrogen,
14:11electrical heating, and carbon capture.
14:15So I think we have the technology needed
14:19for the future today,
14:21and this sits at the core of energy transition.
14:25So as we speak,
14:27we have the technology needed for the future.
14:30And this fits perfectly with the new trends
14:33to drive towards a more sustainable future.
14:36Amazing. We can't wait to see the future of ABB
14:39and where the future will lead us.
14:43Thank you very much.
14:45Thank you so much.