November 2, 2023 • 41 mins
Are you ready design systems that make a true impact in industrial manufacturing? In this enlightening episode, we're taking you on a tour from the drawing board to the production line. We're not just drawing blueprints here; we're creating tangible, practical systems that will revolutionize the way you work. We'll be sharing tried and tested strategies, setting objectives, and outlining tools you can use to make the design process more efficient.
We're excited to take you on a journey through the labyrinth of automation tools. We discuss the top-notch tools like Rockwell Automation's Integrated Architecture Builder and Proposal Works, Bidman from EATON, and the Siemens TIA Selection Tool. Get the inside scoop on how these tools can transform your system design process, making it smoother and more streamlined. We'll also launch into a deep dive into the crux of the system design process - execution - and the importance of having a solid foundation and well-defined plan to bring your system to life.
Embrace the importance of upgrading and modernizing your manufacturing equipment. We'll probe into the timing of these upgrades, the risks of waiting for the equipment to fail, and the potential for increased safety and reduced maintenance costs. We'll also disseminate the five value points of modernization - improved efficiency, enhanced safety, integration capabilities, reduced maintenance costs, and scalability. Plus, we'll equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions about equipment upgrades. We'll finish with a reflection on the importance of having confidence in your system design and ways to ensure that your design is competitive.
We promise you a journey of discovery and learning that will leave you with a treasure trove of insights and strategies for mastering system design in industrial manufacturing. So, tune in and get ready to unleash your full potential in the industrial manufacturing arena.
Remember to keep asking why...
System Planning Resources:
System Planning Blog
Let us help you plan your system today
Other Resources to help with your journey:
Installed Asset Analysis Blog
EECO Smart Manufacturing Guide
Submit your questions and feedback to: podcast@eecoaskwhy.com
Host: Chris Grainger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to ECO Ask why, a podcast that dives into
industrial manufacturing topicsand spotlights the heroes to
keep America running.
I'm your host, chris Granger,and on this podcast we do not
cover the latest features andbenefits on products that come
to market.
Instead, we focus on advice andinsight from the top minds of
industry, because people andideas will be how America
(00:24):
remains number one inmanufacturing in the world.
Welcome to ECO Ask why.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
Today we're going to be talkingabout mastering system design.
We're going from concept toreality.
So I'm excited to be here withyou guys again for this episode.
(00:44):
Again, new format here for ECOAsk why Really got a good lot of
good feedback for ouruninstalled asset analysis
episode that we just released.
So looking forward to digginginto this topic with you today.
And it's a very important topicbecause when you're thinking
about systems in an industrialsetting, you really have to have
a systematic approach to beeffective, because in industrial
(01:07):
manufacturing, that success iscontingent on meticulous
planning, seamless coordinationand innovative thinking.
So that approach that we'regoing to be reviewing today is
going to really set you apartfrom those who struggle to those
who are actually confidentlyadvancing your objectives.
So I know that's the boat thatyou want to be in, right.
(01:29):
I know it can be so hard outthere in industrial
manufacturing to get some ofthese projects approved and then
you have to get themimplemented and you have to
teach people how to use them.
So we're gonna kind of walkthrough a process for you today
that will hopefully make thatthat next project that you have,
that system design, seamless.
Okay.
So this journey to success andsystem design commences with
(01:53):
understanding the starting line,because we have to know where
we're going to start at beforewe can even take off right.
And we're going to really talkabout two categories as we dig
through this conversation today.
We're talking about newinstallations and then also
equipment upgrades, because bothreally present some really
unique opportunities tointroduce modernization into
(02:16):
your overall process.
Just think about that, okay, theoverall process you have right
now.
We know that you need to bemodernizing, you need to be
advancing, you need to bebringing new technologies, and
when you do that, when you thinkthrough your upcoming projects,
you should always be thinking,okay, what can I introduce now?
What can I dive into nextthat's going to actually open up
(02:37):
data or information that'sgoing to help your process,
improve and give you thatcompetitive advantage.
So we're going to be talkingabout categories, how we can do
that.
We're going to explore theimportance of clear goals and
strategies, and we'll alsodiscuss some very practical
tools that I think you're goingto really find a lot of value
out of and the technologies outthere that are available to help
you streamline this systemdesign process, because I know
(03:00):
it can be very daunting when yousit down and you're thinking
about a new system.
It can be daunting.
There's a lot of things thatare going to be variables that
are in play.
There's a lot of things youneed to consider.
There's lots of stakeholders aswell.
Sometimes it can be moneyconstraints and for budgets and
things like that.
So we're just going to takethis one step at a time together
as we move forward.
(03:21):
So, all right, we'll break thisdown into the two pillars.
We have the new installations,then we have the equipment
upgrades and let's start offjust out the gate with our new
installations.
Okay, you can really consider anew installation.
It's like a blank canvas, right?
So, designing that new system,I know it can be exciting, it
can be super exciting, but itcan also be challenging, right?
(03:44):
This can be so challengingbecause you know what you don't
have anything to go off of.
So, starting with a clean slate, that gives a lot of
flexibility and gives you alsocreative freedom to where you
can really start thinking aboutthat system holistically to let
it align with your desiredoutcomes.
So many times we find that whenyou have a new system, the
(04:06):
outcome is often predefined,right, and then it makes you as
an engineer you have to matchthe available technologies with
the specific output requirementsand kind of do a lot of reverse
engineering here, right?
So you have to do a lot ofevaluation, a lot of testing, a
lot of establishing some newstandards, because if you have a
new system, a new design, maybeyou need to have some new
(04:27):
standards in place as well, andthat's going to help put you on
that cutting edge of innovationand technology, right.
But we understand, particularlyhere at Electric Equipment
Company, the path to innovationthat while it is daunting, it
doesn't have to be overwhelming,okay.
So we have things like, youknow, distributors at their
D-days these days.
(04:48):
Like Electric Equipment Company, we have innovative labs where
you can come in, you can test,you can get hands-on with the
technology that you want toimplement, right Before you ever
bring it into your andintroduce it into your facility.
Just think about that for asecond.
Just like you go, before youbuy a car, you go do a test ride
, right, and you would testdrive those cars.
You go out there, you would.
(05:08):
You would see how itaccelerates, how it decelerates.
You know all the features thatdoesn't have the cup holders
where you want them and thingslike that all the important
things, right?
Well, this is the same thinghere.
When you have a lab available,it's not just about theory, it's
about practical, real-worldapplication, and that's what
labs offer you.
So we believe particularly inour eco labs.
(05:29):
By giving you that first-handexperience with that technology,
we're going to empower youright there to make informed
decisions during that process.
And during that process youwant to make sure you're
informed because in that momentwhen you, when you make any
decisions based off yourexperiences, your vision is
going to start to become yourreality, and that's where you
(05:51):
connect the dots, right.
So take advantage.
If you're working withdistributors right now, and
wherever you're located,obviously, if you're in the
eastern part of the US andyou're working with the electric
equipment company, we inviteyou to come into our labs.
Get hands-on, have the chance toreally dive deep into the
technologies that you'reinterested in, and look when you
come in.
Don't just look for thefeatures and benefits.
(06:12):
Let's get down to brass tacksof what you need in your system,
because that's what mattersmost.
Right?
It's wonderful if you have athousand data points that you
have access to.
That's great.
But what five to ten are goingto really move the ball down the
field.
Know that.
Then come into a lab and testfor it and see how it works, see
(06:34):
how the integration works, howyou maybe you want to go from
from one controller to anothersystem or from one communication
system to the next.
You need to understand how todo that, what the gateways are
involved.
This is where labs come intoplay.
So when you have a new system,you have a blank canvas.
Don't let that be such adaunting task.
Look at it as an opportunity toexplore.
(06:55):
Now let's say, let's move to thesecond pillar.
You have an equipment upgradeand you're looking.
You have an opportunity righthere to modernize that aging
infrastructure.
That's great.
That's a great position to bein.
Okay, because that's timeclicks on down the road.
Equipment is going to approachthe end of this operational
(07:16):
lifespan.
It just is right.
No equipment is designed to runforever, and this reality
confronts so many of ourmanufacturers that we that we
serve out there.
It raises a lot of criticalquestions.
So think about this how do youidentify areas in your existing
infrastructure that needattention?
You know how do you even goabout that process?
Now, once you do, where shouldthe improvements begin?
(07:39):
Now, I know this I'm kind oftaking back to our last episode
on on ECO ASY, but the answertruly lies in getting that
baseline, and you get thatbaseline through an installed
asset analysis.
Now, go back, if you didn'tlisten to the previous episode.
Go listen to the installedasset analysis.
We have lots of resources tohelp you with that as well.
(07:59):
But that provides you thataccurate inventory of the assets
and it transforms that decisionmaking from some from
subjective to data driven,because we all know how
subjective arguments go right.
It really depends on who hasthe last say.
But when you take it fromsubjective and you move it to a
data driven conversation, thegame changes.
(08:20):
The game truly changes becausethat that, that installed asset
analysis, not only identifiesyour current assets, but it
really unveils the items thatare no longer supported, right,
or maybe you're seeing itemsthat are nearing their lifespans
in and this is good informationto know and along with that
that's going to you'll haverecommendations for replacement
(08:42):
upgrades and it's going to takethat guesswork out of everything
that you have to go on and weknow you have so much going on
inside of manufacturing facilityso you can start that installed
asset analysis right now.
Connect with us If you, if youwant to get started, if you want
more information on that, we'llmake sure that we put some
recent, some links in the shownotes here to go back and check
that out.
And if you're again in theservice area for electrical
(09:04):
equipment company, let us know.
We'd love to come in and have aconversations with you to see
how we can get you started withan installed asset analysis.
All right.
Now, once you let's say you, wegot those two pillars, let's
just start at the beginning.
That foundation of success.
It starts with vision.
It really starts with vision.
So I I'm a big Stephen Coveyfan.
(09:24):
I love the seven habits of howthey affected people, and you go
back to one of his habits hetalks about pretty regularly.
I know most people recognizethis one, but begin with the end
in mind.
Okay, begin with the end inmind.
So, before you start diving intoequipment specifics, take the
time to define your ideal systemoutcome.
(09:46):
Think about that for a second.
What do you really need this,this system, to do?
Consider some key data pointsand then start thinking about
the data that you need to makebetter decisions, and you need
to understand that those, thosedata points.
They need to be able toinfluence your business
decisions as well.
Then start thinking about yourcommunication platforms.
Begin.
(10:06):
I mean you need to understand,okay, how can we best move the
data?
What speed do we need?
What types of processes are wegoing to be working with to
really figure out?
Okay, which communicationprotocol is going to actually
give us the results that aredesired, right?
Well, you're spending a lot oftime designing a system.
The last thing you want to dois get a system that's lagging
(10:26):
behind and can't keep up withyour demand.
Now, if you achieve clarity inthese areas, you're going to lay
a really solid foundationthat's going to just guide you a
path through the whole process,and it starts with the vision.
So, begin with that end in mind.
Sit down and draw on a bigblank canvas or some type of
(10:48):
whiteboard, whatever you havethere and just lay out, okay,
here's the ideal outcome andthen start thinking about it
Though the all it would be niceitems on the table and start
evaluating.
It'd be great if we couldmeasure this.
What if we could do?
Move the equipment over hereand actually improve our process
flow.
Start thinking about thosethings from a holistic
(11:09):
standpoint and then reverseengineer, start thinking back
there and that vision.
Once you had a vision set,don't vary from it.
Be consistent with the vision.
Now I want to give you a fewtools as we start thinking about
technology.
There's so much technology outthere when you're designing a
new system.
I'm going to give you sometools and some resources that
you can have right now that youcan start utilizing that I
(11:33):
guarantee are going to make animpact.
Okay, so now you have thiscriteria to find and you need to
start thinking about thesetools.
I'm going to tell you right outthe gate we have a lot of these
resources here at the LesterEquipment Company.
So if you need support ingetting these resources, just
reach out to us.
Okay, because these decisionsthat you're making, they are
important to the future of yourfacility and you need to make
(11:55):
sure you're installing the bestavailable technology each and
every time.
So I'm going to give you, rightout the gate here, four
resources that I guarantee willmake an impact.
So the first two come fromRockwell Automation.
Now, the first one's calledIntegrated Architecture Builder.
Okay, so that's IAB IntegratedArchitecture Builder, and this
platform combines innovativeautomation components to really
(12:19):
help you make that robustcontrol system.
So what it's going to do, guys,it's going to walk you through
how you select your hardware.
It really is.
It's going to say, okay, youhave this controller, you want
these IO points?
Hey, don't forget, you need tohave these cables and things
like that to connect thecontroller together.
If you want an HMI, here's howyou make that work and it brings
(12:39):
it all together.
If you want to add a few drives, you can add drives to the
system.
It brings it all together andhelps you build it.
And the cool part about it itgenerates a bill of materials
for you and you can be sure.
But when this comes out,integrated Architecture Builder,
everything has compliance, ithas standards, you have the
latest and greatest technology.
(13:00):
You don't have to worry aboutthings that are not supported
any longer, because if it'scoming directly from IAB.
You can rest assured that thistechnology is the latest.
It's going to give you theresults that you desire.
So we'll have some links in theshow notes for this one.
For Integrated ArchitectureBuilder Again, that's a plugin
that you can directly download.
(13:20):
It has an entire backlog ofcatalog items that you can have
access to directly and then youcan start constructing and
building out your systems andstart playing with it and try
different platforms.
Try it out when you're in IAB.
It has so much flexibility andgives you a lot of autonomy you
can just really you can getcreative and see what's out
(13:42):
there.
Okay, so go check out that.
Rockwell Automation IntegratedArchitecture Builder.
Now also the second tool fromRockwell Automation is Proposal
Works.
I have used Proposal Works foryears.
When I first started at alecture equipment company over
22 years ago and I rememberProposal Works was just coming
out I just thought it was such agreat tool and I used it every
(14:03):
day when I was selling Rockwellin Virginia and it was just
something that I think is such agreat tool.
That's been added on, it's beenobviously improved and enhanced
over the years and it'sdesigned directly for you, the
end user, engineers, integrators, all the people out there who
are working with RockwellAutomation Components and the
(14:23):
software.
Really, it's what I like aboutit.
It's so user friendly and itsimplifies that component
selection, because I don't knowabout you, but it can be hard If
you're trying to select justbasic things like push buttons.
Right, it can be Confusingsometimes if you don't do it
every day to make sure you'reselecting the right products.
Proposal works, does it for you.
(14:46):
It really walks you through.
Okay, you need this output.
Oh, you need this communication.
Okay, what else are you tryingto accomplish?
Do you need any auxiliarycontacts or things like that?
Boom, boom, boom.
It lays at the part number foryou.
It really is user-friendly.
And that database that isconnected to that rock, that
ties directly to the rock willautomation products Unreal,
(15:06):
absolutely unreal on how muchaccess you have to the, to the,
to the Products that rock willautomation offers.
And this is going to, at theend of the day, it's gonna
facilitate more informeddecision-making that you're
gonna have in them in the momentand it's gonna align with your
application requirements.
So it's really great, guys.
Again, free software from rockautomation.
(15:28):
Go check out the links in theshow notes.
We'll have that out there foryou as well.
But when you start designingsystem tools like integrated
architecture builder andproposal works particularly if
you're working with a rock Wellcenter type of automation system
these are two resources that,once engineers and developers
start working with that, you'llnever you wonder where was this
(15:50):
at your whole career like?
Why was I not using this before?
Now?
The third tool is from our, our, our friends over at eating,
this called bit man.
Now again, this is the.
This full disclosure.
This is available to distributeto distributors only, but we
have at eco, we're ready tosupport you.
We have the teams and toolsthat are ready to work with this
.
Now, this software, what it does?
(16:11):
It helps you select suitableelectrical products for these
projects, primarily in the powerspace.
Okay, so it's a huge databaseof eating offerings and it's
going.
And what it helps us do isunderstand Okay, you're looking
for a panel board or switchboardor switch gear or a motor
control center, and we'll helplay out for us, okay, for these
(16:32):
requirements, what's the bestavailable technology from eating
that we can provide you.
So it's not just gonna send youa bill of materials and here's
your quote, for you know, 30items to make up this motor
control center.
No, we're gonna be able toprovide you directly here's
here's drawings, here schematics.
Here's the here's the whybehind while we're selecting
(16:53):
these products.
So, again, eating Probably theleader in the power industry and
we would.
We work directly with the bidman.
So if you want to to learn moreabout bid man, connect with us.
If you have a power relatedproject, let us know.
We'd love to help you with thatas we move forward there.
Now the fourth tool, or sharethis for you, for those out
(17:14):
there, that works with Siemensautomation platforms.
They have something calledSiemens TIA selection tool.
Okay, so go check that out.
That is a really comprehensivesolution, guys.
It's designed to assistengineers, system integrators
and users again, right, andselecting the components for
industrial automation projectsDirectly from Siemens.
Okay, this has Siemensextensive database connected to
(17:36):
it and it's the automationportfolio that they provide, and
it lets the users bring a lotof inform decision Decisions
that align all their productstogether.
Now the cool part about Siemensand TIA it has it all in one
right.
So from from, from everythingSiemens offers.
It's within the TIA selectiontool process.
So, again, free resource outthere from Siemens.
(17:57):
Check out the links in the shownotes.
We'll make sure that you have alinks to that directly so that
you can get that downloaded,particularly for your Siemens
user.
If you haven't used TIAselection tool again into, you
have fallen up with it.
So those four tools theintegrated architecture, builder
proposal, words been man, tiaselection tools, the are just.
These are just samples Of fourtools right there that you have
(18:18):
in your access to today to startbuilding your system.
Now let's transition a littlebit.
Let's talk about the art ofexecution, because at some point
you have to bring this systemalive right.
So you have that solidfoundation, everything you have
that well-defined plan and themost exciting phase, quite
frankly, is is when we bring ittogether right, we will bring in
(18:40):
that system alive.
So we had that project withclarity and that proven plan,
and you introduced thattechnology that's going and
really advanced the game.
The game, rather, that's gonnareally help you build more and
more internal support andadvocacy.
Think about that because as you, as you prove at your system
and it's working, the way thatyou've designed, the way that
(19:02):
you've proven, the way that youknow that it's can hand, it's
gonna bring benefit to yourcompany.
You're gonna have advocates,most stakeholders out there.
They need a tangible plan tocommit fully to right and by
just by following this framework, you guys, you're gonna propel
yourself, you go, set yourselfup in particular to be
successful, moving forward, andyou're gonna be looking, be
looked at as a leader, aproactive leader that gets
(19:27):
things done.
And I don't know about you all,but I know we need more and more
that, particularly in theindustrial manufacturing
facility.
So you need to start thinkingabout that, start thinking about
the modernization opportunitiesthat exist because, as the
landscape changes from fromindustrial standpoint,
everything's evolving.
It really is the technologies,the methodologies, everything
(19:47):
that we're using.
Manufacturing is constantly onan evolution.
Just think back, if you're, ifyou've been in manufacturing for
a while, maybe the last 20years how much has changed, not
only from the way that wecollect data, but the way that
we use it or the way that weintegrate With that, how we
interact with equipment, rightfrom HMI's to push buttons to
(20:08):
now.
Everything is so smart andconnected right.
So modernizing equipment andsystems it's so crucial, so
crucial, and these upgrades,these upgrade opportunities that
you have, are Significantopportunities to advance the
ball.
It's not just advanced ball,just to have better technology
in the plant.
No, it's to make yourself morecompetitive, to make better
(20:31):
products, to have a strongervalue proposition.
All that is the key factors.
So now you need to think aboutthe timing, because you have to
identify the right times for theupgrades and so and it could be
so difficult to know when Ineed to actually take action.
So, because if wait for it tofail, basically you have a
(20:51):
couple things going on thatcould be a liable option for For
for some of you, all, right,I'm just gonna wait for it to
fail and then I'll deal with itwhen I deal with it, right.
But if you do that, your risk,you're putting yourself at risk
in a couple areas.
You potentially can havedowntime right, because it fails
when you need to be running.
Obviously the equipment's down,ie, you have downtime that
(21:12):
could impact production delaysand the more importantly out of
all this, from an electricalstandpoint, we need to keep in
mind.
There's safety.
We have people working insidethese manufacturing facilities
day in, a day out, and at theend of the day, we want them to
go home.
We want them to go home safely,right?
So you need to be be verycareful when we're trying to
(21:32):
identify the time that we're notputting any safety components.
If we see a safety componentneeds to be addressed, that
needs to be addressedimmediately, address that
immediately and then startthinking forward.
And then, conversely, if youstart thinking about stuff
Prematurely and you just startripping out stuff that's not
causing any issues, that stillit still has useful life, you
can put a serious strain on yourbudgets.
(21:54):
So those data driven decisions,that is the key, that's the
difference maker, and you dothat through like condition
assessments, predictivemaintenance indicators.
As you're going out and you'reperforming maintenance on the
equipment, it's gonna be tellingyou right, oh hey, I need to
make sure I'm spending someattention over here.
It's gonna help you pinpointthe equipment that's nearing,
(22:16):
it's in the life cycle and onceyou know that, then you can take
it, then you can take action.
Or it also is going to give youindicators on what equipment is
prone to failure and it's going, if you want you know those,
those couple areas, you'll beable to have a much better place
to make strategic upgrades andreplacements versus just ripping
(22:37):
and replacing.
If you have a strategy behindthat system design, it's gonna
put you on a on such a betterpath forward for making an
impact.
Now let's think about the roleof modernization as we, as we
talk about Equipment upgradesdirectly, because those upgrades
, they obviously give you thatprime opportunity for monitors,
(22:57):
for modernization, and let'sthink through a couple.
I'm gonna give you five righthere, five areas that that
Modernization was with yourequipment upgrades, the value
that it's gonna bring.
First of all, it should bringyou improved efficiency and use
all these things as a litmustest If these, if the, if your
equipment that you're gettingready to purchase and move
(23:18):
forward with, if it doesn'tcheck a couple of these boxes,
are you really making the rightdecision?
So, first of all, is itimproving your efficiency?
Because modern equipment guys,it's out there it's got to be
more efficient, more productive,reduces energy consumption and
it better increase the output.
So just think about, from anefficiency standpoint, is it
doing what it should?
(23:38):
Now, enhanced safety just talkedabout this, but when you
upgrade equipment, you need tomake sure it at least meets your
current safety requirements andthen it protects your workforce
and ensures compliance.
I would challenge you to takeit just a step further.
Hey, it's not just meaning howcan it succeed our safety
requirements?
(23:59):
So think about safety.
They need to considerintegration capabilities,
because so much equipment thesedays can have that seamless
connection points withautomation systems.
But make sure that thecapability that you need is
there.
There's nothing that's going tobe more frustrating.
If you buy a system, you getready to integrate it and
actually you know you're havingtrouble getting the system
(24:20):
online communication protocolsand things like that.
Just do your homework up front.
Also, these upgrades shouldreduce your maintenance costs,
right, not make your maintenancecosts go away.
There's no such thing as that.
But newer equipment requiresless frequent and costly
maintenance.
It's just reality, right, andlook, there's just some long
term savings that go along withthere.
(24:41):
But you need to make sure thatyou understand that it's not
going to eliminate themaintenance costs, but there
should be a reduction in any wayyou can identify to measure.
That is a great value point inyour case to build out your
system that you're going to beproposing, okay.
And then, finally, scalability.
Okay, scalability.
So modern equipment typicallyis scalable.
(25:03):
It gives you an opportunity toadapt evolving production
demands, right.
So things are going to pop up.
As you design a system and youstart getting it installed and
moving forward with the systemon the plant, you're going to be
asked well, can you add this orcan I take away that and all
these different components andareas.
So that scalability is veryimportant.
So design with that in mind.
(25:24):
If you need eight outputs,don't just install eight outputs
.
Why don't you go ahead and get12?
Well, better, yet 16.
So in the future, if things getadded to it, it would be less
of an impact for you and youjust say, oh yeah, absolutely,
we designed with thatscalability in mind.
We'll be able to move directlyto that, okay.
So those five areas right hereare some things to consider
(25:47):
about the role of modernizationin equipment upgrades.
So, again, improved efficiency,enhance your safety,
integration capabilities need tobe considered, reduce that
maintenance cost and yourscalability.
So those areas are veryimportant.
Now I want to think about fourareas that you can consider when
you select the right equipmentfor you for those upgrades,
(26:08):
because choosing the rightequipment is so crucial and you
need to consider things likeproduction requirements,
obviously, budgets, long termgoals, what, who are the
stakeholders?
We've already talked about howto install this.
Asset analysis is a reallygreat way to get started so far
as collecting that data, but nowyou need to start making better
decisions, moving forward, okay.
(26:30):
So here's some things toconsider Compatibility when
you're selecting the rightequipment.
Consider the compatibility,because you need to make sure
your upgraded equipment iscompatible with your existing
systems because you don't wantto avoid you want to avoid any
infrastructure delays, right?
You don't want anything that'sgoing to hold you back from
getting that system back andonline and up and running and
(26:51):
performing the way that itshould.
Then you should do an ROIanalysis, right?
You need to evaluate thefinancial viability of what
you're doing through your returnon investment analysis.
Okay, and things to considerhere energy savings, your
productivity, your maintenancecosts up and down I mean all
(27:13):
these different areas reallymake an impact on the return on
investment.
So, start thinking as you'rethinking through your equipment
upgrades, understand what theROI could be.
And then future proof of thisstuff.
You need to start thinkingthrough the equipment that
you're installing and makingsure it's adaptable to future
enhancements.
So, again, I just talked abouta minute ago how you need to
(27:35):
make sure you have enoughscalability there, but also
future proof of the best you canto ensure you that you have
relevance in the changinglandscape, because I'm telling
you, the technology changes sofast.
Make sure you at least puttingthe technology in that's current
today, so that three to fiveyears down the road you're not
dealing with an ancient system.
(27:55):
Okay.
And then, finally, the last partI want you to consider is
really important it's oftenoverlooked and that's your
vendor partnerships.
Okay, vendor partnerships.
I want you to collaborate withtrusted vendors for guidance and
support and procurement,installation maintenance, all
the things that you have,ongoing support, all the areas
(28:17):
that you have as an end user.
You need to make sure thatyou're utilizing your vendors,
and in the best way possible,because the vendors can be there
, a great support system for you.
They can truly help you makesuch a big impact in your plan.
So make sure it's just likevendors, like Electrical
Equipment Company, we're here toserve, we're here to understand
.
First to understand what yourgoals are.
(28:40):
Then, once we understand whatyour goals are in your overall
system, then we're going to doall we can to put the right
pieces in place, to get theright connections established,
to get the right playersinvolved, to help you make the
most informed decision possible.
That's what it's all about.
That truly is what it's allabout.
Now let's move forward here.
So just a quick recap on thatthose equipment upgrades we want
(29:03):
to think about compatibility,your ROI analysis, your future
proofing and the vendorpartnerships.
Now we're going to look at howwe execute some of these
upgrades because, once we'veidentified them, that we know
and we know the value behindthem, we need to actually start
thinking through the executionphase.
Okay, and because we knoweffective project management is
(29:24):
crucial to on time and on budget, right.
So if it's on time and it's onbudget, that's a good project.
So let's think about a coupleof things right here.
I want you to consider adetailed project plan, think
through a comprehensive plan.
Now you have to lay this out,get down to brass tacks tasks,
timelines, responsibilities,progress, ways that you can
(29:45):
track that progress.
I define milestones.
All this is important as youstart thinking through how to
execute an equipment upgradeproject.
Okay.
Now risk assessment considerthat, your potential risk
involved, and then not justthink about the risk, but start
to develop some contingencieswhen those things happen.
(30:06):
Because I'm going to tell youone thing when you start doing a
system design overall or newsystem design install, you're
going to run into hurdles.
So start thinking as much asyou can ahead, okay, about if
this happens, what it would beplan B or plan C and just have
that defined.
Now you consider you'reminimizing downtime.
(30:28):
So the best, the easiest way isto coordinate these upgrades
into the most effective waypossible so that you can
minimize any impact that's goingto have on the rest of the plan
.
Right, maybe this is ascheduled outage or certain
maintenance days or whatever itmay be, but you minimize the
downtime.
This will be less pressure onyou, I promise, and it will have
more of it.
(30:49):
You'll have more alignment andmore impact.
And just that pressure aspectis so important.
All right, now, once you thinkabout testing and validation so
rigorously, test this stuff,validate the equipment If you
can do your testing and yourvalidation before you ever
install it.
Now, once you install it,definitely continue to testing.
But that testing and validationpiece so important.
(31:11):
You've already done your labwork right.
You've come into an electricalequipment company or other
vendors that you're working withand you've tested the
technology in a lab environment.
But make sure you test andvalidate rigorously before you
do any full scale production ofbringing equipment back online.
And then number five document,document, document.
(31:31):
Make sure you documenteverything.
All right, get that, get deep.
No details too small.
Think about your equipment,think about your specifications,
think about the installationrecords who worked on what and
when?
How about your testing results?
What testing was done prior toany type of power power up,
right, all this stuff.
(31:52):
It's gonna really help you fornot just for referencing Okay,
if you need to go back and learnbut for also audits.
You want to go back and checkand make sure that the steps a,
b and c were done.
The more you can document the,the better you are, the better
position you are putting yourcompany in, particularly around
Executing those upgrades.
And then you have employeetraining.
(32:13):
You need to make sure and whenyou do a new system, don't miss
this piece that you train youremployees.
They need to be proficient,they need to understand the ins
and outs of this equipment sothat they can efficiently
operate and Maintain this brandnew equipment.
It's amazing how many times weequipment is installed and
(32:35):
there's there's no follow-up.
No, there has to be thatfollow-up to make sure the
people that are gonna be thereworking with the equipment day
in and day out Understand thatyou answered their questions
directly so they can see.
Okay, if I make this changeover here, here's the impact is
come that's gonna make on theprocess.
Take the time to train theemployees.
(32:55):
Okay, so, if you do thoseequipment upgrades and you're
making that execution phaseAgain, let's just run through
these real quick, detailedproject plan.
Gotta have that.
Make sure you understand yourrisk.
That risk assessment is socritical.
Minimize that downtime, sotrying to really plan it around
the best times that are mostconvenient for a plant that has
(33:15):
the least amount of Impact onothers.
Do that testing and validation.
Don't just skip this.
I don't care if you've donethis project a thousand times on
the 999 times that you don'ttest, something's gonna go wrong
.
So do your testing andvalidation processes are
important for a reason.
Then document, document,document.
Do not miss the opportunity todocument stuff and make sure you
(33:35):
have that stuff safely storedSomewhere that you can access it
when needed.
But document as much as you canand do not forget the employee
training, because they are theones.
They are the ones that are deep, that are working with the
equipment day in and day out.
Now, as you start thinkingthrough this, consider
monitoring and optimization.
Okay, so, when you complete anequipment upgrade, right, you
(33:58):
have a new phase that you'regoing to enter into it with your
system design.
That's your monitor, that'syour monitoring in your
optimization, because you needto make sure you realize the
equipment's full potentialbefore you Before you can ever
go for your next project.
Right, if you show, hey, thisis the value we got from this
project, here's why it works.
So, what you think about?
Just four quick areas here.
(34:19):
Data utilization you need tostart leveraging that data
because you've installed thatnew equipment and this equipment
is great and this gonna helpyou in predictive maintenance.
You have analysis in processoptimization, all those things
but if you're not utilizing thatdata you are missing an
opportunity.
I've literally walked intoplants who had smart equipment
(34:40):
and they purchased these smartremote control centers and they
will have the ethernet cablethat's needs to be hooked up to
this, to the smart MCC has neverbeen plugged in because they're
just using it as a standardMotor control center and it's
like what are you doing?
The data's right here, whatcould you do if that data, if
you just tapped into it?
(35:00):
So make sure you're utilizingthe data.
And then also regularmaintenance again, we're gonna
reduce maintenance when newequipment, but we're not gonna
eliminate maintenance.
So make sure that proactivemaintenance is being scheduled
to keep that upgrade equipmentand Operational condition,
because you want to do all youcan as the equipment owner to
extend its lifespan.
(35:22):
Okay, now also step in afeedback loop.
So that feedback loop withemployees that are operating
equipment is so important.
Encouraged them.
Hey, I need to know when thingsstart going wrong, when we
start hearing something orsmelling something, or just
something doesn't seem right.
Bring that to me because.
And also ask them this hey,based off the way the equipment
(35:42):
has been running lately, if whatwould help the most to change
in the process?
That would make the processbetter or your job easier,
whatever it may be.
But encourage that feedbackloop.
As for feedback, listen, thenrespond and then make the
appropriate changes as you can,right, but establishing that
loop is so Important andoftentimes that is overlooked.
(36:05):
And then start thinking abouttechnology updates.
Okay, so always be stayinginformed about the advancements
in industry, because I'm gonnatell you it's changing every day
.
So be thinking about whetherthis upgrade and adaptions are
necessary to remain competitiveor they just be nice, because if
they would just be nice, maybethat's not the right timing, but
this is an opportunity ifyou've identified here's a need
(36:28):
and that the market has solved anew solution, new technology
that's gonna fill a gap that youhave in your process.
Take advantage of it, why not?
So, as we start, as we gonnawrap this up here, guys, I just
want to thank you, but bethinking about a future ready
approach, because that systemdesign Particularly for you all
(36:48):
manufacturing it's a journey.
It really is.
You have plenty of coordination, you have innovation of new
technologies, you have lots ofplayers involved.
It's a journey, okay, but ifyou take this approach, it's
going to distinguish you fromthose who struggle to those who
actually advanced the goals.
And If you think about thesetwo pillars of system design
(37:09):
right and you have the cleargoals, you have the technology
that you've defined, that youknow works, you know how to
leverage and you start executingthis process, this process,
with precision, you're gonna win.
You are, you're gonna, you'regonna prepare, propel your
organization forward and as youthink about modernization
through equipment that is sovital, so vital to this journey,
(37:33):
because if you had the righttools, the right strategies to
write, equipment in place,you're gonna start really
changing the game and navigatingthis industrial evolution with
so much success and alsoconfidence.
So I encourage you, use yourexperts, use the technology, all
the stuff that's available toyou, at your fingertips, people
(37:53):
like electrical equipmentcompany.
Right, we're ready to be yourpartner, ready to help you
design that system that you need.
It's gonna be leave you feelingconfident as you've forged that
path forward, not only just foryour, for your business, but
for you, for you and your career.
So we'd love to connect withyou again.
Hop over to the show notes forshow notes for this episode.
We'll have lots of links inthere for installing it now.
(38:16):
Asset analysis for our systemdesign process.
I want to, we want to make surethat you have everything that
you need to to design, engineeras well as pure, cure and
install An effective system eachand every time, and we want you
to do it with confidence andassurance and also with a
partnership.
You do not have to do theseprojects alone.
(38:38):
I know it can be a there can beoverwhelming.
There's lots of moving pieces.
Partner up, partner up withpeople like electrical equipment
company who are ready to comein, ready to serve, ready to
help you.
Okay, so there you go, guys.
That's that's.
That's this episode.
Would love to get your feedbackon eco as well, on the new
format, on what you think aboutit.
Is it helping you think through.
Is it challenging you?
(38:58):
We have lots of resources outthere as well.
Again, go check out the shownotes.
We have lots of ways you canconnect with us.
We have we're giving away freeresources all the time and
opportunities to connect withour experts directly, so that's
something that you'd beinterested in.
Again, hop over to the shownotes, jump on.
We have several forms in it.
You can you can opt in todirectly and then you'll get our
(39:22):
correspondence.
You'll see the things we havegoing on.
I'd encourage you to follow usover at LinkedIn.
We have a monthly newsletterthat comes out on LinkedIn
called Inspire Love, to connectwith you there as well and to
see what you have going on, seethe different types of systems
that you've, that you'vedesigned, and it's just a great
opportunity on LinkedIn toconnect with us and we always,
as I mentioned earlier, we haveinnovative labs in all of our
(39:45):
territories, from Virginia allthe way down to South Carolina.
We love to have you come intoour labs, have to take that
experience, have that, thatopportunity to put the hands on
with the equipment.
So we'll make sure there's alink in the show notes as well,
so you can coordinate your labvisit, no matter where you're
located.
Okay, so again, if you have anyquestions on this information,
any of this technology, reachout to us.
(40:07):
We'll have links in there aswell for those four different
softwares that we had that weshared about, or at least three
that you can download the, theEaton Bedman.
Connect with us directly.
We can serve you there.
Okay, so let us know what youthink, give us a rating and
review, share this out withothers, particularly in the
industrial manufacturing sector.
This is what this is all aboutJust serving, again, people and
ideas over products.
That's what eco ask why it'sall about.
(40:29):
And the ultimate why behind asystem design is because we want
you to have this system designwith confidence.
We want you to install it andhave assurance that you know
what we have built this to last.
We have built this to beeffective.
We have built this to take usto, to give us a competitive
advantage in the market and atan electrical equipment company.
We want to help you do that.
(40:50):
So enjoy that, enjoy yoursystem, have fun with it, look
for it as a good opportunity andremember, most importantly,
what Keep asking why.
Thank you for listening to ecoask why this show is supported
ad free by electrical equipmentcompany Eco is redefining the
expectations of an electricaldistributor by placing people
(41:10):
and ideas before products.
Please subscribe and share withyour colleagues and friends.
Also leave comments, feedback,any new topics that you would
like to hear.
To learn more or to share yourinsights, visit eco.
Ask whycom.
That's E, e, c, o, a, s, k, s,w H Ycom.
Welcome to ECO Ask why, a podcast that dives into
industrial manufacturing topicsand spotlights the heroes to
keep America running.
I'm your host, chris Granger,and on this podcast we do not
cover the latest features andbenefits on products that come
to market.
Instead, we focus on advice andinsight from the top minds of
industry, because people andideas will be how America
(00:24):
remains number one inmanufacturing in the world.
Welcome to ECO Ask why.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
Today we're going to be talkingabout mastering system design.
We're going from concept toreality.
So I'm excited to be here withyou guys again for this episode.
(00:44):
Again, new format here for ECOAsk why Really got a good lot of
good feedback for ouruninstalled asset analysis
episode that we just released.
So looking forward to digginginto this topic with you today.
And it's a very important topicbecause when you're thinking
about systems in an industrialsetting, you really have to have
a systematic approach to beeffective, because in industrial
(01:07):
manufacturing, that success iscontingent on meticulous
planning, seamless coordinationand innovative thinking.
So that approach that we'regoing to be reviewing today is
going to really set you apartfrom those who struggle to those
who are actually confidentlyadvancing your objectives.
So I know that's the boat thatyou want to be in, right.
(01:29):
I know it can be so hard outthere in industrial
manufacturing to get some ofthese projects approved and then
you have to get themimplemented and you have to
teach people how to use them.
So we're gonna kind of walkthrough a process for you today
that will hopefully make thatthat next project that you have,
that system design, seamless.
Okay.
So this journey to success andsystem design commences with
(01:53):
understanding the starting line,because we have to know where
we're going to start at beforewe can even take off right.
And we're going to really talkabout two categories as we dig
through this conversation today.
We're talking about newinstallations and then also
equipment upgrades, because bothreally present some really
unique opportunities tointroduce modernization into
(02:16):
your overall process.
Just think about that, okay, theoverall process you have right
now.
We know that you need to bemodernizing, you need to be
advancing, you need to bebringing new technologies, and
when you do that, when you thinkthrough your upcoming projects,
you should always be thinking,okay, what can I introduce now?
What can I dive into nextthat's going to actually open up
(02:37):
data or information that'sgoing to help your process,
improve and give you thatcompetitive advantage.
So we're going to be talkingabout categories, how we can do
that.
We're going to explore theimportance of clear goals and
strategies, and we'll alsodiscuss some very practical
tools that I think you're goingto really find a lot of value
out of and the technologies outthere that are available to help
you streamline this systemdesign process, because I know
(03:00):
it can be very daunting when yousit down and you're thinking
about a new system.
It can be daunting.
There's a lot of things thatare going to be variables that
are in play.
There's a lot of things youneed to consider.
There's lots of stakeholders aswell.
Sometimes it can be moneyconstraints and for budgets and
things like that.
So we're just going to takethis one step at a time together
as we move forward.
(03:21):
So, all right, we'll break thisdown into the two pillars.
We have the new installations,then we have the equipment
upgrades and let's start offjust out the gate with our new
installations.
Okay, you can really consider anew installation.
It's like a blank canvas, right?
So, designing that new system,I know it can be exciting, it
can be super exciting, but itcan also be challenging, right?
(03:44):
This can be so challengingbecause you know what you don't
have anything to go off of.
So, starting with a clean slate, that gives a lot of
flexibility and gives you alsocreative freedom to where you
can really start thinking aboutthat system holistically to let
it align with your desiredoutcomes.
So many times we find that whenyou have a new system, the
(04:06):
outcome is often predefined,right, and then it makes you as
an engineer you have to matchthe available technologies with
the specific output requirementsand kind of do a lot of reverse
engineering here, right?
So you have to do a lot ofevaluation, a lot of testing, a
lot of establishing some newstandards, because if you have a
new system, a new design, maybeyou need to have some new
(04:27):
standards in place as well, andthat's going to help put you on
that cutting edge of innovationand technology, right.
But we understand, particularlyhere at Electric Equipment
Company, the path to innovationthat while it is daunting, it
doesn't have to be overwhelming,okay.
So we have things like, youknow, distributors at their
D-days these days.
(04:48):
Like Electric Equipment Company, we have innovative labs where
you can come in, you can test,you can get hands-on with the
technology that you want toimplement, right Before you ever
bring it into your andintroduce it into your facility.
Just think about that for asecond.
Just like you go, before youbuy a car, you go do a test ride
, right, and you would testdrive those cars.
You go out there, you would.
(05:08):
You would see how itaccelerates, how it decelerates.
You know all the features thatdoesn't have the cup holders
where you want them and thingslike that all the important
things, right?
Well, this is the same thinghere.
When you have a lab available,it's not just about theory, it's
about practical, real-worldapplication, and that's what
labs offer you.
So we believe particularly inour eco labs.
(05:29):
By giving you that first-handexperience with that technology,
we're going to empower youright there to make informed
decisions during that process.
And during that process youwant to make sure you're
informed because in that momentwhen you, when you make any
decisions based off yourexperiences, your vision is
going to start to become yourreality, and that's where you
(05:51):
connect the dots, right.
So take advantage.
If you're working withdistributors right now, and
wherever you're located,obviously, if you're in the
eastern part of the US andyou're working with the electric
equipment company, we inviteyou to come into our labs.
Get hands-on, have the chance toreally dive deep into the
technologies that you'reinterested in, and look when you
come in.
Don't just look for thefeatures and benefits.
(06:12):
Let's get down to brass tacksof what you need in your system,
because that's what mattersmost.
Right?
It's wonderful if you have athousand data points that you
have access to.
That's great.
But what five to ten are goingto really move the ball down the
field.
Know that.
Then come into a lab and testfor it and see how it works, see
(06:34):
how the integration works, howyou maybe you want to go from
from one controller to anothersystem or from one communication
system to the next.
You need to understand how todo that, what the gateways are
involved.
This is where labs come intoplay.
So when you have a new system,you have a blank canvas.
Don't let that be such adaunting task.
Look at it as an opportunity toexplore.
(06:55):
Now let's say, let's move to thesecond pillar.
You have an equipment upgradeand you're looking.
You have an opportunity righthere to modernize that aging
infrastructure.
That's great.
That's a great position to bein.
Okay, because that's timeclicks on down the road.
Equipment is going to approachthe end of this operational
(07:16):
lifespan.
It just is right.
No equipment is designed to runforever, and this reality
confronts so many of ourmanufacturers that we that we
serve out there.
It raises a lot of criticalquestions.
So think about this how do youidentify areas in your existing
infrastructure that needattention?
You know how do you even goabout that process?
Now, once you do, where shouldthe improvements begin?
(07:39):
Now, I know this I'm kind oftaking back to our last episode
on on ECO ASY, but the answertruly lies in getting that
baseline, and you get thatbaseline through an installed
asset analysis.
Now, go back, if you didn'tlisten to the previous episode.
Go listen to the installedasset analysis.
We have lots of resources tohelp you with that as well.
(07:59):
But that provides you thataccurate inventory of the assets
and it transforms that decisionmaking from some from
subjective to data driven,because we all know how
subjective arguments go right.
It really depends on who hasthe last say.
But when you take it fromsubjective and you move it to a
data driven conversation, thegame changes.
(08:20):
The game truly changes becausethat that, that installed asset
analysis, not only identifiesyour current assets, but it
really unveils the items thatare no longer supported, right,
or maybe you're seeing itemsthat are nearing their lifespans
in and this is good informationto know and along with that
that's going to you'll haverecommendations for replacement
(08:42):
upgrades and it's going to takethat guesswork out of everything
that you have to go on and weknow you have so much going on
inside of manufacturing facilityso you can start that installed
asset analysis right now.
Connect with us If you, if youwant to get started, if you want
more information on that, we'llmake sure that we put some
recent, some links in the shownotes here to go back and check
that out.
And if you're again in theservice area for electrical
(09:04):
equipment company, let us know.
We'd love to come in and have aconversations with you to see
how we can get you started withan installed asset analysis.
All right.
Now, once you let's say you, wegot those two pillars, let's
just start at the beginning.
That foundation of success.
It starts with vision.
It really starts with vision.
So I I'm a big Stephen Coveyfan.
(09:24):
I love the seven habits of howthey affected people, and you go
back to one of his habits hetalks about pretty regularly.
I know most people recognizethis one, but begin with the end
in mind.
Okay, begin with the end inmind.
So, before you start diving intoequipment specifics, take the
time to define your ideal systemoutcome.
(09:46):
Think about that for a second.
What do you really need this,this system, to do?
Consider some key data pointsand then start thinking about
the data that you need to makebetter decisions, and you need
to understand that those, thosedata points.
They need to be able toinfluence your business
decisions as well.
Then start thinking about yourcommunication platforms.
Begin.
(10:06):
I mean you need to understand,okay, how can we best move the
data?
What speed do we need?
What types of processes are wegoing to be working with to
really figure out?
Okay, which communicationprotocol is going to actually
give us the results that aredesired, right?
Well, you're spending a lot oftime designing a system.
The last thing you want to dois get a system that's lagging
(10:26):
behind and can't keep up withyour demand.
Now, if you achieve clarity inthese areas, you're going to lay
a really solid foundationthat's going to just guide you a
path through the whole process,and it starts with the vision.
So, begin with that end in mind.
Sit down and draw on a bigblank canvas or some type of
(10:48):
whiteboard, whatever you havethere and just lay out, okay,
here's the ideal outcome andthen start thinking about it
Though the all it would be niceitems on the table and start
evaluating.
It'd be great if we couldmeasure this.
What if we could do?
Move the equipment over hereand actually improve our process
flow.
Start thinking about thosethings from a holistic
(11:09):
standpoint and then reverseengineer, start thinking back
there and that vision.
Once you had a vision set,don't vary from it.
Be consistent with the vision.
Now I want to give you a fewtools as we start thinking about
technology.
There's so much technology outthere when you're designing a
new system.
I'm going to give you sometools and some resources that
you can have right now that youcan start utilizing that I
(11:33):
guarantee are going to make animpact.
Okay, so now you have thiscriteria to find and you need to
start thinking about thesetools.
I'm going to tell you right outthe gate we have a lot of these
resources here at the LesterEquipment Company.
So if you need support ingetting these resources, just
reach out to us.
Okay, because these decisionsthat you're making, they are
important to the future of yourfacility and you need to make
(11:55):
sure you're installing the bestavailable technology each and
every time.
So I'm going to give you, rightout the gate here, four
resources that I guarantee willmake an impact.
So the first two come fromRockwell Automation.
Now, the first one's calledIntegrated Architecture Builder.
Okay, so that's IAB IntegratedArchitecture Builder, and this
platform combines innovativeautomation components to really
(12:19):
help you make that robustcontrol system.
So what it's going to do, guys,it's going to walk you through
how you select your hardware.
It really is.
It's going to say, okay, youhave this controller, you want
these IO points?
Hey, don't forget, you need tohave these cables and things
like that to connect thecontroller together.
If you want an HMI, here's howyou make that work and it brings
(12:39):
it all together.
If you want to add a few drives, you can add drives to the
system.
It brings it all together andhelps you build it.
And the cool part about it itgenerates a bill of materials
for you and you can be sure.
But when this comes out,integrated Architecture Builder,
everything has compliance, ithas standards, you have the
latest and greatest technology.
(13:00):
You don't have to worry aboutthings that are not supported
any longer, because if it'scoming directly from IAB.
You can rest assured that thistechnology is the latest.
It's going to give you theresults that you desire.
So we'll have some links in theshow notes for this one.
For Integrated ArchitectureBuilder Again, that's a plugin
that you can directly download.
(13:20):
It has an entire backlog ofcatalog items that you can have
access to directly and then youcan start constructing and
building out your systems andstart playing with it and try
different platforms.
Try it out when you're in IAB.
It has so much flexibility andgives you a lot of autonomy you
can just really you can getcreative and see what's out
(13:42):
there.
Okay, so go check out that.
Rockwell Automation IntegratedArchitecture Builder.
Now also the second tool fromRockwell Automation is Proposal
Works.
I have used Proposal Works foryears.
When I first started at alecture equipment company over
22 years ago and I rememberProposal Works was just coming
out I just thought it was such agreat tool and I used it every
(14:03):
day when I was selling Rockwellin Virginia and it was just
something that I think is such agreat tool.
That's been added on, it's beenobviously improved and enhanced
over the years and it'sdesigned directly for you, the
end user, engineers, integrators, all the people out there who
are working with RockwellAutomation Components and the
(14:23):
software.
Really, it's what I like aboutit.
It's so user friendly and itsimplifies that component
selection, because I don't knowabout you, but it can be hard If
you're trying to select justbasic things like push buttons.
Right, it can be Confusingsometimes if you don't do it
every day to make sure you'reselecting the right products.
Proposal works, does it for you.
(14:46):
It really walks you through.
Okay, you need this output.
Oh, you need this communication.
Okay, what else are you tryingto accomplish?
Do you need any auxiliarycontacts or things like that?
Boom, boom, boom.
It lays at the part number foryou.
It really is user-friendly.
And that database that isconnected to that rock, that
ties directly to the rock willautomation products Unreal,
(15:06):
absolutely unreal on how muchaccess you have to the, to the,
to the Products that rock willautomation offers.
And this is going to, at theend of the day, it's gonna
facilitate more informeddecision-making that you're
gonna have in them in the momentand it's gonna align with your
application requirements.
So it's really great, guys.
Again, free software from rockautomation.
(15:28):
Go check out the links in theshow notes.
We'll have that out there foryou as well.
But when you start designingsystem tools like integrated
architecture builder andproposal works particularly if
you're working with a rock Wellcenter type of automation system
these are two resources that,once engineers and developers
start working with that, you'llnever you wonder where was this
(15:50):
at your whole career like?
Why was I not using this before?
Now?
The third tool is from our, our, our friends over at eating,
this called bit man.
Now again, this is the.
This full disclosure.
This is available to distributeto distributors only, but we
have at eco, we're ready tosupport you.
We have the teams and toolsthat are ready to work with this
.
Now, this software, what it does?
(16:11):
It helps you select suitableelectrical products for these
projects, primarily in the powerspace.
Okay, so it's a huge databaseof eating offerings and it's
going.
And what it helps us do isunderstand Okay, you're looking
for a panel board or switchboardor switch gear or a motor
control center, and we'll helplay out for us, okay, for these
(16:32):
requirements, what's the bestavailable technology from eating
that we can provide you.
So it's not just gonna send youa bill of materials and here's
your quote, for you know, 30items to make up this motor
control center.
No, we're gonna be able toprovide you directly here's
here's drawings, here schematics.
Here's the here's the whybehind while we're selecting
(16:53):
these products.
So, again, eating Probably theleader in the power industry and
we would.
We work directly with the bidman.
So if you want to to learn moreabout bid man, connect with us.
If you have a power relatedproject, let us know.
We'd love to help you with thatas we move forward there.
Now the fourth tool, or sharethis for you, for those out
(17:14):
there, that works with Siemensautomation platforms.
They have something calledSiemens TIA selection tool.
Okay, so go check that out.
That is a really comprehensivesolution, guys.
It's designed to assistengineers, system integrators
and users again, right, andselecting the components for
industrial automation projectsDirectly from Siemens.
Okay, this has Siemensextensive database connected to
(17:36):
it and it's the automationportfolio that they provide, and
it lets the users bring a lotof inform decision Decisions
that align all their productstogether.
Now the cool part about Siemensand TIA it has it all in one
right.
So from from, from everythingSiemens offers.
It's within the TIA selectiontool process.
So, again, free resource outthere from Siemens.
(17:57):
Check out the links in the shownotes.
We'll make sure that you have alinks to that directly so that
you can get that downloaded,particularly for your Siemens
user.
If you haven't used TIAselection tool again into, you
have fallen up with it.
So those four tools theintegrated architecture, builder
proposal, words been man, tiaselection tools, the are just.
These are just samples Of fourtools right there that you have
(18:18):
in your access to today to startbuilding your system.
Now let's transition a littlebit.
Let's talk about the art ofexecution, because at some point
you have to bring this systemalive right.
So you have that solidfoundation, everything you have
that well-defined plan and themost exciting phase, quite
frankly, is is when we bring ittogether right, we will bring in
(18:40):
that system alive.
So we had that project withclarity and that proven plan,
and you introduced thattechnology that's going and
really advanced the game.
The game, rather, that's gonnareally help you build more and
more internal support andadvocacy.
Think about that because as you, as you prove at your system
and it's working, the way thatyou've designed, the way that
(19:02):
you've proven, the way that youknow that it's can hand, it's
gonna bring benefit to yourcompany.
You're gonna have advocates,most stakeholders out there.
They need a tangible plan tocommit fully to right and by
just by following this framework, you guys, you're gonna propel
yourself, you go, set yourselfup in particular to be
successful, moving forward, andyou're gonna be looking, be
looked at as a leader, aproactive leader that gets
(19:27):
things done.
And I don't know about you all,but I know we need more and more
that, particularly in theindustrial manufacturing
facility.
So you need to start thinkingabout that, start thinking about
the modernization opportunitiesthat exist because, as the
landscape changes from fromindustrial standpoint,
everything's evolving.
It really is the technologies,the methodologies, everything
(19:47):
that we're using.
Manufacturing is constantly onan evolution.
Just think back, if you're, ifyou've been in manufacturing for
a while, maybe the last 20years how much has changed, not
only from the way that wecollect data, but the way that
we use it or the way that weintegrate With that, how we
interact with equipment, rightfrom HMI's to push buttons to
(20:08):
now.
Everything is so smart andconnected right.
So modernizing equipment andsystems it's so crucial, so
crucial, and these upgrades,these upgrade opportunities that
you have, are Significantopportunities to advance the
ball.
It's not just advanced ball,just to have better technology
in the plant.
No, it's to make yourself morecompetitive, to make better
(20:31):
products, to have a strongervalue proposition.
All that is the key factors.
So now you need to think aboutthe timing, because you have to
identify the right times for theupgrades and so and it could be
so difficult to know when Ineed to actually take action.
So, because if wait for it tofail, basically you have a
(20:51):
couple things going on thatcould be a liable option for For
for some of you, all, right,I'm just gonna wait for it to
fail and then I'll deal with itwhen I deal with it, right.
But if you do that, your risk,you're putting yourself at risk
in a couple areas.
You potentially can havedowntime right, because it fails
when you need to be running.
Obviously the equipment's down,ie, you have downtime that
(21:12):
could impact production delaysand the more importantly out of
all this, from an electricalstandpoint, we need to keep in
mind.
There's safety.
We have people working insidethese manufacturing facilities
day in, a day out, and at theend of the day, we want them to
go home.
We want them to go home safely,right?
So you need to be be verycareful when we're trying to
(21:32):
identify the time that we're notputting any safety components.
If we see a safety componentneeds to be addressed, that
needs to be addressedimmediately, address that
immediately and then startthinking forward.
And then, conversely, if youstart thinking about stuff
Prematurely and you just startripping out stuff that's not
causing any issues, that stillit still has useful life, you
can put a serious strain on yourbudgets.
(21:54):
So those data driven decisions,that is the key, that's the
difference maker, and you dothat through like condition
assessments, predictivemaintenance indicators.
As you're going out and you'reperforming maintenance on the
equipment, it's gonna be tellingyou right, oh hey, I need to
make sure I'm spending someattention over here.
It's gonna help you pinpointthe equipment that's nearing,
(22:16):
it's in the life cycle and onceyou know that, then you can take
it, then you can take action.
Or it also is going to give youindicators on what equipment is
prone to failure and it's going, if you want you know those,
those couple areas, you'll beable to have a much better place
to make strategic upgrades andreplacements versus just ripping
(22:37):
and replacing.
If you have a strategy behindthat system design, it's gonna
put you on a on such a betterpath forward for making an
impact.
Now let's think about the roleof modernization as we, as we
talk about Equipment upgradesdirectly, because those upgrades
, they obviously give you thatprime opportunity for monitors,
(22:57):
for modernization, and let'sthink through a couple.
I'm gonna give you five righthere, five areas that that
Modernization was with yourequipment upgrades, the value
that it's gonna bring.
First of all, it should bringyou improved efficiency and use
all these things as a litmustest If these, if the, if your
equipment that you're gettingready to purchase and move
(23:18):
forward with, if it doesn'tcheck a couple of these boxes,
are you really making the rightdecision?
So, first of all, is itimproving your efficiency?
Because modern equipment guys,it's out there it's got to be
more efficient, more productive,reduces energy consumption and
it better increase the output.
So just think about, from anefficiency standpoint, is it
doing what it should?
(23:38):
Now, enhanced safety just talkedabout this, but when you
upgrade equipment, you need tomake sure it at least meets your
current safety requirements andthen it protects your workforce
and ensures compliance.
I would challenge you to takeit just a step further.
Hey, it's not just meaning howcan it succeed our safety
requirements?
(23:59):
So think about safety.
They need to considerintegration capabilities,
because so much equipment thesedays can have that seamless
connection points withautomation systems.
But make sure that thecapability that you need is
there.
There's nothing that's going tobe more frustrating.
If you buy a system, you getready to integrate it and
actually you know you're havingtrouble getting the system
(24:20):
online communication protocolsand things like that.
Just do your homework up front.
Also, these upgrades shouldreduce your maintenance costs,
right, not make your maintenancecosts go away.
There's no such thing as that.
But newer equipment requiresless frequent and costly
maintenance.
It's just reality, right, andlook, there's just some long
term savings that go along withthere.
(24:41):
But you need to make sure thatyou understand that it's not
going to eliminate themaintenance costs, but there
should be a reduction in any wayyou can identify to measure.
That is a great value point inyour case to build out your
system that you're going to beproposing, okay.
And then, finally, scalability.
Okay, scalability.
So modern equipment typicallyis scalable.
(25:03):
It gives you an opportunity toadapt evolving production
demands, right.
So things are going to pop up.
As you design a system and youstart getting it installed and
moving forward with the systemon the plant, you're going to be
asked well, can you add this orcan I take away that and all
these different components andareas.
So that scalability is veryimportant.
So design with that in mind.
(25:24):
If you need eight outputs,don't just install eight outputs
.
Why don't you go ahead and get12?
Well, better, yet 16.
So in the future, if things getadded to it, it would be less
of an impact for you and youjust say, oh yeah, absolutely,
we designed with thatscalability in mind.
We'll be able to move directlyto that, okay.
So those five areas right hereare some things to consider
(25:47):
about the role of modernizationin equipment upgrades.
So, again, improved efficiency,enhance your safety,
integration capabilities need tobe considered, reduce that
maintenance cost and yourscalability.
So those areas are veryimportant.
Now I want to think about fourareas that you can consider when
you select the right equipmentfor you for those upgrades,
(26:08):
because choosing the rightequipment is so crucial and you
need to consider things likeproduction requirements,
obviously, budgets, long termgoals, what, who are the
stakeholders?
We've already talked about howto install this.
Asset analysis is a reallygreat way to get started so far
as collecting that data, but nowyou need to start making better
decisions, moving forward, okay.
(26:30):
So here's some things toconsider Compatibility when
you're selecting the rightequipment.
Consider the compatibility,because you need to make sure
your upgraded equipment iscompatible with your existing
systems because you don't wantto avoid you want to avoid any
infrastructure delays, right?
You don't want anything that'sgoing to hold you back from
getting that system back andonline and up and running and
(26:51):
performing the way that itshould.
Then you should do an ROIanalysis, right?
You need to evaluate thefinancial viability of what
you're doing through your returnon investment analysis.
Okay, and things to considerhere energy savings, your
productivity, your maintenancecosts up and down I mean all
(27:13):
these different areas reallymake an impact on the return on
investment.
So, start thinking as you'rethinking through your equipment
upgrades, understand what theROI could be.
And then future proof of thisstuff.
You need to start thinkingthrough the equipment that
you're installing and makingsure it's adaptable to future
enhancements.
So, again, I just talked abouta minute ago how you need to
(27:35):
make sure you have enoughscalability there, but also
future proof of the best you canto ensure you that you have
relevance in the changinglandscape, because I'm telling
you, the technology changes sofast.
Make sure you at least puttingthe technology in that's current
today, so that three to fiveyears down the road you're not
dealing with an ancient system.
(27:55):
Okay.
And then, finally, the last partI want you to consider is
really important it's oftenoverlooked and that's your
vendor partnerships.
Okay, vendor partnerships.
I want you to collaborate withtrusted vendors for guidance and
support and procurement,installation maintenance, all
the things that you have,ongoing support, all the areas
(28:17):
that you have as an end user.
You need to make sure thatyou're utilizing your vendors,
and in the best way possible,because the vendors can be there
, a great support system for you.
They can truly help you makesuch a big impact in your plan.
So make sure it's just likevendors, like Electrical
Equipment Company, we're here toserve, we're here to understand
.
First to understand what yourgoals are.
(28:40):
Then, once we understand whatyour goals are in your overall
system, then we're going to doall we can to put the right
pieces in place, to get theright connections established,
to get the right playersinvolved, to help you make the
most informed decision possible.
That's what it's all about.
That truly is what it's allabout.
Now let's move forward here.
So just a quick recap on thatthose equipment upgrades we want
(29:03):
to think about compatibility,your ROI analysis, your future
proofing and the vendorpartnerships.
Now we're going to look at howwe execute some of these
upgrades because, once we'veidentified them, that we know
and we know the value behindthem, we need to actually start
thinking through the executionphase.
Okay, and because we knoweffective project management is
(29:24):
crucial to on time and on budget, right.
So if it's on time and it's onbudget, that's a good project.
So let's think about a coupleof things right here.
I want you to consider adetailed project plan, think
through a comprehensive plan.
Now you have to lay this out,get down to brass tacks tasks,
timelines, responsibilities,progress, ways that you can
(29:45):
track that progress.
I define milestones.
All this is important as youstart thinking through how to
execute an equipment upgradeproject.
Okay.
Now risk assessment considerthat, your potential risk
involved, and then not justthink about the risk, but start
to develop some contingencieswhen those things happen.
(30:06):
Because I'm going to tell youone thing when you start doing a
system design overall or newsystem design install, you're
going to run into hurdles.
So start thinking as much asyou can ahead, okay, about if
this happens, what it would beplan B or plan C and just have
that defined.
Now you consider you'reminimizing downtime.
(30:28):
So the best, the easiest way isto coordinate these upgrades
into the most effective waypossible so that you can
minimize any impact that's goingto have on the rest of the plan
.
Right, maybe this is ascheduled outage or certain
maintenance days or whatever itmay be, but you minimize the
downtime.
This will be less pressure onyou, I promise, and it will have
more of it.
(30:49):
You'll have more alignment andmore impact.
And just that pressure aspectis so important.
All right, now, once you thinkabout testing and validation so
rigorously, test this stuff,validate the equipment If you
can do your testing and yourvalidation before you ever
install it.
Now, once you install it,definitely continue to testing.
But that testing and validationpiece so important.
(31:11):
You've already done your labwork right.
You've come into an electricalequipment company or other
vendors that you're working withand you've tested the
technology in a lab environment.
But make sure you test andvalidate rigorously before you
do any full scale production ofbringing equipment back online.
And then number five document,document, document.
(31:31):
Make sure you documenteverything.
All right, get that, get deep.
No details too small.
Think about your equipment,think about your specifications,
think about the installationrecords who worked on what and
when?
How about your testing results?
What testing was done prior toany type of power power up,
right, all this stuff.
(31:52):
It's gonna really help you fornot just for referencing Okay,
if you need to go back and learnbut for also audits.
You want to go back and checkand make sure that the steps a,
b and c were done.
The more you can document the,the better you are, the better
position you are putting yourcompany in, particularly around
Executing those upgrades.
And then you have employeetraining.
(32:13):
You need to make sure and whenyou do a new system, don't miss
this piece that you train youremployees.
They need to be proficient,they need to understand the ins
and outs of this equipment sothat they can efficiently
operate and Maintain this brandnew equipment.
It's amazing how many times weequipment is installed and
(32:35):
there's there's no follow-up.
No, there has to be thatfollow-up to make sure the
people that are gonna be thereworking with the equipment day
in and day out Understand thatyou answered their questions
directly so they can see.
Okay, if I make this changeover here, here's the impact is
come that's gonna make on theprocess.
Take the time to train theemployees.
(32:55):
Okay, so, if you do thoseequipment upgrades and you're
making that execution phaseAgain, let's just run through
these real quick, detailedproject plan.
Gotta have that.
Make sure you understand yourrisk.
That risk assessment is socritical.
Minimize that downtime, sotrying to really plan it around
the best times that are mostconvenient for a plant that has
(33:15):
the least amount of Impact onothers.
Do that testing and validation.
Don't just skip this.
I don't care if you've donethis project a thousand times on
the 999 times that you don'ttest, something's gonna go wrong
.
So do your testing andvalidation processes are
important for a reason.
Then document, document,document.
Do not miss the opportunity todocument stuff and make sure you
(33:35):
have that stuff safely storedSomewhere that you can access it
when needed.
But document as much as you canand do not forget the employee
training, because they are theones.
They are the ones that are deep, that are working with the
equipment day in and day out.
Now, as you start thinkingthrough this, consider
monitoring and optimization.
Okay, so, when you complete anequipment upgrade, right, you
(33:58):
have a new phase that you'regoing to enter into it with your
system design.
That's your monitor, that'syour monitoring in your
optimization, because you needto make sure you realize the
equipment's full potentialbefore you Before you can ever
go for your next project.
Right, if you show, hey, thisis the value we got from this
project, here's why it works.
So, what you think about?
Just four quick areas here.
(34:19):
Data utilization you need tostart leveraging that data
because you've installed thatnew equipment and this equipment
is great and this gonna helpyou in predictive maintenance.
You have analysis in processoptimization, all those things
but if you're not utilizing thatdata you are missing an
opportunity.
I've literally walked intoplants who had smart equipment
(34:40):
and they purchased these smartremote control centers and they
will have the ethernet cablethat's needs to be hooked up to
this, to the smart MCC has neverbeen plugged in because they're
just using it as a standardMotor control center and it's
like what are you doing?
The data's right here, whatcould you do if that data, if
you just tapped into it?
(35:00):
So make sure you're utilizingthe data.
And then also regularmaintenance again, we're gonna
reduce maintenance when newequipment, but we're not gonna
eliminate maintenance.
So make sure that proactivemaintenance is being scheduled
to keep that upgrade equipmentand Operational condition,
because you want to do all youcan as the equipment owner to
extend its lifespan.
(35:22):
Okay, now also step in afeedback loop.
So that feedback loop withemployees that are operating
equipment is so important.
Encouraged them.
Hey, I need to know when thingsstart going wrong, when we
start hearing something orsmelling something, or just
something doesn't seem right.
Bring that to me because.
And also ask them this hey,based off the way the equipment
(35:42):
has been running lately, if whatwould help the most to change
in the process?
That would make the processbetter or your job easier,
whatever it may be.
But encourage that feedbackloop.
As for feedback, listen, thenrespond and then make the
appropriate changes as you can,right, but establishing that
loop is so Important andoftentimes that is overlooked.
(36:05):
And then start thinking abouttechnology updates.
Okay, so always be stayinginformed about the advancements
in industry, because I'm gonnatell you it's changing every day
.
So be thinking about whetherthis upgrade and adaptions are
necessary to remain competitiveor they just be nice, because if
they would just be nice, maybethat's not the right timing, but
this is an opportunity ifyou've identified here's a need
(36:28):
and that the market has solved anew solution, new technology
that's gonna fill a gap that youhave in your process.
Take advantage of it, why not?
So, as we start, as we gonnawrap this up here, guys, I just
want to thank you, but bethinking about a future ready
approach, because that systemdesign Particularly for you all
(36:48):
manufacturing it's a journey.
It really is.
You have plenty of coordination, you have innovation of new
technologies, you have lots ofplayers involved.
It's a journey, okay, but ifyou take this approach, it's
going to distinguish you fromthose who struggle to those who
actually advanced the goals.
And If you think about thesetwo pillars of system design
(37:09):
right and you have the cleargoals, you have the technology
that you've defined, that youknow works, you know how to
leverage and you start executingthis process, this process,
with precision, you're gonna win.
You are, you're gonna, you'regonna prepare, propel your
organization forward and as youthink about modernization
through equipment that is sovital, so vital to this journey,
(37:33):
because if you had the righttools, the right strategies to
write, equipment in place,you're gonna start really
changing the game and navigatingthis industrial evolution with
so much success and alsoconfidence.
So I encourage you, use yourexperts, use the technology, all
the stuff that's available toyou, at your fingertips, people
(37:53):
like electrical equipmentcompany.
Right, we're ready to be yourpartner, ready to help you
design that system that you need.
It's gonna be leave you feelingconfident as you've forged that
path forward, not only just foryour, for your business, but
for you, for you and your career.
So we'd love to connect withyou again.
Hop over to the show notes forshow notes for this episode.
We'll have lots of links inthere for installing it now.
(38:16):
Asset analysis for our systemdesign process.
I want to, we want to make surethat you have everything that
you need to to design, engineeras well as pure, cure and
install An effective system eachand every time, and we want you
to do it with confidence andassurance and also with a
partnership.
You do not have to do theseprojects alone.
(38:38):
I know it can be a there can beoverwhelming.
There's lots of moving pieces.
Partner up, partner up withpeople like electrical equipment
company who are ready to comein, ready to serve, ready to
help you.
Okay, so there you go, guys.
That's that's.
That's this episode.
Would love to get your feedbackon eco as well, on the new
format, on what you think aboutit.
Is it helping you think through.
Is it challenging you?
(38:58):
We have lots of resources outthere as well.
Again, go check out the shownotes.
We have lots of ways you canconnect with us.
We have we're giving away freeresources all the time and
opportunities to connect withour experts directly, so that's
something that you'd beinterested in.
Again, hop over to the shownotes, jump on.
We have several forms in it.
You can you can opt in todirectly and then you'll get our
(39:22):
correspondence.
You'll see the things we havegoing on.
I'd encourage you to follow usover at LinkedIn.
We have a monthly newsletterthat comes out on LinkedIn
called Inspire Love, to connectwith you there as well and to
see what you have going on, seethe different types of systems
that you've, that you'vedesigned, and it's just a great
opportunity on LinkedIn toconnect with us and we always,
as I mentioned earlier, we haveinnovative labs in all of our
(39:45):
territories, from Virginia allthe way down to South Carolina.
We love to have you come intoour labs, have to take that
experience, have that, thatopportunity to put the hands on
with the equipment.
So we'll make sure there's alink in the show notes as well,
so you can coordinate your labvisit, no matter where you're
located.
Okay, so again, if you have anyquestions on this information,
any of this technology, reachout to us.
(40:07):
We'll have links in there aswell for those four different
softwares that we had that weshared about, or at least three
that you can download the, theEaton Bedman.
Connect with us directly.
We can serve you there.
Okay, so let us know what youthink, give us a rating and
review, share this out withothers, particularly in the
industrial manufacturing sector.
This is what this is all aboutJust serving, again, people and
ideas over products.
That's what eco ask why it'sall about.
(40:29):
And the ultimate why behind asystem design is because we want
you to have this system designwith confidence.
We want you to install it andhave assurance that you know
what we have built this to last.
We have built this to beeffective.
We have built this to take usto, to give us a competitive
advantage in the market and atan electrical equipment company.
We want to help you do that.
(40:50):
So enjoy that, enjoy yoursystem, have fun with it, look
for it as a good opportunity andremember, most importantly,
what Keep asking why.
Thank you for listening to ecoask why this show is supported
ad free by electrical equipmentcompany Eco is redefining the
expectations of an electricaldistributor by placing people
(41:10):
and ideas before products.
Please subscribe and share withyour colleagues and friends.
Also leave comments, feedback,any new topics that you would
like to hear.
To learn more or to share yourinsights, visit eco.
Ask whycom.
That's E, e, c, o, a, s, k, s,w H Ycom.
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