Industrial automation has become a critical enabler of sustainability and operational efficiency, equipping industries with the data-driven control needed to meet environmental and performance goals.
Yet according to a 2025 study examining more than 4,000 industrial automation projects worldwide, only 3% involved AI - signaling that the broader shift toward autonomous, self-optimizing systems is still in its early stages.
As industries embrace real-time learning and adaptive technologies, the impact on efficiency and productivity is set to grow, driven in part by companies like Yokogawa Electric Corporation, a Japanese multinational specializing in industrial automation and control systems.
Innovation in action
More than a century after its founding in Tokyo in 1915, Yokogawa has evolved from providing electrical measurement hardware to creating customer value through advanced solutions across energy, materials, and healthcare, guided by a strong leadership team now led by Kunimasa Shigeno, the president and CEO.
“Our solutions are enabled by deep domain knowledge of manufacturing operations merged with advanced technologies,” says Shigeno. “We have the capability and people that can integrate operational and information technology systems to optimize entire processes.”
Yokogawa's significant AI breakthroughs
- World-first autonomous operation: At an ENEOS Materials plant in Japan, Yokogawa’s AI solution has run a chemical plant autonomously for almost 3 years, improving safety and cutting CO₂ emissions by 40%.
- Energy and material efficiency: At a major Aramco gas plant, multiple AI agents optimize gas treatment, reducing raw material and energy use while improving stability.
- Brewing innovation: At a Kyoto brewery, an AI-generated temperature schedule shortened fermentation by 28%.
Advancing Yokogawa’s vision for autonomous operations, the company launched the latest generation of its CENTUM VP distributed control system, which will integrate proven reliability and safety with award-winning autonomous control AI. “This system was launched in 1975, so 2025 marks its 50th anniversary,” says Shigeno. “The technologies we’ve refined, and the trust our customers place in us, are powerful and enduring.”
Highlighting its commitment to sustainable growth and social impact, Yokogawa aims to help clients reduce CO₂ emissions by a total of one billion tons by 2030 - equivalent to Japan’s annual energy-related emissions. This ambition is part of a wider corporate philosophy - guided by Yokogawa’s Purpose of utilizing its ability to measure and connect to fulfil its responsibilities for the planet’s future - that has earned recognition beyond industry circles.
In its 2025 Stakeholder Capitalism ranking, Forbes Japan praised Yokogawa’s stakeholder-focused approach, which values customers, employees, society, and shareholders equally.
Frontline insights
For Shigeno, leadership is grounded in on-site experience, shaped by decades spent with customers in the field. “It is important for us to go to the front lines where our business takes shape and study market and business conditions from the same perspective as the customer, while always acting on the belief that “your success is our success,” he says. This mindset shapes his strategic approach: listen to what customers need, propose practical and scalable solutions, and ensure those solutions improve both operations and environmental performance.
His three decades at Yokogawa - including years solving technical challenges side-by-side with operators and more than a decade in leadership roles in the Middle East & Africa region - instilled a customer-centric culture built on trust, partnership, and shared success. Today, as president and CEO, Shigeno carries this philosophy forward, ensuring customer intimacy directly informs innovation and sustainable growth.
Going beyond the plant
As Yokogawa advances its AI technologies and strengthens long-term relationships, its direction is shaped by a leader whose frontline experience and customer understanding guide the company’s global strategy and expansion into new industries. “I am struck by the speed and sophistication of the technological innovation that is taking place today,” says Shigeno. “To keep Yokogawa at the forefront, we will place a strong emphasis on technology and relentlessly strengthen our customer-centric approach - anticipating needs and delivering value that exceeds expectations.”
This approach is reflected in Yokogawa’s widening impact. In one notable project, the company is helping improve energy efficiency at the Port of Rotterdam by optimizing shared utilities and cross-industry infrastructure in the port’s industrial cluster. Yokogawa has also been contracted to provide integrated monitoring and control systems for urban infrastructure in Saudi Arabia’s Green Riyadh project, which aims to transform the city into a sustainable metropolis of the future.
From deep sea to space
In the deep sea, sensors capable of detecting changes as small as seven centimeters at depths of 3,436 meters have been adopted for the Nankai Trough Seafloor Earthquake and Tsunami Observation Network (N-net). Because retrieving equipment from the seabed is extremely difficult, durability and long-term stable operation are critical. These sensors build on technology from one of Yokogawa’s core products, and their adoption followed rigorous testing that confirmed their high reliability.
Meanwhile, in the field of space exploration, the company’s proprietary life science imaging technology - which enables high-resolution observation of living cells - is already in use on the International Space Station. Yokogawa is also contributing to a project led by Toyota Motor Corporation in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), where research and development is underway on measurement and control equipment for a vehicle that combines habitation and mobility functions - a vital step for future crewed and autonomous lunar exploration missions.
Yokogawa’s journey from automation to autonomy demonstrates how technical expertise, customer-centered leadership, and advanced AI can reshape industries while accelerating global sustainability goals.
To learn more about Yokogawa, visit here.
