What an amazing month of September has been for Akila!

We’ve had so many exciting things happen, and we couldn’t wait to share them with you.

Here are some of the key moments:

Climate Week Success

We had such a great time at Climate Week! A big thank you to everyone who stopped by for our demo.

Akila’s Mark Bawtree and John D’Angelo – Managing Director of Deloitte also hosted a session on “Technology innovation in the built environment”.

It was amazing to connect with so many passionate people working toward a sustainable future.

South Beach partnership

You might have already seen the news, but Akila has partnered with South Beach as part of our big move into Singapore! Together, we’re using our digitalization solution to future-proof their building. Big things ahead!

Read more about it here.

Webinars

We also held a successful webinar in China, Guillaume Gimonet – Head of Technical Service Solution at Aden and Peter Gao – Senior Solution Consultant discussed “Mastering smart operations and maintenance: How to practice green and low-carbon from facility equipment maintenance management”.

We’re looking forward to our next webinar next month that will be held by Johnny Li – Akila’s Customer Success Manager.
Stay tuned for details, and thank you to everyone who participated in our previous sessions!

App Launch

Akila Mobile is now live on iOS and Android!

You can download it on the App Store/Google Play today to explore all the features designed to enhance your experience.

Akila & PTIT faculty of IT cooporation

This month, Akila also had the opportunity to visit the faculty of Information Technology 1 at PTIT in Vietnam. Led by our Vice President, Philippe Obry, this meeting was a pivotal moment in fostering international partnerships: we shared our latest innovatitions in energy optimization, while the faculty showcased their impressive expertise and commitment to sustainable development. Together, we explored potential synergies between PTIT’s research initiatives and our technological advancements. This collaboration marks the start of a promising journey that will benefit both Akila, PTIT, and the wider community!

Featured Blog Post

Lastly, don’t miss Mark Bawtree’s latest blog post on Unlocking the power of digital twins, where he discusses their role in enhancing operational efficiency in buildings. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the future of digital tech.

You can check it out here.

Thank you for your continued support – we’re glad to have you with us.

Exciting things are coming for Akila in the next months, and we can’t wait to share them with you!

Exciting news! We are thrilled to announce that the new Akila Mobile is available on iOS and Android.

Set to transform and optimize building management, the app will also bring unparalleled efficiency and insight to building operations.  It will provide you with a centralized platform to manage work orders, inspections and maintenance operations, track equipment status and health and stay on top of asset management, all from the convenience of your device.

Akila Mobile is a key achievement in our quest to innovate facility maintenance management and empower teams with real-time data.

Here are some of its key features:

• Streamlined workflow: Easily create, assign, and track work orders and inspections.
• Real-time updates: Stay informed with instant notifications and status updates.
• Offline functionality: Continue working seamlessly, even without an internet connection.
• Meter reading integration: Accurately record and monitor utility consumption data.

Facility managers gain unprecedented insights and control:

• Auditable records: Access detailed logs of all activities, ensuring accountability and compliance.
• Enhanced collaboration: Foster teamwork and communication with a shared platform.
• Improved efficiency: Identify bottlenecks and streamline processes to boost overall performance.

How to get the App?

Join the future of facility management and download the Akila App on the App Store/Google Play now. Simply search for Akila Mobile and click ‘Download’ to get started.

Stay tuned for more updates and feature enhancements.

For more information, visit our website or contact our support team. We’re here to help you make the most of your building’s potential.

What is ENERGY STAR Certification?

ENERGY STAR is one of the most trusted environmental labels in the USA, recognized by nearly 90% of American households. Administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ENERGY STAR certification recognizes buildings and products that meet strict energy efficiency standards. ENERGY STAR certification demonstrates organizations’ commitment to saving energy, cutting costs, and protecting the environment.

Why does ENERGY STAR Certification matter for buildings?

Buildings can earn ENERGY STAR certification by using less energy, saving money on utility bills, and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To earn this certification, a building must score 75 or higher on the EPA’s 1-100 ENERGY STAR Score, which means that the building performs better than at least 75% of similar buildings nationwide.

This score is calculated based on actual energy use using the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. The tool takes into account factors such as operating conditions and regional weather data. This ensures an accurate assessment of a building’s energy efficiency.

How to obtain and verify your ENERGY STAR Certification?

This year, the deadline for certification of U.S. commercial buildings in 2024 is Friday, December 13th.

ENERGY STAR certification is not a one-off achievement, it is an annual recognition. The building must maintain its high energy performance each year to maintain certification. The certification application also needs to be reviewed by a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or Registered Architect (RA) to ensure all data is accurate.

If you wish to obtain your certification, follow the next steps:

1. Evaluate your building’s energy performance:

Start by determining your building’s ENERGY STAR score. If you’re new to this process, you can learn more about benchmarking in the Portfolio Manager section of the ENERGY STAR website. You should aim for a score of 75 or higher.

2. Submit your application using Portfolio Manager:

If you have a qualifying score, the next step is to apply using Portfolio Manager. Follow the step-by-step instructions on the ENERGY STAR website.

3. Get your application verified:

The last step is to have your application verified by a licensed PE or RA. They will confirm your building’s characteristics, energy data, and that all indoor environmental criteria have been met. The cost of verification varies, but it’s typically around $1,500 for an average building. You can search the ENERGY STAR list of licensed professionals or hire someone in-house.

ENERGY STAR certified buildings not only demonstrate energy efficiency, but it also contribute to a more sustainable future.

Visit the ENERGY STAR website to learn more about improving your building’s energy performance and applying for certification.

The flooring solutions provider is the latest to deploy the Akila Platform, Energy SUITE, and Carbon SUITE at their site in Changshu.

Akila, a digital twin data platform is pleased to announce that Gerflor, a specialist and world leader in flooring solutions, has chosen to deploy the Akila Platform at their Changshu, Jiangsu Province factory. Gerflor is the latest global manufacturing customer to deploy Akila’s Energy SUITE and Carbon SUITE to leverage real-time monitoring to track energy performance and simplify reporting and compliance procedures for disclosures.

Gerflor’s site includes three factories adding up to 50,000 square meters, which are fully digitalized in Akila. Akila enables Gerflor to transition away from manual energy monitoring to real time data collection. Embedded data analytics features provide customizable dashboards which visualize the consumption (or production) of energy from key systems like HVAC chillers, air compressors, and solar photovoltaics.

Philippe OBRY, Akila’s Vice-President stated “Our mantra, ‘digitalize to decarbonize’ captures the heart of Akila’s solution to assist clients on their sustainability journey. Real time energy monitoring is the first step for Gerflor to optimize energy consumption, reduce carbon impact, and continue their drive toward energy optimization and a greener future.”

With real-time energy monitoring and tailor-made Business Intelligence reports, Gerflor will streamline emissions disclosures to the provincial government and corporate stakeholders, as well as leverage data insights. By supplementing existing data with deeper insights related to the energy costs, Akila provides Gerflor a more holistic view of expenses and resource demand to enhance decision-making processes and lead to more operational efficiency.

In 3 months, Gerflor has already taken a step towards smarter energy monitoring and a data-driven transformation to their approach to energy and carbon management. Akila is thrilled to be their chosen solution to start them on their sustainable journey. We’re proud that Akila works as a solution for both business and environmental goals alike.

Sebastien GAUCHET, Gerflor Asia Managing Director stated “Akila Energy Suite allowed Gerflor Changshu site to accelerate our sustainability journey and contribute to Gerflor group effort to meet ESG target. With Akila Energy Suite we have already been able to optimize the usage of solar panels installed last year so 10% of our electrical consumption comes from green energy. With now the ability to see in real time where Changshu plant consumes natural gas and electricity we are engaging in transforming our habits to do more with less.”

For more information about Akila and our services, please visit www.akila3d.com.

About Gerflor

 Gerflor is a specialist and world leader in the flexible floor covering sector.

The group designs, manufactures and markets innovative, decorative and eco-responsible products for floors and their peripheries. Already present in over 100 countries, Gerflor’s worldwide growth continues.

About Akila

Akila is a cloud-based digital twin data platform for the built environment. It is our mission to transform the full lifecycle of properties to be more sustainable through data. Akila gives building owners and tenants unprecedented control over the performance of their buildings with the Akila Platform and operational SUITES, scalable to entire portfolios.

Since 2021, Akila has been expanding rapidly. As of today, we have a team of 150+ people across Asia, Europe, and North America, with in-house engineering, AI, and R&D teams. Akila’s customers span many industries and property types, from retail to hospitals, and factories to office towers totalling over 10 million square meters managed across 300 deployment sites.

We are striving to be the go-to platform for decarbonizing buildings for organizations across the world.

July 2, 2024 – Akila is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Saint-Gobain, a worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on reducing carbon emissions across Saint-Gobain and its affiliates’ sites in the Asia-Pacific region.

You can learn more about our customer story here.

This partnership aims to achieve a 33% reduction in all carbon emissions (scope 1 & scope 2) by 2030, a goal that underscores both companies’ commitment to sustainability. The collaboration will be executed in two key phases:

Phase 1: Deployment of Akila’s digitalized energy management system across Saint-Gobain and/or its Affiliates’ factories in the APAC region.

Phase 2: Implementation of Akila’s optimization solutions, tailored to the processes of each site, across Saint-Gobain and/or its Affiliates’ factories in the APAC region to significantly reduce Saint-Gobain’s carbon footprint.

The collaboration builds on the success of Akila’s recent project at Saint-Gobain’s APAC Research Center, where the deployment of advanced digital energy monitoring and HVAC optimization solutions resulted in an 18% decrease in overall energy costs. Akila will now work with Saint-Gobain to continue expanding the scope of its optimization solutions to continue reducing carbon emissions in pursuit of Saint-Gobain’s 33% target (scope 1 & scope 2) by 2030.

In addition, Saint-Gobain and Akila will explore ways to develop comprehensive market-facing offers for property developers and the real estate industry. This will combine their respective strengths, including Saint-Gobain’s lightweight sustainable materials and Akila’s digital twin platform for building data and advanced simulation to set a new industry standard for innovation, efficiency and sustainability.

Philippe Obry, Akila’s Vice-President, stated, “We are excited about this strategic partnership and its potential to significantly enhance energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and achieve operational excellence.”

Ludovic Weber, CEO of Asia-Pacific, Saint-Gobain, added, “Together, we can set new standards in the construction industry, positioning our combined offering as a leader in sustainable and technological innovation.”

Kewpie is among a growing list of high-profile manufacturers to be using Akila to digitalize energy monitoring and management with the digital twin platform and Energy SUITE. Known for its beloved mayonnaise dressing, Kewpie has been growing its global footprint at a rapid pace and is quickly becoming a staple brand in Asia and around the world.

With that growth has come the need to ensure that expansion happens sustainably. To that end, Kewpie has committed to ambitious sustainability goals and adheres to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) disclosures for transparency for customers and investors. Akila will be a core part of that journey.

Kewpie will be leveraging the Akila Platform to monitor, measure, and act in support of its mission to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. With the Energy SUITE, Akila has successfully centralized the energy data, including data from on-site solar panels, at one of their major production facilities in East Asia to set baselines and optimize consumption.

“Working with clients such as Kewpie, who is an industry leader with a global footprint and ambitious sustainability goals, is exactly why we founded Akila,” said Philippe Obry Co-founder and General Manager of Akila. “Our mission is to provide the path to net-zero carbon and better compliance with ESG disclosure requirements. With the Akila digital twin and Energy SUITE, we are proud to be a part of Kewpie’s impressive sustainability journey.”

Akila’s mission is to provide a path toward sustainability and decarbonization on two fronts: data and operations. By leveraging the Akila digital twin and Energy Suite, collecting and reporting on energy and carbon emissions is automated with a combination of IoT (Internet of Things) sensors and a digital twin SaaS (Software as a Service) platform.

Akila empowers Kewpie’s decision-makers with real-time transparent, traceable, and trackable data. By removing the laborious and time-consuming process of collecting and centralizing data, Kewpie can spend more time acting to achieve its sustainable goals.

Brookfield Properties, one of the world’s largest real estate managers and investors in renewable energy, has leveraged the Akila digital twin platform to pioneer the world’s first RESET Waste program at their One East property in Shanghai. This strategic collaboration aims to empower tenants in measuring and monitoring their carbon emissions with an innovative waste-to-carbon tracking program within the Akila Environment SUITE. By digitalizing waste management with Akila, Brookfield is taking proactive steps to reduce landfill-bound waste and reduce their Scope 3 emissions.

Why digitalize waste management?

Although it sometimes goes overlooked as a source of emissions, waste is actually the second largest contributor after energy, due to the methane created while it decomposes in landfills and greenhouse gas emissions from incineration. According to the world bank, 11% of global methane emissions come from landfills. Additionally, the energy consumed in waste management and transportation, along with the production and disposal of plastics, further amplifies the carbon footprint of waste.

Digitalized waste management offers a solution to reduce the carbon impact of waste. By implementing technologies like digital twins and IoT devices, waste tracking and management becomes more efficient. Digitalization enables better data collection, analysis, and visualization, which paves the way for action.

With improved transparency and accurate data, waste can be managed more effectively, enabling targeted reduction strategies on the purchasing and consumption side, as well as on the disposal side such as recycling and composting. Digitalized waste management facilitates the diversion of waste from landfills, reducing the carbon emissions associated with waste.

Smart waste manage

After getting the site set up with the Akila platform and Environment SUITE software, our deployment engineers installed IoT-based smart scales that send real-time data into the platform, visualized in dashboards. This unlocks some powerful data:

• First, it enables precise identification of waste sources by tenant or floor
• Second, it allows the categorization of waste during weighing
• Third, this waste is converted to carbon emissions

All data is centralized in the Akila platform and simultaneously shared with the RESET Cloud, facilitating third-party auditing and benchmarking. Then, Brookfield can leverage this data to drill down into their data to make action plans to reduce the amount of waste in different categories. With the data and analytics dashboarding, Brookfield can monitor and measure the results of these actions and continue to optimize their waste management operations.

What Akila ultimately delivers is transparency, traceability, and traceability.

What is RESET waste?

Akila’s waste-to-carbon program provides a transparent and fair platform for landlords to anonymously rank and benchmark their tenants’ performance through the RESET Leaderboard. This approach creates a powerful incentive for tenants to reduce their carbon footprint from waste actively, ensuring they meet sustainability targets and comply with environmental reporting requirements.

With the RESET Waste certification, Brookfield demonstrates its commitment to driving sustainable waste management practices and carbon reduction. Integrating Akila’s advanced digital twin platform enables Brookfield to set an industry benchmark in environmental stewardship. This collaboration not only benefits Brookfield as a client but also emphasizes Akila’s dedication to delivering innovative solutions that support clients’ sustainability goals within the built environment.

Taking the next steps to net zero

As the waste-to-carbon program continues to progress, the joint efforts of Akila and Brookfield are expected to uncover further opportunities for process improvement and waste reduction. Through this pioneering initiative, both parties are at the forefront of waste management and carbon emission reduction, inspiring others in the industry to follow suit.

Akila and Brookfield’s collaboration highlights the importance of the RESET certification as a benchmark for transparency and accountability in waste management and carbon reduction efforts. By leveraging the capabilities of Akila’s digital twin platform and the implementation of RESET standards, both parties showcase their commitment to driving sustainable practices and shaping a greener future.

Akila and Brookfield are leading the way in sustainable waste management, demonstrating how collaboration and innovative technologies can drive positive change within the built environment.

SINGAPORE — Akila has begun a new partnership with Hashstacs Pte Ltd (STACS) to accelerate sustainable financing in the real estate industry. STACS is a Singapore-headquartered FinTech company focused on ESG FinTech. It is the founder and operator of ESGpedia, which powers the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) Greenprint ESG Registry. STACS’s ESGpedia registry links data providers (businesses and sector platforms) with data users (banks, asset managers, investors, regulators) within a single platform. The platform hosts globally verified ESG disclosures and certifications across multiple sectors, with real-time continuous monitoring.

Through this partnership, businesses in the STACS ecosystem will have an opportunity to implement Akila’s ESG-focused digital twin smart building platform to monitor, optimize and record the carbon emissions of their buildings. With key emissions data channeled to ESGpedia, companies can evidence their sustainability efforts through a corporate profile on ESGpedia. This profile can then serve as a verifiable record for data users. This will streamline and accelerate the risk management process for green real-estate financing.

Building a trustworthy data pool for investors on ESGpedia

Green financing is becoming more mainstream, especially in markets like Singapore, which was an early adopter of ESG standards. Last year, Singapore’s government announced plans to develop Singapore into a green finance hub, issuing up to S$35 billion of green bonds by 2030. Shortly after, they introduced the Green Bond Framework, ensuring that issuances align with internationally recognized standards. STACS ESGpedia will be a major facilitator in transforming Singapore into a regional green finance hub. There is also even more potential to accelerate similar transformations in the greater ASEAN market.

At the same time, this proliferation of ESG investing brings with it deep concerns of falsifying non-compliant loopholes called ‘greenwashing’. One key value that the partnership between STACS and Akila aims to provide is transparency. Akila’s trackable and traceable data paired with STACS ESGpedia offers a trustworthy solution for investors and banks to see verified data from companies seeking green financing.

We’re excited about this new partnership for the advancement of more sustainable business and financing for the built environments.

About STACS

STACS (Hashstacs Pte Ltd) is a Singapore-headquartered FinTech company focused on ESG FinTech, operating ESGpedia, which powers the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) Greenprint ESG Registry. STACS serves as the Nexus of ESG Finance with ESG data across multiple industries and digital tools for the financial sector to scale decarbonization financing, as well as technology to provide end-to-end traceability of high-quality carbon offsets to mitigate residual emissions. Its clients and partners include global financial institutions and corporates. For more information, please visit www.stacs.io.

Shanghai, China — Bolloré Logistics China has signed a three-year agreement with start-up Akila to monitor and optimize the energy consumption of its 18,000 m² warehouse in Songjiang (Shanghai). The agreement is based on providing a digital solution that uses artificial intelligence to improve the company’s results in terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

In addition to optimizing its energy consumption, the platform will improve air quality throughout the site by accurately monitoring HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) installations. As part of its “Powering Sustainable Logistics” CSR program, Bolloré Logistics has set itself the target of cutting its Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions by 43% by 2027[1]. By partnering with Akila, Bolloré Logistics Greater China will contribute to the success of this stated objective.

“We look forward to implementing this solution with Akila, as it will enable us to monitor our environmental impact closely and take concrete actions to reduce it further. As a global player in the supply chain, we want to set an example for the rest of the industry and accelerate the adoption of sustainable solutions to decarbonize transport operations,” stated Frédéric Marcerou, CEO of Bolloré Logistics Greater China.

Philippe Obry, Chief Innovation Officer and Co-founder of Akila, added, “Akila and Bolloré Logistics are fellow travelers pursuing the same goal in terms of sustainability for the logistics sector. The sector needs to adapt to a more data-driven model; this is why we are committed to the success of this partnership. Moving forward, we hope to be able to put more solutions in place with Bolloré Logistics at their other sites throughout China.” 

About Bolloré Logistics

Bolloré Logistics is a major international supply chain operator and ranks among the world’s top ten transport and logistics groups with an integrated network of 603 agencies in 111 countries. Placing customers at the heart of its strategy, Bolloré Logistics is committed to designing innovative, robust and agile solutions. Through the reliable management of the entire supply chain, the company has developed a high level of resilience, enabling it to control risks by securing transport plans through alternative options and to lead a continuous improvement policy over the long term while acting as an ethical and responsible player.

Bolloré Logistics opened its offices in China in 1994. The company now operates in 19 cities and has more than 30 sites across the country. It provides innovative, robust and agile transport solutions suitable for large industries such as luxury retail, perfumes & cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, high-tech products, aerospace and automotive.

Learn more: www.bollore-logistics.com

About Akila

Akila is an Asia-based start-up that designed and developed a digital platform to harness real-time data using artificial intelligence to streamline ESG reporting. It thus optimizes the performance, sustainability and human-centricity of buildings and cities. Backed by strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Dassault Systèmes and Aden Group, Akila currently has a growing team of 80+ members and 5.7 million square meters managed across 80+ sites. Akila was recognized in 2022 by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer.

Press contacts:

Cindy Patan, Media Relations Manager – Bolloré Transport & Logistics
Tel.: +33 1 46 96 49 75 / +33 7 72 40 49 75 cindy.patan@bollore.com

Yee Wen Wong, Regional Communications Manager, Asia Pacific – Bolloré Logistics
T +65 9758 6639 – yee-wen.wong@bollore.com

Wenting Jiang, Marketing Communication Manager, Greater China – Bolloré Logistics
T +86 21 / (3395) 0617 137 6444 – wenting.jiang@bollore.com

Keyi Li, Product Marketing Manager – Akila

T (+86) 158 5275 8888 – keyi.li@akila3d.com

[1] This objective is based on the company’s results in 2017. 

As one of the world’s largest producers of chemicals and specialty materials, Arkema has made impressive sustainability and ESG commitments – and Akila is helping them deliver on them. Arkema uses Akila at its R&D center in Changshu, China, the starting point in its quest towards decarbonizing global operations.

Thierry Martin, General Manager of Arkema (China) Investment Changshu Branch, about how the partnership will accelerate Arkema China’s decarbonization and digitalization strategy. Akila will monitor and optimize energy, financial and GHG emissions in real-time, providing a more sustainable building lifecycle from now until decommissioning. Based on the 1.5°C SBT trajectory, Arkema aims to reduce its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and scope 3 emissions by 46% by 2030 relative to 2019. As we move forward, we hope to enable Arkema to take its sustainability gains to the next level and achieve a better impact.

Shanghai, China — Arkema, a global leader in Specialty Materials, has initiated its partnership with Akila, a real-estate data and management platform that uses digital twin and AI technologies to empower data-driven decision-making for large and multinational portfolios. Akila has been selected to help implement Arkema’s decarbonization strategy and ‘Arkema Energy’ power efficiency program in China. The first implementation of Akila will be Arkema’s R&D center located in Changshu, China, where Akila’s Asset and Energy modules will be used to link and optimize previously unconnected building systems and data at the R&D facility.

In the chemical industry, Arkema has shown itself to be among the most forward-looking groups in terms of social responsibility, ranked third place for the chemicals sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index—and aiming to reduce its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its scope 3 emissions by 46% by 2030 relative to 2019, in line with its new commitment to a 1.5°C SBT trajectory. With the deployment of the Akila platform, Arkema China will be empowered to take this commitment to decarbonization and efficiency even further. Targeted energy, financial and GHG improvements will be tracked in real-time and made transparent for company stakeholders through Akila’s customizable dashboards.

Thierry MARTIN, General Manager of Arkema (China) Investment Changshu Branch stated: “With increasing pressures on resources and energy, a growing population, climate change, and the environmental crisis, we face many challenges on a planetary scale in the next decade. Our responsibility is to use our expertise and innovation to contribute to a more sustainable world. That’s why we’re excited to begin our work with a company that prioritizes ESG-focused digital innovation and human-centricity like Akila.”

Akila Chief Innovation Officer and Co-founder Philippe Obry stated: “Beginning this partnership with Arkema China is an exciting opportunity for us. Their commitment to ESG is long-standing and their results are already impressive. As the chemical industry goes through its sustainability transformation, strong partnerships that prioritize ESG are needed to evolve the production process and become truly green. As we move forward we hope to enable Arkema to take their sustainability gains to the next level, and work with them to reduce energy use and improve asset management.”

About Akila

Akila is an Asia-based digital twin platform harnessing real-time data and AI to streamline ESG reporting and optimize the performance, sustainability and human-centricity of buildings and cities. Backed by strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Dassault Systèmes and Aden Group, Akila currently has a growing team of 80+ members and 3.5M square meters managed across 60 sites of deployment. Akila was recognized in 2022 by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer.

About Arkema

Building on its unique set of expertise in materials science, Arkema offers a portfolio of first-class technologies to address the ever-growing demand for new and sustainable materials. With the ambition to become in 2024 a pure player in Specialty Materials, the Group is structured into three complementary, resilient and highly innovative segments dedicated to Specialty Materials -Adhesive Solutions, Advanced Materials, and Coating Solutions-accounting for some 85.5% of Group sales in 2021, and a well-positioned and competitive Intermediates segment. Arkema offers cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the challenges of, among other things, new energies, access to water, recycling, urbanization and mobility, and fosters a permanent dialogue with all its stakeholders. The Group reported sales of around €9.5 billion in 2021 and operates in some 55 countries with 20,200 employees worldwide. Learn more at www.arkema.com

Shanghai, 21 July 2022—Saint-Gobain announces its collaboration with Akila, a real-estate data and management platform that uses digital twin and AI technologies to empower data-driven decision making and ESG for large multinational portfolios, to achieve energy-saving objectives and enhance employee wellness. A pilot project, using the Akila platform and Akila energy module, has been initiated at 15,000 m2 Saint-Gobain Research Shanghai, to manage, control and optimize HVAC systems, which can reduce energy consumption and carbon emission by up to 20%. In the meanwhile, this project will continue to take employee feedback to foster a sense of ownership and engagement in the facility’s management. 

Saint-Gobain’s long-term commitment toward net-zero carbon meets Akila’s willingness to deepen sustainable innovation. Starting from HVAC control and furthering into energy simulation, this collaboration will enable Saint-Gobain Research Shanghai to optimize air quality, user satisfaction, and energy consumption by using cutting-edge AI, automation, and extensive sensors. The Akila platform offers simultaneous access to these powerful digital twin, data and control dashboards across all sites, which enables global access to bird’s-eye and ground-level view of the portfolio. The deployment of Akila offers a peerless management tool that translates directly to employee wellness by optimizing facility uptime, air quality, acoustic environments, and user feedback.  

Saint-Gobain Research Shanghai is the representative of Saint-Gobain Group to establish this collaboration with Akila. Present in China since 2005, Saint-Gobain Research Shanghai, one of the eight transversal Research Centers of the Group, supports innovation for all the businesses of the Asia-Pacific region. Its research area focuses on high-performance solutions for automotive, aerospace, healthcare and renewable energies. It is also highly active in researching innovative and sustainable solutions and materials for the construction industry. 

Alain Zanoli, Vice-President of Innovation Asia of Saint-Gobain, stated: “At Saint-Gobain, we are guided by clear Purpose and values. We are committed to Making The World A Better Home. So our partnership with Akila is a natural one, being built around shared values like health and wellness, human centricity, and solving environmental problems through innovation. Our company has a remarkable history, and we’re excited to put Akila’s digital solutions to help improve the life of our employees while contributing to reduce our CO2 footprint. This project is a first step. We are convinced that nurturing Akila in our Asia-Pacific Research and Development hub will generate a formidable opportunity to foster more innovation.” 

Philippe Obry, Akila Chief Innovation Officer and Co-founder, stated: “We see this project as just the beginning of an exciting and fruitful collaboration with Saint-Gobain. We’re looking forward to examining their products in lightweight and sustainable construction for our own projects like the Akila Lab Qingdao and NXPark Xi’an Smart Park, and embarking on a mutual cycle of global growth, development, and improvement.” 

About Saint-Gobain  

To be the worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”. €44.2 billion in sales in 2021; 166,000 employees, located in 75 countries; Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050; For more information about Saint-Gobain, visit www.saint-gobain.com.cn. 

About Akila 

Akila is an Asia-based digital twin platform harnessing real-time data and AI to streamline ESG reporting and optimize the performance, sustainability, and human-centricity of buildings and cities. Backed by strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Dassault Systèmes and Aden Group, Akila currently has a growing team of 80+ members and 3.5M square meters managed across 60 sites of deployment. Akila was recognized in 2022 by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer.