—
Sustainable
operations throughenergy efficiency
The Interim Report
An interview series to explore current trends and key
challenges around the topic of developing energy efficientbusinesses towards a more sustainable world.

November 2021
ABB Motion Smart Lab and University of St.Gallen—
Table of contents003	
Foreword
004 – 005	
The Project
Overview
How to participate?
006 – 016	
Initial Findings
006 – 009
What drives transformation?
010 – 014
What are the existing challenges?
014 – 016
Which initiatives & use-cases are 		
being pursued?
017	End Remarks
Let's work together
018	Acknowledgements
ABB Contributors

3

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T—
Foreword
Dear stakeholders,
The past 5 years have deeply impacted the history of mankind, not just because of the effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because they have highlighted issues thatthe world must address rapidly. In particular, the increasing problems caused by climatechange have directed people's attention to topics regarding sustainability and energy efficiency.
Many conventions and movements try to raise awareness about energy efficiency-related
topics. Hence, becoming more sustainable by increasing energy efficiency is an important
stepping-stone for industries. However, the implementation of energy-efficient businesspractices is not simple and until today, many companies still face roadblocks on the path towards this transformation.
How should companies deal with the topic? Will their industry be affected? How? What challenges does this journey entail? How can companies overcome these obstacles? Can digitaltechnologies and new business models drive the transformation towards a more sustainable world, with energy efficiency as one key pillar?
We, at the University of St.Gallen and ABB, are working together to find answers to thesequestions. After conducting more than 30 interviews with representatives of industrial organizations worldwide, we would like to present to you our initial findings in this interim report. In a second report we will share more comprehensive results and details.
“It is estimated that roughly 70% of electricity consumed by industry is used by electrical motors. If all of the more than 300 million industrial electric motor-driven systems currently in operation were replaced with optimized, high-efficiency equipment, global electricity consumption could be reduced by up to 10%. Energy efficiency leads our agenda, and we are focusedon helping our customers to reduce CO₂ emissions and waste to meet environmental regulations and their own targets while optimizing their use of energy.”– Mari E. Haapala, ABB Motion Digital Lead

Thank you to all who have already participated and have organized the interviews. We sincerely appreciate your dedication and time. To all those who have not had the chance to takepart in the activity, we hope these results will inspire you to join us.
Let us work together towards a greener future and stay curious!

Prof. Thomas Friedli
University of St.Gallen

Mari Emilia Haapala
ABB

4

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T—
The ProjectIn the past couple of years, there has been agrowing consciousness among industrial companies, including ABB, as well as increased pressure
from clients to adopt sustainable measures, suchas offering greener and more energy-efficient
services and products. Policymakers in many
countries have also raised concerns on ‘climatechange’ and are set to tighten the regulations toaddress the needs of environmental protection.
Although energy-efficient practices are necessary to ensure a greener future, keeping up withgrowing demands remains a challenge. Manycompanies just started the exploration phase andvarious topics, such as implementation of bestpractices remains unclear. To create a better understanding about best implementation strategies, ABB, in collaboration with the University of
St. Gallen, decided to initiate a study with the following objectives:

As a first step towards the first two objectives
semi-structured empathy interviews were conducted with ABB Motion customers.
The following pages contain a preview to thefindings of the first 30 interviews. The research
will continue until beginning of 2022. The final report will be released in Q1 2022.

Achievements

Targets

30+ participants
15+ countries
12+ industries
30 trees planted

100+ participants
20+ countries
15+ industries
100+ trees planted• First, to reveal the status quo of sustainability
topics targeting energy efficiency in industrial
companies.
• Second, to identify the prevailing challenges
that companies face when initiating energy-efficient practices.
• Third, to provide an in-depth analysis of concrete use-cases that can help achieve sustainable goals that target energy efficiency.
• Fourth, to help shape, align, and accelerate energy-efficient activities in industrial companies.

?

—
Did you know?
37% of the global energy
consumption in 2018 was
generated by the industrial
sector?
– IEA (2020), Tracking Industry 2020, IEA, Paris
https://www.iea.org/reports/tracking-industry-2020

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T

5—Overview
1

JUNE – OCTOBER 2021
Empathy interviews of 60min with multiple
stakeholders from various industries andcountries to gather in-depth insight.

0
Automation
Chemicals

2

4

6

8

10

12

South America

Copper, Metal, Steel
EnergyNorth America

Food&Beverage
Oil&GasEuropePulp&Paper
PharmaAsia

Semiconductor
W&WW
Africa2

Exhibit 1. Industry origin of participants, September 2021

Exhibit 2. Geographic origin of participants, September 2021

AS OF NOVEMBER 2021
Interested participants can take part in a shortquantitative online survey. Additionally, a 60-minute empathy interview can be arranged for thoseinterested and open to share their experience andthoughts further on a personal level.

—
How to participate?
There are two options:• Publicly available online survey• A personal 60-minute empathy interview –please get in touch withjonathan.roesler@unisg.ch

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

3

MARCH 2022
The final report will be presented to all participants. Furthermore, anonymized results will beshared in a webinar with the community.

6

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T—
Initial Findings

By diving into in-depth conversations about sustainability, mainly focusing on topics regarding
energy efficiency, this initiative aims to increase
understanding of how different stakeholders perceive the topic. The following pages will present
the initial findings of these conversations, thatgive a first impression as to why this topic matters to the stakeholders, what drives them to implement energy-efficient practices, as well as,
where they see the prevailing roadblocks. The initial results do not only reveal existing ideas to accelerate such practices, but also unveil the needto raise further questions which shall be exploredin the future course of the study.

What drives
transformation?
From the changing regulatory environment, to
new business opportunities, six main transformation drivers for sustainable practices targeting
energy efficiency have been identified.
Customer pressure
The findings show supporting evidence that anincreasing number of end-customers, especiallythose from younger generations, expect suppliers to transition towards sustainable operationand practices, including energy-efficient strategies, products, and services. Customers’ demandfor products and services that meet higher standards, particularly in terms of carbon dioxide neutrality, is intensifying.

80% state thatsustainability is an
important factor for
their customers’
customers

However, while customer demand for energy efficiency is increasing, many interviewees pointed
out that the cost for new investments remains themain purchasing criteria. Hence, energy efficiency is perceived to be a key driver of transformation, but not the sole priority.
—
6 key drives of transformation#customer pressure#actual and perceived regulatory pressure#new business opportunities#saving costs#societal responsibility#personal drive“If you look at young people today,
the first questions they have are:
“Is the company sustainable?”“How much does the company respect the environment?”– Maintenance and Energy Manager, South America“One of our biggest customers
has a customer that is really interested in sustainability and CO₂
free products. […] The end customer is increasingly asking forthese products. It’s quite different
to 5 years ago, because people
are basing their decisions on theenvironmental impacts the product has.”– General Manager, Europe

7

ART I CL E OR CH AP T ER T I TL E

780%
of interviewees agree that government
regulations or subsidies would drive theircompany to act more sustainable“Our consumers are becoming“Regulation will force us to doeven more aware of these issues.
more in the future.”
Because of the changing market– Production Manager, Europe
we have pushed for 100% reusable and/or recyclable bottles. It“I wouldn’t say subsidies are theis a reality that consumers arelooking for that. [...] The "one way" effective way of promoting sustainability and energy efficiency.
is no longer well perceived by
I think what really pushes thesemany of our consumers.”
practices is government pressure.
– Improvement and Productivity manager, North America
Our government does put pressure on us on some occasions.
Actual and perceived regulatory pressure
Most participants agree that government regulaFor example, they have modified
tions or subsidies drive their company towards
the water discharge regulations.
energy-efficient solutions. Still, the findings
seem to reveal that the number of existing regula[…] That forces us to optimize thetions and the level of perceived pressure depend
use of water[...]. So, I do not know
on contextual factors, such as the geographicallocation and the industry the company operates
if it is correct to say that governin. Also, some interviewees believe that subsidies
ment subsidies are a driver toare not the appropriate incentives to promotethese topics, whereas others find this to be an efwards energy efficiency. I think it
fective form of governmental support. In fact, theis rather governmental pressure
topic of subsidies seems to be so controversial,that even respondents from the same country
that forces us to have such soluhave different views on it. Therefore, more retions.”
search is needed to provide a clearer overview of
how regulations could affect the adoption of green
solutions in different locations and industries.

– Improvement and Productivity manager, North America

8

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T“Again, I think regulations are still“Sustainability, abide our worknot strong enough to force imme- spaces, is about how we can havediate actions. But yes, there is aa healthy business for as long as
potential that regulations will
possible by contributing not only
force us to implement such practo the market but also contributtices more and more in the future.” ing to social responsibilities, interms of people, job creation and– VP Global Adv. Manufacturing Engineer, Europe
those type of things. All that while[…] maintaining our profit margins.”“Of course, it is a booster for com– Senior Engineering Manager, Africa
panies to think in that direction.
But we always set our benchmark
Some identified such practices as cost saving
way ahead of the local laws andstrategies for manufacturing in the long run. Conregulations. For instance, whensequently, the companies which draw this link arealso more proactive in driving environmentally
there was no environmental rulefriendly topics forward.
here, we had started installing
continuous emission monitoring
systems across our plant […]. So, “If we don’t make the mine enerwe spent almost 10 million on this gy-efficient, it reduces the life of
the mine and will cost us muchone equipment, and before thegovernment came with that regu- more over the years.”lation, most of our plants were
– Senior Engineering Manager, Africa
ready.”– Automation-Electrical Engineering, Asia

New business opportunities & cost savings
The interviews showed that most companies recognized that adopting sustainable practices targeting energy efficiency is not only socially responsible, but it can also help to generate more
revenue by offering new products and services
that provide a competitive advantage.

“When consuming more energy,
products become expensive. 40%
of costs in the cement industry
are a result of energy consumption. […] Being energy-efficientmeans, you are generating morecash flow for the company andshareholders.
– Automation-Electrical Engineering, Asia

9

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T“Let’s just take a simple example.
So, we have a sustainability project and it saves us […] about
10million bucks in a year on ourannual number. In 3 years, thosesame 10million […] are suddenly
worth 13million […]. So, I think, if
we take that into account whentalking about such projects, it
makes it easier to promote sustainability. This, because I knowthat eventually, when some ofthese projects are executed, especially the long-term ones, […]the value of these is going to be
worth a lot more than what we
see today […]”– Senior Engineering Manager, Africa

Personal drive
The statistics show the participants desire to become more ecofriendly on a personal level and todevelop a favorable attitude towards green technologies.

“I myself am a big advocate of energy efficiency and even more sosustainability, that’s why I’ve beenpushing on EMS Systems.”– Electrical Engineer, Asia

“I tell people all the time, you haveto pollute, there is no way for us
not to pollute, it’s part of theworld we live in. The thing is, that
we have to pollute consciously. We
need to know that the resources
we are getting out of this are balanced with what we are destroying.”– Global Environmental Specialist, North America

Still, the degree to which these attitudes influence their decision-making at work remains unclear. For instance, some interviewees stated,that applying energy saving measures at home ismuch easier than at work, due to factors wheremultiple stakeholders are involved, such as budget allocation or financial prioritizations.

In their private lives, they try to reduce their impact on the environment by living more environmentally friendly. Interviewees stated that thismindset affects their decisions at work. Eventually this increases the chances of favoring moreenergy-efficient solutions within their operations.

95%of the respondents agree that the importanceof energy efficiency at a business level is
rapidly increasing

10

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T

Transformation depends on various factors
The initial findings show that transformation
drivers depend on many organizational and market-level factors, such as geography, company
size, and management vision. The pace of implementation of new measures differs a lot, depending on the industry. While some industries havealready implemented or have started to implement various measures targeting the issue of energy waste, other industries are yet to kick offsuch initiatives. Further research is required tosuccessfully identify which industries are alreadyvery involved, and which still need to work onthese topics. Also, local energy prices and customer pull were identified as factors that may
greatly drive transformation towards a more energy-efficient industry.

“When the building and construction industry makes big projects
and is about to buy installations
or building blocks, it usually analyses which company offers themost sustainable building block
to do this big project. […] But inthe industry that we are mainly involved, this topic is not that far
yet. But I’m sure that will change
in the future. Customers will ask
us and our competitors: “Who has
the most sustainable product?”– Energy Engineer, Europe

Further investigation is needed regarding factors
such as cultural influences, to gain better insights
as to why energy-efficient practices accelerate
faster in some environments than others.

What drives your industry
towards more sustainable
practices targeting energy
efficiency?
Do local factors and regulatory
restrictions impact yourorganization’s decisionmaking? If so, which ones?
What business opportunities
do you see by applying suchpractices?

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

What are theexisting challenges?
Results underline that although in most companies there is a drive and a willingness to implement energy-efficient practices, challenges still
remain. Five barriers on the path to energy efficiency were identified.
—
5 transformation barriers#Communication#Required mindset-shift#Gap between will and practice#Short-term orientation#Resource Allocation

11

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T“We would like the client to speak
up. What are their plans? What dothey want to achieve? Because
they all have different parameters.”– Electrical Engineer, Asia

Communication
Most of the interviewees perceive communication as a stepping-stone towards the adoption ofenergy-efficient solutions. To reach efficiency, allstakeholders and parties should be on the same
page regarding the status quo and the future
roadmap. They think that better communicationis needed internally, as well as with partners.
Adopting new practices often comes with internal resistance. Interviews showed that to accelerate a mindset-shift, efficient communication
within an organization is essential to overcome
obstacles, such as fears, knowledge gaps, misunderstandings, or insecurities. Many state, that if
the different departments of an organization
communicated more often, it would be easier tofind a good solution or make the right investment, as they would have a better understanding,
after considering the different viewpoints.
When it comes to external communications, customers should be made aware of all available
green alternatives that match their specific business needs. Also, suppliers should be informed bytheir customers about the needs and plans. With
this, suppliers could have a better understandingof how to better assist and drive towards energy-efficiency.
Moreover, it was mentioned, that communication
creates awareness and helps to promote a green
mindset that could potentially steer projects andideas towards energy efficiency.

“Time is one of the constraints,
but one should always remember
to allocate some time for partnerships and for that kind of workthat drives the agenda together
with others.”– Head of Sustainability, Europe“Challenges are not necessarily on
the technical side, but in the understanding and trust of the end
users. Therefore, we should involve the end user from the start.
If people are not involved andthey don’t believe, they don’t
adapt to change.”– Senior Engineer Manager, Africa“Another constraint would be to
make sure that the value is clear
for all parts. ”– Head of Sustainability, Europe

12

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T

Required mindset shift
Interviewees perceive sustainability as a mindset.
Thus, many respondents believe that to progress
towards greener practices, a change of mindset
must be achieved throughout the whole organization, from management to the operational employees.

“Unfortunately, the mindset ofmany big businesses has notchanged in the last 20 years”– Senior Energy Manager, Europe“For efficiency improvement you
have to influence change, whether
if it’s just in control, operating or
in maintenance strategy or incommodity consumption. Change
is usually one of the biggest frontiers you have to overcome.”– Maintenance Manager, Africa

Many state that management is usually open tothis change if it is presented with a positive impact, such as a positive business outcome. However, some respondents have noticed, that operators are not being properly trained for thischange in mindset, creating a barrier for more energy-efficient practices.
Hence, training was mentioned as an important
step towards the change in perception. Some examples given were “Gemba Walks ” and training
sessions on KPI analysis and correct use of data.

¹ A gemba walk is a simple yet powerful lean
method done by employers to promote continuous improvement.
Gemba Walk is a workplace walkthrough whichaims to observe employees, ask about theirtasks, and identify productivity gains.
(SafetyCulture, 2021)“We have to improve by making
sure that everybody understands
the need of data. Understand theimpact of the data. How do you
measure efficiency that goes beyond the anecdotal?”– Head of the sustainability department, Europe“One of the things my manager
pushed was Gemba Walks […].
You utilize that opportunity not
only to look for production issues
when you’re talking to the employee because their seeing it day
in and day out, but what teases
out of that is that you get energy
reduction and sustainability […]. Ivery much encourage Gemba
Walks¹.”– Global Environmental Specialist, North America

The gap between willingness and practice
80% of the participants agreed that there is astrong willingness of management to drive towards energy-efficient practices. This willingness, however, as agreed by many interviewees,
needs to be translated into sustainable action.

“In the most recent management
review, out of a 30min meeting,
18min went strictly to sustainability targeting.”– Global Environmental Specialist, North America“The willingness is there but what
is said is sometimes not the way
it is acted. So, I would say the willingness is there, the activities resulting out of the willingness aremaybe a different situation.”– VP Global Adv. Manufacturing Engineer, Europe“Definitely. Still, it doesn’t meanthat management necessarily
knows exactly what to do and thatis the challenge. But they do havethe commitment.”– Head of the sustainability department, Europe

13

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T“Certainly, I think that this area is“I feel that we sometimes prioriwhat we are investing efforts intize the wrong topics just be[…]. A sustainability division has
cause we want to have somebeen created in the area of opera- short-term quick wins.”
tions.”– Engineering Manager, Asia

– Maintenance and Energy Manager, South America“A sustainable agenda is beginning to emerge, not driven by any
area of the operation but by the
directive committee.”– Improvement and Productivity manager, North America

Short-term strategies
Prioritizing short-term purchasing criteria canlead to overlooking the long-term benefits of energy consumption reduction.

As indicated by some respondents, purchasing
decisions are often made based on the ROI, eventhough the Life Cycle Cost Analysis, which includes the cost for externalities, is perceived as
the more sustainable criteria for decision making.
A same offer can perform differently, depending
on how success is measured. This might make asustainable solution look less attractive andchoosing it becomes challenging. Also, some respondents noted that identifying the correct decision-maker is persistently difficult andtime-consuming.

“We need to influence the manager or someone who makes thedecision. Sometimes we can“Every investment, even if it is atouch the maintenance manager,
sustainable investment, maybe
but they can’t make the decision,
does not have a business caseso it becomes complicated tothat generates cash immediately,
find the decision-maker. Often,
but it will pay back over the years. we need solution promoters,[…] Because your return of invest- “coaches”, but there isn’t always
ment is maybe two or three years, one.”you’re not getting the investment
done, because currently manage- – Digital product manager, Asia
ment is looking for a return of in“You feel it is a more sustainable
vestment in 6 months or 3
product, it is a more energy effimonths.”
cient product, but if it is too ex– VP Global Adv. Manufacturing Engineer, Europe
pensive, so we can’t go for it.”– Electrical Engineering, Asia

14

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T“Top management wants to have
immediate savings, but this is notsustainable in the long run.”– Electrical Engineer, Asia

“The business people look at the
profitability a business brings
within the two to three following
years. I advise them to look at thebusiness for the long term and toanalyze what value they are creating for this society. That’s what’s
important.”– Chief Sustainability Officer, Asia

“If I have to talk about one blockage, it is again, to make sure thatthe commitment from top management is translated into timeand resources to do the work[…]
and getting the learning out of it.”– Head of the sustainability department, Europe

Resource Allocation
Interviewees considered lack of resources, suchas time, infrastructure, and capital, as obstacles
for executing some promising projects. Moreover,according to most interviewees, it is not seldom,that resources do not reach the person in chargeof implementing the project or that such projects
are assigned to an employee that already has
many other tasks. Furthermore, the interview
findings uncovered lack of certain skills thatwould be beneficial to accelerate adoption of energy saving practices. For instance, effective data
analysis and interpretation.

“The biggest problem is the resource allocation […] and the issues that come with balancing
these in daily operations.”– Global Environmental Specialist, North America“We have little time to concentrateourselves in such specific projects, or to go into detail.”– Energy Maintenance Manager, Europe

Why is it hard for industrial
companies to start thetransformation? What
roadblocks do you see, to reachenergy efficiency?
How can energy efficiency
be financially attractive?
How to prioritize energy
efficiency related initiatives
in daily business?
Does your organization invest
sufficient resources in energy
efficiency?

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTSWhich initiatives & use-cases are being pursued?
Despite the challenges, interviewees made it
clear, that their companies are driving towards
energy efficiency & sustainability. 3 recurring
practices were detected: upgrading of equipment,utilizing digitalization to overcome a lack of reliable data, and adopting new business models.

15

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T

86% 87%of the interviewees strongly believe,that upgrading their equipment could
be a viable option to save energyof the interviewees strongly agree, thatmonitoring and tracking of equipment’s
energy efficiency is importantUpgrading equipment
One standard way to lower the energy consumption is to regularly upgrade existing inefficientequipment with modern, more energy-efficientsolutions.
Digitalization
According to some respondents, certain investment decisions are based on intuition. On theother hand, they also understand the importanceof drawing conclusions based on data rather thaninstincts. The study shows that interviewees
agree that monitoring and tracking energy efficiency is important for their operations.
With digitalization, information, such as condition, status, performance, and energy consumption, becomes easily accessible. Thereafter, energy saving potentials can be made transparent,
easing an information based decision-making
process.

“I am in the process of digitizing
the mines, as it gives us very important information”– Senior Engineer Manager, Africa“We are working on progressing with correct monitoring.
Then, with the help of the datathat is born from this monitoring, we want to make theright decisions, avoiding decisions based on gut feeling,
but choosing based on data.”– Energy Maintenance Manager, Europe“When you are in a field like I am
and you have equipment that you
look after from a production pointof view, availability, utilization,
condition monitoring, maintenance schedules, energy efficiency, that all becomes one basket. […] If we don’t equip thatmine with the modern technology,
we have available today and thenwe start to plan the budget, wefind ourselves in a scenario where
we cut off 10 years of the life ofthat mine.”– Senior Engineer Manager, Africa“We need this transparency forourselves, to know what we aredoing and to fully understand our
production process. So, if wehave this data, we can also use it
to show our customers or suppliers what we are doing and how
efficient we are doing that.”– Energy Engineer, Europe

16

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T“Internally, the finance manager,
data manager, they all should
work together and analyze what
our systems tell us and measure;
Where do we have the higher
costs? Where do we use most energy? We should have the bigger
picture, to make the decision
about the right investment”– Energy Maintenance Manager, Europe“How do we measure that our
product is more energy efficientthan another one? How do wemeasure our handprint? That issuper difficult.”– Head of the sustainability department, Europe

New business models
The challenges that interviewees face while implementing energy-efficient operations, havepushed some companies to explore new businessmodels, such as outcome-based service agreements or subscription-based contracts.

Pioneered by the tech industry, Product-as-a-Service is a business model where payment for theequipment and corresponding services are madethrough a subscription rather than a one-off
transaction. Purchasers in this case, do not always become owners of the equipment, theywould rather receive recurring service.
Outcome-based contracts typically tie at least a
portion of the price to the achievement of specific, measurable performance requirements suchas decrease in energy consumption. Payment isdue when these pre-determined goals are met.
Interviewees are willing to discuss the possibilityof adopting such business models, yet they stilltake these with caution, as some challenges prevail. For instance, questions such as, how to appropriately measure energy consumption or how
to avoid dependency, frequently come up.

“There is no limitation of either
subscription-based or a buying-selling contract. It really depends on the financial analysis.”– Maintenance and Energy Manager, South America“We are already busy with that.
We’ve got multiple examples ofthat in different plants and notjust on things as simple as, I
would say, office supplies, butalso physical pieces of equipment
like compressors and larger
pieces of control equipment.”– Maintenance manager, Africa

17

S U S TA I N A B L E O P E R AT I O N S T H R O U G H E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y I N T E R I M R E P O R T

What is your perception ofalternative business models?

—
End Remarks
Let’s work together

What drives your company toachieve a higher energy
efficiency?

Your contribution will help to research² current
trends and key challenges around the topic of energy efficiency. As a small sign of our appreciation & motivation we will plant one tree per survey³.

Why are efficiency potentials
not exhausted?
Which best practices are youaware of in your industry?

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTSAs previously stated, the presented findings inthis mid-term report are not final but reveal key
areas of interest, gaps, and the need to deepen
this activity. A final report containing valuable insights and conclusions will be published by end of
Q1 2021.
All interviews and surveys conducted and to be
conducted are essential to this research and on
behalf of the entire research team, we express our
sincere gratitude to all those who have shared
their time, knowledge, commitment, and passion
for this issue.
In case of any questions, please do not hesitate tocontact us.

² All the information anddetails you provide willbe treated confidentiallyand will be processed
only for market research
purposes, on an anonymous basis³ https://ww3.unipark.
de/uc/abb_energy _efficiency _movement/

Benedikt Klatt
Motion Services
Smart Lab
benedikt.klatt@de.abb.com

Jonathan Rösler
University of St.Gallen
Institute of Technology
jonathan.roesler@unisg.ch

—Acknowledgements
A special thanks goes out to all ABB colleagues who have contributed their time and effort, in setting up and conducting interviews to make this research possible. Your contribution ismuch valued and helped us to bring out a global perspective onenergy efficiency.
Also, a special thanks to One Tree Planted for supporting our
mission to make the world a little bit greener.
ABB Contributors
The Americas
Team Brazil
Team Mexico
Team Panama
Team US

Asia
Team India
Team Indonesia
Team Philippines
Team China
Middle East and Africa
Team South Africa© Copyright 2021 ABB. All rights reserved.
Specifications subject to change without notice.

9AKK108466A1666

EuropeTeam Belgium
Team England
Team Finland
Team Germany
Team Sweden
Team Switzerland