30 October 2008

Pinto's Point 

ISA goes international

By Jim Pinto

With strong management, enlightened volunteer leadership, and new focus on international automation, ISA is looking for significant new growth and success. Today, one can sense a spirit of new drive and determination within the Society, making it much more than it has been for several years.

Executive Director Pat Gouhin, experienced with the dynamics of volunteer-driven organizations, is bringing a new spirit of leadership. He has clearly developed a strong relationship with the volunteer chain-of-command, with a unified Executive Committee and Executive Board focused on the future.

ISA was originally an “instrumentation” society, formed in 1945 as the Instrument Society of America. The name was changed in 2000 to Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society, which did very little to promote championship for the Automation profession and advance the society’s ambitions as an international organization.

This month, ISA delegates voted to change the name to International Society of Automation. This name signifies ISA is now focused on the broader aspects of “automation” and aims to be a catalyst for creation and promotion of the automation profession of the future, marketing the society’s core competencies to automation professionals around the world.

Total ISA membership is about 30,000, with 65% from the U.S. and 10% from Canada. To become a successful global organization, the membership percentages should be the inverse of that ratio, about 75% from other countries around the world. In a global market environment, international growth is vital to the future success of ISA.

If one makes the reasonable assumption that membership has stabilized in North America, then international membership should generate growth of at least 300%, to over 100,000 members. Stimulated and rejuvenated by its new name, ISA expects and intends to expand world membership and become truly international.

Today, one can sense a spirit of new drive and determination within the ISA organization to make it much more than it has been for several years. In addition to amalgamated volunteer leadership, the existing team of dedicated people with years of industry knowledge and experience has been expanded to generate new growth through several focused objectives.

ISA expects and intends to expand global membership to become truly international. Tim Feldman, director of global operations, needs to develop the strategy to transform ISA into a global organization. Feldman travels 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. No other organization anywhere in the world covers these important functions to serve the global automation business.

Related links:

• ISA – New Growth Through International Automation:
  http://www.jimpinto.com/writings/isaprogress.html
• ISA Is Now The International Society of Automation
  http://www.arcweb.com/Domains/ProcessAutomation/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=121
• ISA Council of Society Delegates Approves Name Change
  http://isa.org/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Releases5&template=/TaggedPage/DetailDisplay.cfm&ContentID=72185

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.