- The rector of the ULL and Cepsa's Chief Digital Officer stress the importance of customer focus, creating committed teams and using data in decision-making.
- The Chair's activity will continue this Friday with the masterclass entitled Neural Network Model Applied to the Industrial Sector.
The Fundación Cepsa Chair for Innovation and Energy Efficiency at the University of La Laguna highlights the need to address the challenges of digital transformation as a way to guarantee the competitiveness of companies, stressing the importance of customer focus, creating competitive and committed teams and using data in decision-making.
This is one of the conclusions of the seminar entitled The Challenge of Digital Transformation within Companies, which kicked off a training cycle included in the extensive program that the Fundación Cepsa Chair at ULL is running this year.
This first session, which was held remotely, delved into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and the keys to success in real digital transformation in organizations, with the objective of bringing this type of business practice closer to the academic world, students and society as a whole.
ULL rector and Systems Engineering and Automation professor, Rosa Aguilar, presided over the opening session of this cycle of seminars. She was accompanied by director of the Fundación Cepsa Chair at the University of La Laguna, Andrea Brito. Cepsa's director in the Canary Islands, José Manuel Fernández-Sabugo, was also present at the opening session and expressed his conviction that the alliance between Fundación Cepsa and the academic institution would result in greater employability and entrepreneurship in the Canary Islands. He also stressed that, as a company, choosing digital transformation "is a matter of survival."
Fernández-Sabugo gave special thanks to the rector of the ULL for her firm commitment to this Fundación Cepsa Chair, as well as for her participation in the seminar as a speaker, delivering a lecture on the importance of artificial intelligence in gaining a competitive edge in business.
During her presentation, Rosa Aguilar emphasized the fact that the consumer has transformed the rules of business and is now situated at the center of the processes. "The production line of any 4.0 company has to adapt to customer demands at all times. To do this, companies need to develop customized products, services and experiences—in addition to being multi-channel—in order to achieve maximum efficiency and productivity," she asserted.
The ULL rector concluded that data is playing an increasingly important role in making organizations competitive — hence why big data is so valuable. She also highlighted the value of artificial intelligence in decision-making through automated learning. "All of this makes it possible to produce what the customer needs, where they need it, and to do so locally and in a more sustainable way, which will change the world of work."
Joaquín Abril-Martorell was another of the speakers. He spoke about the keys to success in real digital transformation in companies. Cepsa's Chief Digital Officer pointed out that, in digital transformation, "aside from the workforce, the most important element is time. This can make perfectionism a real enemy." He also stressed the need for all members of organizations to be involved in this process and for digital to become part of employees' DNA.
Abril-Martorell also explained the model launched at Cepsa Digital Experience, an experiential training program that provides employees with knowledge and skills related to digital transformation. Employees who complete the program become part of a hands-on community where they continue to share knowledge and trends, as well as assisting in problem solving within the Company. "It’s about bringing the scientific world closer to non-scientists so that they are clear that technology needs to be used to achieve value," he said during his presentation.
Both Aguilar and Abril-Martorell highlighted the importance of the role of people in the challenge of the digital transformation, as well as the need to create competitive, committed, motivated and collaborative teams.
Andrea Brito announced that Fundación Cepsa and the ULL plan to collaborate this year in more than fifteen research, innovation, training and outreach activities. Next on the agenda is the master class entitled Neural Network Model Applied to the Industrial Sector. It will be led remotely by ULL industrial engineering graduate Daniel González on Friday June 19. The class is aimed at encouraging exchange of knowledge between ULL teachers and researchers and Cepsa professionals.