The ability to adapt to and anticipate change has become a crucial part of business. The global Covid-19 scenario has compelled organisations to pause and reflect upon their internal and external processes as well as rethink their methods of innovating.
At Enel, we have pioneered innovation as the first utility corporation to integrate 100% of its data and apps in the cloud, which allows us to operate more efficiently, remotely and securely during these difficult times. In 2019, Enel developed a Big Data analysis solution which helps municipalities improve their services and can now be used to monitor people’s movement during the pandemic. Currently, there are 37,000 Enel employees working from home. To facilitate the new remote processes that come with that, we developed virtual reality training rooms and even remote-control rooms for our offsite employees, to ensure that everyday plant tasks can still be completed.
Ultimately, Enel continues to thrive by staying one step ahead and demonstrating resilience in pursuit of a more sustainable world. Our approach is called Innovability®: open innovation + sustainability, which are key factors in solving global problems.
Through collaborations and forward-thinking methodologies when it comes to digitalisation, energy transition, automation, remote working processes, and the use of new technologies, we have been able to proactively adapt during times of crisis. As stated by the CEO of the Enel Innovation Hubs, Fabio Tentori, “all the innovative solutions we implemented with startups have been very valuable for Enel in the last few years: they help us to be resilient and to keep focusing on our customers”. Now, we can take this one step further with our new initiative, ReShape.
Evolving, transforming, growing
As an industry leader with sustainable goals in mind, we have launched this global call to reimagine how we operate our business as usual in the new normal. ReShape: Innovability® to build a brighter future is our newest initiative, aimed at co-creating alongside solvers, startups and SMEs to transform innovation into future solutions for the worldwide energy landscape and new global needs.
Innovation is always open and evolving, and by leveraging the different strengths of our stakeholders and partners we can contribute to the creation of a future that is stronger and more united than ever. Luca Seletto, Manager of Enel Innovation Hub Boston, assures that “now more than ever, we understand that we cannot go through this journey alone; we need great partners with great ideas willing to collaborate with us to lead the energy transition”. To which Tentori adds, “We are now looking to push our collaborations even further, with more and more opportunities to reshape the world”.
The open challenges presented in this call span across the entire Enel organisation, its divisions, and companies. The initiative will address the whole value chain of electricity: from energy generation, to the management and optimisation of distribution grids, and to the delivery of new value-added products and services to our customers and end-users. Seletto insists, “We must stay at the forefront of energy innovation in order to be ready to face new challenges and continue focusing on our customers”.
ReShaping challenges for the new normal
ReShape refers to our organisation’s ability to constantly pivot and reinvent itself both internally and externally and reflects our global commitment to open innovation.
Fernando Sandoval, Manager of Enel Innovation Hub Europe, affirms: “In these years, we have learned disruptive innovators are to be found anywhere, not only in local hubs of innovation, but also in remote places”. He continues by explaining, “with ReShape we look forward to reaching all these innovators, no matter where they are”.
The challenges presented through our Open Innovability® crowdsourcing platform seek solutions to improve our business as usual, as the world begins to move forward from the uncertainty created by the pandemic. These range from applying automation to renewable plants, understanding our customers through consolidating data to help identify their unique needs, to streamlining the entire digital customer journey.
As employees return to work, we must optimise workspace in order to ensure their safety. For this reason, we are looking for solutions that can reduce the risk of spreading the virus by improving the current methods used to sanitise shared spaces, help enforce the recommended social distancing guidelines in the workplace, and properly allow our industrial and residential customers to obtain support remotely.
As the year progresses, more challenges will be added to the global call. To stay up to date with our challenges and the initiative, visit the ReShape page. Participate in the open challenges by registering through our Open Innovability® site.