Developing the Future of Industry: A Conversation with Acciona Chief Innovation Officer Telmo Pérez Luaces
Acciona is already synonymous with sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy, but the company’s new initiatives are helping bring digitization to sectors that desperately need it. Chief Innovation Officer Telmo Pérez Luaces talked with JOIN about why going beyond R&D for Industry 4.0 solutions is so important, how sectors such as construction are rapidly transforming and what startups can do to stand out in the space.
Tell us about how I’mnovation, Acciona’s newly created innovation platform, is allowing Acciona to better achieve its innovation vision.
When we looked at how we innovate at Acciona, we could see that this company has been very focused on technical excellence when developing projects. Support with that comes from our R&D centers for construction, water and energy. But this way of innovation has, historically, been more focused on pure R&D than innovation on holistic activities. We were missing what is happening outside and the new business models.
That’s why we created I’mnovation — to have a broader focus when we innovate. We saw that we should evolve towards working with software companies or telecom operators, for example. We needed to change the way we choose and work with our partners.
And then there’s the whole startup ecosystem orchestrated around what we want to deliver. With water and construction, the startup ecosystems are not so vibrant. We have the chance to shape the startup ecosystem of the industry. At the same time, we create our own ecosystem.
You mentioned that several of these industries don’t have a vibrant technological ecosystem yet — such as construction and water. What are the biggest challenges facing the digitalization of these sectors right now?
Yes, especially if we talk about construction. There was a credible chart that was published some years ago, comparing the productivity gains of the main industries in the last century. When you look at that, you can see that construction is the only industry that hasn’t generated any productivity gains in the last 70 years. We are talking about an industry very much relying on old workforces.
I come from the silicon industry, and for me it’s funny to hear the civil engineers that are proud to tell that they still construct as the Romans did 2,000 years ago. So here, the main challenge is introducing digital technology for the first time in an industry — and that involves changing the culture, the processes and value chain. In the beginning, people involved are always reluctant.
For example, we’re using augmented reality — formerly we were using mockups in model scale for new buildings, a bridge or a hospital. Now, with this new technology, the customer can use glasses to foresee how the building will be outside and inside, choose colors, etc.
What are some of the current Industry 4.0 trends and technologies you’re seeing among startups?
Let us split our business in two. On the one hand, we build things — whether a windfarm or a highway. First, you need to design and build. Once it’s built, then you need to operate. If you talk about the first part, that involves technologies related to robotics, new ways of designing and making things — such as 3D printing. This is awesome and something we are already starting to implement. For the second part, operations and maintenance, I would say that anything related to IoT, big data and AI is going to change everything.
What advice do you have for startups to be successful in the space today?
On top of the generalized statements such as “fail fast,” etc., I would say that in many aspects, this is the first time that these technologies are applied to these industries in different parts of the value chain — whether the design, building, operations or maintenance. There is something now that reminds me of the internet revolution in the late ’90s. Here, many things are happening for the first time, so even the giants — IBM, Google, Microsoft, etc. — are doing things for the first time. For smaller players, there is a chance to find use cases that are providing real value in efficiency. Once you find that, there’s still the opportunity to develop it at an international level very fast. We’re still in the exciting infancy stages of Industry 4.0.
