Anant Maheshwari, President and CEO of Honeywell Global Regions, discusses the innovation driving industrial transformation
Honeywell helps organizations solve the world’s most complex challenges in critical areas including automation, aviation and energy. As a trusted partner, the company provides actionable solutions and innovation through its Aerospace Technologies, Building Automation, Energy and Sustainability Solutions, and Industrial Automation business segments that help make the world smarter, safer as well as more secure and sustainable.
Manufacturing Today is joined by Anant Maheshwari who is President and CEO of Honeywell’s Global Regions, with broad responsibilities for leading Honeywell’s business across a diverse set of geographies that include Asia, India, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
“Honeywell is a diversified industrial software major,” he begins, “with broadly-speaking, two main areas of business: aerospace and automation. We’re currently
going through a spin-off process, which will result in the aerospace business standing as a separate company and the three main business segments for building automation, industrial automation and process technology remaining as the core company going forward. Geographically, we are very diversified. While we are headquartered in the United States, we have very strong global operations. The UK has been a strong operation for us for a very long time and my role is to bring this entire portfolio together.”
Anant explores Honeywell’s role in economic growth and investment within the UK through technology, manufacturing, and industry. “The UK’s industrial strategy is clearly in a phase of transformation and revival,” Anant shares, “with a strong focus on growth, capital investment, and building new capabilities for the economy. Out of eight priority areas identified in the UK Industrial Strategy, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defense, digital technologies, and life sciences align very closely with Honeywell’s portfolio. We see these as real growth drivers, and automation is essential to ensuring their competitiveness and future readiness. That’s exactly where Honeywell plays a role, enabling these sectors to thrive and prepare for what’s next.
“Sustainability is also at the heart of this transition. Take the example of BP, which, as well as using our automation systems, uses our technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel around the world: a clear intersection of energy transition, automation, and sustainability. Similarly, our carbon capture solutions are geared toward supporting the UK’s decarbonization initiatives. In aerospace, we’re working on additive manufacturing through Project Strata, a UK Government-backed consortium, which is vital for maintaining a range of aircraft, with applicability for modern fleets, and even older commercial aircraft where spare parts aren’t easily available.
“On the automation side,” he continues, “we’re helping utilities like Thames Water turn metering into an intelligent process of ‘see, think, act, and learn’ to reduce waste and improve efficiency. We’re also partnering with large public institutions to automate building systems for safety, security, and energy efficiency. And across life sciences, our TrackWise platform helps digitize processes while ensuring compliance in a highly regulated sector. Ultimately, the future is autonomous, but not through AI alone. True autonomy comes from combining AI with deep domain expertise. That’s where Honeywell is uniquely positioned: at the intersection of advanced technologies and decades of industrial know-how.”
Demand for autonomous industrial operations is accelerating rapidly in response to skilled labor shortages and growing regulatory demands. Honeywell has a deep history in the industry and has built a position as a trusted partner in navigating the path to autonomous operations. From sensing technology to workforce training, Honeywell can support companies’ transformation and growth.
“When I think about the impact of AI on productivity and the future of work, there’s naturally a lot of buzz,” Anant continues. “What makes AI relevant now is the convergence of technology; the so-called IT trifecta of processing power, cloud, and 5G, combined with big data, advanced algorithms, and critically, domain expertise in industrial contexts. Together, these elements make AI practical and powerful.
“Broadly, I see three areas of impact. First, making processes smarter: optimizing operations, closing the gap between planning and control, and driving efficiency. Second, getting more out of assets by enabling predictive maintenance so they can produce more, last longer, and even serve more diverse purposes than originally designed. Finally, there’s the impact on people. With thousands of critical industrial roles unfilled in the UK, AI can be a true enabler, allowing someone with two years’ experience to perform like a 20-year veteran, thereby empowering the connected worker of the future.”
The UK is firmly positioning itself as a European hub for technology and digital investment. Progressive policies on AI and industrial funding are creating the right environment. When government and industry move at speed together, it drives innovation, attracts investment, and powers growth.
“Sustainability and the energy transition are central to Honeywell’s work,” Anant elaborates, “and one of the most powerful approaches is repurposing legacy industrial sites into hubs for alternative fuels and green energy. Grangemouth is a strong example. If you already have the land, infrastructure, and skilled workforce in place, then by bringing in the right technologies and capital investment, you can transform a traditional facility into a driver of the future economy.
“We’ve done this globally, including in Europe. A notable case is our partnership with ENI in Venice, where Honeywell’s Ecofining process converted an existing crude oil refinery into a fully commercialized facility producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This is no longer a pilot; it’s a proven, operating example of transition in action,” he enthuses.
“In the UK and across Europe, we’re also working with both established energy companies and new investors on similar projects. For instance, Power2X selected Honeywell’s eFining methanol-to-jet technology at the Port of Rotterdam, which will help enable production of over 250,000 tons of SAF and eFuels per year. This is the model for the energy transition: leveraging existing industrial assets, applying advanced technologies, and scaling solutions like SAF, hydrogen, and carbon capture to accelerate progress toward a low-carbon future,” he affirms.
“If you look at the history of manufacturing, it began as very labor-intensive, where processes depended heavily on manual effort, whether in production itself or in servicing and support. The next wave came with software and data, which allowed industry to see and think. Companies could capture vast amounts of data, apply algorithms, and start generating insights. Over time, expertise and experience added an advisory layer, where patterns could be interpreted to guide decisions,” Anant explains.
“For many years these capabilities existed in silos. What’s happening now is transformational. AI is taking us one step further, enabling systems not only to act, but to learn. That feedback loop of see, think, act, and learn, is what defines the future of manufacturing. It’s the path to autonomy. This isn’t about AI replacing human judgment, but about creating industries that are smarter, more resilient, and future ready. Imagine predictive systems that optimize processes in real time, assets that extend their lifespan through continuous learning, and workers empowered by technology to achieve more, faster. That’s where we’re headed; an integrated, autonomous future for manufacturing.”
Anant is also a fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN), which is a growing, worldwide community of values-based leaders who share a commitment to using their creativity, energy, and resources to tackle the foremost societal challenges of our times.
“Manufacturing leaders often have decades of deep domain experience,” Anant elaborates, “working within highly process-driven environments. The challenge is embracing new ways of working, where AI, data, and automation can add intelligence and efficiency. Adoption can be difficult, but those leaders who view these technologies as tools to accelerate progress, combining their expertise with augmentation and automation, are the ones shaping the future. The ability to integrate domain knowledge with AI-driven insights and operational technology is critical, and it’s this combination that will guide manufacturing toward more autonomous, resilient, and future-ready operations.
“I try to put myself in situations where I’m likely not to know something, and yes, I might feel uncertain or even foolish at first, but that feeling quickly gives way to insight and understanding,” Anant concludes. “My advice to leaders is to be proactive: seek out the unknown, challenge assumptions, and embrace discomfort as a pathway to growth. The more you uncover what you don’t know, the more capable and confident you become as a leader.”