French entrepreneur Bruno, founder of Siveco China and Bluebee Technologies, offered a detailed firsthand perspective on the evolution of digital operations and maintenance in the water industry during a recent international forum. With 26 years of experience in Chinese infrastructure — particularly water — Bruno traced his company’s journey from early challenges to global expansion, highlighting practical lessons on blending technology with operational realities.

This interview was conducted by CXO UNION in collaboration with Mr. Yang Bin, a senior industry expert and former SAP Greater China executive. It features an in-depth dialogue with Mr. Bruno Lhopiteau, CEO and founder of Siveco China, who brings 26 years of hands-on experience in the Chinese market, focusing on the frontiers of Smart Operation & Maintenance (Smart O&M) and advanced asset management. This article is based on the original video interview published by CXO UNION.

In complex industrial environments, equipment never works in isolation. Power supplies, air lines, control signals, process flows, and other functional relationships connect assets in ways that are often invisible on a standard CMMS/EAM equipment hierarchy.

In mid-April, during the regional ceasefire, the Siveco China project team visited the Taiba 2 Combined Cycle Power Plant, located approximately 100 km southeast of Madinah, one of Islam’s holiest cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The team traveled smoothly from Jeddah to Madinah aboard the Chinese-built Haramain High-Speed Railway before continuing to the construction site.

Staff and management turnover can disrupt CMMS/EAM usage, leading to inefficiencies or even system abandonment (observed in China and other countries with a strong top-down culture when top managers change).

Modern energy facilities are more automated and interconnected than ever. From rooftop solar and district cooling in bustling Asian cities to large-scale WtE plants and grid-scale renewables, these facilities face unique challenges: intermittency in solar and wind output, rapid asset aging in humid/tropical climates and cascading risks across urban grids.