Here’s a tight, board-ready ROICE Power Assessment for the Industrial Gases sector—contrasting Legacy vs AI-Driven processes, mapping Key Players, and ending with a ranked playbook + recommendations
Legacy vs AI-Driven Processes • Key Players • Ranking • Recommendations
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1) ROICE Model (scoring 0–100)
ROICE = (R + O + I + C + E) / 5
R = Return (€/impact) • O = Open Integration • I = Innovation Velocity • C = Convenience/UX • E = Efficiency (time/energy)
2) Process Assessment: Legacy → AI (scores & deltas)
| Area | Legacy ROICE | AI ROICE (Target) | Δ | What Changes with AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASU / HyCO Production | 62 | 90 | +28 | Digital twin set-points, energy curve optimization, adaptive scheduling |
| Predictive Maintenance | 58 | 92 | +34 | ML failure risk, parts-life modeling, autonomous work orders |
| Cylinder/Bulk/Pipeline Logistics | 55 | 88 | +33 | Route optimizer, IoT tank telemetry, drop density planning, CO₂ per km |
| Welding/Cutting/Melting Apps | 60 | 87 | +27 | Vision QC, path optimization, parameter auto-tune, consumables ROI |
| Demand Forecasting & SIOP | 57 | 89 | +32 | SKU-site forecasts, event signals, safety-stock AI |
| Pricing & Margin Control | 59 | 86 | +27 | Price elasticity, guardrails, leakage alerts, contract AI |
| Procurement (Power, Feedstock) | 56 | 84 | +28 | Dynamic hedging support, supplier risk scores, contract mining |
| Customer Portal / Self-Service | 54 | 83 | +29 | Orders, ticketing, live ETA, tank levels, invoices, API |
| Quality & Safety/Compliance | 63 | 88 | +25 | e-Batch genealogy, deviation detection, PPE/permit AI checks |
| Healthcare O₂ / Homecare | 58 | 86 | +28 | O₂-as-a-Service: usage telemetry, replenishment AI, fraud flags |
| ESG / Energy & Emissions | 55 | 85 | +30 | CO₂ per ton O₂/N₂/H₂ dashboards, abatement scenarios |
3) ROICE Leaderboard (ranked by AI ROICE)
| Rank | Transformation Field | AI ROICE | Why it Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1 | Predictive Maintenance | 92 | Direct uptime & OPEX lift across ASU, HyCO, fleets |
| 🥈 2 | ASU/HyCO Digital Twin Optimization | 90 | Largest energy savings; fast payback |
| 🥉 3 | Demand Forecasting & SIOP | 89 | Working capital ↓, service level ↑ |
| 4 | Logistics Orchestration (Cylinder/Bulk/Pipeline) | 88 | Drop density ↑, km ↓, CO₂ ↓ |
| 5 | Quality & Safety AI | 88 | Less scrap/incidents; audit-ready |
| 6 | Welding/Cutting/Melting AI | 87 | Throughput ↑, defects ↓ |
| 7 | Pricing & Margin AI | 86 | Stop leakage; disciplined growth |
| 8 | Healthcare O₂-as-a-Service | 86 | Patient service + route efficiency |
| 9 | Procurement AI (Power/Feedstock) | 84 | Better hedging/outcome control |
| 10 | Customer Self-Service/API | 83 | NPS ↑, cost-to-serve ↓ |
| 11 | ESG/Energy & Emissions AI | 85 | Regulatory readiness + savings |
4) Key Players (ecosystem map)
Industrial Gas Operators
Linde • Air Liquide • Air Products • Messer • Nippon Sanso • SIAD
Process/OT & Optimization
AspenTech (planning/optimization) • AVEVA • Siemens • Honeywell • Emerson • Yokogawa • GE Digital
Cloud/AI Platforms
Microsoft Azure • AWS • Google Cloud (data/AI, IoT, MLOps, digital twins)
Logistics & Field
Descartes • ORTEC • PTC/ThingWorx • Samsara/Geotab (telemetry) • Zebra (tracking)
Welding/Cutting/Melting
Fronius • ESAB • Lincoln Electric • Trumpf (laser/cutting)
Healthcare O₂ / Homecare (enablement)
Device telemetry platforms (e.g., concentrators/flow sensors), e-prescription & scheduling integrators
5) What “Great” Looks Like (target characteristics by area)
- Plants: Closed-loop energy optimizer; auto set-points by tariff/ambient; digital twin what-if.
- Maintenance: Risk-based plans; autonomous work orders; spare parts stock optimized by failure probability.
- Logistics: Telemetry-driven dispatch; dynamic milk-runs; live ETA; empty/return prediction.
- Commercial: Price guardrails; deal simulator; contract mining for indexation/escapes; revenue leakage alerts.
- Apps (Welding/Cutting/Melting): Vision QC + parameter recommender; consumables auto-replenishment.
- Healthcare O₂: Patient usage telemetry; refill prediction; incident triage.
- ESG: Ton-level energy & CO₂, portfolio abatement curves, tariff switching scenarios.
6) Recommendations (phased, with 12-month ROICE targets)
Phase 0 (0–90 days): Data & control tower
- Stand up Operational Data Lakehouse + Device Telemetry; define golden IDs (customer, asset, cylinder).
- Launch ROICE Scoreboard 1.0 (baseline by site, fleet, region).
Phase 1 (3–6 months): Quick wins (expected +10 to +15 ROICE)
- Predictive Maintenance Starter on top 20 critical assets (compressors, exchangers).
- Route Optimizer + Tank Telemetry for top 5 depots (cylinder/bulk).
- Pricing Guardrails + Leakage Alerts in CRM/CPQ.
- Vision QC pilot on one welding/cutting line.
Phase 2 (6–12 months): Plant & network intelligence (+10 to +12 ROICE)
- ASU/HyCO Digital Twin with energy optimizer; tariff-aware scheduling.
- Demand Forecasting & SIOP across 10 key SKUs/sites; inventory policy engine.
- Customer Portal/API (orders, tank levels, tickets, invoices, ETA).
Phase 3 (12–24 months): Scale & services (+8 to +12 ROICE)
- Network Digital Twin (plants + fleets + customers).
- O₂-as-a-Service / Homecare telemetry + replenishment AI in 2 countries.
- Procurement AI for power/feedstock; contract mining & risk.
7) KPIs to prove value (per quarter)
- Energy/ton O₂/N₂/H₂ (↓ 5–10%)
- Unplanned downtime (↓ 30–50%)
- Cost-to-serve/order (↓ 15–25%)
- On-time in-full (OTIF) (↑ 3–7 pp)
- Gross margin leakage (↓ 30–60%)
- CO₂e per km / per ton (↓ 10–20%)
8) Executive Call-to-Action
- Approve ROICE Control Tower + Data Foundation now.
- Start three parallel pilots: Predictive Maintenance, Route + Telemetry, ASU Energy Optimizer.
- Tie team bonuses to quarterly ROICE uplift by site/region.
