WLPGA asked Cavagna Group, as a board and industry council member, to take part in their LPG Talks Live Series. This time the spotlight was on the LPG industry and future plans for the Energy Transition. Alongside other companies situated in Europe, no matter the size, the consideration of the energy transition is a priority coupled with finding a way to position themselves in this path.
Cavagna Group is a key industrial partner and enabler for the regulation, control and metering safely used in all types of gases, in every step of different supply chains. As a longstanding member of WLPGA, Cavagna has watched with interest what is going on with innovation, new products and applications in the LPG market. In recent years, the Group has shown that it is ready to open up to new market scenarios.
- The Cavagna Plan for the Energy Transition
- Sustainability
- Digitalisation
- How is the ‘Internet of Things’ perceived today by the LPG industry: opportunity or imposition?
The Cavagna Plan for the Energy Transition
As Davide Cavagna explained during the WLPGA interview, Cavagna Group has always looked with respect and admiration to the paths carved out prior, even today, with the new generation that has taken the reins of the company. The Group has always remained faithful to the original mission. Wherever gas is essential to provide energy in daily life, Cavagna Group will always make available its know-how and expertise.
Today, using its 70 plus years of experience, the Group is taking a clear path. Towards a digital and a sustainable world for the energy outlook in all types of gases, in particular, renewables.
These two parallel directions and recent global events have undoubtedly played their part.
Sustainability
The pandemic took the digital world by storm and choosing the above path is not really a choice anymore. It is a responsibility. Everyone has their own personal responsibility in being sustainable, but of course also for the future sustainability of the business and of the industry.
With a growth in environmental pressures, Cavagna is always keeping the 2050 challenges we all have to meet in mind. Despite the 2050 targets in decarbonisation, gas remains one of the most valuable energy sources.
‘Restore our Earth‘ was the slogan of the last World Earth Day. In particular, this year, Cavagna Group focused on the urgent need to turn to green technologies and prefer natural processes and resources. As President Biden also recalled last April 22, at the opening of the Climate Summit, according to scientists this is a decisive decade for the fate of our planet. Today, it is very important to be in line with eco-sustainable measures.
The Cavagna Group has always had an eye for this delicate issue. It has always considered its environmental commitment as one of its key principles, seeking excellence in the quality of its products. While always making sure of the environmental impacts associated with them. In addition to the use of renewable energy sources to minimize C02 emissions and other climate-altering gases into the atmosphere, the Group has been promoting all alternative fuels for years as the best choice of alternative energy. Including public transport, heavy traffic, passenger cars and marine applications.
Bio-LPG is certainly one of the most valid green solutions in our sector. It is accessible everywhere, even in areas not covered by gas distribution networks, but it is an even more eco-sustainable energy than LPG.
The Group is also investing in the hydrogen cluster, as per the recent acquisition of REPCo, improving and growing in the field of energy. To allow integration and by understanding the increasing in the offering of upstream products and how we can use our existing knowledge as leverage in the Energy Outlook. Meaning that the Group is really part of every step of the supply chain.
Digitalisation
In the last period, despite the completely out of the ordinary situation that was faced due to Covid-19, the Group’s digitalisation process has continued to progress. Actually, the pandemic outlined the need to speed up with this transformation.
Today, more so than ever, it is inevitable to “surrender” to the digital transformation, but it’s also important that one cannot simply be carried away by the “wave of innovation“. This must be ridden; and one must take the reins! It is precisely for this reason that Cavagna have chosen to invest a lot of resources in precisely that. Processes needed to change quickly due to the pandemic. However, considering the Group’s large international presence from Italy, doing things remotely is somewhat familiar. Therefore, the salespeople had to become digital salespeople overnight!
In regards to R&D, welcoming opportunities that the latest generation of technology has made available, guarantees greater technical performance and a higher standard of quality and safety.
Deciding to focus on innovation, recently Cavagna has invested in the field of Industry 4.0. The aim is ensuring that digital technology and artificial intelligence become an integral part of Cavagna’s modus operandi, starting with production processes. Again, making meaningful contributions in all developments.
Cavagna Group is one of the first companies which have understood the need to approach IoT technologies in the gas sector as well. This philosophy is found in the development phase behind the new smart products on which the Group are focusing. Again, the field of action is not limited to a single sector or application: our IoT products range from measurement, regulation and control for LPG, Natural Gas, Oxygen and Hydrogen.
How is the ‘Internet of Things’ perceived today by the LPG industry: opportunity or imposition?
With IoT technologies and the use of smart and connected devices, today we have the opportunity to boost our business. A great help in dealing with even the most difficult situations comes from the collection, analysis and visualization of data. In addition, this is undoubtedly true for the gas sector.
The phrase ‘digital transformation’ has been said hundreds of times, but having as much information as possible today is essential to be able to plan and be competitive in the existing market. The data that gas distribution companies can collect thanks to devices capable of communicating the measured values, has today become strategic. Having continuous updates on the status and position of the delivered devices, allows not only optimization of internal logistics, but also to better understand the habits and behaviours of customers. Also allowing prediction and preparation for future patterns.
The added value of OTUS, the digital platform developed by Cavagna for the remote management of interconnected devices, lies in the combination of IoT + gas expertise. Customers who have already chosen this platform have chosen to take advantage of a complete and reliable service. This was because it was designed by a company that, let’s say, “speaks their language”. This cloud platform was created by identifying with customers to meet their needs for simplicity, reliability and security.
So to answer the question, IoT must be seen as an opportunity even by the LPG sector, which for many years has remained anchored to more traditional products and processes. By using the Group’s experience in the gas industry and the skills acquired also in the IoT sector, Cavagna Group has set the goal of being a reference point for all of those LPG companies that are still in the process of changing or that have not yet embraced these new technologies.