Gary On Manufacturing - Gary Mintchell

Gary analyzes the changes at Rockwell Automation and reflects on the PSUG and Automation Fair week in Orlando. He includes pieces of interviews with CEO Keith Nosbusch and CTO Sujeet Chand. "It's an exciting time to be in manufacturing."

Are software as a service, open source software, subscription pricing disruptive to the market for manufacturing software? Just interviewed FuseSource, an open source messaging application. Recently an MIT/Sloan Management Review article cited research that top performing companies are 3x more likely to have a data analytics culture. On a podcast on IT Conversation, Simon Wardley argues that the Cloud is a source of innovation, http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail4628.html

Gary discusses automation conference season, with a brief recap of Emerson Exchange, reports from ISA's Automation Week (which was dubbed "weak" by some and so-so by others), a look ahead at Invensys Operation Management's OpsManage'10 conference coming up next week and then glimpse of the upcoming Rockwell Process Systems Users Group and Automation Fair. Recorded at Tawawa Park in Sidney, Ohio.

I give final wrap up thoughts about Emerson Global Users Exchange 2010.

AM099 Gary interviews Rune Reppenhagen, Emerson Process Management DeltaV Brand Manager about DeltaV announcements and presentations at Emerson Exchange 2010 in San Antonio.

AM098 Gary interviews Emerson Process Management DeltaV SIS brand manager Mike Boudreaux about what's happening at Emerson Exchange 2010 in San Antonio

Gary interviews Julie Fraser, of Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association Metrics working group about a unique makeover contest the association is running that will award two companies free consulting for a metrics makeover.

Four ways to avoid manufacturing decline. From my research for an article in the September 2010 Automation World, I discuss what several people have discovered about making manufacturing a strategic part of an enterprise. And, no, I'm not a Juventus fan. Just liked the shirt when shopping on my last trip to Italy. Hoping for one from Stuttgart while I'm there next month.

Essay on leadership--including R&D leadership change at National Instruments and the HP fiasco--plus a quick review of Daniel Pink's "Drive."

Here's a video essay from NI Week. Day 3 keynotes feature students and a noted guest. This year's keynote was not a disappointment. Three groups of college students accepted various challenges including building an electric car (and driving it cross-country), building a more environmentally friendly car, and finally building a car that a blind person can drive. Finally, Dr. Mishio Kaku, noted theoretical physicist and TV personality, discussed the future.  He closed with an interesting thought that relates to my dialoge with Martin Ford by discussing the types of jobs that will dominate in the future.

In this audio/video essay, Gary takes a look at the environment of risky behaviors that can lead to safety and secutiry breechs. He looks at the BP oil rig situation and the virus that targeted Siemens WinCC HMI/SCADA. Links to articles can be found at http://www.garymintchellsfeedforward.com.

Gary discusses digital manufacturing--specifically virtual commissioning--with Tom Hoffman of Siemens PLM. Check out the benefits of working out machine ideas on a computer before cutting steel.

Gary discusses the recent Siemens PLM conference, digital manufacturing and cool design tools.

Gary wraps up information from the MESA International conference in Dearborn, MI June 21-23.

Gary discusses the MESA International Strategic Initiatives Model of MES with Doug Weaver. Doug is a practitioner in his day job and also Treasurer and Chair of the Website Committee of MESA International. The model can be found at http://www.mesa.org/en/modelstrategicinitiatives/MSI.asp. The model describes the links between software modules that comprise Manufacturing Enterprise Solution applications and corporate strategic initiatives such as real-time enterprise or Lean. We talked at the MESA International Conference in Dearborn, MI on June 23, 2010.

An essay on thought leadership.

Gary discusses what automation means to future unemployment (The Lights in the Tunnel by Martin Ford), the value of working with your hands (Shop Craft as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford), decentralized organizations (The Starfish and the Spider), along with recapping the Packaging Automation Forum, Emerson/Fisher's new Laboratory and ABB's user conference.

Automation World Editor in Chief Gary Mintchell interviews Charlie Fialkowski, U.S. Process Safety Manager for Siemens Industry Inc. about standards updates for burner management system safety including a discussion of programmable safety logic controllers, NFPA, ISA 84 and Technical Report 05 of the ISA S-84 Committee.

Gary discusses how organizations can be insidious in enticing people into ethical lapses referring to the current news about Toyota and the Pope. Industrial Ethernet market share is next up for discussion followed by reading for his May issue of Automation World article about creating a safety culture. He finishes with thoughts about an interview with auto industry analyst James Harbour and whether automation will completely replace jobs.

Gary discusses the need for education, company sponsored education, and talks about entrepreneur education at Stanford, Vivek Wadhwa writing at TechCrunch on why America needs to invest in its workforce, a Robert Scoble video interview and finally refers to a Seth Godin blog with a video on what a teacher makes.