By Jose Rivera
While gathering my thoughts for this newsletter, I remembered an article I contributed around this time but during my first year at CSIA (2015). I wrote:
“I lived in Paris for four years. One particular custom in France is that the country basically shuts down during the entire month of August to go on their summer vacation (yes, a full month of vacation). September would follow with the “rentre” (reentry or return). With this they meant the period where the entire population would go back to their non-vacation mode. With fully recharged batteries from the summer, students go back to school, new employees (often but not only transferred public servants) start their new jobs and the business world would get into a non-stop schedule of trade shows, business planning meetings and an overall mad dash to reach their yearly goals (for most companies there the fiscal year coincides with the calendar year).”
Reemerging From the Pandemic
Now that we are reemerging from the pandemic, the “rentre” has acquired a new, expanded meaning. After a period of mandated and, later, optional remote work setups, many companies (including the companies of our members: SI and vendor Partner) have started to lure employees back to the office. To ensure a safe working environment, some companies have mandated vaccinations for their employees and visitors (or very frequent testing).
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IS1+ Class I, Division I Remote IO Solution
from R. STAHL
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IS1+, the leading remote IO system for hazardous areas by R. STAHL, offers its certified Class I, Division 1 system in a NEMA 4X enclosure. It provides an easy-to-install and easy-to-maintain solution in the field. In addition, its ruggedized components are designed for harsh industrial environments eliminating the need for climate control inside the IS1+ enclosure.
This unique IS1+ system can be installed in Class I, Division 1 area without explosion-proof enclosure or purge and pressurization systems, using multiple explosion protection methods. The IS1+ system only requires to be installed on a NEMA 4X enclosure.
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By Lisa Richter
In no order, a few sundries:
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Meet me in Houston: CSIA CEO Jose Rivera and I will be representing at the Rockwell Automation Fair, November 10-11. Stop by the booth (1445) and say hi.
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CSIA Financial Checkup: You know what you need? You need best-in-class accounting and financial support – and CSIA has you covered.
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CSIA Estimation Training: This is no time to be anything less than confident in your ability to score jobs that make good business sense. The CSIA Estimation Course can help. Reserve your spot now.
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Three for free: If you have not joined CSIA yet, now is literally the best time of the year because new members will enjoy an extra three months of benefits (the remainder of 2021 plus ALL of 2022). Send me an email and I'll tell you more.
Questions? Send me an email, I’m here for it.
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Adding Security and Flexibility to MQTT |
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By Bob McIlvride
The MQTT protocol is handy for connecting industrial systems directly to cloud services. Because it makes outbound connections from the plant, you can keep your firewalls closed, which is a big plus for security.
However, a direct connection to the cloud is not always the best approach. For one thing, many companies do not want to connect their OT networks to the Internet, even if protected by a firewall. What's more, in all but the most basic systems, a lot of integration may need to take place both on the OT side and the IT side before sending data to the cloud.
How can all this be done in a secure and flexible way? That's a question that a large North American wood processing company asked recently, and the answer they arrived at meets their needs very well.
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By Lisa Richter
The past few months have been active on the M&A front for the industrial automation industry with the following transactions:
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Rockwell Automation, Inc., acquired Plex Systems, a cloud-native smart manufacturing platform operating at scale. The full release is here.
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SAGE Group acquired Ailytic, a software-as-a-service company delivering AI-enabled technology to the global manufacturing industry. Read more here.
If you have M&A information that has been made public, contact 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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Flexible Connectivity Unlocks Operational Resiliency |
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We know, now, that we’re resilient. We know that focus on the work persists despite isolation and concern. We know that manufacturers scarcely skipped a beat transitioning to virtual environments for back-office and other key functions, while ensuring the safety, security and well-being of all personnel.
But what about our systems and ways of doing things? Have they proved to be as resilient as we are?
Download the latest eBook from CFE Media and Technology to learn how flexible, real-time access to operational data across the organization is key to unlocking operational resiliency.
This content is sponsored by Kepware.
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Visualize and Analyze Actionable Data with Ease on Existing Production Lines to Optimize Productivity |
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By Courtney Peel
As a systems integrator, you provide value to your customers through design, integration and the overall ability to pull all of the details together – pieces large and small, connecting old and new equipment – to create the ultimate solution to add production capabilities and increase efficiencies.
Users often want to connect equipment that has been running for decades with new IIoT devices that will enable them to track and visualize machine speed, temperature, throughput, downtime, etc., in real-time.
Recently, Red Lion worked with a partner to assist a manufacturer of molded parts for processing, primarily in the automotive industry, and needed a robust solution for digitizing and visualizing production data. The user’s goal was to increase productivity of the operation through real-time acquisition and visualization of production data enabling the quick analysis necessary to make decisions to increase uptime, throughput, and overall efficiency.
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Manure Spreading Goes High-Tech with IIoT: Are You Prepared for the Future of Agriculture? |
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One of the key challenges of this century is to find solutions on how we can ensure access to a sufficient supply of healthy, diverse and safe food for a growing global population while limiting the impact on the environment and coping with climate change. Advancing sustainability and efficiency with IIoT innovation in today’s agriculture is a central part of the solution.
McKee Ag Solutions has spent 50 years making one of the most robust and durable manure, compost and fertilizer spreaders and serving the agricultural industry in Alberta, Canada. In 2020, Travis Jones, co-owner, decided it was time for digital transformation. “We wanted to provide our customers a remote diagnostic web portal that they could log in and see various functions of the machine,” said Jones.
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Creative Uses of Off-the-Shelf Software Eliminating Custom-Software Application Risk |
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By John Weber
In my prior articles this year, and the recent Talking Industrial Automation podcast, I shared with you the problems we set out to solve for customers and partners when we created Software Toolbox in 1996. In this newsletter, I’ll share 5 tangible case studies of how our clients have leveraged our configurable off-the-shelf products to address automation challenges that they thought couldn’t be addressed or they thought would require custom software.
Rather than just take you deep and make this a very long article, I’m going to share a short summary of the stories people have told us they find particularly interesting with links to the full stories, and then give you a link to view more stories. I’d love to hear from you with any questions you have about the stories or any feedback, you can find me on LinkedIn.
So here goes…
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Surviving a Workers’ Compensation Audit |
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By Jeff Forbes
Unlike many other lines of commercial insurance, workers’ compensation premiums paid at the beginning of policy periods are estimated amounts. These premiums are based on your projected payroll per classification and operations for the upcoming policy period. The purpose of a premium audit is for an insurer to evaluate your actual payroll and work performed at the conclusion of a policy period to determine whether the initial premium amount was accurate.
It is important to properly prepare for an audit.
Premium Audits Explained
First, there is a standards manual that all insurance companies adhere to related to premium and audit calculations. It is not arbitrary. Auditors will follow that manual. Your premium is based primarily on three key elements:
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Business Transaction Basics: Are You Ready to Sell? |
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By Ben Smith and Tim Hilligoss
As a business owner, you wake up each day ready to answer countless calls, but in today’s environment more leaders are getting a new one: Do you want to sell your business? Every business owner has a different answer, but with the dramatic increase in business sales and succession activity in 2021, it’s in every business’ best interest to prepare to respond -- no matter what your answer is.
Even if your business isn’t for sale yet, knowing what’s involved in a transaction and understanding what buyers value most is a great way to ensure your business can receive the best valuation possible.
What Are You Really Buying or Selling?
Buying or selling a business is more than profit margins or gross revenue. It’s about buying or selling the entire company -- including its people, brand and assets -- all of which contribute to the overall valuation and purchase price. Pay attention to the quality of net working capital, fixed assets, workforce, cash flow and goodwill among stakeholders. Each of these items impacts the overall valuation.
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Damaged Links in the Supply Chain |
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By Brian Clifford
Direct impacts of COVID-19 were a dominant topic of 2020, but 2021 has seen increased attention to the indirect impacts of the ongoing global pandemic. The automation lawyers at Faegre Drinker help their clients manage such risks — including preparing contract language that addresses unexpected disruptions of key supply chains. Do your proposal terms and contract forms include appropriate language?
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Aveva Joins the United Nations’ Race to Zero Campaign |
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AVEVA has become the 47th FTSE 100 company to join the United Nations’ Race to Zero, a global campaign rallying leadership and business to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Collectively, participants now cover nearly 25% of global CO2 emissions and over 50% of GDP.
AVEVA pledged to achieve net-zero emissions across operations by 2030 and accelerate sustainable research and development programs to broaden and deepen the sustainability solutions it provides to its customers. By committing to Race to Zero, Aveva is aligning to the highest level of ambition for climate targets under the Paris Agreement.
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Here’s your quarterly roundup of recent content you may have missed. |
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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:
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Business and Technical Webinars
CSIA members share their expertise in these free virtual event recordings.
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.
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LATAM Update / Noticias de LATAM |
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Relationship Management Strategies: Remember the Little Things That Pack a Punch
By Carolina Casas Anzola
It´s pretty obvious on any news channel, reality show or newspaper that today’s media feeds off the idea that courtesy appears to be diminishing in modern society. With the decline of good manners, there are fewer expressions of appreciation. These days, in both personal and work-related relationships, there are far too few “please,” “thank you” and “I´m sorry” being expressed.
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Estrategias de gestión de relaciones: Recuerda las pequeñas cosas que tienen un gran impacto
Por Carolina Casas Anzola
Es bastante obvio en cualquiera de los medios de comunicación actuales se alimenten de la idea de que la cortesía parece estar disminuyendo en la sociedad moderna. Con el declive de los buenos modales, hay menos expresiones de aprecio. En estos días, tanto en las relaciones personales como laborales, hay muy pocas expresiones de “Por favor”, “Gracias” y “Lo siento”.
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Did you know that CSIA can help you get published in the trade press? Get your expertise noticed by potential clients when you take advantage of the media opportunities that come with your CSIA membership.
Browse upcoming opportunities here. [Members only]
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Date: Wednesday, September 22
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CT)
Date: Wednesday, September 29
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CT)
Date: Wednesday, October 6
Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (CT)
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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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Thank you to our 2021 Sponsors! |
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Stay in the know on the latest CSIA and industry news. Follow us on social media! |
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