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May/June 2011 sponsored by Online Development
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This month's question:
What is the biggest internal struggle facing your firm?
Complete survey question here.
April survey results
If CSIA implemented an annual, online salary survey, as we have done in the past, would your company participate?
Do you have a survey question to suggest? Send your suggestion to Bob Lowe.
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2011 Annual Executive Conference Report
The attendance was record setting with 390 attendees and 62 guests. The venue of Portofino Bay was outstanding. The presentations were wonderful. Media attendees rank our conference as nearly the best conference they attend each year. Our members tell us that the interaction with vendors and peers is possibly more outstanding then the sessions (we call that networking!). The number of vendor exhibitors grew from 35 in 2010 to 55 this year. The closing by Jeff Zaslow, author of The Last Lecture which is about the life of Randy Pausch, was an emotional experience that you had to attend to appreciate.
The Awards Banquet, held Friday night, recognized leaders in the CSI field. Awards were presented by Executive Director Bob Lowe and Awards Committee Chair Jim Campbell.
Charlie Bergman Award
Dean Streck of VI Engineering
Rising Star Award
Jamie Diehl of Concept Systems
Partner Member of the Year
Anixter (represented by Mike Durot)
Distinguished Service Award
Norm & Joan O'Leary
Distinguished Service Award
Jack Barber of National Instruments
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Grow your business in South America 
CSIA members are encouraged to consider participation in the Brazil Automation ISA event in November. If growth in South America is in your strategic plan then this is your opportunity! ISA has invited CSIA to have a collective booth for about 20 of our members. The BRAZIL AUTOMATION ISA 2011 (15th International Congress and Exhibition of Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation) will be held Nov. 8-10, 2011, at Expo Center Norte in São Paulo, Brazil, the largest and most important instrumentation, systems and automation enterprise in South America. The event attracts 120 exhibitors, 13,000 visitors and 600 participants at the congress. In 2010 they had representatives from 19 countries in attendance. The event has support from ABINEE (Brazilian Association of Electrical and Electronics Industry), MDIC (Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade), ANPROTEC (Brazilian Association of Innovative Enterprises Promoters), among other agencies and teaching and research institutions. See a preliminary three language video. If participation is of interest to you contact Bob Lowe immediately for additional details. A commitment to ISA must be made soon.
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CSIA membership survey
The results of the membership survey that was completed by nearly 100 of our members in March and April are available in the Connected Community survey library. CSIA staff is still digesting the information to help guide us into the future. We are grateful to all of you who took the time to complete it. The next survey for our integrator members only, will seek your opinions on your relationship with automation distributors. We are doing it in conjunction with the Association of High Tech Distributors (AHTD). The results will be integrated into Bob Lowe's presentation at AHTD's Fall conference. |
2012 Executive Conference presentations  Are you passionate and knowledgeable about a business topic? Have you had a particularly positive or negative experience in your business that you would like to share? If so, consider a presentation at the 2012 conference. You don't have to be a top-notch public speaker. Your message is what matters. Contact Bob Lowe. |
KPICs webinar now archived. Register your company today! 
On Tuesday, May 24, CSIA held a webinar to introduce the new KPICs Benchmarking Platform and present a demo of its newest features. We welcomed over 40 participants and answered a number of great questions. If you missed the webinar, you can download a link to the recording from the CSIA webinar archive page. Currently, we have 53 CSIA companies participating in KPICs. If you haven't yet registered, please do so today. Note: The cost to register for 2011 is $175, which reflects a special 50% discount for the rest of the year. New CSIA members can register for 2011 free of charge.
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CSIA webinars
Hiring Best Practices: Can you afford the cost of a bad hire?
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (New York)/3:00 p.m. GMT
Evy Trost, Managing Director, National Engineering Resources
Hiring employees is one of the most important tasks for managers. One would think that it's an employers' market due to high unemployment. However, the employer isn't always in the driver's seat as it tries to attract high quality candidates. Most top quality candidates are gainfully employed and not actively searching for a career change. Those who are may pursue several opportunities leading to multiple offers. Establishing "Hiring Best Practices" is more important than ever. What does your interview process say about your firm and its ability to attract the right talent? Evy Trost will provide some important insight on this important task. Some of the topics will be:
· Establishing an effective interview process
· Employment branding opportunities most companies are missing
· Employee retention - once you've hired the right talent, how do you hold on to them?
Recent webinar topics included How to Actually Sell Something Using Social Media and an Overview and Demonstration of the Latest Version of KPICs. These and many other CSIA webinars can be viewed in the webinar archives.
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Seeking Certification testimonials
Do you have a story about how CSIA Certification helped your business? Tell us what it did for your internal operations, how it helped your business development program, or how it contributes to an ongoing relationship with a client. No client names are needed, just a short testimonial that CSIA can post on our public website. As staff, we can talk about Certification until we have no voice left, but testimonials or stories speak much louder and last much longer! Send your testimonial to Bob Lowe. |
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Your firm can make headlines!
 Editors of industry magazines and web sites are looking for newsworthy articles with a from-the-trenches view. CSIA has relationships with a number of media outlets, listed below. Our staff can help you select the right topic for the right publication, narrow the focus of your article, and meet editorial guidelines and standards. Here are some tips to keep in mind: - Know the audience. Editors will be interested in articles that will benefit their readers. Will it save time? Money? Introduce a new, cutting-edge technology or process.
- Avoid self promotion. Editors are not interested in giving you free advertising space. Keep articles factual and focused on the readers' WIIFM, that is, "What's in it for me?"
- Conform to the publication's style. Pay attention to how the publication uses headlines, author biographies, name, titles, verb tense and other mechanics. The more you do, the less work the editor has to do.
- Mention you are a member of CSIA. Your CSIA membership shows your dedication to quality and best practices.
If you are interested in writing an article, please contact Bob Lowe. Automation.com Automation World Control Control Design Control Engineering Food Engineering Gear Technology InTech Plant Engineering |
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Sponsor Spotlight
Schneider Electric links production with energy monitoring, Attains up to 30% energy savings
System Integrators have opportunity to help companies capitalize on their investment in automation equipment and softwareThe best way to generate energy is to save it! One kWh saved on the demand side equals three kWh saved at the power plant. But, you can't save what you don't measure. Schneider Electric considers energy as an ingredient in the production process, weaving the thread between process automation and energy monitoring - a solution called Production Energy Optimization (PEO). With our vast expertise in efficient energy management, Schneider Electric offers comprehensive PEO solutions that include: 1. Monitoring facility energy costs 2. Upgrading to lower consumption devices 3. Automating facility processes 4. Continued monitoring and adjustments. This process can yield up to a 30 percent energy savings, with the majority of the savings achieved by monitoring and controlling processes more closely. Generally, energy metering is time-based without regard to the industrial output produced during that time. With PEO, energy metering data is provided to a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) with real-time data that can be recorded along with other production information. Users then can analyze the energy cost for each unit of production and the particular production conditions and make informed decisions that may decrease energy costs. When analyzed this way, any energy savings is money that goes directly into the end user's pocket. The opportunity for system integrators to assist their end user customers in this process is vast. There's no silver bullet, and end users need someone who can help them on this journey. With process control talents in hand, system integrators can partner with an organization that has the power and energy expertise to offer a complete consultative solution to the end user. To learn more about PEO, and how we can provide your customers with reliable, accurate information that they can use to optimize their energy, visit www.schneider-electric.us or contact Roger Manus roger.manus@schneider-electric.com. |
ABB Automation and Power World 2011
 | CSIA Executive Director Bob Lowe
with Jeff Wagner of Technicon. |
ABB generously provided CSIA with a booth and a presentation opportunity at its annual event in April. We are very grateful. About 15 new integrator member opportunities resulted from the event.
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Sponsor Spotlight
From the 2011 CSIA Partner of the Year As the automation industry continues its shift from fieldbus communications to industrial ethernet applications, contractors, integrators and OEMs have questions about the technologies and best practices to improve their processes and operations. As a leading global distributor and the originator of the cabling performance specifications that later became the TIA Category standards, Anixter has the knowledge and technical expertise to bring customers the latest information about relevant industry standards, products and services. To provide the best possible solutions that address customers' changing needs, Anixter evaluates the latest products in its UL-certified Infrastructure Solutions Lab. In addition, Anixter is an active participant and partners with many industry-leading associations. In recognition for its efforts in helping customers implement best practices to provide the successful application of automation technology, Anixter has received the Control System Integrators Association's 2011 "Partner of the Year" award. The award recognizes a company that has significantly contributed to the betterment of CSIA and its members and has promoted CSIA certification. "The 2011 Partner of the Year award is an important achievement and a significant recognition of Anixter's efforts in the industrial automation space," said Mike Durot, Anixter's vice president of marketing and inventory management for U.S. wire and cable. "Industrial automation is a top priority for our company globally and being part of CSIA is integral to our understanding the market better and the needs of the integrator community." From traditional applications to ethernet-based plug-and-play solutions, Anixter is committed to bringing its technical expertise to help customers migrate mission-critical industrial control systems. For more information about Anixter's industrial automation products and solutions, call 1.800.ANIXTER or visit anixter.com. |
CSIA joins Automation Federation Automation Federation (AF) provides awareness, programs and services that continually advance the automation profession. CSIA recently joined AF based on our similar concerns and knowing our members have much to offer. This ISA article provides some insight. More information will be provided as our involvement develops. |
ISA Expo Control 2011 ISA Expo Control 2011, Aug. 24 - 26, in Mexico City, is the exhibition that reunites the main national and international companies of instrumentation, control, automation, robotics, industrial software and hardware and maintenance that are applied in the private and public industry. Organizers are doing their best to make this trade show enjoyable and interesting for visitors, and appropriate for participants to be able to present their products, ideas or services completely and effectively. Visiting ISA Expo Control you have the opportunity to learn about current trends in industrial equipment, tools, automation, and electronics, plus meet your future colleagues, partners and clients. The Control Expo is the show where companies specializing in instrumentation, manufacturing, control and automation of industrial processes meet to showcase their products and services. Apart from an important commercial showcase, Expo Control offers to the professional visitors a program full of activities. The workshops, conferences about the future of the industry and technical conferences are some of the opportunities that ISA, a multinational organization, organizes every year. Click here to learn more about this great ISA event for integrators in Mexico. |
| Welcome to the Newest CSIA Members | |
Celco Controls Ltd., Winnipeg, MB, represented by Ben Janz
Business Objectives: achieve 20% growth for next three years. Markets: water and wastewater, mining, light industrial
Control Technologies Ltd., Marabella, Trinadad, represented by Kade Carreira
Systems integrator encompassing instrumentation, controls, telecom, and security components. Market focus: oil and gas, water and wastewater
iCommand Systems, Inc., Feeding Hills, MA, represented by Mark Bruno
Control systems integrators; variable speed drives and controls; industrial automation; transportation - fuel, fluid and mileage management systems; wireless control systems; RFID.
Langtree Controls Ltd., Sarnia, ON, represented by Craig Allen
Provides instrument, electrical and control system engineering services to clients in the chemical/petrochemical, food and beverage, and water/waste water industries. Along with process control applications, we also provide advanced control 9DMCplus) and IT support services.
Lexington Technologies, Farmingdale, NY, represented by Paul Dalia
Specializes in integration, installation, repair and maintenance services for process control systems. Our target market focuses on water processing and remediation, oil and gas, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and food and beverage manufacturing industries.
Powerhouse Controls Ltd., Stratford, ON, represented by Neil Nicholson
Drives and automation controls integration company with a goal to be the market leader in the areas we serve. Our target markets include automotive, metal, wire and cable and all industries that require large drive systems. Our objective is to assist our clients to adopt world-class drive and automation solutions that make them more competitive in the ever-changing global market.
Synergy Systems Inc., Naperville, IL, represented by Mark Urda
Excels in providing phased retrofit systems with fast return on investment in the areas of process optimization, combustion control, co-generation, and safety systems to the industrial and institutional markets.
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- Epic Systems, Inc. promotes Ken Sipes to project coordinator
- Three New Operator Panels offer Unique HMI Software
- GE Expands Range of Off-The-Shelf Rugged Systems to Reduce Cost, Risk and Time-to-Market
- GE Acquires Technology Assets of CSense Systems
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| Newly Certified and Recertified Members | |
The Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) is pleased to announce that the following member companies have recently recertified and earned "Certified Member" distinction:
Concept Systems - Seattle
Concept Systems - Albany
ECS Solutions
VI Engineering
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Executive Director's Message
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Bob Lowe
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Welcome to the May-June 2011 CSIA newsletter! It's unlikely that you are the only person in your company that would benefit from reading this newsletter so please pass it on! Thanks!
A Grand Success: That fittingly describes our annual Executive Conference held at the end of April. The feedback from the attendees is the proof. There are always some lessons learned and corrections to make but overall the attendees really enjoyed and appreciated it. We are grateful to all of our sponsors and attendees and look forward to 2012 in Scottsdale Arizona.
I want to thank GE Intelligent Platforms and MC Dean/CIM Automation Harrisonburg for setting aside some time for my visits in May. As much as I enjoy visiting our members to see their facilities and meet their people, it's their feedback that's cherished the most. Increased value for all members is the result.
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GE's Glenn Graney and I went to Monticello
and took this photo
with a statue of
Thomas Jefferson.
Monticello is just a few miles from GE's facility.
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