Q. Could you guide us through the key milestones and achievements that have shaped WAGO journey in the industry thus far?

It all started 72 years ago in 1951 in Minden, Germany when WAGO came into existence with the business of interconnection products, pioneering the spring pressure connection technology. Since then, WAGO journey has been of innovations and setting standards for the industry to follow. Continuing with expanding the product portfolio, WAGO increased its geographical footprints during 1990s as it established several global manufacturing facilities in the UK, India, and China. During the same decade, WAGO diversified its business by entering the automation industry. With the introduction of fieldbus independent I/O systems, WAGO revolutionized the automation industry. This innovation allowed customers to reduce their dependency on their existing automation suppliers and provided them with the freedom to choose vendor independent I/O systems for integration with various brands of controllers. Since then, WAGO has significantly expanded its presence in various automation domains, including Energy Automation, Building & Lighting Automation, Mechanical Engineering, and the Process Industry. The company is helping its customers achieve their digitalization objectives.

 

Q. How does WAGO envision the growth potential of Automation Technology in the Indian market, and what strategic steps is the company taking to leverage this opportunity?

WAGO views the growth potential of Automation Technology in the Indian context with great optimism. We are witnessing a steady increase in the adoption of automation technology across various sectors like power distribution, renewable energy, buildings, and manufacturing. Additionally, there is a growing demand for edge computing, cloud computing, and IoT implementation in business processes by forward-looking organizations. To leverage this market potential, our strategy is centered on meeting the needs of our customers. At WAGO, we not only supply products to our customers but also work closely with them as partners to find solutions to their challenges. To support our customer-focused strategy, we have the right mix of products, efficient internal processes, a competent technical support team, and a welltrained sales force dedicated to engaging with our customers.

 

Q.In what ways are WAGO products and services redefining work processes and capabilities for your clients?

From the very beginning of WAGO journey in the automation business, we have placed ‘OPEN’ systems at the core of our value system. Since then, WAGO has been committed to deliver products and solutions to our customers, whether in the energy sector, building & lighting automation, mechanical engineering, or the process industry, based on ‘Open Standards’, manufacturer-independent hardware, and software. This approach offers maximum flexibility to our customers. With a robust product base comprising of more than 500 I/O modules and interface protocols, WAGO systems provide a wide range of ‘Open’ options for both our customers’ existing applications and new ones. As a proud member of the 5G-ACIA global alliance, WAGO actively contributes to shaping the development of industrial mobile communication standards, aiming to support our customers in their digitalization journey.

 

Q. What is your perspective on the position of India’s Renewable Energy Market globally, and how does the Indian government contribute to its expansion?

India’s renewable energy market is experiencing rapid expansion and possesses a highly favorable outlook. It ranks among the world’s fastestgrowing renewable markets, making it an attractive investment destination for both domestic and international stakeholders. The Indian Government has set ambitious targets, with a goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable generation by 2030. Additionally, India is a signatory to the Paris Agreement on Global Climate Change, further emphasizing its commitment to addressing climate issues. These factors serve as key drivers behind the comprehensive policy framework and the substantial expansion of the renewable energy sector in India.

 

Q.As India aims to accelerate its Renewable Energy adoption, what primary challenges do you identify on this path?

Despite its high growth potential and positive outlook, India’s journey to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy is not without its challenges. Renewable plant developers face a range of complex issues, including regulatory and technological & operational challenges.

Technological and operational challenges are associated with adopting efficient system design, ensuring the availability of cost-effective yet high-quality and proven subsystems, complying with regulations for integration with the power transmission grid, and dealing with the ongoing reduction in revenue per unit of energy. These are some of the major challenges to mention.

 

Q.How is WAGO actively addressing these industry challenges, and what role does the company play in driving the transition to sustainable solutions?

To address these challenges, industry professionals require innovative, high-quality, user-friendly, and cost-efficient systems for their generating plants. These solutions can help reduce operational and compliance costs. At WAGO, we understand the challenges our customers in the renewable energy sector face. Therefore, we offer our evolving range of products and solutions for renewable plant automation. This includes Plant SCADA controllers, Remote Terminal Units for integration with RLDCs, and Power Plant Controllers. Our products and solutions are designed based on ‘Open standards’ and have a strong track record of successful implementation and operation on a global scale.

 

Q.Can you provide insights into standout projects from WAGO and the diverse range of customers the company serves?

WAGO boasts of a diverse business portfolio and operates in several market segments, with major focuses on Energy Automation, Building & Lighting Automation, and Factory Automation. In the realm of energy, especially renewables, WAGO serves as a global supplier, including in India, for Solar SCADA Controllers used in Ultra Mega Solar Parks (UMSPs). These controllers play a vital role in monitoring plant’s energy generation and facilitating data integration with regional load dispatch centers (RLDCs). Additionally, WAGO is a prominent global supplier of Power Plant Controllers (PPCs) for renewable energy generation facilities. Beyond renewable energy, WAGO is actively engaged in supplying Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), Feeder Remote Terminal Units (FRTUs), Substation Automation Systems (SAS), and Network Switches in the Power Distribution sector in India, serving major DISCOMs. WAGO Energy Management System (EMS) is another significant energy application utilized in factories and infrastructure buildings such as railway and metro stations, airports, universities, commercial hubs, and residential complexes. The open architecture of WAGO Controllers provides an ideal user app host environment to Docker Container application developers bringing infinite possibilities.

 

Q.Would you like to extend a special message to your valued customers through our platform?

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to our valued customers, who have been an integral part of our journey. Their trust and support have been the driving force behind our growth and success. We would like to reiterate our commitment to our core strategy, which places our customers and their needs at the center of all our actions. We encourage and invite more industry players to engage their business interests with us for a mutually beneficial and long-term association.