Just five weeks after taking over the helm at Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) from Norm Gilsdorf in a surprise move that sent Gilsdorf to Honeywell Inc.'s high-growth regions in Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East, Darius Adamczyk opened Honeywell Users Group Americas 2012 in Phoenix, Ariz. Before a record-breaking crowd of 1145 attendees from more than 25 countries, he kept his introduction low-key, explaining that, given the shortness of his tenure, no one should expect any dramatic automation visions from him.
However, he did demonstrate a pretty clear sense of direction. "I'm a strong believer in having large investments in R&D," says Adamczyk, explaining what vision he does bring to his new position. "It's the only way to really sustain the business and continue to innovate."
New Guy Opens the Show
Darius Adamczyk, Honeywell Process Solutions' new
CEO, addresses HUG 2012.
Adamczyk is also a strong proponent of servicing the installed base and taking care of customers. "I ran a service business for three years," he reminded the audience. "Staying connected is so critical, and all of you being here is a testament of that."
The theme at HUG this year was "Sustain. Ability," which these days may mean many different things to different people. Adamczyk called the term up to define today's requirement for companies to make do with fewer resources. "The only way you can really build a long-term success is to build a sustainable business, a sustainable plant," he said. "I know that every year our customers are expected to do a lot more with a lot less."
To help its customers do so, Adamczyk said that Honeywell is focused on innovation and collaboration. He added that collaboration has been underemphasized as a route to sustainability, but he wants Honeywell to collaborate more closely with its customers in order to help them to build sustainable enterprises.
"Every year, you have fewer people to operate the plant, maintain the equipment," Adamczyk said, adding that turnaround times are getting longer, which falls back on the sustainability team. "We're trying to bring you the innovations and solutions to enable you to squeeze out more out of your operation."
Honeywell's innovative history—from the industry's first distributed control system (DCS) to modern-day innovations in safety, reliability and efficiency—will not change, Adamczyk asserted. "The strategic plan that HPS has been on I think is correct," he said. "I don't anticipate any significant changes."
Where Adamczyk does expect growth is in servicing current customers. "You'll see us bringing many more solutions for the installed base—not just the latest and greatest like Experion PKS Orion, the newest upgrade to Honeywell's process control system, but other solutions," he explained. "That's one of the things that we'll emphasize more in the future."
