More power to the people in 2010
18 Dec 2009
Having visited a fair number of UK process sites over the past couple of years, it has often surprised me how few mid- and even senior-level managers show awareness of or interest in the latest advances in areas such as automation & control or field device communications.
In an interview for the next issue of Process Engineering magazine, Norm Gilsdorf, head of Honeywell Process Solutions, suggests that this is in part because UK companies have generally not been in investment mode in recent times. He contrasts this to the situation in the Middle East, where, he said, engineers and technicians at all levels are very much up-to-speed with the latest technologies and always want to know more about how best to apply them.
Clearly money makes the world go round, but I think there has also been some failing by top management here to properly engage employees in the technologies and systems they work with, as well as in the industry they serve.
A recent visit to the SPS/IPC/Drives 2009 trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany – courtesy of a kind invite from C-C Link – was real eye-opener. Despite the current economic downturn, there were the large queues outside the exhibition centre in the mornings, plus a high level of interest and buzz around the crowded exhibition halls.
Most German companies, it seems, still see the value in sending out many of their employees to check out the latest technical developments. And, in a slightly different context, that country’s universities and research groups are years ahead when it comes to commercialising their work – as highlighted by organisers of Hannover Messe 2010 in our news section.
But even if they are not currently investing, or able to attend exhibitions, UK process companies should still strive to develop an interest in new process technologies amongst employees. As well as creating a more intelligent and dynamic workforce and increasing productivity, the enthusiasm generated could help attract new talent to the company, and to the industry at large.
Indeed, such positive energy could also go some way to countering some of the negative press and industry-bashing that the process sector is likely to face in 2010. Here’s hoping.
Best wishes for a happy Christmas and successful New Year!
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