Summer came and went quick. Hard to believe it has already been 3 months since I penned my last entry, and holy cow times have changed again. My assumption is that most of went from Work from Home to some type of Hybrid work schedule at the very least, and then maybe back again to working from home. Three months ago, we were discussing getting back in person for events as well, only to be met by the Delta variant and the Lambda variant … and so on. All the chaos of the last 18 or so months has created this emerging work trend called “The Great Resignation”.
Quick poll – how many of you know someone that recently resigned? My guess is there are a lot of hands in the air right now or heads nodding in agreement. The personal reflection that many used the pandemic and lockdowns for has led to more and more workers leaving their current employer to pursue new adventures. (Don’t believe me, just google “The Great Resignation” and you will see many articles from business scholars on the topic.) Currently more people are finding new opportunities that they feel better suits their needs, either personal or professional. This so called “Great Resignation” is leaving a lot of openings and creating knowledge gaps in many businesses. How can we address these new issues of trying to do more with less? Automation of course!
Was there any surprise in that answer? I hope not.
Now is the time as automation professionals to stretch our boundaries and comfort zones. There are obvious examples of automation improving manufacturing processes – in fact I would bet that is where your mind went. Trace the history of the ISA – of course we are focused on chemical processes, assembly processes, and general manufacturing processes. We have a rich 75+ year history in these industries – setting standards and best practices all along the way. However, with these new worker gaps, we now have opportunities to automate even more all around us. Think about business practices. Have you thought about automation there? Think about building and security automation. Have you thought about automation there? Well heck, even think about home automation. Couldn’t we all benefit by automating process at home too?
Regardless of the field you are looking to increase the presence of automation, ISA has some great resources to help you on your automation journey. Standards? Whoa-ho, we got ‘em. From Data Acquisition from Instrumentation to Cybersecurity to HMIs, ISA has hundreds of standards that help give you a game plan for efficiently rolling out automation into your processes.
Groups that focus on automation in specific industries? Darn straight, we got that too! Building Automation, Robotics, Smart Manufacturing, and many more specific industry divisions meet regularly to present new industry automation trends, write and review standards, and share best practices.
Well Cory, what about local support? You bettcha! The St. Louis Section was founded in 1943, and for the past 78 years we have worked to bring the latest industry trends and best practices to our local members in the Greater St. Louis region. From touring world class facilities to learning new technologies to just chatting up our experiences on the golf course – we are intimately involved and invested in the local automation community. By the way – don’t forget to register here for the golf outing.
The benefits of the ISA are endless for anyone looking to bring more automation to life. The ISA is here to help you on your automation journey - So be sure to visit https://myisa.force.com/ISA/s/join-renew to join today!
Cory N. Kniepp
ISA St. Louis Section, President