SACC Digital Committee Taking Shape
Following the success of the SACC Sustainability Committee and also based on feedback from the SACC Innovation, Technology and Design Summit that was held at UTS in Sydney in 2022, a new SACC Digital Committee was formed in early 2024. Swedish companies have long been recognised as leaders in the digitalisation of industries. The purpose of the Committee is to promote the digital capabilities of the SACC member companies to industry, government and tertiary education.
As a first step, all SACC company members were invited to join the Committee, with the first meeting of the 9 founding companies taking place in February. The founding member companies include ABB, Axelent, Berkely Communications, Consat Telematics, Electrolux, Elekta, Kinghill, IKEA and Hexagon.
The first task of the founding member companies was to define the focus of the Committee. Povel Torudd, Managing Director of leading communications firm Berkeley Communications, sought input from the company representatives to formulate a draft of a focus, mission, audience and articulate why the voice of the member companies matters. To further sharpen the industry focus of the Committee, a survey of the 9 founding companies was conducted. As the founding companies have the ability to address the digital needs of a very broad range of industries, it was therefore important to home in on particular industries. The key findings, among others, included:
- The top 3 industry sectors/themes to focus on, as prioritized by the SACC Digital Committee members includes: 1. Manufacturing, including food and beverage manufacturing., 2. Smart Cities, with a focus on public transportation, particularly rail, also including healthcare. 3. Electric Vehicles, including electric vehicle charging and telematics solutions.
- Two further industry segments offer strong synergies with other SACC member companies: 1. Smart Home, 2. Healthcare.
The identified industry segments will now form the focus of various initiatives to be planned and implemented by the Committee. The initiatives might take the form of social media marketing campaigns, webinars or in-person events.
The Committee was officially launched at a SACC event titled ‘AI Key Trends and How to Stay Competitive’ that was hosted at the Sydney office of Hexagon on 1 May. Mattias Tidebrink SVP APAC Hexagon Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial, provided an overview of Hexagon, including digital reality solutions, combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies. Dr Sandra Peter, Director of Sydney Executive Plus and Associate Professor at the University of Sydney spoke about how AI has moved beyond the hype. The Committee looks forward to showcasing the digital capabilities of the member companies at events in the future.
The SACC Digitalisation Committee welcomes interest from other SACC member companies to join the Committee. Please contact John Rieusset, Chair of the SACC Digitalisation Committee for further information via melbourne@swedishchamber.com.au
