YNOW2026 Sneak Peek: Q&A With Yokogawa’s Jawed Chowdhry
Key Highlights
- A sneak peek at getting "In Tune with Tomorrow."
Next week much of the EndeavorB2B Automation Group team—editors from Automation World, Control and Control Global—will gather in New Orleans for Yokogawa’s YNOW2026 Users Conference and Exhibition to join hundreds of industry leaders, visionaries and innovators to (as they say), “shape the future of industrial automation, digital transformation, and sustainability—together.”
It’s always a great event and a terrific opportunity to network with key figures in the automation space.
One such individual is Jawed Chowdhry, Yokogawa Oprex Lifecycle manager of business-process transformation. On Day 1 of YNOW2026, Jawed will present the session titled “From Support to Stewardship: Building a Roadmap for Sustained Operational Performance.”
We wanted to connect ahead of time to learn a little about his perspective on the state of automation. Take a look…
Automation World: What are a few trends in the industrial space that are particularly relevant to this year's event?
Jawed: First, aging infrastructure remains a significant challenge, particularly in North America, where many plants are operating with control systems that were implemented 20 or more years ago and are now reaching critical points in their lifecycle.
At the same time, the industry continues to face a growing workforce gap as experienced professionals retire faster than new talent enters the field, creating resource and knowledge shortages across operations.
Organizations are also navigating an increasingly complex regulatory environment, with cybersecurity requirements becoming a major focus as operational technology and digital systems become more connected.
Finally, global competition and economic pressures are driving customers to do more with less. Across both bulk and specialty chemicals, manufacturers are facing margin pressure and are seeking ways to improve efficiency, reliability and agility while controlling costs.
Automation World: The theme for YNOW2026 is “In Tune with Tomorrow—Harmonizing People and Progress." What does that mean to you?
Jawed: At YNOW2026, being In Tune with Tomorrow means harmonizing innovation with what matters most: people and purpose. While technology plays a critical role in shaping the future, our focus is on the real business challenges our customers face and the outcomes they are striving to achieve.
By putting people first and aligning innovation with purpose, we can move forward together and create meaningful, lasting progress.
