By Jose Rivera
The situation we are facing is unprecedented and of epic proportions. I write this article during the “shelter in place” ordered by the governor of our state (Illinois), just like many other states and countries have done or will be doing soon.
My wife and I had already been working from home for the past several years and adjusted to it. We have now added two young kids, who are receiving their education remotely for the rest of the school year.
The “shelter in place” is set to last until April 7,
2020. I personally expect it to be extended and am happy to comply knowing that this is our direct way to help reduce the transmission rate.
Coping with shelter in place
We are trying to maintain some level of “normalcy” in our house by creating and following a daily schedule and addressing our immediate needs (work and at home). We are also trying to leverage the time that has become available (all my in-person trade shows and partner events have been cancelled or postponed along with all the activities of our kids and social appointments) to work on things that needed to be taken care of but for which we couldn’t find time (work and personal). We are reaching out to our friends and families via phone or video call to keep us connected.
CSIA: A community of sharing
I want to stay positive and productive. I don’t underestimate the challenge faced by all of us. The largest segment of our membership is the smaller SIs, the ones that are most vulnerable in the current situation. From its start CSIA has relied on its members’ willingness to share with their peers. We take it to the extreme at our conference with our “Lessons I Learned from Touching a Hot Stove” panel. Participants share big mistakes that have cost them dearly and how they recovered from them.
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How will your insurance help cover COVID-19 related losses?
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By
Jeff Forbes
Control system integrators (SIs) face a series of risks from the new global pandemic. The disease threatens global supply chains and the safety of employees and customers, while likely causing deteriorating economic conditions. Integrators may be forced to shut down physical offices, cancel travel to major customers and deal with significant drops in revenue.
Faced with these risks, integrators may wonder how insurance might cover their losses. Unfortunately, insurance is not generally designed to respond to the types of risks that are caused by major force majeure events such as war or epidemics.
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Get certified this year with these cybersecurity courses
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CSIA is once again collaborating with the International Society of Automation (ISA) to offer cybersecurity training at a discounted, CSIA member-only rate.
This bundle of online courses, which will be offered throughout 2020, is designed to prepare you for Cybersecurity Fundamentals Specialist
and
Risk Assessment Specialist
exams to earn Certificates 1 and 2 of 4 that ultimately leads to the
Cybersecurity Expert
badge.
ISA's responsive, on-demand, modular delivery format allows you to access the courses anywhere and anytime, from any mobile device you choose. And the instructor-assisted feature allows you to schedule consultations to ask any lingering course questions.
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The CSIA Legal Plan during these uncertain times
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By Mark Voigtmann and Brian Clifford
It has been impossible to listen to the news of the last few weeks and be unaffected — as many ordinary things we have long taken for granted have changed so quickly. But some things have not changed: the automation lawyers of the law firm of Faegre Drinker
continue to be ready to help CSIA members through the benefits available under the
CSIA Legal Plan
.
If the name sounds a bit different, it is. Faegre Drinker is the result of the recent merger between Faegre Baker Daniels LLP (which has served as general counsel to the CSIA for more than a decade) and Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. The firm now has over 1,300 attorneys, consultants and professionals in 22 locations around the United States, United Kingdom and China.
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5 common objections to The Exchange (and why they are no good)
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By Lisa Richter
With so many in-person events getting cancelled and/or postponed (thanks COVID-19!), it’s more important than ever to ensure your digital presence is rock solid. Because with fewer F2F opportunities, potential buyers will double down on their online research efforts.
Bang head here
But if I’m going to be honest, I have to admit that, even in business-as-usual times, a little part of me dies any time I hear about a company passing up the opportunities available via
the Industrial Automation Exchange
. (As a side note, if you are a CSIA member, you automatically get an upgrade to
Bronze level
, so for the love of
baby Yoda
, please, at the very least make sure your profile is taking advantage of those perks.)
(Maybe this isn’t even up to you – maybe it’s the marketing-is-a-scam CEO, or the get-me-some-of-that-Snapchat CMO, or the coffee-is-for-closers director of sales – in that case, you need this info for ammo.)
So, here it goes, the top 5 objections for not maximizing Exchange opportunities.
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Here’s your quarterly roundup of recent content you may have missed.
CSIA Blog
Read these contributions by CSIA staff and volunteers.
Industrial Automation Exchange Blog
Recent topics posted on the Exchange blog include:
Talking Industrial Automation Podcast
If you are a podcast fan, you’ll want to check out CSIA’s Talking Industrial Automation. Some of the latest episodes include:
- Bonus Episode: Here’s what you need to know about the COVID19 crisis: Lindsey Hogan, partner with Faegre Drinker (formerly Faegre Baker Daniels), administrator of CSIA’s Legal Plan; Gloria Forbes, executive vice president, ECBM Insurance and Consulting, administrator of the CSIA Insurance Program; and Tim Finerty, shareholder, Clayton & McKervey, a full-service CPA firm, tackle your business FAQs about how the pandemic impacts your business.
- Episode 34: Jim Biehl of Clayton and McKervey reveals why some businesses thrive and others flame out. Plus, he discusses the No. 1 inhibitor to business growth. Hint: It's not what you think.
- Episode 35: Chris Tury of Outbound Technologies shares how the company strategically diversified from the automotive industry into other vertical markets to promote resiliency and grow Outbound into a $15 million company.
- Episode 36: Julie Gaier of TRG Marketing explains how her experience as an Emmy-Award-Winning TV reporter translates into helping CSIA members leverage media opportunities.
- Episode 37: Rick Brookshire of Epson Robots explains how, as the entry price drops, the applications and use of robotics has exploded.
Business and Technical Webinars
CSIA members share their expertise in these free webinars.
Interested in being a podcast guest or guest blogger? Both are available to member organizations that have upgraded to a Gold Profile. Contact
Lisa Richter
to learn how you can take advantage of these opportunities to position your C-suite as thought leaders.
Interested in hosting a webinar? CSIA members can contact
Collin Hamman
to get on the schedule today!
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Building a high-performance leadership team starts with self
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By
Jack Barber
Let’s face it. While we don’t usually want to talk about touchy-feely stuff, self-awareness is recognized as a foundational element of leadership and essential to building a high-performance team.
Yet, according to Tasha Eurich, Ph.D., a New York Times bestselling author, most people believe they are self-aware, but only
10-15% actually fit the criteria
. So, it is essential that your leaders develop their emotional intelligence, so that they foster interpersonal relationships with empathy, clear communication, active listening and creative thinking.
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Machine learning and analytics: Integrators don’t have to be data scientists
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By
Cobus van Heerden
Today, staying competitive means being part of your customers’ digital transformation journey, including machine learning and analytics. Not only can integrators capitalize on the IoT opportunity, generate new revenue streams and deliver a higher level of value to customers, but engaging in the latest technologies also helps attract and retain the best talent.
Fortunately, the journey to success with machine learning and analytics doesn’t mean that integrators need to be data scientists. Proven processes and software technologies make analytics doable for every integrator.
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This system integrator likes the traffic from The Exchange.
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This system integrator had a lead contact him almost immediately after his episode dropped.
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A trade press editor wrote to say how much she enjoyed a recent episode.
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A random listener connected on LinkedIn to say how much he liked hearing about people are automating the industrial space.
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This Twitter user recommends the podcast to his followers.
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Make sure you are getting notifications by updating your preferences
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Did you know CSIA membership includes a subscription to the Open Forum and Announcements listservs?
Open Forum
is a place for CSIA staff and members to exchange ideas, share resources and experiences, and learn about upcoming trade press and media opportunities.
Announcements
is where CSIA staff and members can send timely notices about events, relevant staff and member generated long- and short-form content, as well as late-breaking announcements.
If you are not receiving notifications when a new post is added to the listserv, be sure you check your spam folder. If they are not there and you would like to receive these notifications,
contact CSIA Industry Director Lisa Richter
.
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The past few months have been active on the M&A front for the industrial automation industry with the following transactions:
If you have M&A information that has been made public, contact CSIA Industry Director
Lisa Richter
for consideration in the next issue. Disclaimer: M&A Corner is not intended to be a source for breaking news but a place to get caught up on recent deals.
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Why you need to know your gross profit and margin (and how to get them)
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Top control system integrators know how to take the pulse of their business's financial health to ensure their strategy and system integration business model are on track.
Learn how you can get access to benchmarking data using the CISA Pulse
here
.
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CAD management (the risk of not having any): A top down approach, as seen from the bottom up
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By Mark Behrens
As an AutoCAD user and CAD manager for over 35 years, having experience with several different companies, I have seen many approaches to creating and managing CAD drawings.
This article includes my observations on CAD management and the result of varying corporate interest levels in CAD documentation. My apologies if this article gets long winded, however, I have included discussion on the problems that occur when CAD standardization is not considered, and the long-term effects.
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Ensuring business continuity in turbulent times
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By Lisa Richter
The recent coronavirus pandemic and its ensuing ripple effects not only shook the lives of people around the world, they also shined a harsh light on the consequences of inadequate planning and risk mitigation can have on organizations.
Business risks may involve risks that are specific to the type of services provided by the integrator or the clients/industries served. The risks may also be personnel related and being dependent upon key personnel for key business. Here are some things to consider:
- Do you carry adequate insurance for the work or service that you perform? (i.e., general liability, property, casualty, theft, auto, workers' compensation, computer systems, transportation of hardware/equipment, business interruption, and cybersecurity)
- Do you carry key-man and/or buy-out insurance on owners and/or key staff?
- Do you carry sufficient errors and omissions/professional liability insurance to protect itself from devastating financial effects should an event occur?
- Do you have a documented disaster recovery and business continuity plan? Has it been tested?
- Do you review the business for risks and have a documented risk management plan? Do you review the processes, organization, clients and industries during the risk review? Is the risk review done on a periodic basis for updating with current business and conditions?
For more information, including a deeper dive, on this topic,
CSIA members
can access the
CSIA Best Practices Manual
(5
th
revision) in the General Management section entitled Business Risk Management (1.3).
You can also hear a panel of experts discuss the legal, insurance and business aspects of the coronavirus/COVID-19 in
this
b
onus episode of Talking Industrial Automation.
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LATAM Update / Noticias de LATAM
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Humanity, empathy and solidarity are values on the rise during a pandemic
By Carolina Casas Anzola
The pandemic is going to make us stronger in many ways. No, it is not the end of the world. But a great change is coming for many, even if only due to living a long and unpredictable isolation: days locked up at home allow for a lot of reflection. These are some of the positive lessons that this crisis will leave us.
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La humanidad, la empatía y la solidaridad son valores al alza en tiempos de Pandemia
Por: Carolina Casas Anzola
La Pandemia nos va a hacer más fuertes en muchos aspectos. No, no es el fin del mundo, pero se acerca un gran cambio para muchos, aunque sea solo por vivir un aislamiento largo e impredecible: días encerrados en casa dan para mucha reflexión. Estas son algunas de las lecciones positivas que nos va a dejar esta crisis.
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Does the thought of being featured in industry news outlets excite you? Do you want greater name recognition among your colleagues? Are you looking for way to boost your ranking in search engines?
Or do you simply love what you do and want to write about it?
Take a look at the media opportunities below
—
exclusively for CSIA members. Click on each one to see details in our Open Forum (log-in required):
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Connect with us on LinkedIn!
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Looking for even more ways to stay involved with CSIA and get the most out of your membership?
Follow us on LinkedIn and stay in the know on the latest CSIA and general system integrator news!
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Date:
Tuesday, April 28
Time:
10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CST)
Industrial process control methods are changing daily, especially for remote site integration. FreeWave Technologies invites you to join us for our webinar to understand the challenges in remote site IIoT implementation while focusing on modern edge computing and connectivity based solutions. From SCADA platforms to Cloud services running on the edge, FreeWave offers innovative remote connectivity and edge compute solutions, bringing remote site integration into the modern IIoT age.
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Thanks to our 2021 Sponsors!
CSIA is looking forward to the
2021 Executive Conference!
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Stay in the know on the latest CSIA and industry news. Follow us on social media!
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