EECO Asks Why Podcast

Zach White is an amazing coach for engineers and shares his story on this hero episode. After graduating from Purdue he had a great opportunity at Whirlpool and from there found that his passion was helping others grow in their careers.  He took a leap of faith and created OACO and has never looked back.  Zach shares about his passion for serving others and some of the innovative items he's pursuing.  He has a great way of getting others to realize the potential that exists within and helps them build the confidence needed to keep moving forward.

He loves spending time outdoors and riding horses with his wife is always high on his list.  He shares an interesting hobby of acrobatic yoga and how he highly recommends that for all couples wanting to connect at a deeper level.  Zach is making such an impact in many peoples lives and we are proud to call him one of our Heroes!

Guest: Zach White, CEO at OACO
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

Resources:

• Lifestyle Engineering Blueprint 30 Day Challenge
• How to Win Friends and Influence People
• The 48 Laws of Power
• Mastery
• Awaken the Giant Within
• The Tim Ferriss Show

Wonderful quotes from Zach:

• If you want to change someone's life, believe in them more than they believe in themselves.
• Life's Purpose Statement: I am an Oasis along life's journey that gives you courage to walk on.

Joe Frank leads us through a discussion about the power of network assessments.  As the old saying goes “you have to know where you are to get to know where you’re going”.  This rings so true for industrial networks and the network assessment is key to getting started on the right foot. Joe discusses the ins and outs of an assessment for all the items on the physical layer.  He discusses what he looks for in an assessment for items such as grounding, cabling, switches, and the overall environment.

Security is such an important issue for all industries and understanding the risks is covered in a good assessment.  Areas such as physical and how key equipment is protected are all important.   Open ports or cabinets without locks are weak areas from a security standpoint and should be corrected quickly. Joe also discusses IT/OT convergence and how an assessment can be impactful for both sides of the table.

He has wonderful experiences that he shares about which could make a huge impact for others as they assess their own situations.  Network assessments are crucial to building a robust, powerful, and safe industrial network.    

Guest: Joe Frank - Industrial Network Engineer at EECO
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

Resources:

EECO Inspire Blog: Do You Think You Have the Best Network Architecture in Place
EECO Inspire Blog: What to Consider with Industrial Networks

This episode provides a unique perspective on how to tie business goals with the OT network.  Amos Purdy has an illustrious background with having a Masters in both Electrical Engineering and Business Administration.  He had a passion to learn how to speak the language for everyone on both the technical and business side of a company.  He provides great insight on how operations and business leaders can align to achieve better results together. 

So often, as with IT and OT, the barrier of understanding is around knowing what is important to both sides. Amos speaks to how engineers could invest more time in learning from other departments and how to help them achieve their goals.  He unpacks how reviewing with HR or accounting can reveal areas to improve the company and could reveal areas for future investments. Understanding all the numbers and how processes impact them is critical for alignment with OT and business goals. 

The capabilities of manufacturing continue to grow.  New technologies will continue to disrupt, and operations will impact the success of many organizations.  Ensuring everything aligns to business goals is key to the desired growth moving forward. 

Guest: Amos Purdy - Lead Systems Engineer at Global Process Automation
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

Resources: 

• EECO Inspire Blog: What to Consider with Industrial Networks
• NIST Framework

Connect with GPA on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, or visit their Website.

K Sorsenginh breaks down how Ethernet/IP and interoperability converge in industry.  Interoperability is the ability of a machine or product being able to exchange or send information and the other node that is receiving it can process and utilize the information.  When you begin to utilize Ethernet/IP the ability to move data throughout an industrial environment becomes even more critical.  K does a great job of breaking down these terms for those new to industrial networks while going deep in some areas for those that want to learn more.

He speaks about the importance of open vendor device association (ODVA) and how that ensures manufacturers follow the same guidelines to ensure interoperability.  From there K unpacks device profiles and how its important to understand the different profiles to best utilize them in your system design. 

For those looking to expand their industrial network K’s wisdom is sure to help you achieve the desired results and have a robust and connected facility.  

Guest: K Sorsenginh Solution Architect at EECO
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

Additional Resources:

EECO Inspire Blog: Interoperability and Ethernet/IP
EECO Inspire Blog: Ethernet/IP and Operability

Scott McNeil is the expert in all things WiFi and does a phenomenal job of breaking down what exactly is industrial WiFi.  He walks thru the hardware and client requirements as there is a wide variety of things that impact a system and zoning in on the key objectives is key.  Connectivity is critical with an industrial WiFi system and ensuring that those that need access to the network can do so in a safe, reliable and secure environment.

The industrial environment can be challenging and reducing interference is important for a robust design.   Scott talks about some of the most challenging areas he's experienced with WiFi and items to explore on the plant floor. As smart manufacturing and industry 4.0 initiatives are becoming more and more prevalent a strong industrial WiFi design will ensure the data and processes that are important will be able to operate as desired as industry continues to grow in the future.

Scott is a passionate engineer and loves sharing his expertise around the topic of Industrial WiFi.  Be sure to follow Scott's blog where he digs deeper into these and other industrial networking topics.

Guest: Scott McNeil - Senior Network and Security Engineer at GPA
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

Resources: 

• Industrial Wifi Shop
• EECO's Inspired Blog "Industrial WiFi 101"

In this episode Chase Boehlke gives a great breakdown of what a soft starter is and where they fit best in industrial settings. He walks us through how to properly size the solution as this can be an area that people struggle with. 

He digs deep on applications to help understand when soft starters are not the best solutions.   Finally he reviews when other alternatives should be considered. Chase brings a tremendous amount of knowledge to this topic and we hope you find the information helpful. Thank you Chase for shedding so much light on the exciting topic of soft starters!

Guest: Chase Boehlke - Motion Control at Siemens.
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

Additional Resources: EECOonline.com

Jonathan Fuller is a rising star in industry and loves helping others solve their problems.  As the Automation and Power Product Manager, he is on the front lines with manufacturing and loves the different challenges he faces while striving to bring the best solutions to the table.

For those that support industry, it is well known that no two days are the same and that is something Jonathan enjoys about his journey.  He graduated from the University of South Carolina and is a proud Gamecock.  He's had several customer supporting roles but finds great joy in his ability to work directly with end users across the state of South Carolina.

He speaks about the knowledge gap in industry and how one of his most impactful professors challenged him to be the best engineer possible.  That professor demanded upfront research and taught Jonathan the importance of individual effort.  It also opened his eyes on how to ask for help after doing solid research independently. 

At home Jonathan has a wonderful wife and son that keep him busy.  He's an avid woodworker and all around cool guy.  This is an inside look at one of our Heroes!

Guest: Jonathan Fuller - Automation & Power Automation Product Manager at Electrical Equipment Company.
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

The pandemic has thrown everyone for a loop and learning how to communicate with others virtually is becoming a necessary skill.  But how do you learn this skill and what do you need to know to move forward?

In this episode, Tim Pollard shares some of what he and his team at Oratium live out every day.  Tim's mission is to help everyone be better communicators. He recognized very quickly that as more communication is shifting to a virtual platform that the game changed dramatically and those that master this skill will lead the way in the future. He has written several best selling books around communication and breaks down several areas that he sees as most important for everyone.

No matter what role you're in (manufacturing, engineering, sales, quality, etc...) learning some of these tips can have a positive impact on your career.  Simple things such as microphones, camera position and how to properly utilize lighting can have such an impact on the quality of a virtual engagement.  Make the decision today that you want to be a better communicator on virtual platforms and follow Tim's guidance to get started. 

We encourage anyone that wants to learn more about Oratium and how they can support your efforts to reach out to them via the resources below. 

Guest: Tim Pollard - Founder and CEO at Oratium
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

Resources:
The Compelling Communicator
Mastering the Moment
Design and Deliver the Virtual Sales Message - wonderful elearning opportunity

Quotes from Tim that are guaranteed to make an impact!

"I'll give you the best tip in the world...have all of your customer conversations in the morning because zoom fatigue is real." 

"TRAPS - Technology, Remove Distractions, Ambience, Prompts, Sound"

"Get the meeting onto the platform you know best."

Our hero, Matt Hussey, grew up in the Pittsburg area and graduated from the University of Pittsburg with a degree in Mechanical Engineering (side note his minor is Nuclear Engineering which means he loves a challenge). In this episode Matt walks us thru his career and offers insight and advice to what has helped him grow professionally.  He embraced new opportunities that opened a door to make an impact in the electrical industry.  He speaks  about how we shouldn't let our degrees dictate our futures and how, with his mechanical background, he knew he could bring value to the electrical industry.

Man was he right!  Matt now leads the effort at Eaton in their low voltage motor control center solutions and has been involved in several areas of innovation.

He also is an active social media influencer and proudly unpacks how his solutions are making an impact for others.  He was instrumental in starting a social media campaign called "Factory Floor Friday" where he and other Eaton team members share awesome insight to solutions in production (talk about an inside look)! 

In his time away from work Matt enjoys home bar tendering and has the secret to making the best "Old Fashioned" you ever tasted.  He also enjoys making his own bar-b-que and for those in North Carolina you can relate to how big a treat that is.

Matt is making industry better every day and it's his type of leadership, vision and inspiration that will continue to lead America as a leader of manufacturing and engineering in the future!

Guest: Matt Hussey - Low Voltage MCC Product Manager at Eaton.
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

Resources:
IEEE
LinkedIn - Follow #FactoryFloorFriday

Sit back and dream for a minute about what areas of your manufacturing process could be enhanced if it had a digital solution. Perhaps items such as scheduling are still being done via a manual process.  What if there were options available to enhance some of these areas that make a significant impact? In this episode Bill Migirditch unpacks this idea and discusses several ways manufacturers could begin embracing digitization and areas of low hanging fruit to consider.

Think about how much data gets collected on clipboards still today.  As technology evolves the ability to automate how the data is collected and enhance decision making by utilizing real time in the moment intel is possible.  The sky is the limit and embracing the changing landscape is important. Bill discusses how a quick win up front goes a LONG way in winning over advocates and build momentum for a true manufacturing digitalization culture. There are many nuggets of wisdom in this conversation and they are all done in hopes to inspire those in manufacturing grow and be leaders in their markets. 

Guest:  Bill Migirditch - Manager of Manufacturing Systems at Rovisys
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

Resources:
Rovisys Digital Transformation Information
John Vargo - Rovisys' Director MES/DSC 

NOTE: Since this recording Bill transitioned to a new role as Digital Pursuit Desk Consultant at Rockwell Automation - we wish Bill the best in his new adventure!