Intersecting Industrial Challenges with the Possibilities of Technology

Almost 17 years have passed since I made the transition from tech into mineral processing. As a software engineer, I was initially lukewarm on the prospect of working with “big metal machines” however as a new automation engineer, the idea of my code making them move was intriguing. Intrigue with the application of technology in this space was replaced with all out excitement a year later when I clicked the button that I had coded to safely start the very first piece of equipment at the Voisey’s Bay mill. The ensuing years and roles that progressed from automation to multi-discipline engineering to project and program management, as well as running both engineering and tech companies, have given me some perspective on the commonalities and differences between industrial-focused engineering and the development of new technology.

On the surface there are a lot of commonalities between the engineering design and technology development processes. Both start with the need to clearly understand the problem at hand, followed by a definition of the functional and technical requirements the solution needs to meet. Once this target is fully defined, the solution development phase is follows, with a quality control check done before the solution is ready to be put into use. Whether the solution is a new technology or an engineered physical asset, there is often a need for the user group to undergo a change management process to properly adopt the new product to start generating the intended value.  

While these processes are similar at a high level, the differences start to emerge as you dig deeper, beyond swapping hard hats for hoodies. The first is mindset; technology development requires an innovative mindset that pushes beyond the limits of what has been done before, while traditional engineered projects are often done inside the confines of proven methods in order to reduce risk. Risk tolerance is an important factor, since many new technologies are first used by early adopters, who have a higher risk tolerance and in fact prefer being the ones to find faults in the product that can be improved upon. Conversely, traditionally engineered industrial assets typically involve safety risk and this drives the need for less risk taking. This theme is also intertwined in the final and most significant difference between the two, which is that new technology does not strive for perfection upon release for use, since the biggest risk is that this new gadget or app will not actually solve a real-world problem that customers will pay for. This leads to the concept of releasing a minimal viable product (MVP), which is the earliest version of a product that could solve a problem for someone. Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn is famous for saying “if you aren’t embarrassed by your MVP, you waited too long”, highlighting the idea of getting an “unfinished” version of the solution out quickly on which to iterate is by far the most efficient way to ultimately achieve an optimal product. This contrasts heavily with the engineering practice of striving for perfection in design before releasing drawings in order to optimize construction costs.

Given this drastic difference in risk tolerance, you may be wondering how the two could ever meet? That’s where our team at trajectorE can support industrial organizations with Industrial Digitization solutions. With a background in industrial operations and engineering, we have a full understanding of the risks and constraints that owner-operators face. Our expertise in new technology development and delivery also gives us an in-depth understanding of the value that cloud computing, IoT, AI and other Industry 4.0 technologies can bring to the industrial sector. This combination of experience and expertise is channeled through a multi-gate process to de-risk project delivery for owners, allows us to marry industrial challenges with the possibilities of technology to generate practical solutions that create value and reduce risk for industrial customers.

If you are interested to learn more about how trajectorE can help with your next digitization project, please contact us here.