- 3D Printing and Innovation - Image Credit: Sam's Club We hear frequently about 3D printing and all the potential it may have. It’s mind bending to look at how far 3D printing has come and how quickly it is moving, making it essential to stay current with developments in technology. Technology has evolved so quickly that prices are dropping and… Continue Reading
- Find Your Moonshot - In 1957 "Sputnik" not only launched itself into space but also, simultaneously, a space race. Several years later, American President John F Kennedy announced a seemingly impossible mission: landing Americans on the moon and bringing them back safely. This combination of goal setting, vision, and leadership propelled America to the forefront of innumerable technologies and… Continue Reading
- An Opportunity for Improvement - A few weeks ago I wrote about the importance of customer feedback. I would like to continue on that thread. Many people wonder if anyone really reads the feedback that they submit. I can assure you that we do, and that we take it very seriously. Our survey response scale is as follows … 1:… Continue Reading
- Plant Relocation and Consolidation - Mergers and Acquisitions in the industrial manufacturing arena were very strong in 2015 and continue at a high rate in 2016. In fact, deal volume is happening at the highest rate in over a decade. The annual average is well over 70 billion dollars. These consolidations take place among US based firms as well as… Continue Reading
- Gearing Up for NIWeek 2016 - As we are all well-aware, technology is moving at a lightning pace. It's often difficult to keep up with the newest features, capabilities and strategies. As system integrators, it's incumbent on us at Optimation to be current on all of these, let alone being expert practitioners of our full potential. One of the ways we… Continue Reading
- How to Plan for Emergency Downtime - Emergencies are never scheduled to occur when it’s convenient or when we’re ready. But you can still be prepared, and planning for emergency downtime is worth the effort. Here’s our advice for how to make sure that you can handle whatever comes your way. Prints. Have prints of your existing system on hand. You’d be… Continue Reading
- Effective Risk Management for Projects - In the May/June issue of ISA's InTech Magazine, Diane Trentini discusses the top five upfront project considerations for risk management (click the link to read the full article). Risk identification and assessment includes the review of commercial terms, pricing, technical skills, available resources, service supplier qualifications, scope definition, safety issues, and deliverables. The following are five… Continue Reading
- Made in America - This week we celebrate 240 years of independence as a nation. One of the driving motivations for independence was a tariff imposed on imported goods, beginning with tea. An initial outcome was to produce goods in the United States. We went on to become a great nation of innovation and manufacturing and automation. Manufacturing was… Continue Reading
- When a Local Business Icon Moves Away - Today is something of a bittersweet moment in Rochester and western New York. A longtime icon of business here is closing its doors, relocating its production and operations elsewhere. It's solemn in the sense that Sentry Safe has been a member of our community for over 85 years. Watching the move is cause for pause,… Continue Reading
- Remote Monitoring and Control - Being “remote,” and having “control” can mean different things in different circumstances. For instance: remote can refer to a geographical distance, as in working from home--remotely; or, being standoffish—aloof, and distant. How about “having control” in the sense of managing a situation versus being manipulative, or grabbing the steering wheel? Of course when you put… Continue Reading
