Co-Creating Europe’s Industrial Future
Welcome to Connecting the Future, Honeywell’s monthly newsletter exploring how the journey from automation to autonomy is changing the world. Discover the stories, perspectives and insights shaping the future of innovation across the Honeywell ecosystem.
In this edition, we zoom in on unlocking industrial growth in Europe through next generation connected technologies, collaboration and the co-creation of physical AI rollouts.
With co-creation at the heart of our second consecutive European Growth Symposium in Frankfurt, Germany, Honeywell’s leadership team, including Vimal Kapur , Suresh Venkatarayalu , Anant Maheshwari , Sheila Jordan , James Masso , Billal Hammoud and Peter Lau , joined more than 350 participants — including 160 customers and strategic suppliers — to tackle a shared question: how will the next generation of connected technologies unlock Europe’s industrial growth?
The answer that emerged across every session: it cannot happen in isolation. It will be built through collaboration and co-innovation.
A highlight of the symposium was the launch of Honeywell Automation Express, a state-of-the-art mobile showcase that brings the customer experience center directly to our customers’ doorstep. More than a demo, it lets customers experience firsthand how AI, connected data, and automation drive measurable impact, reduce complexity, and accelerate time to value.
Three themes defined the conversations:
1. The time for Europe’s shift to industrial autonomy is now: Europe’s vast industrial base, rapidly scaling data center infrastructure, and fast connectivity pipes uniquely position it to harness physical AI and turn that potential into real operational advantage.
2. Autonomous operations need people at the core: Autonomous operations are a workforce enabler. No longer a distant promise, AI now turns complexity into clarity and speed into advantage, since people have the information they need to do the work that matters most.
3. Co-creation and partnership are key to success: Companies are not looking for off-the-shelf solutions. Instead, they are seeking partners with deep domain expertise and local operational knowledge. Partners who will build alongside them.
As we help our customers bridge the physical and digital worlds, Honeywell’s innovations leverage AI, Cloud and 5G to accelerate the path to autonomy.
Boosting Fuel Production at Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery: We are expanding our collaboration with Dangote Refinery, deploying Honeywell’s Performance+ Services to drive operational efficiency, increase fuel output, and strengthen workforce capabilities. A meaningful milestone in Africa’s energy transformation.
Integrating AI-Powered Battery at the The University of Alabama : By integrating Honeywell’s Battery Manufacturing Excellence Platform (MXP) into the Alabama Mobility and Power Center, the University of Alabama is working to improve cell yields, accelerate battery factory startups, and support the growth of the state’s automotive industry.
🔗 Honeywell’s AI-powered Battery MXP platform to automate University of Alabama AMP Center pilot battery lab | Charged EVs Magazine
Helping Fuel Petrobras ’ First Large-Scale Ethanol-to-Jet Project in Latin America: Petrobras selected Honeywell UOP’s Ethanol-to-Jet (ETJ) process technology for its REPLAN refinery in São Paulo, Brazil. It’s a project expected to deliver up to 10,000 barrels per day of sustainable aviation fuel and the first large-scale ETJ initiative in the region.
🔗 Petrobras selects Honeywell ETJ technology for Brazil’s first large-scale SAF project | BioEnergy Times
Deploying Advanced Renewable Fuel Processing Technology with Phelan Green Group : We are providing the process technology for Phelan eFuels’ planned electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) facility in South Africa, supporting green fuel production, job creation, expanded exports, and the advancement of low-carbon aviation.
Vimal Kapur on the changing energy demand landscape: Speaking at the Semafor World Economy event, Vimal made the case that every form of power generation will be essential to meet future demand, and that treating any source as disposable risks closing the window on our ability to scale.
Suresh Venkatarayalu on how Honeywell is accelerating the path to autonomy with Google Cloud : Suresh detailed how Honeywell’s new specialized AI agents are moving industrial autonomy from concept to reality and redefining what’s possible in connected operations.
Achim Keifert on the key role Germany plays for the European market: Achim joined GEBÄUDEDIGITAL to discuss the opening of Honeywell’s new Customer Experience Center in Ratingen and why Germany’s emphasis on energy efficiency and building modernization makes it a critical market for Honeywell in Europe.
Rahul Negi on how 2026 will redefine manufacturing autonomy: In a Q&A with ManufacturingTomorrow.com , Rahul made a sharp point: 2026 is the year autonomy stops being an overlay and starts being embedded in how operations are actually run.
Katie Davis, PE on the use of intelligent systems for better emergency response: In Fire and Safety Journal Americas (FSJA) , Katie outlined how connected systems can sharpen situational awareness, coordinate response in real time, and meaningfully reduce stress on frontline firefighters.
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Enjoying seeing the co-creation at work. Companies are much stronger and resilient when they embrace co-creation and co-design.
The future of industrial growth will be driven by connected systems, smarter automation and stronger collaboration across industries. Interesting to see how technologies like physical AI and connected operations are shaping the next phase of manufacturing and energy globally. 🌍⚙️
This resonates a lot, well said.
The shift from automation to autonomy is harder in Europe partly because plant lifecycles run 20-plus years on installed automation. Physical AI gets interesting once you can drop it on top of an existing PLC layer without forklifting the whole control room.
Strong operational insights. Organizations focusing on visibility, predictive intelligence, and execution consistency are clearly setting the direction for future-ready industries.