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The multiplier effect

Jan. 7, 2019
Automation is not the job-killer many make it out to be.

This Control Talk column appeared in the December 2018 print edition ofĀ Control. To read more Control Talk columns clickĀ hereĀ or read the Control Talk blogĀ here.Ā 

Greg:Ā Last month,Ā we had the opportunity to see how theĀ Automation Competency Model created by the Automation FederationĀ can increaseĀ skills inĀ automation and its valueĀ toĀ manufacturing. Here weĀ continue our conversation with Steve Huffman, vice president of marketing and business development for Mead O’Brien, Inc. and chairman ofĀ governmentĀ relations for the Automation Federation.WeĀ discover how automation is far more important thanĀ isĀ recognized,and that we each play a role in helping everyone appreciate the incredible significance ofĀ theĀ opportunitiesĀ it creates.

When my friends and relatives ask what I do,Ā IĀ say that I am a process modeling and control engineer. This draws blank stares,Ā so I say I help measure and control flow, pressure, level and pH,Ā hoping they can relate to this based on their thermostat, tub, sprinkler and perhaps pool.Ā They’re not veryĀ impressed,Ā soĀ IĀ tell themĀ IĀ have written many serious and humorous books,Ā and cofounded a Mentor Program for the International Society of Automation. I can detect with some,Ā particularlyĀ thoseĀ not in the tech industry,Ā that ā€œautomationā€ is viewed negatively as taking away jobs. This was most evident in a hospital room when,Ā after a high-tech heart procedure,Ā the heart specialist asked what I did. As I started to explain how I improved automation in the process industry, the guy in the next bed,Ā who had the same procedure,Ā interrupted and said to the doc,Ā ā€œHe is one of the guysĀ helping takeĀ away our jobsĀ withĀ robots.ā€Ā The heart doctor replied,Ā ā€œI’m looking forward toĀ usingĀ a robot.ā€Ā 

I tellĀ potentially more altruistic peopleĀ that automation makes industrial processes safer and more efficient creating less waste and providing environmental protection. Increasing production does not seem to be important to them.Ā 

Steve pointed me to an eye-openingĀ paper,Ā ā€œThe Multiplier Effect,ā€Ā by KeithĀ NosbuschĀ and JohnĀ BernardenĀ (Manufacturing Executive Leadership Journal,Ā March,Ā 2012, p. 48).Ā It shows howĀ ā€œsmart manufacturingā€Ā by automationĀ creates millions of jobs each year,Ā an order of magnitude more than the jobs displaced.Ā What a great term. Who can argue that they want ā€œdumb manufacturing?ā€ Also, you can ask,Ā ā€œDo you want to be doing a repetitious job,Ā or one that is interestingĀ andĀ encouragesĀ creativity?ā€Ā 

Here,Ā we ask Steve to helpĀ usĀ gain the incredible perspective offered in thisĀ paper. How do partnerships with universities and companies doing research and developmentĀ foster high-skill and high-wage jobs?Ā 

Steve:Ā Thirty-plus years ago, globalization was the answer to cuttingĀ production costs through cheap off-shore labor,Ā process automation was at the stage of the first smart electronic transmitters, and factory automation was starting to replace relays with PLC logic. Companies thought the logistical complications andĀ qualityĀ controlĀ issues that arose from cheap labor were worth the risk.Ā The resultant damage to the U.S.Ā middle classĀ made the public skeptical of industry in general with the exception of the roller coasterĀ oil andĀ gasĀ sector.Ā Fast-forwardingĀ to today, I find it ironic that there are hundreds of thousands of skilled-labor jobs, many of them in automation,Ā going unfilled because we don’t have the talent available yet to fill them.Ā We fight political battles about the minimum wage to grab headlines whenĀ automation workers are needed to continue the rise of domestic manufacturing.Ā There are very few automation-related university programs for engineers, for some reason a unique situation in the U.S.Ā Without a clear career path inĀ processĀ or factory automation, our primary mission is to create partnerships with universities and industry.Ā Accreditation agencies are not particularly interested in advancing new engineering degree programs outside the traditional verticals without strong influence from industry and academia.Ā 

Greg, you wrote recently about that very effort byĀ you andĀ Dr. Kelvin Erickson, Dr. Peter RyanĀ andĀ ChrisĀ ToarminaĀ at Missouri S&T.Ā I contend that there is an industry ROI available in nurturing automation coursework as a minor within the engineering vertical, in Dr. Erickson’s case, BSEE.Ā Current hiring practices by Fortune 100 companies looking for automation talent involveĀ chemical,Ā electrical andĀ mechanicalĀ engineeringĀ grads designated for automation work, andĀ requireĀ a minimum ofĀ threeĀ years of experience before being productive in that field on the job.Ā 

Greg:Ā There are more than a dozen different companies supportingĀ aĀ modern automation system.Ā I am in R&D forĀ one that specializes inĀ simulation,Ā the keyĀ high-techĀ meansĀ of improving operator and system performanceĀ by procedure automationĀ and advanced control.Ā Dynamic models have been the source of knowledge discovery and deployment throughout my career,Ā as seen in theĀ ControlĀ articles ā€œVirtualĀ plantĀ virtuosityā€Ā and ā€œCompressorĀ surgeĀ control.ā€Ā The office I work in has a history of hiring a dozen or more interns representing more than 25% of their workforce each year. Most of theĀ hiresĀ for a permanent position to build dynamic modelsĀ have beenĀ from these students. Since first-principle models build heavily upon understandingĀ theĀ process relationships and interactions seen in automation systemsĀ withĀ digital twins on actual projects, the new employees almost immediately canĀ significantlyĀ contribute to virtual plants for operator training systems and process control improvement.Ā Ā 

Operators appreciate not having to deal with stressful,Ā complex,Ā unfamiliar situations requiring immediate attention. While operations may first be skeptical or concerned about state-based control or advanced control, once they see how much better and more recognizable the operating conditions are by repeatability from automation, they are very appreciative and supportive. A key partĀ ofĀ success is makingĀ sureĀ all such improvements are thoroughly tested,Ā and operations and technical support including maintenance are thoroughly trained and can see the benefits through online metrics.Ā Companion improvements to the operator interfaceĀ are essential,Ā so that operations and technical support are completely aware of what the automationĀ systemĀ is doing,Ā and can intervene when necessary andĀ appropriately adjust and continuously improve the system. Failure to do this can lead to system failure and complete removal of thisĀ automation,Ā makingĀ itĀ nearly impossible toĀ make any future improvements of a similar kind despite new knowledge and expertise gained.Ā 

I can readily see how the tremendous increases in the flexibility and capability of instrumentation and controls raises the role and capability of everyone involved in the process industry,Ā including all of us working to supply, install, maintain and improve automation systems.Ā How does advancement in automation increase the number of jobs created through the multiplier effect?Ā 

Steve:Ā Any time another specialtyĀ within the fieldĀ is createdĀ thanks to new technology orĀ conclusive results ofĀ research projects,Ā it increases the scope of work and expertise required of automation professionals.Ā You made the point about more than a dozen companies supporting a modern automation system in aĀ typicalĀ production facility,Ā which I find to be quite true, butĀ IĀ also include the number of different automation systems within the same plant complexĀ for different processes, utilities and packagingĀ to add to the number of workers and companies required.Ā Most of those automation professionals don’t draw a paycheck from thatĀ manufacturer,Ā but rather one of those multiple support companies you refer to in the supply chain.Ā 

Greg:Ā How does the drive for cost reduction and flexibility in raw materials and products lead to more collaboration with automation system suppliers?Ā 

Steve:Ā Quite simply, cost reduction, increased throughput, more consistent quality, safer environment,Ā greaterĀ cybersecurity, and more should be drivers for control system migration away from legacy systems operating to yesterday’s production parameters.Ā Whether the collaboration is with automation system suppliers, integrators or engineering companies, the market is driving the changes.Ā Further, the more real-time we can get to the strategic decision process at theĀ CĀ levelĀ (e.g.,Ā chiefĀ executiveĀ officer,Ā chiefĀ operatorĀ officer andĀ chiefĀ financialĀ officer),Ā as Dr. Peter Martin has writtenĀ extensivelyĀ about, the more the company can control its own future.Ā 

Greg:Ā We are fortunate in that there is not a manufacturing problem in terms of creating more jobs. How do we address the more evasive image problem?Ā 

Steve:Ā That’sĀ a good question.Ā I’ve found that on Capitol Hill, even after years of advocacy, the political football that is automation is once again being portrayed as a ā€œjob killer.ā€Ā While there are fewer line jobs than before, the crux of the multiplier effect is that the high-technology jobs required to support the modern plant exceed the lost line jobs by a multiplier.Ā This number has changed according to who you engage in discussion, but it is still aĀ largeĀ number multiplier.Ā I believe that our profession is a victim of the identity shell game.Ā Lawmaker staffs and others tend to identify industry by sector using a classification system developed by the government—StandardĀ Industrial Classification (SIC)Ā orĀ North American Industry Classification (NAICS).Ā As mentioned, the employees of the companies fit within the industrial sector,Ā which is where the comparisons are made.Ā The technology people working for companies in the supply chain are likely included in other sectors without relationship to the companies for which they do work.Ā What should be perceived as an enabler for domestic manufacturers to be globally competitive seems to be cast by some as the boogieman to the middle class.Ā This,Ā combined with the lack of a clear automation engineering education path in academia,Ā has pushed many bright young minds to other career pursuits.Ā Perhaps the readers can now see the value in the automation competency model we discussed last issue as a beacon of what it takes to participate in this great career.Ā 

The multiplier and the consequential skills shortageĀ isĀ evident in the recent Deloitte paper, "Future of manufacturing: The jobs are here, but where are the people?"Ā We in Automation Federation call on the Manufacturing Institute in DC. It is inside the greater National Association of Manufacturing (NAM). Blake Moret is the CEO at NAM. Blake was the CEO at Rockwell following KeithĀ Nosbusch, who wrote the multiplier article about 10 years ago.  

Top 10 ā€œlikesā€ to ask friends and relatives to gain appreciation of instrumentation and controls

10. Do you like car speed control?Ā 

9. Do you like room temperature control?Ā 

8. Do you like hot water temperature control?Ā 

7.Ā Do you like refrigerator and freezer temperature control?Ā 

6. Do you likeĀ smokeĀ detectors?Ā 

5. Do you likeĀ carbonĀ monoxideĀ detectors?Ā 

4. Do you like traffic light control?Ā 

3. Do you like voltage control?Ā 

2. Do you like natural gas pressure control?Ā 

1. Do you like vehicle skid prevention and collision prevention?

About the author: Greg McMillan
About the Author

Greg McMillan | Columnist

Greg K. McMillan captures the wisdom of talented leaders in process control and adds his perspective based on more than 50 years of experience, cartoons by Ted Williams and Top 10 lists.

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