Educational Endowments

I think UNICEF has it right…when it comes to raising money that is! I can distinctly remember collecting coins in my bright orange UNICEF box at Halloween time years ago (more years than I care to admit!). Like most children, I probably didn’t collect more than a few dollars worth of coins, but imagine if all the children or even a fraction of the children in the US collected a few dollars. They’d add up!

ISA has had a scholarship program for a number of years, but it is sadly under-funded, limiting the number and amounts of scholarships available for promising future Automation Professionals. I have made personal efforts to grow the Education Foundation through small acts like shaking down fellow leaders at meetings for spare change. Believe it or not, this can be quite effective: One year, by the time we got done, and with a few individuals matching the change collected, we ended up with a $1,000.00 donation which in turn was matched by Society funds netting a $2,000.00 increase in the Education Foundation. All from spare change!

Putting spare change aside, it seems that sometimes large donations come from the darndest places. Three weeks ago ISA received a check and endowment agreement from the ISA Alaska Section establishing the Tom Quimby Memorial Endowment Fund in support of student scholarships. In spite of the large oil industry presence, Alaska has a fairly small section covering a huge geographic area. This presents all kinds of problems from a section planning perspective; however, this section, largely centered in Anchorage, is what the Section treasurer Bart Roberts fondly calls the “Little Section That Could.” The Alaska Section chose to send $50,000.00 (WOW!) to ISA, which is in turn matched by Society reserves (what a deal huh!) resulting in a $100,000.00 scholarship endowment (Double WOW!). This is the single largest donation made to the ISA Educational Foundation to date. Thank you Alaska Section!

This may lead you to ask the question, “What does ISA do with money from the Education Foundation?” A very good question, I might add. To date, we have been limited to offering scholarships to a select few candidates on an annual basis. So far the Society has been limited to about $40,000 in scholarships annually, a virtual drop in the bucket seeing as scholarships are offered globally. That being said, given a well funded Foundation, the possibilities become infinite. When the Foundation was originally established ideas abounded—scholarships, research grants, support of international student games, development of a K-12 program to encourage entering the field of automation, etc., etc. Given the expected shortage of workers in the foreseeable future, these programs are needed now, more than ever!

I encourage Members, Sections, Divisions, and corporate partners of ISA and the Automation Federation to consider following the lead of our friends in Alaska. You can start big (like they did) or small by collecting coins to contribute to the Educational Foundation—the smallest donation could make a difference to an individual, an industry, a profession.

Technology and the Bottom Line

Several weeks ago I read an article in the Los Angeles Times about Petrobras, the Brazilian oil giant. The article was largely about how they were having financial challenges in spite of the high price of crude oil and record profits of other oil companies.

Fast forward four weeks and the LA Times reported that Petrobras was a darling of international investors due to their efforts to privatize the organization and take advantage of foreign investment. This week I see articles regarding Exxon’s law suit against the Venezuelan government over—you guessed it—oil. Sometimes it feels like oil is the source of a lot of worldwide problems. A good argument for going green!

What amazes me is that in all the articles reporting which company is outperforming “the market” or their competitors, the Wall Street analysts never mention technology or the roll it plays in that performance—or in this case “outperformance.” Those of us who move in the process world understand the significance of technology and the impact it can have on a company’s bottom line. I’m just not sure the MBA’s get it. Case in point: My stockbroker often laughs at my choices for investing my 401K and other retirement savings. My logic just doesn’t make sense to him. Largely, I take a look at companies I’m doing business with. I look at their investment in training and technology, and then decide if I think they have a long term future. Companies that appear to have recognized the importance of technology to the bottom line are the companies I invest in. So far, my track record is pretty good—better than my broker’s I might point out. But the big question remains: Why don’t Wall Street analysts look at this information? Why does corporate management fail to see the connection?

The answer may lie in Dr. Peter Martin’s editorial comments for a magazine article as reported in Joe Lewis’s blog for Processing, “Most financial systems cannot measure the improvements that engineers make,” and, “Engineers must step up and assume a lead within their companies by helping drive new levels of business performance.” As business systems merge with plant floor control systems this effort might become easier; however, it will require the reorientation—perhaps even the re-education—of three distinct groups within most organizations: IT, Business Management / Finance, and Operations.

When engineers grab the ears of the corner office with clear, concise information about how their operational improvements deliver to the bottom line or financial performance of plants, maybe the MBA’s controlling our financial markets will recognize the value engineers, technicians, operators, and technology bring to the party.

Government Relations

If someone had asked me two years ago, when I was seeking the office of ISA President, if I would be meeting with government representatives on behalf of industry and the Automation Federation, I probably would have laughed. Beyond exercising my right to vote, moving in political circles or other government involvement has never been an activity I pursued. Especially after watching the behavior of various candidates over the years!

All feelings aside, two weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting with Congressman David Price from North Carolina. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how the Automation Federation is becoming the “Voice of Automation” for the Members of Congress and which important federal government agencies could have a profound impact on the automation profession. The message resonating from Congressman Price was that the Automation Federation’s Workforce Development Initiative is playing a critical role in raising awareness about the need to develop the next generation of automation professionals. Congressman Price also stressed the importance of the Automation Federation continuing to work with Congress to achieve the goals of the initiative. Governments around the world recognize the global need for qualified workers in a variety of professions. The U.S. government has dedicated millions, perhaps billions, of dollars to stave off the imminent catastrophe facing us—particularly in the technology sector, traditionally a U.S. strength—from the retirement of the baby boomers. The Automation Federation has filled the automation information gap that, until 2007, has plagued Congress.

I learned a lot from Congressman Price during our meeting. First of all, I had preconceived notions that I needed to park at the door. Like many, I have a very cynical vision of our government leaders; however, after meeting with the Congressman, I have a new respect for our Representatives. I’ve learned that they work hard and that they care—at least the one I’ve met so far does! They live in a world where millions of dollars is a token amount for any given project, and a short day could be 16 hours of meetings and answering the bell (calling for a vote).

The most important lesson I learned was how to go about advocating for our profession and developing a plan to successfully partner with government. The opportunity exists, and there is a veritable alphabet soup of programs for the Automation Federation and ISA to become involved with to better advocate on behalf of our profession.

Two examples from this myriad of opportunities are the MEP (Manufactured Extension Partnership), a federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce; and the Employment and Training Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2007, the Automation Federation entered into a partnership with both of these integral government agencies. The benefits of these partnerships for the Automation Federation are already being realized: Representatives of the Automation Federation will present at the MEP National Conference in April and at the Workforce Innovation National Conference, held by the US Department of Labor, in July.

Both of these government agencies understand the importance of relying on the Automation Federation to better understand the critical importance of the automation professional for the future viability of manufacturing in the United States. The Members of Congress are learning about the role the Automation Federation is providing to them as a non-partisan expert and as a source for important information on issues involving automation that will come before them. Thanks to the communication bridges being built by the Automation Federation, the Members of Congress will be better informed in their decision making on issues impacting the automation profession.

The Automation Federation and its member organizations—ISA, OMAC, WBF, and WINA—have a lot to offer. We cover just about every industry, technology, and education/skill level that exists. So, jump in, the water’s fine! You too, can engage in government relations in your local area. Perhaps you’ll solve a huge problem. You might even come out of it with a more positive vision of government officials in general. I know I have.

Defining Automation

It’s 7:15 p.m. on Monday evening, 28 January, and I find myself sitting in a hotel in North Carolina, having just wrapped up a two-day ISA leader meeting. The purpose of this meeting was leadership training and networking; however, the seventy-plus leaders in attendance spent over an hour discussing the definition of “automation.”

If you look back to the first message posted on this site, you know that there was a name change proposed for ISA that didn’t happen, largely as a result of a difference of opinion on how the definition of automation should read. One of the blessings—and curses—of this profession is its breadth. It encompasses instrumentation, systems, and automation; covers so many aspects of industry; and includes a vast number of job descriptions. As the leaders from all levels of ISA, present at the meeting, discovered: If we include every industry job description or title in existence, there would simply be too many words. More words than any person on the street could possibly absorb!

Following the leaders’ discussion, I had what I can only describe as an “aha!” moment. While I was discussing this challenge with my friends John and Mike, I realized that instead of trying to describe what we do, we needed to describe the end game we all want to attain: Improvement in the performance of the plants and industries we serve.

John and Mike helped me develop a simpler way to define automation:

Automation is the creation and application of technology to monitor and control the production of products and services.

I tossed this definition to the group at lunch. It could have gone over like a lead balloon, but suddenly, what has been a very divisive and polarizing issue had people shaking their heads yes. They were saying, “I am included in that statement.” So here is my question to you: does this definition embrace what you do and who you are as a professional?