Welcome new members
Areias
Systems, Inc
Scotts Valley, CA
United States
ISS Connectivity
Bothell, WA
United States
McGinn-Wilkins Automation, Inc
Athens, GA
United States
Universal Pegasus International
Houston, TX
United States
Wonderware PacWest
Bothell, WA
United States
|
Congratulations to the following CSIA Certified members:
Maverick Technologies
Columbia, IL
United States
|
|
Contact Us
Leadership directory
________________
Get Connected
 
 
________________
Join CSIA
________________
Refer a new member!
Tell your colleagues about CSIA. Find member benefits and an application at www.controlsys.org.
________________
Did you receive this issue from a colleague? Get your own copy! Register to receive the CSIA Newsletter on a regular basis here.
|
|
Quote of the Month
| |
"The last seven years have removed the impostors and imitators. It is now survival of the fastest learners. If you are not continually learning and assimilating that learning into your business, you will not only get left behind, you will be forgotten ... there are no exceptions!"
- Ken Edmundson
|
|
|
The go-to resource for control system integration.
|
|
An even dozen! Premium Packages sell out
We have sold out of the 12 Premium Integrator Packages available on the Industrial Automation Exchange. Thank you to these integrators for their commitment and support of the Exchange:
- Data Science Automation
- Avid Solutions
- Stone Technologies, Inc.
- Matrix Technologies, Inc.
- Huffman Engineering, Inc.
- ECS Solutions, Inc.
- Engineered Energy Solutions, Inc.
- Avanceon
- Patti Engineering, Inc.
- Bachelor Controls, Inc.
- Crossmuller Pty Ltd.
- Mangan, Inc.
There are still plenty of opportunities available to feature your company and participate on the Exchange by upgrading your company profile, purchasing advertisements and acting as an expert resource on the Find an Answer page. Please contact Eric Huemmer to find the right fit for your company.
|
It's grand opening time for the Exchange!
The Industrial Automation Exchange is now ready for its Grand Opening. Online advertising and other promotions will begin in September. Why the delay? We wanted to reach a critical mass of completed profiles before we began promoting the Exchange to your prospective clients. Think of it as a new store. Would you come back if the shelves were half empty?
That said, you will want to make sure your "shelf space" on the Exchange is stocked and ready. Current integrator and partner members received free Bronze-level profiles for the first year of the Exchange's operation. Please log onto the Exchange, create your personal profile, and then complete your company profile. Upgrading to Silver or Gold profiles unlocks more features and opportunities to show prospects how you can meet their industrial automation needs.
Anyone - regardless of profile level - is invited to respond to questions posted in the Find an Answer section. Several recent questions ("What are the security measures for F&B industry?" "We are looking for a good cloud based software...") have not been answered. Take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and increase your visibility on the site.
Eric Huemmer, Exchange Community Manager, has posted several instructional videos on the site but please don't hesitate to send him an email or call him at 608-310-5575 if you have questions.
|
See all the archives on the webinar page.
COMING UP:
Keys to Success in Project Scope Management
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, 11 a.m., EDT (New York)
Jeff Miller, PMP, Director of Project Management, Interstates Control Systems Many of us have sat back at the end of a project and thought "Wow! How did this project's scope get so out of control? Where was the disconnect between the proposal and what we delivered to the client?" Jeff Miller will walk us through some keys to successful project scope management. Most of us work for clients who expect us to be experts in delivering the solutions; when they scope the project they know we will fill in the blanks. If the project manager doesn't do a good job of defining the "real" scope of the project upfront, your team may not get paid for significant portions of extra work they perform. It may also lead to areas of rework following factory acceptance testing when the client informs you that your system is not going to do what is required. Some key areas that will be discussed are: * Typical problems with project scope
* Collecting requirements
* Defining scope
* Creating a work breakdown structure
* Validating scope
* Controlling scope 
___________________________________________________ Staffing and Effectively Managing Project Teams
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, 11 a.m., EDT (New York)
Daniel Roessler, Owner/Consultant at DANR Consulting) Successful project teams do not happen automatically; staffing projects with the right resources is critical. However, even when you have the correct technical expertise, how your team members communicate with one another, handle transition responsibility areas, respond to the client, etc., will help determine project success. Project managers have the responsibility to not only manage the project, but also lead the team. This presentation will examine common challenges for technical teams, outline key project staffing considerations, and present several approaches PMs can use to facilitate strong teamwork and deliver efficient project execution. Daniel Roessler, author of Control System Migrations: A Practical Project Management Handbook (Momentum Press, 2013), has a career spanning over 20 years, beginning as a process control engineer and project manager for a major chemical company. His background also includes roles as a project proposal manager and a marketing manager. Daniel is currently the owner of DANR Consulting, which provides content marketing, business optimization, and project management services to engineering, software and manufacturing companies. |
|
New opportunity for partner members!
Partners are invited to host technical webinars in partnership with CSIA. The partner member will have the unique opportunity to determine the topic, title and description, as well as host these educational, 60-minute webinars.
Each webinar will be mostly educational in content, but may include some explanation of the partner's product(s) that meet the technological need. Including a business perspective in addition to the technical is strongly encouraged. Case studies and co-presentation by system integrators and end-user clients add value and are also recommended.
Inductive Automation will host the first webinar in October. Webinars will occur on three-week intervals. Contact CSIA Executive Director Bob Lowe if you'd like to host a webinar.
|
|
Have uninsured subcontractors? CSIA has a solution.
by Paul Barnard, CSIA Insurance Program Manager
First, we welcome Outbound Technologies, Inc. of New Hudson, Mich., to our program.
Since the start of the CSIA Insurance Program it has become apparent that many members employ uninsured subcontractors. This is a concern because in the event that a subcontractor causes a loss this will appear on the member's loss record for five years, inevitably resulting in higher premiums for them.
Well, I have great news! CSIA and The International Society of Automation (ISA) have collaborated to create "The ISA Insurance Program for Automation Professionals."
So, why are uninsured subcontractors so prevalent within the CSIA community? A couple of reasons. First many subcontractors are under the illusion that subcontractors are insured by the member's policy. This is not the case. In the event of a loss caused by the fault of the subcontractor your policy will respond to defend you, but it will not protect the subcontractor -- hence the loss will fall on your policy and your insurance carrier will seek to recover the loss from the subcontractor. If they are unable to do so,it will be the member's insurance loss history that is impacted.
Second, many smaller subcontractors find they cannot afford the cost of purchasing professional errors and omissions/general liability insurance -- a cost that can range between $3,000 to $8,000 per annum.
Increasingly, your customer, in their contract with you, may mandate the insurance coverage you need to carry. In addition, they may insist that these insurance requirements be passed through to any of your subcontractors. As a result, contractually, you should only work with insured subs. This requirement is becoming the norm.
ISA and CSIA are now partnering to offer an affordable solution. We have put together a combined professional errors and omissions/general liability policy with Lloyd's of London that provides the coverage subcontractor need at very affordable prices.
Now, you can require your subcontractors to carry this coverage, thereby ensuring that it is the subcontractor's policy that bears any loss they cause, not yours. This facility is available to all members of CSIA.
For more information regarding this valuable new benefit direct your subcontractors here. They can, within a few minutes, complete a simple application online, obtain a quote, bind the coverage and get their policy.
For any questions regarding this or any CSIA insurance program, please contact me, Paul Barnard, the CSIA Insurance Program Manager at 610-507-6595.
|
|
Statistics Committee announces new initiatives
After the recent Executive Conference, the Statistics Committee has been pursuing the possibility of engaging Alan Beaulieu and Nick Setchell to offer some additional content to the KPICs data as well as offer additional training via webinars. We are working on finalizing details for review by the CSIA Board. If all goes as planned, we'll be able to improve the meaning and usability of the KPICs reports.
Specifically, we are exploring the following:
- Incorporating industry statistics and trends. Each conference for the past several years, Alan Beaulieu has presented some great economic statistics as well as trend charts for 3/12 and 12/12 moving averages. We have been discussing with Alan the possibilities of having these charts and data incorporated into KPICs reports. More discussions need to happen to define the details, but the committee is hopeful we can move forward on this front.
- Combining income and balance sheets. Also, at the conference over the past couple of years, Nick Setchell has presented on a number of topics. The Statistics Committee has had discussions with Nick about the possibility of using his method for combining data in a typical Income Statement and Balance Sheet to help with return on operations (ROO) calculations.
- Quarterly webinars series. Finally, as an outcome of the KPICs surveys we conducted last year, we are working with Don Roberts and Cathy Durham to provide a series of webinars on the use of the iLumen website for entering and reviewing KPICs data as well as understanding of the KPICs parameters. Look for more information in the future as we settle on the topics and dates for these webinars.
Reminder: Salary survey is always open
Finally, before you get distracted on KPICs, don't forget that the Salary Survey is open any time your company needs statistics on employee salaries. I just wanted to give you a friendly reminder that CSIA offers data on salaries as well as company financial performance.
|
|
Skills training: What does your company need?
Integrator members, CSIA wants to hear from you! We recently sent the primary contact person at integrator members a survey asking about your company's needs for skills and certification training. CSIA is exploring the possibility of partnering with ISA and other organizations to offer professional development opportunities that meet the needs of our members.
Please take 10 minutes to identify the skills and certification training your employees need to stay current and serve your clients. Please contact Emily Wiseman if you did not receive the email with the survey.
|
|
Licensing of control system engineers gets tighter
by Mark Voigtman, J.D.
Here's a general rule: If your company works as a controls engineer in the manufacturing or industrial space it mostly need not worry about whether your company or the employees writing your software are professionally licensed. That's for two reasons. First, code writers are not licensed generally (can you imagine a world in which they were? -- Microsoft and Google certainly would not stand for that). Second, those in the factory world are protected generally from state licensing regulations by a long-recognized loophole called the "industrial exemption."
Still, one worries and for good reason. It is hard to ignore that there can be a lot of engineering connected to control system integration. Also, one in my position always worries about the exceptions, not the rule. Finally, every state is different in that it has its own, separately-justified set of rules that govern professional licensing that can overrule the industrial exemption with the wave of a pen. It is for that reason that we often recommend -- depending on the type of equipment or services in which you are involved -- that on some level your company performs a "gut check" for those jurisdictions where it does any meaningful amount of business.
How bad could it be? Not only could your firm be slapped with a fine, it might lose its right to collect its professional fees in the state in question.
And since I last wrote about this topic, the landscape has been getting more forbidding: "control systems" or engineering involving "control" are now specifically mentioned (and therefore regulated) in Alabama, the District of Columbia, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Carolina. In addition, even though not calling out control systems specifically, regulations in Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia arguably have encroached upon the industrial exemption such that the factory floor can no longer be said to be a completely safe haven in those places from the professional licensing arm of the law.
There are complexities of course. Whatever licensing is needed may not relate to individual engineers, but only to companies (which may only be required to have a single licensed engineer "of record" on staff). Also, licensing may not be applicable if your company does not really hold itself out to be an "engineering firm." What is the definition of "engineering firm?" Once again it depends on which state you are in.
Mark Voigtmann and his firm Faegre Baker Daniels are counsel to the CSIA. Mark can be reached at [email protected] or 317-237-1265. |
|
Thinking about getting CSIA Certified
or ready to recertify?
Check out the CSIA Connected Community's Best Practices and Certification - Members Only library to access the latest release of the Best Practices and Benchmarks Manual, the CSIA Certification Manual for Members and other important tools that will assist your company on the path to certification.
Learn more about the certification process and how to begin. Contact Kim Siebecker if you have any questions.
|
|
J.P. Morgan and CSIA conduct fifth system integration industry survey
Please help us take the pulse of the system integration industry globally! J.P. Morgan and CSIA are collaborating for the fifth, semiannual industry survey to learn about current business trends, expectations and demographics of the SI industry.
The primary contacts of our integrator members and our prospective members will receive a link to the survey in September. The survey can be completed in only 5-10 minutes. All answers will be kept strictly anonymous.
So what's in it for system integrators? If you complete the survey you will receive JP Morgan's 40-50 page analysis of the survey data in addition to the raw data. These are excellent tools to support business decisions. Only survey participants will receive the results of this one-of-a-kind industry survey. There is no cost except for the time to complete it.
The survey results are used to help J.P. Morgan industry analysts forecast business trends, while also helping CSIA better understand our industry. CSIA is uniquely positioned to advance the industry of system integration. CSIA desires to be the global center of the system integration universe, and having specific information about our own industry is vital to our success.
CSIA leadership thanks you in advance for your participation. Once again, watch for an email from JP Morgan in mid-September. CSIA will send a heads-up email the day before.
|
|
2015 Executive Conference planning
is underway
The 2015 Executive Conference will be April 29 - May 2, Washington, D.C., and planning has started. We are considering offering a third track specific to a system integration company discipline.
Please review the list and email Bob Lowe with the one choice that, if we offered the track, you, as a manager, would undoubtedly send your person(s) who works in that discipline.
- Human Resources
- Financial Management for CFOs, including international
- Best Practices Manual Section 5 - Project Management
- Best Practices Manual Section 6 - System Development Lifecycle
- Best Practices Manual Section 8 - Quality Assurance Management
- Other
|
|
Automation Federation updates model for automation career path
Automation Federation has updated its Automation Competency Model (ACM). The ACM is a tool for all companies and individuals who participate in industrial automation.
Steve Huffman, AF government relations chair, led a group of 11 volunteers, AF and U.S. Department of Labor staff to conduct the second three year review of the ACM. Important changes were made to the model, including the addition of a new cybersecurity block. The ACM reflects the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue an automation career path. It is consistently one of the top three models downloaded from the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Competency Model Clearinghouse at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
Because of the growing use and importance of the ACM by industry, government, academia and the DOL, the Automation Federation has created a new ACM Standing Committee that is responsible for the management of the model to ensure that it remains a useful workforce development tool for establishing automation career pathways.
CSIA is a member of the Automation Federation. Although the ACM is developed in the U.S., it is fully applicable anywhere in the world, so our non-U.S. members should take advantage of it also.
|
Certification as a key differentiator
in winning business
by Schneider Electric/Invensys, Platinum Sponsor of the 2014 CSIA Executive Conference
 Customers today need to minimize their exposure to project risks. They need to avoid situations in which a solution provider is "learning on the job" at their expense, ensure that the software solutions work once deployed, and that the project is finished on time. Working with delivery partners whose experience is validated by vendor and industry certifications is a key differentiator when customers select the right project partner.
Within the Schneider Electric system integrator community, the most successful partners are well aware of the value of demonstrating their expertise by using their product and project methodology certifications as a key differentiator in winning business. Autoware, based in Italy, is a good example of one Schneider Electric partner who leverages their Wonderware and CSIA certifications to win projects, and the knowledge gained from their certification training helps them be successful in project delivery. Autoware is an Endorsed System Integrator (ESI), the premier level in Schneider Electric's Wonderware SI Partner Program, and the first ESI to also become CSIA Certified in Europe.
Luigi De Bernardini, chief executive officer of Autoware, won a major manufacturing execution systems (MES) project with a huge Italian fresh dessert producer that is part of a multinational group. The company is well organized and required Autoware's help in two different plants. Autoware competed with two other SIs. In the project specification Wonderware technology was required. Being a Wonderware Endorsed SI and achieving CSIA Certified status validated their technical and delivery competencies and were key to winning the deal.
De Bernardini noted that, "For us, being an ESI Partner was enough to reassure the client about our competencies with Wonderware software, further validated by our portfolio of Wonderware product certifications and very good references in the food industry."
Autoware was also the only SI in the bidding that showed how the project would be managed, and sharing and explaining the core documents to be used, including their risk management policy and providing the client with a complete view of their modus operandi.
"The client also told us that a key reason we were selected was our project management skills, which were gained through learning CSIA Best Practices," De Bernardini said.
For further information about Schneider Electric's Wonderware SI Partner Program and two related white papers, The Value of Certification for System Integrators and Selecting the Right Delivery Partner for a Project, visit the Partner Ecosystem area of software.invensys.com and the Schneider Electric area within the new CSIA Industrial Automation Exchange.
|
|
Tatsoft creates new real-time framework
by Tatsoft, Gold Sponsor of the 2014 CSIA Executive Conference
 Technology is constantly evolving, when major changes happen, to fully leverage the benefits of that evolution, it is no longer possible to wrap new modules around an old legacy core. True leaders create a new clean design, based on today's technologies.
Tatsoft llc was created in 2009, as the founders, with decades of experience, recognized that a new generation of software and device technologies had arrived and a new development framework was required.
With the emergence of Microsoft.NET, a platform that is Windows-version independent, Tatsoft saw the opportunity to be the first company to create a new real-time framework based on a .NET-to-the-core philosophy, combining IT and process automation in a state-of-the-art system, to deliver SCADA, HMI, MES and decision support center applications.
Remember when Windows replaced DOS, creating a growing opportunity for the companies that fully embraced the next-generation tools? That proved to work out well for those companies; we now have a similar scenario with .NET, iOS, cloud, multicore CPUs, advanced graphics and faster network technologies creating an even bigger opportunity, requiring a new software platform designed from the ground up.
Tatsoft has been working with partners to provide solutions in automotive, pharmaceutical, oil/gas, metals/mining, water, irrigation, entertainment, energy/power, building automation, machinery and other industries.
In 2013, in an effort to find forward-thinking system integration partners, Tatsoft joined CSIA. We attended the Executive Conference in St. Petersburg, Fla., where we were able to learn from the great sessions they had and establish keys contacts with potential channel partners.
In 2014, as a Gold Sponsor at the conference in San Diego, Tatsoft attended and exhibited at the conference, bringing a partner program specially designed to CSIA members; as a result, we have added many integration partners.
We look forward to meeting other forward thinking system integration partners. Please visit us at www.tatsoft.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
