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Imagine the energy-saving possibilities in a world of smart city technologies. In every area of infrastructure, technology is enabling new possibilities, says Brian Casey, vice-president of industrial and smart energy at Celestica.
Take something as essential as city trash removal. Right now, trucks stop at every municipal bin or address in a neighbourhood, loading up no matter how much is in the container. If the trash pick-up only collected bins when they were full, think of the energy, cost and environmental benefits.
That’s happening with sensor technology, says Casey. It’s only one small illustration of what’s possible when you create smart products that power a more sustainable future.
Energy and technology companies are developing all sorts of innovations using smart tools, machine learning and data, all to make functions more efficient and cleaner.
“Sometimes something as simple as the right software with real-world sensors could revolutionize a product or market,” Casey says.
What excites Casey are the diverse applications. In energy, there are obvious targets in power generation, conversion, monitoring, controls and storage. Intelligent and connected systems are driving improvements in performance and sustainability.
Casey looks more broadly at how digital products and services are transforming any number of industrial sectors.
As companies and governments are looking to develop and upgrade infrastructure, solutions might come from firms of all sizes, he says. Original equipment manufacturers need partners that understand their market, and that have the technical and manufacturing expertise to help them bring their vision and innovations to life.
Celestica is a Canadian-based leader in design, manufacturing, hardware and supply chain solutions. Partnering with a global firm like Celestica can introduce smaller technology companies to bigger markets faster, and allow these firms to focus their time and money where they’re most needed.
“Companies have to decide where their strengths and core competencies lie, and what they’re bringing to the table that’s new,” says Casey. “We enable them to focus their energy on those core elements. For example, companies can double down on their number of software engineers, because we can take care of manufacturing or hardware development.”
He says partnerships help leaders in smart technology to accelerate, customize and scale their solutions.
That can happen in many ways. For example, Celestica has expertise in “ruggedized” electronics, which means product solutions that can function in harsh environmental conditions. Celestica can help companies build devices that can withstand shocks, vibrations and environmental stressors. That supports high reliability and safety, especially in the industrial markets where devices need to operate flawlessly.
Celestica can also help partners to navigate market requirements, including design specifications, quality standards, government regulations, tariff challenges, supply chain and logistics.
Overall, Celestica can be as involved as the customer wants or needs, from the design elements, to manufacturing and shipping, to product recycling and refurbishing solutions.
“Our participation is much broader than what you might think of from a conventional manufacturing perspective,” Casey says. “We’re not the competition to our customers. Our mission is to enable the world’s best brands. By functioning behind the scenes, we help bring these ideas to life.”
With infrastructure spending and development, the timelines are not in weeks or months but in years and decades. It’s important to keep an eye on the future, he says.
“But we make sure that we are also grounded in today, to deliver solutions that make the world safer, healthier, greener and more productive.”
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.