Artificial intelligence is consuming ever larger areas. The advantages it offers are well understood in the industrial automation industry, where they are investing significant resources in development and research.
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More giants operating in the automation industry are recognising that without serious investment in AI, one can very quickly fall behind the departing train that the competition has caught on to.
Time for change
Automation Trader guests who have eaten their teeth on the digital revolution and innovation spoke on the matter. According to Floris Provoost, who has been working with some of the world's biggest companies for years, there is no going back. - You can keep doing the same thing and not change. Deliver the same services and processes. But the market, the users and their needs and requirements change - he said during a visit to our studio.
According to Sebastian Lemieszek from Siemens, development and progress is indeed accelerating and all these revolutionary changes are happening right before our eyes, but there is still a lot to be done. - I think we are somewhere in between and this hurrah optimism about the next revolution is still premature - he said.
Big player
The rules of the game, which have therefore changed a great deal in recent years, have been understood at ABB, one of the leading players in the global market. The result? No one fudged reality or watched the moves of the competition. The company went into action, adapting to the conditions.
Such a move on ABB's part was the acquisition of Meshmid, a leader in the Bosnian software services market. All this to expand its capabilities regarding artificial intelligence, machine learning, industrial internet of things, as well as research and development.
This is already the second such acquisition made by ABB in recent times. Not so long ago, the giant made the acquisition of Sevensense, another developmental project from the AI and autonomous robot market.
Knowledge and people
These acquisitions do not only allow ABB to acquire infrastructure and technology. It is also - and perhaps above all - people. Artificial intelligence specialists, engineers, researchers and scientists who have the knowledge that is so valuable today. Knowledge that is already worth its weight in gold today, and in a short time anyone who possesses it will be in demand on the job market.
- With this acquisition, we will greatly accelerate the development of our software, as well as solutions that rely on artificial intelligence. This, in turn, will make automation even more adaptive and accessible to more companies - admitted ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation's Sami Atiya, responsible for the business area.
The financial details of both deals have not been disclosed, but it is speculated that as early as 2024, both acquisitions could bring tangible benefits to ABB. In both cases, however, it is more about getting ahead of the competition's moves. For there is no mistaking that the next battles of the industry giants will be fought precisely on innovation, speed of research and better use of AI. Whoever gains the upper hand in these fields can very quickly take a dominant position in the market.
