Bill Gates-backed Ecolab sets up digital innovation centre in Bengaluru

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates-backed Ecolab Inc., a provider of water, hygiene and energy technologies and services, has set up a facility in Bengaluru to drive digital innovation.

The Ecolab Digital Center (EDC), set up in partnership with US-based SMC Squared LLC, will serve as a global ‘Digital Innovation Center of Excellence,' the company said in a statement. The centre will drive digital customer and field technology innovation, it added.

“Digital technology is already driving innovation and improving business outcomes in every industry we serve, and our customers are looking to us to lead,” said Charles F. Koontz, executive vice president and chief digital officer at Ecolab.

The centre will help the company scale its digital capability, unlock insights that create more value for customers and simplify work for the company's sales teams, he added.

According to the statement, Ecolab provides solutions that help companies improve efficiency, ensure product quality and preserve natural resources.

In India, Ecolab offers water treatment, food and laundry solutions at two manufacturing plants in Kolkata and Pune. It also operates a Global Systems Assurance Centre in Pune, which monitors 40,000 global customer sites to help them save water and energy.  

According to the statement, Ecolab aims to meet growing global demand for predictive solutions using Indian talent for digital development.

Teams at the new digital centre will work with Ecolab’s information technology and commercial digital solutions teams to accelerate the introduction of key digital solutions.

The centre will use digital tools and capabilities such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and Internet of Things to help Ecolab customers reduce waste, energy and water use, the statement said.