18 October 2007

ISA – International Society of Automation

By Jim Pinto

Just over a year ago, I considered ISA to be a “melting iceberg.” Since then, the organization has been making good progress, and plans are crystallizing for new growth and success.

Executive Director Pat Gouhin, who joined in January 2006, has excellent related experience with the dynamics of volunteer-driven organizations. He has clearly developed a strong relationship with the volunteer chain-of-command, which now has a consistent vision focused on the future.

ISA formed in 1945 as the Instrument Society of America, and the name was changed in 2000 to Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society, to retain the ISA acronym and logo.

Over the past year, the executive committee worked to broaden the focus to “Automation,” which is considered a broader “umbrella” that includes instrumentation, monitoring, controls, and the many other disciplines in which ISA has now become actively involved. Indeed, ISA aims to be a catalyst for creation of the “automation profession” of the future.

In addition, the original name was reflected in membership (about 29,000 total) being overwhelmingly American—65% in the U.S., 10% in Canada. To be a successful global organization, the membership percentages should be the inverse of the current ratio, about 75% from outside North America. If one makes the reasonable assumption that domestic membership has stabilized, then international membership should generate growth of at least 300%, to well over 100,000 members.

As a symbol of this new expanded focus, the ISA executive board proposed another name change to International Society of Automation. This reflects the two important areas of focus: “International” and the broader areas of “Automation.”

Unfortunately, the strong strategic reasons which favor the name change were not clearly communicated to the membership at large. At the meeting of society delegates at ISA EXPO this month, the name-change motion, which required a 2/3 majority, missed by only a few votes.

Many members did not recognize “instrumentation” is indeed an important part of the broader term “automation.” In my view, instrumentation, sensors, control valves, control systems, MES, networking, and communications on the plant floor all are part of the discipline of automation. Other markets such as environmental monitoring & control, automated test & measurement, and other sub-disciplines fit nicely under the big tent of automation. Indeed, many of these just did not fit in the much smaller domain of “instrumentation.”

It is expected these ideas will be communicated correctly throughout the ranks of ISA membership over the next year. Hopefully, at the next opportunity, the important name change will indeed go through. For my part, I strongly recommend it.

The new ISA expects and intends to expand global membership to become truly “international.” Tim Feldman, director of global operations, joined ISA in July 2006 in a new position tasked with developing the strategy to transform ISA into a global organization. During his first year, together with a task force of Society leaders, he completed the due diligence and market analysis that led to the funding of the global program as a new venture investment through ISA’s cash reserves. Feldman has traveled the world holding meetings in key markets with suppliers, end users, integrators, government officials, and academia to assess needs and review potential business partners who could deliver ISA’s core competencies to the automation profession.

These are now ISA’s focused objectives:

• Develop and coordinate standards: ISA is globally recognized for its Standards and Practices involvement. To help with standards compliance, the Automation Standards Compliance Institute has been started.
• Education and training for automation jobs: Workforce development is an important concern to every industrial company. ISA certification, recognition, and licensing programs will contribute to defining the automation professional of the future.
• Publish books and technical articles: Focus will be on automation business.
• Host conferences and exhibitions for automation professionals: Expand global involvement.

No other organization anywhere in the world covers these important functions to serve the global automation business.

Related links:

• ISA Global Strategy Moves Forward:
  http://www.automationworld.com/view-3484
• ISA – New Growth Through International Automation
  http://www.automation.com/sitepages/pid3064.php

Behind the byline

Jim Pinto is an industry analyst and founder of Action Instruments. You can e-mail him at jim@jimpinto.com or view his writings at www.JimPinto.com. Read the Table of Contents of his book, Pinto’s Points, at www.jimpinto.com/writings/points.html.