A conversation with Yokogawa’s President/CEO, Kunimasa Shigeno
Hydrocarbon Processing (HP) sat down with Kunimasa Shigeno (KS), President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Yokogawa to discuss the evolving utilization and adoption of digital technologies in the hydrocarbon processing industry, as well as Shigeno’s vision for the future of Yokogawa and the role digital tools will play in future plant operations.
HP: As CEO, what are some of the initiatives you would like implemented at Yokogawa?
KS: First and foremost, I aim to enhance our front-line sales function to provide even greater support for our customers' businesses by enabling us to get closer to our customers and earn more of their trust.
Yokogawa is a global company operating in more than 60 countries, and I intend to further optimize the roles of our headquarters and regional sites worldwide. In other words, we will operate with a truly global approach by combining an international mindset and capabilities with flexible local support for our customers.
While we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the announcement of CENTUM, our pioneering distributed control system, we continue to innovate. I would like to thoroughly strengthen the competitiveness of our existing products and enrich our portfolio of customer solutions.
Finally, our people. We are proud of our 110-yr heritage, but we cannot just rely on our history. I am committed to fostering a corporate culture that encourages individuals to challenge the status quo while working with passion.
HP: What are some of the major challenges facing the refining and petrochemical industries? And how can your organization provide solutions to these challenges?
KS: There are challenges, some of which are at a macro level, and others at the plant level. Regarding the much-discussed topic of tariffs, we must continue to monitor the impact on the global economy, as well as their impact on the supply chain and the competitive landscape.
On a brighter note, in the medium to long term, we believe that our customers' willingness to invest will remain high, with the Middle Eastern and Indian markets being particularly active. One driver for this is the increasing focus on sustainable growth, including the reduction of the environmental impact of operations and products, improvement of productivity and enhancement of security, as well as a growing need for digital transformation solutions. Needless to say, our company is well positioned to address those needs.
At the plant maintenance level, we see two common challenges being faced by our customers. The first one is safety: for example, working at heights, in closed areas and in places where volatile substances are present are dangerous for workers. The other is labor shortages due to an aging workforce, which subsequently leads to the shortage of experienced personnel. The good news is that we provide robotic solutions to address these challenges, which assist onsite operators in their work.
HP: How do you see the increasing adoption of digital technologies affecting the daily operations of refining and petrochemical plant operators?
KS: I think that is a trend that is already happening and will only accelerate with the vast array of IT (information technology) capabilities that are currently available. Yokogawa has an advantage in solutions that integrate the use of IT and OT (operational technology) and capitalize on our strengths in OT. We can provide tailored solutions to our customers, based on the trust we have built with our existing installed base. We also offer consulting and service-based solutions in the growing security-related field.
We are also expanding our service menu to include comprehensive maintenance, plant diagnosis, data-based asset management, environmental monitoring and productivity improvement/solution proposal services that ensure the safety and security of plants. These are made possible by leveraging digital technologies.
HP: How can artificial intelligence (AI) enhance the refining and petrochemical industries?
KS: There are many different types of AI, so let me speak from Yokogawa’s AI perspective, which is centered around our Factorial Kernel Dynamic Policy Programming (FKDPP) AI algorithm. FKDPP is an autonomous control AI protocol that utilizes reinforcement learning technology. It can figure out by itself how to control and autonomize areas of plant operations that have been beyond the capabilities of existing control methods and have up to now necessitated manual operation. We put FKDPP into practical use by utilizing our know-how regarding plant operations and control—the OT side—and have successfully and safely autonomized manual operations of plants.
HP: Can you talk briefly about Yokogawa’s whitepaper Future Scenario 2040: Shaping Horizons of Uncertainty? What does this report detail, and what was the genesis for its creation?
KS: Many have heard of VUCA—an acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity—and today, society faces unprecedented opportunities and challenges, some of which I have mentioned previously. While addressing climate change, technological advancements and societal shifts, we must make choices that will have a range of consequences. Rather than simply brainstorming solutions, we have decided to take a more systematic approach.
To that end, we have released a white paper titled Future Scenario 2040: Shaping Horizons of Uncertainty to serve as a tool for promoting dialogue between companies and other organizations that are working to address social issues. I encourage everyone to take a few moments to read this. In brief, based on important societal, technological, economic, political and industry factors, several predictable megatrends and two highly uncertain, yet impactful, scenario drivers were identified. By combining these factors, four different scenarios for the year 2040 were developed. These include a scenario where there is a focus on biospheric recovery, and a scenario where an imbalance in technology leads to further inequality (FIG. 1).
HP: What is the future of refining and petrochemical operations? What does it look like 10, 20 or even 30 yrs down the line?
KS: While I do not have a crystal ball, I think we will continue to see increased interest in and adoption of autonomous operations in this field, driving more efficiency and improving the bottom line, as well as continuous improvements in workers’ safety. As the saying goes, we can only control what we can control.
As stated in our corporate brand slogan, "Co-innovating tomorrow," we will continue to strive to be a true, trusted partner that creates and maximizes value together with our customers. HP
Kunimasa Shigeno has many years of experience as an engineer in Yokogawa’s control business and has built strong relationships with customers through his extensive experience and achievements in project management and subsidiary management overseas, particularly in the Middle East. From fiscal 2024, as the head of the Digital Solutions Division, he contributed to the expansion of the control business through the streamlining of operations and the creation of new value. He was appointed President and CEO, Representative Executive Officer in April 2025, and elected as Director in June 2025.