Preface

Dear readers,

Disruption. Two years ago, this concept was associated mainly with the disruptive power of innovation, as new products and, frequently, new technologies replaced old business models with new ones. Today, when we talk about disruption, other associations come to mind. The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects have rattled both our personal lives and global economies. Our spotlight looks at the shocks to global business that continue to be felt, and we hope we can inspire you with insights into digitalization, modular production and interdisciplinary networking to emerge stronger from this disruptive time. zenon has been firmly anchored in modern power generation and distribution for many years – so far primarily in renewable energy generation, energy storage in the smart grid and the digitalization of substations. So it makes sense for us to also support electromobility. With zenon 10, our software platform provides users with an integrated OCCP extension designed to efficiently manage the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Disruptive trends have not spared the otherwise stable pharmaceutical industry. The ability of global vaccine production facilities to respond has demonstrated impressively how agile and efficient global players in the pharmaceutical industry can react. zenon supports security and quality by means of digitalization – as part of a comprehensive platform for compliant, efficient and economical production. The latest functional enhancements for the digitalization of processes in pharmaceutical production can be found on pages 54ff.

With all this in mind, we must look for the opportunities created by this disruptive period. Let’s work together to make the best of them by focusing on innovation – in processes, products and business models. Be inspired!

thomas punzenberger, ceo