January 7, 2025 • 22 mins
Air fryers are a godsend – especially when you want crispy fries without the mess and fuss of a deep fryer. Easy and instant, it’s hard to imagine life without it. But like any kitchen appliance, they need regular care to keep delivering the results you expect.
Just as you wouldn’t leave kitchen appliances unattended, high-voltage systems require the same amount of TLC and proactive maintenance. Service and maintenance aren’t just about fixing issues after they occur – it’s also about keeping everything in tip-top shape to avoid problems before they even happen.
In this episode, we invited Sofia Sauvageot, Head of Global Product Group High Voltage Service at Hitachi Energy, to break down the service strategies and trends that will safeguard the high-voltage grid.
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Sofia Sauvageot, Head of Global Product Group High Voltage Service of the High Voltage Products business at Hitachi Energy.
Sofia holds a material engineering degree from Ecole Européenne d’Ingénieurs en Genie des Matériaux, Nancy France and from Lulea University, Sweden. Throughout her 25-year career, she held various roles in manufacturing, project management, R&D, marketing, and sales.
Sofia is a high-energy go-getter who loves pushing boundaries, both in her career and personal life. Passionate about the energy transition, she finds fulfillment in the challenges that motivate and empower her to make a real difference in the world.
Sofia also enjoys meeting new people and lives by the motto, “The sky is the limit.”
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Make sure to follow us and click the notification button to get updates on new episodes.
Visit www.hitachienergy.com/powerpulse for more information.
The Power Pulse podcast is produced and edited by Creative Chimps for Hitachi Energy.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
High voltage takes center stage
in this season of HitachiEnergy's Power Pulse podcast.
We promise to bring you great contentfrom the brightest minds in the business.
We'll discuss challenges, opportunities,and all the hot topics
any high voltage enthusiast
or anyone interested in sustainabilityfor that matter, is sure to enjoy.
In this episode of podcast, we'll discussthe role of service as an offering.
(00:22):
We have an installed base of equipmentin our power grid, which needs to be
looked after if it is to have improvedlongevity and performance.
To tell you about it,we invited Sofia Sauvageot to join us.
Sofia is the head of High Voltage ProductsService at Hitachi Energy,
and will tell youabout the different solutions
available to optimize performanceof existing equipment
and meet the changing needs of everybusiness and the industry as a whole.
(00:43):
Sofia is a trained materials engineer
and studied across a number of countrieslike Sweden, Spain and France.
She has been working in thisindustry for over 20 years.
Welcome back to Power Pulse.
I'm your host, Sam Dash, and todayI'm speaking with Sofia Sauvageot,
head of the global product groupat High Voltage Service.
Hi, Sofia. Hello.
(01:03):
Thank you. You're very welcome.
In doing my research about you,I learned you have a few horses.
Is that right? Yes.
I have a tendency to collect them.
It's probably one of the largest thingsyou can collect.
Well, there are bigger cars.
I'm told also that you have a particularskill in naming horses as well.
Did I hear right?
(01:24):
One of them is Risottoand another is Trompeta. Yes,
but it's actually not me, because this isalso the tradition with the horses.
So the Risotto, he is born
the year of the r’s So then all horsesneeds to be named with an ‘r’.
So his breeder then found the name Risottofor him, which suits him very well.
(01:44):
It's a very independent ponythat does what he wants.
And Trompeta, she is a Lippizaner horse.
And that is very particularbecause it's one of the oldest breeds
since more than 300 years,and it's managed by the military.
So it's a system whereif the mother is named Trompeta,
the foal is named Trompeta,if it's a mare, right.
(02:05):
And if it is a combination– that it is a male horse, then it takes
the name of the father and the mother,and it's the combined name.
And you add numbers to that.
So Trompeta is actually Trompeta 36.
And then you add on an incrementlike this.
Right.
So this is how it works.
As the lineagecontinues. We call her Tara.
(02:27):
I would loveto see some images of this horse farm.
It I'm sure it's bucolic.
Yes. You can follow that on Instagramor on internet.
So high voltageby day and horses by night. Yes.
Makes sense to me that you would havethat balance in your life.
Something that's very hands onand very sensorial, and then something
more heady, like the workyou do at High Voltage.
(02:50):
So let's actually jump into your roleat High Voltage.
What is service within High Voltage?
So service in highvoltage is a lot of things.
But I think first of all is to be close tothe customers and listen to their needs,
but also to guide the customerto what they need for the future.
And today with the energy transition,we need the existing installed base
to continue to live for much longerthan it was initially planned.
(03:13):
So this is really where service kicksin, how we can prolong the life cycle
of our equipment, but also decarbonizeand help the customers to move forward.
Right.
In this service sector,your area of expertise, how do you
as a team, ensure effective communicationand the passing on of knowledge?
What are the key qualities you look forin members of your department?
So first of all, you need to be curious.
(03:34):
You want to go beyondand push the boundaries because service
is also about that.
The classic image is the, that the person
who can fix anything by himself –the MacGyver series in the 80s.
So this kind of image.
But that has evolved today.
You need also to be savvy with technology.
That means you need to be able to useall the modern tools,
including artificial intelligence,that we hope to implement shortly.
(03:56):
But this is the mix of the oldunderstanding and still be projecting
on the latest technologies.
And that's why to keepthis knowhow is really crucial
not only for us,but also for our customers,
because when you sit on assets,that becomes 40, 60 or 80 years old,
you have to have several generationsworking on the same products.
That's why we are investing heavilyin our training centers,
(04:18):
where we can train the customersas our internal people
on all our products,including the old legacy products.
Right.
And so what does that training look like?
So it is a mix between,
today virtual training, of course,which is online, and e-learning,
as well as a lot of hands on trainingson the actual modules
of high voltage that we havethen present in our training centers.
(04:40):
And this is then with classroom trainingsand practical trainings
in sort of the workshoparea of the training center.
So it's really this combination.
And we have a former certificationand also then recycling
so that people keep the knowhow up to datewith the latest evolutions
because we also upgrade equipmentsso then people need to learn
how to implement the upgrades.
(05:00):
So this is continuouslearning – is really key in service.
Yeah, I can imagine you really lookfor people who can be quite flexible
in their ability to navigate how oftenthe technology is upgraded, essentially.
Is that right?
Yes. And also,we should not forget that our field
serviceengineers are highly skilled engineers.
Some are also PhD.
So this is a highly skilled workforcethat I would say
(05:23):
have a great capabilityalso to take decisions on site.
And many of those that arethe most skilled, they become trainers
themselves in our training centersat the end of their career.
And so they continue on that sort of bodyof knowledge and training.
Yeah.
Now, could you give us a basicunderstanding of warranty for relatable
consumer products such as mobilephones, gaming consoles, cameras, cars,
(05:46):
or even an air fryer,which is a very popular device these days?
I would saythe warranty is always warranty.
The customer expect also serviceand resolutions if something doesn't work.
So that doesn't change
whether we are in the consumer businessor with the high voltage business.
The implications, however, is much bigger.
If your air fryer doesn't work, it'syou and your family who get hit
(06:09):
or your friends.
If you're having a party and invitingpeople for dinner, that it doesn't work.
So the impact is less.
However, the impact of a substationnot working, not providing
electricity to critical infrastructuresuch as hospitals, schools
or military infrastructureor the city lights
that immediately hitsthe primary consumer, all the people,
(06:30):
which is then also the reputationof the utility customers.
So in both sites,you want an urgent solution
because for you as a consumer,at that very moment,
you're very upset when it doesn't work,
whether it's your air fryeror the high voltage substation, except
that the amplification of the twowith the power station is so much bigger.
So that's why we also want to learnfrom the consumer business,
(06:50):
because they have put in placevery clear customer service.
You can call a number, you get support,you get the advice.
You get fast solutions.
So this is also what we have implementedwith the Customer Connect Service Centers,
which is available 24/7 across the world,that speaks more than 14 languages
across the globe. Right.
And in that service,do you have to deal at all
with issues of security and making surethat the right people are being serviced
(07:15):
and getting the information they needto make sure things are running smoothly?
Of course.
I mean, as we deal with utility customers,which are highly focused on safety,
cyber security,some is also critical infrastructure,
nuclear power plant,for example, or critical substations,
you don't want people to knowthe exact locations, etc..
So there is a lot of informationthat is very confidential.
(07:36):
So that is also why we have gonethrough clear protocols, how to manage
and who has access to what data, thatwe log into the case management systems
that we use, where we logthe information we get from the customer.
So all this is very securely managed.
That's reassuring.
Now what are the different serviceportfolios.
So in terms of service portfolio,I mean we serve high voltage
(07:58):
portfolio and highvoltage is also a market where
the customer really goesback to the manufacturer for the service,
which means we do a lot from a clear basicmaintenance, selling, spare parts,
selling replacementwhen you need to replace an equipment,
but then it of coursewhere we need to innovate a lot.
So that is also where we have innovatedto do the, what we call the retrofit.
(08:19):
We can replace the SF6 gas.
The global warmingpotential of this gas is very high.
So sorry.
Go back to what you were sayingwhen you just introduced SF6 for me.
Yeah.
So SF6 is the name of a gas, it'spart of a family called F-gases.
So it's part of gaseswhich can potentially have
a very high global warming factor.
So that impactsthen the ozone layer that protects us all,
(08:43):
which is then highly linked to the riskwe have of the increase
of the climate temperaturein the world. Right.
So that is why it's very critical
to replace this gas in currentinfrastructure.
Yeah.
And that is what our team has developedand implemented for what we call the gas
insulated line.
So it's long lines that is connectingdifferent parts of the switchgear.
(09:04):
So this is really crucial because we canthen remove
at least 50% to 80% of the gasin a substation, which is significant.
So digitalization of servicespresents more opportunities
for a variety of customers to get accessto reliable services around the globe.
Can you give us some examplesof these opportunities?
(09:27):
Digitalization is a lot of things,and that is first of all,
to structure your own informationso you can actually connect the data
between different toolsand then cross-check data.
And then we will learn much moreand can advise much more of the customer
what is actually going on.
And also to advise to the customerwhat equipment
they actually havefrom us across the globe,
(09:47):
as we have many customers
that are operating in several countries,for example, then they can find synergies
that they needto drive across their fleet.
So that is the, I would say, the
early beginning of the digitalizationand how to connect data.
Right.
Then you have, of course,how are we going to monitor and get data
from the products out in the field,which is then by our,
(10:08):
say, the instrumentation we put onand where we can read live data
and do different analyzes and predictor advise the customer
if the equipment is operating
well or if there is an issuethat needs to be looked at.
And so just on that note, I get the sensethat these opportunities likely differ
from country to country, and probably evenwithin countries from region to region.
(10:30):
Is that right?
But the opportunities are all there.
Then it is
the maturity of, I would say, the customerand what is critical for them.
But that is also driven by itself ofwhat is the financial mechanism
in place in the country,because some countries
they only get paid for electricitythrough the CapEx investments,
(10:50):
and others also take into account the OpExinvestment, how you invest in service.
And so just to pause you there fora moment, I'd love to get some definitions
of those terms for those of uswho are sort of outside the industry.
So you said those two differentkinds of investments.
What are those again?
So if you invest in capital,new substations, new transmission lines,
(11:11):
this counts in certain countriesas part of what you get paid for
in the tariff,the utility by the government in place.
And the government will not pay youto do a lifetime extension
for 20 years for an existing substation,because that is not part of the model.
So this is partalso where we want to team up and where
also our customers wants to team upand prove that we actually need also
(11:33):
to take this into accountin the financial models that we should do
the lifetime extensions, we should dothe upgrades on the old equipment.
So this is why you get different behaviorsin different countries.
Also in terms of digitalization,because if you are in a country
that privilege the operating costto be part of the feeding tariff,
(11:53):
the price for the electricity,then you also get a bit higher incentive
to go for the digital solutionto to enhance that, to improve
your operational costin a completely different way.
Sure. That makes sense.
And so I assumethen that there are countries that you are
maybe focused on trying to sort ofbring up to speed
or get more investment inis that right? Yes.
(12:14):
And this is why we have a discussions
with the utilitiesacross the globe on these topics.
And actually today,I mean, Europe and North
America has always been in advance,but now the speed is very high
in the emerging countriesin South Asia, Middle East and so on.
And they are going to leapfrogin how they manage things.
Oh, interesting. Yes. Yeah.
And so how will that reverberatearound the world?
(12:36):
This is what we try to projectin our future vision to be ready, right.
Because that's part of the big challenge,
because you need to be several steps aheadof what can potentially be.
And that is also,I would say, the advantage that we have
local service centers across the globeto be close to the customer.
So we we really see a huge demandnow coming in the Middle East
for more of these sustainable upgrades.
(12:59):
For the digital upgrades,there is also demand coming now
in South Asia or in China, for example,that is highly interested.
I think China has the most advanced
version of the digital versionof the equator in the world.
And I assume with that comescertain dangers
or precautionsthat you might need to interface with.
(13:20):
Is that right?
One of the true challenges is switchgear can have a lifetime of 40 years plus,
which means it can operate for 40, 60,or even 80 years with lifetime extensions.
But the digital equipment, I mean, it'ssufficient to look at your iPhone.
Who has an iPhonethat is five years old? Yeah, right.
This goes for the samefor the instrumentation.
What you put in placeas digital solutions.
(13:41):
It requires so much continuous developmentthat you have to think
really future proof when you developone concept, you already need to think,
how am I going to develop an upgradein the future to make a retrofit?
Because it's not going to last 40 years.
Right, right.
So this is part of,
I think, the biggest challengein this digitalization, the speed.
(14:02):
Yeah. The speed at which things move.
Yes. In development,but also in terms of on a micro level,
the speed with which you need thingsto operate, the equipment to operate. Yes.
And you also need the reliabilitybecause as one customer told me,
we don't want to send field service
engineers to the fieldbecause you have a sensor not working.
(14:22):
It has to have the same reliabilityas the main equipment.
Right.
In terms of talkingthrough some more terms
that I'd love to clarify with you,now that I have an expert at the table.
Yes. Can you walk me through some ofthese terms I've heard floating around?
What's the difference
between a time based maintenanceand a condition based maintenance?
So the time based is the classic one,which says, like for your car
(14:46):
every two yearsyou need to go and get your oil changed.
And it will remind you that it's every twoyears you need to go and get it changed.
The condition based is when it adjustin function of how you're driving.
If you're driving a lot in the citywith a cold car, etc., then
today you will be asked to change your oilfaster for a modern car, right?
I see.
So this is really
(15:07):
what is the difference betweenthe time based and the condition based.
And that is where I would sayI've been long in this industry,
but already when I was a young freshengineer, we were in the
in different conferences to lookhow to get to predictive maintenance
because from this time basedand that was then at roller bearings.
So because it was rotating machinesand how to get then to the vision of how
(15:28):
you can project the bearing failuresbecause that's a fatal failure.
That is really where it is
not just about measuring equipment,it's about the algorithms
that will help you to predictand how you see the trends going.
And that is the tricky part,how you define the algorithm.
And that is what the whole industry
has been strugglingwith, is define the algorithm,
because you can have expertswho look at the data and analyze
(15:51):
and compare several sources, but it's notso easy to put it into an algorithm
to get the automatic detection,so we can put in alarms and so on.
And then to be able to predict,is it three years that remains,
three months or three hours,I mean this is then the time span.
So this is really where I think we havethe deep, deep knowledge in our company
on our high voltage equipment,but also on the other equipment
(16:14):
like transformers, to movefrom the time base to the predictive.
And the digital partis really key to get to that phase.
And you mentioned brieflya little bit earlier the growth
in this ideaof using AI to help with service.
And maybe that's connected to what you'retalking about with these algorithms.
Yeah, you can use AI there,but you can also use AI.
(16:35):
I think the first utilizationwill be to help to troubleshoot,
because if you ask a questionI see this default.
What are the potential root causes.
Then it can go in and analyze tons of datafor previous root cause analysis.
Right.
And then we can come up with much fasterresponse.
And I would say also more reliable,that we have looked at every stone
(16:56):
and not just lookedat the most recent cases, for example.
So is part of your workalso compiling that data
or those AI systemsto use to help in that way.
Yes. So that's why todaywe are not yet at the AI application use,
but it's to structure
the data and connect all the data systemto create the backbone.
So you can apply theAI on what we are having as data.
(17:18):
Right, right.
Now, we've heard how Hitachi Energyachieved this impressive feat
in the area of replacing SF6gas in an installed base.
Can you tell us a little bit more
about that project from your perspectiveand what you've done in service?
Yes. So here wewe developed with a similar gas,
but that doesn't have the same globalwarming factor – much, much, much less
(17:41):
where we can replace the gasand still have the same dielectric
properties, which is the keybecause the gas is actually an insulation.
So you don't get the arcing.
So this is the main purpose of whyyou have the gas.
And remind me, that's EconiQ ? Yes.
This is the EconiQ. Exactly.
Branding EconiQ
means that we remove the SF6 gasand that is what retrofill is doing.
(18:02):
We remove the SF6 gas by another gasmixture which is called C4FN.
And with that gas mixture,we can guarantee that without any change
to the actual equipment,we can just swap out the gas
so it works with all the other componentsin place, like the ceilings,
like the pressure and so on.
So that this is whyit is really an important feature.
(18:23):
We're learning
how the energy landscape is so dynamic,especially with the large scale
adoption of renewable energy resourcesand eco-efficient technologies.
Can you tell us aboutsome of the biggest challenges
facing service providers and how they'reovercoming those challenges?
Well, I think one challenge we have iswe have very old equipment,
which also have old materials that we needto continue or to find replacement for,
(18:49):
because with the evolutionof safety rules, but also
which countries you can buy in dueto geopolitical things, for example,
there are a lot of things happening
when we need to always to ensurewe can get the old part.
So this is part also of where we doour judgment, what we should put on stock
and what we should maintainand qualify new vendors
or new materialsto be able to to continue to drive.
(19:12):
Right. in service.
We are also looking how we canthen from the supply chain point of view,
also get material producedor renewable energies and so on.
I mean, this is the futurewhere everybody's going for
and how we can optimize the transportin order to also be more eco-efficient.
We look at how we should deployour service centers to be close
to the customers,to to also be able to send people locally,
(19:34):
because that is alsohow we limit the transport of people.
Right. That makes sense.
What do you see as the emergingtechnologies or trends that you believe
will have a significant impacton the future of service?
I strongly believe that virtual realitywill have a big impact
because both in the learning phase,that you can then simulate
or guide somebody to do thingswith the virtual reality.
(19:58):
Yeah.
But also on site to be ableto guide people from distance,
how to actually do it with a HoloLensand so on.
We have already tested this,but at a smaller scale.
I still believe this will get to
a completely different levelwith future technologies.
I also think AI will be revolutionaryin order
to analyze much more data,much more unstructured data.
(20:19):
This is really what I think isthe gold mine for the future in service.
Then I also think, I mean, in the endit is all about knowledge and training,
how to enhance this further
because we need to know the old products,we need to see how we enhance
and how we canbring things forward in life.
Because I think with the sustainabilityobligations to maintain
(20:40):
and extend the lifetime of existingequipment has a huge impact
on the carbon footprint, because to meltnew metal, to produce new metal,
take new metals out of earth or–Dispose of the old ones.
Yeah.
And that is why for us, the otherbig leverage will be at the end of life.
How can we repurpose or ensure
this recyclingof all the decommissioned products?
(21:03):
This is really including the gas,because this is also where we are
looking into how can we recycle,including the gas, all the material.
This is also part of the key howto develop this full end to end service.
Right from producing the new productto the decommissioning and recycling
of the old products.
And so in that work, do you find thatyou are faced with having to incentivize
(21:23):
or inspire the clients or the customersto want to recycle
or want to be invested in that lifecycle that you just described?
I really feel that we are exactlyat the same wavelength with the customers.
The customers
we have engaged in those discussions,they have exactly the same questions.
The question is, will they develop it?
We develop it?
(21:44):
What makes the most sensein, you know, the players
to take different partsin what needs to be done.
But I think everybody is in alignment.
What needs to be done.
Then the question is also
what will all this costbecause it doesn't come for free, right?
Who’s going to pay for it? Yes.
So I mean in the end it'sgoing to translate in the energy prices.
Yeah.
(22:05):
This has been really fantastictalking with you.
Thanks for joining us today Sofia.
You've helped me understandhow service plays
a crucial role in infrastructuremaintenance and optimization, all the
while keeping pace with very quicklyevolving dedication to sustainability.
Thank you for tuning into this episode of Power Pulse.
Until next time.
And that's it for today.
(22:26):
We'll be back soonwith some more great content.
But before you go,remember to give us a follow
so you don't miss an episode.
Thanks for tuning in. See you soon!
This episode was brought to you by HitachiEnergy,
createdand introduced by Bárbara Freitas-Daniels.
Content and scriptwriting by Cassandra Inay.
Guest speaker, Sofia Sauvageot.
Hosted by Sam Dash.
(22:46):
Produced and edited by Creative Chimps.
High voltage takes center stage
in this season of HitachiEnergy's Power Pulse podcast.
We promise to bring you great contentfrom the brightest minds in the business.
We'll discuss challenges, opportunities,and all the hot topics
any high voltage enthusiast
or anyone interested in sustainabilityfor that matter, is sure to enjoy.
In this episode of podcast, we'll discussthe role of service as an offering.
(00:22):
We have an installed base of equipmentin our power grid, which needs to be
looked after if it is to have improvedlongevity and performance.
To tell you about it,we invited Sofia Sauvageot to join us.
Sofia is the head of High Voltage ProductsService at Hitachi Energy,
and will tell youabout the different solutions
available to optimize performanceof existing equipment
and meet the changing needs of everybusiness and the industry as a whole.
(00:43):
Sofia is a trained materials engineer
and studied across a number of countrieslike Sweden, Spain and France.
She has been working in thisindustry for over 20 years.
Welcome back to Power Pulse.
I'm your host, Sam Dash, and todayI'm speaking with Sofia Sauvageot,
head of the global product groupat High Voltage Service.
Hi, Sofia. Hello.
(01:03):
Thank you. You're very welcome.
In doing my research about you,I learned you have a few horses.
Is that right? Yes.
I have a tendency to collect them.
It's probably one of the largest thingsyou can collect.
Well, there are bigger cars.
I'm told also that you have a particularskill in naming horses as well.
Did I hear right?
(01:24):
One of them is Risottoand another is Trompeta. Yes,
but it's actually not me, because this isalso the tradition with the horses.
So the Risotto, he is born
the year of the r’s So then all horsesneeds to be named with an ‘r’.
So his breeder then found the name Risottofor him, which suits him very well.
(01:44):
It's a very independent ponythat does what he wants.
And Trompeta, she is a Lippizaner horse.
And that is very particularbecause it's one of the oldest breeds
since more than 300 years,and it's managed by the military.
So it's a system whereif the mother is named Trompeta,
the foal is named Trompeta,if it's a mare, right.
(02:05):
And if it is a combination– that it is a male horse, then it takes
the name of the father and the mother,and it's the combined name.
And you add numbers to that.
So Trompeta is actually Trompeta 36.
And then you add on an incrementlike this.
Right.
So this is how it works.
As the lineagecontinues. We call her Tara.
(02:27):
I would loveto see some images of this horse farm.
It I'm sure it's bucolic.
Yes. You can follow that on Instagramor on internet.
So high voltageby day and horses by night. Yes.
Makes sense to me that you would havethat balance in your life.
Something that's very hands onand very sensorial, and then something
more heady, like the workyou do at High Voltage.
(02:50):
So let's actually jump into your roleat High Voltage.
What is service within High Voltage?
So service in highvoltage is a lot of things.
But I think first of all is to be close tothe customers and listen to their needs,
but also to guide the customerto what they need for the future.
And today with the energy transition,we need the existing installed base
to continue to live for much longerthan it was initially planned.
(03:13):
So this is really where service kicksin, how we can prolong the life cycle
of our equipment, but also decarbonizeand help the customers to move forward.
Right.
In this service sector,your area of expertise, how do you
as a team, ensure effective communicationand the passing on of knowledge?
What are the key qualities you look forin members of your department?
So first of all, you need to be curious.
(03:34):
You want to go beyondand push the boundaries because service
is also about that.
The classic image is the, that the person
who can fix anything by himself –the MacGyver series in the 80s.
So this kind of image.
But that has evolved today.
You need also to be savvy with technology.
That means you need to be able to useall the modern tools,
including artificial intelligence,that we hope to implement shortly.
(03:56):
But this is the mix of the oldunderstanding and still be projecting
on the latest technologies.
And that's why to keepthis knowhow is really crucial
not only for us,but also for our customers,
because when you sit on assets,that becomes 40, 60 or 80 years old,
you have to have several generationsworking on the same products.
That's why we are investing heavilyin our training centers,
(04:18):
where we can train the customersas our internal people
on all our products,including the old legacy products.
Right.
And so what does that training look like?
So it is a mix between,
today virtual training, of course,which is online, and e-learning,
as well as a lot of hands on trainingson the actual modules
of high voltage that we havethen present in our training centers.
(04:40):
And this is then with classroom trainingsand practical trainings
in sort of the workshoparea of the training center.
So it's really this combination.
And we have a former certificationand also then recycling
so that people keep the knowhow up to datewith the latest evolutions
because we also upgrade equipmentsso then people need to learn
how to implement the upgrades.
(05:00):
So this is continuouslearning – is really key in service.
Yeah, I can imagine you really lookfor people who can be quite flexible
in their ability to navigate how oftenthe technology is upgraded, essentially.
Is that right?
Yes. And also,we should not forget that our field
serviceengineers are highly skilled engineers.
Some are also PhD.
So this is a highly skilled workforcethat I would say
(05:23):
have a great capabilityalso to take decisions on site.
And many of those that arethe most skilled, they become trainers
themselves in our training centersat the end of their career.
And so they continue on that sort of bodyof knowledge and training.
Yeah.
Now, could you give us a basicunderstanding of warranty for relatable
consumer products such as mobilephones, gaming consoles, cameras, cars,
(05:46):
or even an air fryer,which is a very popular device these days?
I would saythe warranty is always warranty.
The customer expect also serviceand resolutions if something doesn't work.
So that doesn't change
whether we are in the consumer businessor with the high voltage business.
The implications, however, is much bigger.
If your air fryer doesn't work, it'syou and your family who get hit
(06:09):
or your friends.
If you're having a party and invitingpeople for dinner, that it doesn't work.
So the impact is less.
However, the impact of a substationnot working, not providing
electricity to critical infrastructuresuch as hospitals, schools
or military infrastructureor the city lights
that immediately hitsthe primary consumer, all the people,
(06:30):
which is then also the reputationof the utility customers.
So in both sites,you want an urgent solution
because for you as a consumer,at that very moment,
you're very upset when it doesn't work,
whether it's your air fryeror the high voltage substation, except
that the amplification of the twowith the power station is so much bigger.
So that's why we also want to learnfrom the consumer business,
(06:50):
because they have put in placevery clear customer service.
You can call a number, you get support,you get the advice.
You get fast solutions.
So this is also what we have implementedwith the Customer Connect Service Centers,
which is available 24/7 across the world,that speaks more than 14 languages
across the globe. Right.
And in that service,do you have to deal at all
with issues of security and making surethat the right people are being serviced
(07:15):
and getting the information they needto make sure things are running smoothly?
Of course.
I mean, as we deal with utility customers,which are highly focused on safety,
cyber security,some is also critical infrastructure,
nuclear power plant,for example, or critical substations,
you don't want people to knowthe exact locations, etc..
So there is a lot of informationthat is very confidential.
(07:36):
So that is also why we have gonethrough clear protocols, how to manage
and who has access to what data, thatwe log into the case management systems
that we use, where we logthe information we get from the customer.
So all this is very securely managed.
That's reassuring.
Now what are the different serviceportfolios.
So in terms of service portfolio,I mean we serve high voltage
(07:58):
portfolio and highvoltage is also a market where
the customer really goesback to the manufacturer for the service,
which means we do a lot from a clear basicmaintenance, selling, spare parts,
selling replacementwhen you need to replace an equipment,
but then it of coursewhere we need to innovate a lot.
So that is also where we have innovatedto do the, what we call the retrofit.
(08:19):
We can replace the SF6 gas.
The global warmingpotential of this gas is very high.
So sorry.
Go back to what you were sayingwhen you just introduced SF6 for me.
Yeah.
So SF6 is the name of a gas, it'spart of a family called F-gases.
So it's part of gaseswhich can potentially have
a very high global warming factor.
So that impactsthen the ozone layer that protects us all,
(08:43):
which is then highly linked to the riskwe have of the increase
of the climate temperaturein the world. Right.
So that is why it's very critical
to replace this gas in currentinfrastructure.
Yeah.
And that is what our team has developedand implemented for what we call the gas
insulated line.
So it's long lines that is connectingdifferent parts of the switchgear.
(09:04):
So this is really crucial because we canthen remove
at least 50% to 80% of the gasin a substation, which is significant.
So digitalization of servicespresents more opportunities
for a variety of customers to get accessto reliable services around the globe.
Can you give us some examplesof these opportunities?
(09:27):
Digitalization is a lot of things,and that is first of all,
to structure your own informationso you can actually connect the data
between different toolsand then cross-check data.
And then we will learn much moreand can advise much more of the customer
what is actually going on.
And also to advise to the customerwhat equipment
they actually havefrom us across the globe,
(09:47):
as we have many customers
that are operating in several countries,for example, then they can find synergies
that they needto drive across their fleet.
So that is the, I would say, the
early beginning of the digitalizationand how to connect data.
Right.
Then you have, of course,how are we going to monitor and get data
from the products out in the field,which is then by our,
(10:08):
say, the instrumentation we put onand where we can read live data
and do different analyzes and predictor advise the customer
if the equipment is operating
well or if there is an issuethat needs to be looked at.
And so just on that note, I get the sensethat these opportunities likely differ
from country to country, and probably evenwithin countries from region to region.
(10:30):
Is that right?
But the opportunities are all there.
Then it is
the maturity of, I would say, the customerand what is critical for them.
But that is also driven by itself ofwhat is the financial mechanism
in place in the country,because some countries
they only get paid for electricitythrough the CapEx investments,
(10:50):
and others also take into account the OpExinvestment, how you invest in service.
And so just to pause you there fora moment, I'd love to get some definitions
of those terms for those of uswho are sort of outside the industry.
So you said those two differentkinds of investments.
What are those again?
So if you invest in capital,new substations, new transmission lines,
(11:11):
this counts in certain countriesas part of what you get paid for
in the tariff,the utility by the government in place.
And the government will not pay youto do a lifetime extension
for 20 years for an existing substation,because that is not part of the model.
So this is partalso where we want to team up and where
also our customers wants to team upand prove that we actually need also
(11:33):
to take this into accountin the financial models that we should do
the lifetime extensions, we should dothe upgrades on the old equipment.
So this is why you get different behaviorsin different countries.
Also in terms of digitalization,because if you are in a country
that privilege the operating costto be part of the feeding tariff,
(11:53):
the price for the electricity,then you also get a bit higher incentive
to go for the digital solutionto to enhance that, to improve
your operational costin a completely different way.
Sure. That makes sense.
And so I assumethen that there are countries that you are
maybe focused on trying to sort ofbring up to speed
or get more investment inis that right? Yes.
(12:14):
And this is why we have a discussions
with the utilitiesacross the globe on these topics.
And actually today,I mean, Europe and North
America has always been in advance,but now the speed is very high
in the emerging countriesin South Asia, Middle East and so on.
And they are going to leapfrogin how they manage things.
Oh, interesting. Yes. Yeah.
And so how will that reverberatearound the world?
(12:36):
This is what we try to projectin our future vision to be ready, right.
Because that's part of the big challenge,
because you need to be several steps aheadof what can potentially be.
And that is also,I would say, the advantage that we have
local service centers across the globeto be close to the customer.
So we we really see a huge demandnow coming in the Middle East
for more of these sustainable upgrades.
(12:59):
For the digital upgrades,there is also demand coming now
in South Asia or in China, for example,that is highly interested.
I think China has the most advanced
version of the digital versionof the equator in the world.
And I assume with that comescertain dangers
or precautionsthat you might need to interface with.
(13:20):
Is that right?
One of the true challenges is switchgear can have a lifetime of 40 years plus,
which means it can operate for 40, 60,or even 80 years with lifetime extensions.
But the digital equipment, I mean, it'ssufficient to look at your iPhone.
Who has an iPhonethat is five years old? Yeah, right.
This goes for the samefor the instrumentation.
What you put in placeas digital solutions.
(13:41):
It requires so much continuous developmentthat you have to think
really future proof when you developone concept, you already need to think,
how am I going to develop an upgradein the future to make a retrofit?
Because it's not going to last 40 years.
Right, right.
So this is part of,
I think, the biggest challengein this digitalization, the speed.
(14:02):
Yeah. The speed at which things move.
Yes. In development,but also in terms of on a micro level,
the speed with which you need thingsto operate, the equipment to operate. Yes.
And you also need the reliabilitybecause as one customer told me,
we don't want to send field service
engineers to the fieldbecause you have a sensor not working.
(14:22):
It has to have the same reliabilityas the main equipment.
Right.
In terms of talkingthrough some more terms
that I'd love to clarify with you,now that I have an expert at the table.
Yes. Can you walk me through some ofthese terms I've heard floating around?
What's the difference
between a time based maintenanceand a condition based maintenance?
So the time based is the classic one,which says, like for your car
(14:46):
every two yearsyou need to go and get your oil changed.
And it will remind you that it's every twoyears you need to go and get it changed.
The condition based is when it adjustin function of how you're driving.
If you're driving a lot in the citywith a cold car, etc., then
today you will be asked to change your oilfaster for a modern car, right?
I see.
So this is really
(15:07):
what is the difference betweenthe time based and the condition based.
And that is where I would sayI've been long in this industry,
but already when I was a young freshengineer, we were in the
in different conferences to lookhow to get to predictive maintenance
because from this time basedand that was then at roller bearings.
So because it was rotating machinesand how to get then to the vision of how
(15:28):
you can project the bearing failuresbecause that's a fatal failure.
That is really where it is
not just about measuring equipment,it's about the algorithms
that will help you to predictand how you see the trends going.
And that is the tricky part,how you define the algorithm.
And that is what the whole industry
has been strugglingwith, is define the algorithm,
because you can have expertswho look at the data and analyze
(15:51):
and compare several sources, but it's notso easy to put it into an algorithm
to get the automatic detection,so we can put in alarms and so on.
And then to be able to predict,is it three years that remains,
three months or three hours,I mean this is then the time span.
So this is really where I think we havethe deep, deep knowledge in our company
on our high voltage equipment,but also on the other equipment
(16:14):
like transformers, to movefrom the time base to the predictive.
And the digital partis really key to get to that phase.
And you mentioned brieflya little bit earlier the growth
in this ideaof using AI to help with service.
And maybe that's connected to what you'retalking about with these algorithms.
Yeah, you can use AI there,but you can also use AI.
(16:35):
I think the first utilizationwill be to help to troubleshoot,
because if you ask a questionI see this default.
What are the potential root causes.
Then it can go in and analyze tons of datafor previous root cause analysis.
Right.
And then we can come up with much fasterresponse.
And I would say also more reliable,that we have looked at every stone
(16:56):
and not just lookedat the most recent cases, for example.
So is part of your workalso compiling that data
or those AI systemsto use to help in that way.
Yes. So that's why todaywe are not yet at the AI application use,
but it's to structure
the data and connect all the data systemto create the backbone.
So you can apply theAI on what we are having as data.
(17:18):
Right, right.
Now, we've heard how Hitachi Energyachieved this impressive feat
in the area of replacing SF6gas in an installed base.
Can you tell us a little bit more
about that project from your perspectiveand what you've done in service?
Yes. So here wewe developed with a similar gas,
but that doesn't have the same globalwarming factor – much, much, much less
(17:41):
where we can replace the gasand still have the same dielectric
properties, which is the keybecause the gas is actually an insulation.
So you don't get the arcing.
So this is the main purpose of whyyou have the gas.
And remind me, that's EconiQ ? Yes.
This is the EconiQ. Exactly.
Branding EconiQ
means that we remove the SF6 gasand that is what retrofill is doing.
(18:02):
We remove the SF6 gas by another gasmixture which is called C4FN.
And with that gas mixture,we can guarantee that without any change
to the actual equipment,we can just swap out the gas
so it works with all the other componentsin place, like the ceilings,
like the pressure and so on.
So that this is whyit is really an important feature.
(18:23):
We're learning
how the energy landscape is so dynamic,especially with the large scale
adoption of renewable energy resourcesand eco-efficient technologies.
Can you tell us aboutsome of the biggest challenges
facing service providers and how they'reovercoming those challenges?
Well, I think one challenge we have iswe have very old equipment,
which also have old materials that we needto continue or to find replacement for,
(18:49):
because with the evolutionof safety rules, but also
which countries you can buy in dueto geopolitical things, for example,
there are a lot of things happening
when we need to always to ensurewe can get the old part.
So this is part also of where we doour judgment, what we should put on stock
and what we should maintainand qualify new vendors
or new materialsto be able to to continue to drive.
(19:12):
Right. in service.
We are also looking how we canthen from the supply chain point of view,
also get material producedor renewable energies and so on.
I mean, this is the futurewhere everybody's going for
and how we can optimize the transportin order to also be more eco-efficient.
We look at how we should deployour service centers to be close
to the customers,to to also be able to send people locally,
(19:34):
because that is alsohow we limit the transport of people.
Right. That makes sense.
What do you see as the emergingtechnologies or trends that you believe
will have a significant impacton the future of service?
I strongly believe that virtual realitywill have a big impact
because both in the learning phase,that you can then simulate
or guide somebody to do thingswith the virtual reality.
(19:58):
Yeah.
But also on site to be ableto guide people from distance,
how to actually do it with a HoloLensand so on.
We have already tested this,but at a smaller scale.
I still believe this will get to
a completely different levelwith future technologies.
I also think AI will be revolutionaryin order
to analyze much more data,much more unstructured data.
(20:19):
This is really what I think isthe gold mine for the future in service.
Then I also think, I mean, in the endit is all about knowledge and training,
how to enhance this further
because we need to know the old products,we need to see how we enhance
and how we canbring things forward in life.
Because I think with the sustainabilityobligations to maintain
(20:40):
and extend the lifetime of existingequipment has a huge impact
on the carbon footprint, because to meltnew metal, to produce new metal,
take new metals out of earth or–Dispose of the old ones.
Yeah.
And that is why for us, the otherbig leverage will be at the end of life.
How can we repurpose or ensure
this recyclingof all the decommissioned products?
(21:03):
This is really including the gas,because this is also where we are
looking into how can we recycle,including the gas, all the material.
This is also part of the key howto develop this full end to end service.
Right from producing the new productto the decommissioning and recycling
of the old products.
And so in that work, do you find thatyou are faced with having to incentivize
(21:23):
or inspire the clients or the customersto want to recycle
or want to be invested in that lifecycle that you just described?
I really feel that we are exactlyat the same wavelength with the customers.
The customers
we have engaged in those discussions,they have exactly the same questions.
The question is, will they develop it?
We develop it?
(21:44):
What makes the most sensein, you know, the players
to take different partsin what needs to be done.
But I think everybody is in alignment.
What needs to be done.
Then the question is also
what will all this costbecause it doesn't come for free, right?
Who’s going to pay for it? Yes.
So I mean in the end it'sgoing to translate in the energy prices.
Yeah.
(22:05):
This has been really fantastictalking with you.
Thanks for joining us today Sofia.
You've helped me understandhow service plays
a crucial role in infrastructuremaintenance and optimization, all the
while keeping pace with very quicklyevolving dedication to sustainability.
Thank you for tuning into this episode of Power Pulse.
Until next time.
And that's it for today.
(22:26):
We'll be back soonwith some more great content.
But before you go,remember to give us a follow
so you don't miss an episode.
Thanks for tuning in. See you soon!
This episode was brought to you by HitachiEnergy,
createdand introduced by Bárbara Freitas-Daniels.
Content and scriptwriting by Cassandra Inay.
Guest speaker, Sofia Sauvageot.
Hosted by Sam Dash.
(22:46):
Produced and edited by Creative Chimps.
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