Up to 60 percent of GDP in emerging markets will be based on digital products and services;

• Organizations must best understand how to leverage digital technologies to promote agility and resiliency;

• DP World provides an example of how digital transformation can improve efficiency, no matter the circumstances.

By : Basel Khaled 

Digital transformations have the capacity to accelerate global, regional and national economic growth, promote job creation, and lead to the creation of new industries and technologies that will promote efficiency, agility and sustainability, according to research undertaken by Schneider Electric.

The findings of Schneider Electric’s Global Digital Transformation Benefits Report, which were validated by Schneider Electric’s customers in the Middle East and Africa throughout 2020, highlighted there are four universal results of any successful digital transformation: remote capabilities; resiliency; efficiency, and sustainability. These four elements are providing digitally-focused companies with a base for growth, even during times of crisis. Speaking in the run up to Schneider Electric’s annual Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, scheduled for the 28th October, the company’s executives underlined how technology has given organizations the tools to become more resilient, efficient and capable whilst operating remotely.

The resulting benefits include an average 30 percent cost saving through energy efficiency, a typical 28 percent reduction in maintenance costs, up to 50 percent increase in equipment reliability, workplaces that can be as much as 25 percent safer for employees, and up to 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions.

Emerging nations have even more to gain from digital transformations. In 2018, research firm IDC predicted that by 2021 60 percent of emerging markets’ GDP would be based on digital products or services created from digital transformations.

In the same year, professional services firm PwC estimated that the Middle East would stand to gain significantly from Artificial Intelligence, resulting in an increase of US$320 billion to the region’s economy. The result will be the addition of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the country. Companies in Egypt are already leveraging off their own digital investments.

One example is DP World Sokhna, which operates one of the country’s largest ports with an annual capacity of approximately 1.75 Million TEUs. The port, situated at the southern entrance of the Suez Canal, is a major gateway for Egypt's trade and has been operating at maximum capacity in 2020 to meet the country’s import requirements during the pandemic.

“We’re a technology-driven organization, and we use innovations such as the Internet-of-Things, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence to keep our operations at Sokhna running as efficiently and as safely as possible this year,” said Ajay Kumar Singh, Chief Executive Officer at DP World Sokhna.

“Sokhna is one of DP World’s most important ports, and we’ve implemented smart technologies and modern innovations that will contribute to bolstering our operational efficiency and supporting our goals of providing our clients with logistics services and solutions that are among the best in the world here in Egypt. Our digital transformation has enhanced safety standards, reduced operational costs and improved operations.

We’re safer, more agile, efficient and sustainable, thanks to technology.” On the 28th of October Schneider Electric’s technology experts and customers from the region, including Egypt, will be sharing the latest in digital transformation trends and technology.

Prior registration is required for the event, which will be held online. In his speech during the press conference, Eng. Hassan El Ardy, Schneider Electric’s Vice President for the Power System division in Egypt, North Africa, and the Levant, said: “Digital transformation in the field of energy management offers all institutions exceptional opportunities to run their businesses, especially companies that have realized the necessity of digital integration of energy distribution systems.

Digital transformation achieves energy efficiency savings of up to 50%, 30% savings in energy production costs, in addition to doubling efficiency and performance reliability and reducing carbon emissions by around 50%, which is one of the major goals that we are working on at Schneider Electric.

” El Ardy added: “In recent years, Egypt has been focusing on digitizing the economy to accelerate the achievement of sustainable development, which has led to the emergence of new business models and economic growth in the country and the region as a whole, especially that Egypt has set a target of becoming a communication and technology hub at the regional and global levels.

Moreover, the spread of COVID-19 in the past months has contributed to making the role of technology central in economic development and accelerating the digitization of government entities and companies across Egypt.”