“WE ARE A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY THAT PLACES GREAT VALUE ON INNOVATION”

Ashish Gaikwad, Managing Director at Honeywell Automation India, talks of Honeywell’s ninedecade-long journey in India, its technological innovations, sustainability and more, in a conversation with Jyotsna Sharma

You complete nine decades in India! How has the journey been?

Yes, nine decades in India! For Honeywell, it has been more than a century-long journey. We are a conglomerate that has been able to stand the test of time and thrive. One of the very first inventions by the company was a programmable thermostat and look how far we have come today!

Let me give you another example. Back in the day, detergents were non-biodegradable. Honeywell was the first to come up with technologies for bio-degradable detergents. Today, 85 per cent of these detergents have our technology in them. We invented auto-pilot for airplanes. We invented Solstice – the molecule that reduces GHG impact of the refrigerants. So, you see, we are a technology company that places great value on innovation.

For us, cutting-edge technology holds immense value, but we also focus on transforming that technology to use it at its optimum level. For instance, globally today, there is a move towards sustainability. We have been at the forefront of developing technologies that help organisations – both large and small – achieve their emission reduction goals. These breakthrough technologies in plastic circularity, cleaner fuels and low global warming potential (LGWP) refrigerants, hydrogen and carbon, capture changing the quality of life for citizens, while also ensuring a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future for the planet. To cite an example, our Solstice range of LGWP refrigerants have had the same impact as planting more than 77 billion trees, or the equivalent of removing more than 55 million cars from the road for one year.