My travels are half over for October and November which are busy months for shows and conferences.  AHTD and ISA Automation Week were in October and reports are included in this newsletter. For a couple years I set AHTD conferences aside primarily due to other opportunities and priorities, even though Norm, the past CSIA executive director, typically attended them. I'm glad I finally attended because the roles our industries play are melding together more than ever and collaboration between our associations can be beneficial to the members of both. As for ISA, it is becoming an association partner of ours and aiding in our domestic and international exposure.Support ISA locally and take advantage of their industry standards and educational opportunities.

November includes participation in the Brazil ISA Expo and the Rockwell Automation Fair. When my travels are over and the 2012 Executive Conference program is fully planned, event follow-ups and recruiting move to the top of my agenda.

_________________________________________________________ 

by Brittany Marsala Olson 

A recent planning visit to the Talking Stick Resort and the Scottsdale area has certainly intensified our excitement for the 2012 CSIA Executive Conference. The resort is stunning and is the perfect venue to combine education and entertainment. We've also lined up a unique variety of off-site activities that are sure to appeal to all. As always, spouses and children are welcome to take part in the fun (separate registration required). Be sure to mark your calendars for April 25-28! You won't want to miss it!

The 2013 Conference will take place at the TradeWinds Resort, St. Petersburg, Fla. Staff has also arranged a site inspection to the San Diego area in early December to identify a location for the 2014 Conference.

Here's to a bright future filled with successful meetings!

Do you have a survey question to suggest? Send it here.

Next webinar in December

 

AHTD Conference report 

by Bob Lowe, CSIA Executive Director

At AHTD 2011: Tim York, Standard Electric Supply, outgoing AHTD president; Robert Lowe, CSIA executive director; and Neil Montgomery, Davis Controls, Ltd., AHTD incoming president

The theme of the Association of High Tech Distribution (AHTD) Fall Meeting was Strategies for Uncertain Times. I can relate to that, how about you? As one of seven presenters, I analyzed the results of a 20-question survey from June of this year in which we gathered your views and expectations of distributors. Both the survey results and my presentation can be found in the Connected Community library. 

In the survey, CSIA members were asked what distributors could do for them. "Bring us leads" was the response from 40% of you. We also asked what integrators are willing to do in return for these leads. The overwhelming response was "be loyal" (translation: Buy their stuff). Unfortunately, the feedback at the AHTD conference was that integrators are not always loyal. So I ask that you think about your distributor relationships and honestly assess whether you treat them fairly when they bring you leads.

FYI: AHTD President Neil Montgomery will be presenting at our 2012 Executive Conference using similar survey results from their members. It will provide their views and expectations of integrators.

A discussion that emerged during the meeting was the bone of contention that can exist when distributors compete against their integrator customers with their own CSI groups. There is no single solution because it's a distributor's prerogative to have that business model. My recommendation is for the top managers of the distributor and integrator to come together to discuss a working relationship that is in the best interest of both. 

by Bob Lowe, CSIA executive director

At the CSIA booth with Barbara Hamilton of Emerson Process Management

CSIA thanks the Automation Federation (AF) for hosting us at the recent AF pavilion at ISA Automation Week. Among those in attendance was Jorge Ramos of Brazil who is on the CSIA Latin America Advisory Committee. He is the president of ISA District 4 which is all of South America. Jorge was responsible for getting CSIA a booth at their expo in Sao Paulo, Nov. 8-10. Thank you, Jorge.

I spoke with several people who attended technical training sessions. All said the event was top quality and their expectations were met. My own preparation to attend was professionally managed and the technology tools used were the best. Also, attendance was more than two times that of 2010! So congratulations to all the volunteers and conference managers who contributed their time and talent for the advancement of the automation industry.

I was pleased to see that about 25 people attended my presentation. Also presenting were Hunter Vagas of Avid Solutions (a CSIA Certified member, who spoke on important considerations when performing a process or machine upgrade) and Jay Jeffries of Emerson Process Systems. CSIA arranged a press conference to keep the media current on the state of our association. Both the press conference and technical presentations are posted in the CSIA Connected Community library. 

One of the purposes of AF is addressing workforce education. With that in mind, Mobile public school students were invited to participate in the AF Career Day. Over 800 students attended the exhibition and presentations. Prism Systems, a CSIA member in Mobile, Ala., set up a tabletop exhibit to show the students that automation is a fun and creative field. We owe Keith Jones of Prism a big thank you. Perhaps a few of those students will work for Keith someday.

Thanks again to ISA and AF for their cooperation and collaboration. CSIA really appreciates it.

by Gordon Cox, American Systems Registrar

Here is a brief overview of recent changes to the Best Practice Document version IV, scheduled to be released during the Executive Conference in April 2012. The changes are primarily enhancements to the current document and further clarification to certain sections. 

General Management- Section 1, has a few changes with the addition of one new question and slight rewording of others.

Human Resources Management- Section 2, is virtually unchanged with the questions and the numbering system remains the same.

Marketing, Business Development and Sales-Section 3, has some revisions and realignment within the section. Most of the changes were aligning the section in a chronological order and revising some of the questions to have better impact in the Best Practices process.

Financial Management-Section 4, basically no changes.

Project Management, System Development Lifecycle, Supporting Activities and Quality Assurance Management -Sections 5-8 have minor editorial changes. Numbering and questions remain the same.

Service and Support-Section 9 This section is new and the main thrust of it is on the integrator conducting service work as part of an integration project.  It focuses on what controls are in place for conducting service work.  Currently audit questions are being developed for this section.

This review should not be considered an audit preparation guide. The integrator needs to review in detail the version IV document to gain a full understanding of the revision and changes.

by Glenn Graney, GE Intelligent Platforms - CSIA 2011 Platinum Conference Sponsor

Challenging economic times can be difficult for those of us in the automation industry as our community of users reduces its amount of capital spending. When capacity or production lines are expanded and there is metal being bent for new machines, the controllers, software, and service projects are readily apparent. Capital investment is the key to most large automation projects, and it generates that desirable stream of RFQs. 

Without large RFQs and associated projects to bid on, the automation ecosystem must shift its focus to installed systems and operational needs. Installed systems provide some opportunities in terms of feed and care service engagements; however, these times call for proactive targeting of operational improvements.

The same mindset that has caused our end users to be cautious about new capital investment can be engaged around cost-out and leaning operational activities. Large RFQ projects have a specific scope, a specific budget, and ultimately, a predetermined ROI. To approach the operational opportunities, the SI and the automation vendor have to play a much larger role in proactively helping the end user define these characteristics. 

GE believes that there are a number of operational-based opportunities such as advanced analytics layered over existing systems and low-cost, quick-payback solutions aligned with green initiatives
(www.ge-ip.com/spgrowth). The greater CSIA partner committee is also moving in this direction with SI growth initiatives documented in the Application Showcase of the CSIA Connected Community.

It is just good business for everyone to drive incremental operational projects in these challenging economic periods. These successful projects often have the added benefit of deepening relationships with clients and laying the groundwork for capital investment as the economy improves. 

by Ed Diehl, Nomination Committee chair

Chairing the Nomination Committee is a great way to stay in touch with the community. It's well worth the time because I think it is critically important that CSIA recognize the excellent efforts our members and volunteers put forth.

As with last year, we have two thrusts: awards and leadership. Awards are meant to recognize contributors to CSIA, both Partners and integrators. The leadership aspect helps identify Integrators for committee membership and to funnel these exemplary volunteers toward running for a position on the Board of Directors.

Make your voice heard, and tell us about some outstanding individuals who deserve recognition! We are currently seeking nominations for the following awards: Rising Star, Charlie Bergmann, and Partner. See full descriptions of all the awards at controlsys.org.

by PC Romano, Statistics Committee chair

Have CSIA members grown their companies in 2011?

What is their profitability?

If you participated in KPICs, you would know the answers to these and other integrator business related questions.

KPICs, CSIA's Financial Benchmarking Program, continues to grow, with 58 participating companies. Benchmarking your company against other system integrators is a key step toward continuous improvement and profitable growth. If you haven't already signed up, click here  to do so. The information you share is completely secure and confidential. KPICs benefits include:

• Automated data upload
• Trending of quarterly data and leading indicators
• Rich and flexible reports that can be used for executive dashboards

New Salary Survey

The Statistics Committee is working to develop a new annual salary survey, with job descriptions specific to system integrators. Existing and historical surveys have struggled to ensure an "apples to apples" comparison of jobs. Our upcoming survey will be based upon specific roles and responsibilities of the jobs, and should provide better, more actionable information than any other survey available.

We plan to describe three levels for some of the roles, so if you have job descriptions for multiple levels, or if you have any thoughts on how to structure that, please contact me at promano@avidsolutionsinc.com.

by Paul Barnard, insurance manager

First, we welcome new participant Synergy Systems, Inc. of Naperville, Ill. Synergy found themselves in a challenging situation requiring insurance coverage for a large contract. They called us on a Monday and coverage was in place four days later. Once again, our provider First Niagara stepped up to the plate for us.

Initial reaction to our new program for Canadian members has been very encouraging with seven members requesting quotations. It seems the same problems exist there with the insurance industry lacking understanding of control system integration.

We are enjoying a record year both in terms of the number of members participating in programs and the total premiums being generated. We have members insured with annual revenues ranging from $365K to
$80 million. Whatever your size, whatever the industries that you work with and wherever your customers may be based, we can work with you to meet your contractual obligations, protect your assets and minimize potential liabilities.    

The purpose of the CSIA Latin America Advisory Committee (LAAC) is to bring CSIA to the integrators of Latin America. The committee is made up of integrator members, Partners and ISA leaders. Currently there are six Partners on the LAAC. If you are a CSIA Partner and your company has a presence in Mexico, Central America or South America, please consider having a representative on the committee. Contact Bob Lowe for information.