I have believed in four core principles for nearly my entire life. When I found my faith… those four core principles were validated–and a fifth was added. These core values are the foundation upon which Intellic Integration is built. This post is part 1 of 5… to explain what our values are and why they matter.
One of my core beliefs is for a System Integrator to remain relevant, successful and on the cutting edge of technology, the leadership must stay close to the technology. So… while I own Intellic Integration, that doesn’t mean I work in the office on paperwork all day. I still spend a lot of time working on projects (part of the deal I made with myself is that I would never give development up–no matter how successful we became). Last year, I spent 270 days on the road developing–primarily with Ignition. The same will hold true for this year.
Over the last week, I’ve been working with MQTT–Node Red, Raspberry Pi3, Ignition by Inductive Automation, Cirrus Link MQTT modules and MQTT Spy to build an OEE simulator. This is for a client based in Europe, with operations all over the world. We are implementing a hybrid of our OEE template an
Inductive Automation IIOT recently announced the release of Ignition Edge–a new offering of their Ignition platform as an edge of network resource. The new licensing model offers a stripped down version of Ignition for edge of network HMI applications for about $1000. Consumers can add on MQTT and Store and Forward–to integrate the edge of network gateway with a central enterprise gateway–for a few hundred dollars more. This announcement motivated me to put together a quick demo of Ignition using the Cirrus Link MQTT modules, a Raspberry Pi, and ESP8266 Arduino and Kepserver IOT Gateway.
The biggest challenge facing all integrators is acquiring, affording and holding onto high level talent (A Players).
Prior to starting Intellic Integration, I worked for multiple end users and systems integrators over the course of several decades… and at each stop, I observed exactly how not to retain that talent. Whether it was automotive, steel, printing, mining or systems integration… the disconnect was apparent… they just didn’t get it… and as a result–the rockstars left in search of greener pastures. They took with them their passion, their expertise and their ability
I’m not a sales guy. I’m an engineer. I complete puzzles for a living.
Every time I meet with a potential client they have reached a point of frustration with their automation challenge in which they want to throw up their hands and walk away, but are compelled to find a solution. It is at this time, they find Intellic Integration, and we have a therapy session in which they vent all past integrator encounters and where those have failed. We then move on to the information challenges faced and the seemingly insurmountable barriers to accomplish the goals of SCADA, MES and OEE implementation.
