This year, after you resolve to spend more time with family and friends, do more good in the world and maybe learn a new language, I hope you’ll resolve to advance the art of engineering. Here are some ideas for starters:
I will make automation earn its place:
We engineers love to design more efficient ways to manufacture products, but let’s ask ourselves first if automation is the best option for every station. Is the manual operation meeting or exceeding cycle and quality targets? Is the operation safe for an operator to perform? Does our MES need an automated interface? An unbiased automation decision means taking a hard look at each and every operation.
I will take a bigger view of sustainability:
We’ve put in the low energy light bulbs and filtered the plant’s chemical run-off. Now it’s time to take on the big picture. Are our machines as multi-function as practically possible? Is our conveyance portable? Is our MES equipment health monitoring reducing scrap? Have we eliminated batteries from as many areas as we can? Have we incorporated energy regeneration into our dynamic testing?
I will take the long view:
We’ll continue to design everything we build for ease of assembly, minimal maintenance, and enduring quality. We’ll protect the relationships we have with our customers and get as excited about improving their business as improving ours. We’ll make sure that all of our systems continue to have an excellent return on investment for our customers. I hope that 2014 has been a terrific year for you, and that 2015 brings you excellence in engineering.
