Since we live in a time where people generally don’t have time to wait, or simply choose not to be patient, it can be a little surprising—in a good way—when you come across someone with a methodical and strategic plan. In these days when instant gratification rules, it’s clear that most businesses don’t want to run the risk of playing the long game when it comes to their investment choices. They need to see return on investment now.
So, it was a bit of a jolt to me when I interviewed this year’s FieldComm Group Plant of the Year honoree over an early morning (for me, anyway) online chat with representatives from SRF Dahej in India.
It turns out their remarkable digital transformation didn’t have a two- or three-year goal, but began all the way back in 2010 and will continue through 2030. It's a step-by-step process that's moving from legacy systems through installation of HART, WirelessHART and Foundation Fieldbus, and onward to a full-blown IIoT architecture, and exploring and planning to use AI and Ethernet APL.
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To be clear, engineers at SRF didn’t sit down in the first decade of 2000s and plot a strategy to include technologies that didn't exist yet. However, they purposefully allowed themselves the flexibility to include new innovations not yet known. In short, rather than seeking a quick sprint to instant gratification, which would inevitably lead to replanning as new options became available, they settled on a slower walk through to meet their immediate needs, and set themselves up for whatever came next.
It paid off. Today, they're in position to seamlessly integrate new protocols and devices into their existing architecture, while planning and investing in an entirely new greenfield project that will use AI and APL to their fullest capabilities. They're very much future-ready.
We can’t slow down progress, particularly when it comes to technology. New tools become available and obsolete in the blink of an eye. However, there's nothing wrong with stepping back and developing a long-term strategy, even if you don’t yet have the tools to achieve it.
It simply pays to always be prepared.
