STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
“ We have been building our remote working platforms for many years so when the lockdown came , it was quite easy ”
— Thomas Zinniker , Chief Information Officer , BKW Group
and combining new ways of storing energy , we are better equipped to deal with these uncertainties . In other areas , AI is enabling us to plan with new piping , leakages and installations and check everything fits by using Augmented Reality technologies .”
The cloud supports the group as a tool to gain flexibility – but it is just a tool , Zinniker stresses . “ Digital transformation is not just automation – it ’ s the smart integration of people , processes and technology . You need to question everything , have the right culture and be allowed to make mistakes .”
He highlights Uber as a good example of a company which could have created an app that just bundled call centres but they completely re-thought the model from the consumers ’ viewpoint .
Clean tech is another key area , though Zinniker wishes the debate wasn ’ t so “ dogmatic ” when assessing energy consumption benefits . The flexibility of a gas plant , for example , can be much better controlled and use less CO2 serving as a bridge to solar or other new technologies .
Last year , BKW became the first publicly listed Swiss company to launch a green bond for trading on the Swiss stock exchange , with CHF200 million allocated to fund sustainable projects throughout Europe .
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Strategic partnerships across markets and sectors are vital for BKW Group , he adds . They add the crucial flexibility and resilience in our growth path and let us focus on our core business . For
171 technologymagazine . com