Innovating is no longer a goal, it is a necessity. Technological trends evolve rapidly, leaving us outdated every day compared to the day before. In this context, companies have the obligation to be one step ahead to offer their clients the best operational and quality standards, not only in digitalization issues, but in all areas.
Within the framework of the second Iberdrola México Innovation Week, which took place from November 12 to 15, speakers from different branches addressed innovation in technological, financial and social issues. The event, which was held from the energy company’s headquarters in Mexico City, began with the welcome of a presenter created with artificial intelligence.
Katya Somohano, general director of Iberdrola México, gave the opening speech: “Innovation has been part of Iberdrola for a long time, but it is very important that we give it a place in our agendas and dedicate a space to reflect on these issues,” he explained.
“Research is the scientific basis of development and at Iberdrola we have allocated a good amount of resources worldwide for innovation in recent years. Last year we dedicated more than 350 million euros to continue researching and improving our processes,” he added.
In the previous edition, held in April 2023, the foundations had already been laid to develop creative projects and innovative ideas, such as the program Síkuliwhich in alliance with the company Unboxed promotes innovative projects with a social and environmental focus.
Within the framework of this Innovation Week, the Iberdrola Energy Challenge was also held, where all staff are invited to propose a novel idea in any area. Nuri Cobos, head of Internal Communication at Iberdrola México, was selected as a finalist in this competition with the project “Ecoride: Sustainable corporate mobility”.
“I am proposing that we internally develop a corporate transportation application to unite people who have cars with people who are looking for a ride. It is something that is already done informally, but the idea is to have an incentive scheme and also reduce our environmental footprint,” he explained.
For his part, Amable Matus, head of Innovation at Iberdrola México, reaffirmed the company’s need to constantly renew itself in the face of rapid technological changes. “We have to anticipate market trends and, perhaps, even without always having the latest technological advance, meet our objective of satisfying operational needs and promoting continuous improvement,” said Matus, who pointed out that the company focuses on innovation. not only in its generation plants, but in all areas of the company.
The second Innovation Week had an extensive program by several specialists such as Oliver Probst, director of the Master’s Degree in Engineering Sciences at Tecnológico de Monterrey, who offered the presentation “Intelligent sizing of BESS for regulation in networks with high renewable generation”, where he highlighted new ways to innovate in the electricity sector. Gustavo García González, president of the company Skye Group, said in his conference “Innovation 4.0: Implementing strategy and practical examples for companies” that businesses must approach changes not as an end, but as a constant. “There is no final result here, innovation has to be experienced,” said the computer systems engineer.
Palpable innovation projects
In addition to the presentations, the company’s staff was able to learn about the technologies already used in the field and that are facilitating work in the second Iberdrola México Innovation Week. Ángel Guzmán is part of the Innovation team at Iberdrola México and explained how immersive technical tours work, using virtual reality as training prior to a visit to the wind turbines. “We seek this first meeting with the collaborators because a lot of prior preparation is needed to be able to climb the wind turbines. It is ideal for them to know the space, the components and how everything works inside,” he said. For this training, the Meta Quest 3 viewers are used, created by the Facebook company to navigate the metaverse.
Another device that has resonated very well in the company’s Innovation area has been the drone for inspection at heights and confined spaces, which has facilitated the inspection of scaffolding, welders and structural elements in the company’s plants. The drones that Iberdrola México is using weigh 2.5 kilos and have lights for interior inspection, a 4K camera and a thermal imaging camera. “The application we have is for all confined spaces. First, the safety issue, because it is no longer the employee who has to enter and the other thing is the time saved to locate faults before setting up the scaffolding,” explained José María Martín, from the Department’s Mechanics and Technology area. of Technical Services of Iberdrola México.
Other tools, such as the 3D scanner, allow you to identify wear or deformations that are difficult to observe and thus provide preventive maintenance on machines to prolong the useful life of the components. While remote assistance glasses capture and transmit images in real time to perform remote checks and provide maintenance instructions to operators, reducing inspection time.
Another tool is the borescope, a small cable-shaped camera that allows detailed visualization of internal parts without the need to be disassembled, detecting internal wear of the tubes that is not detectable with the naked eye.
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