How to Hire the Engineers Other Companies Don’t Know About
If you run a business in 2022, you’re probably having trouble finding the great people that make your business work. This isn’t new in industrial controls where we’ve had a…
Ladder Logic’s Future Role in Automation
Ladder logic, the primary programmable logic controller (PLC) programming language, is simple and represented graphically as relay contacts and coils. The question is, though: How well can ladder logic serve…
PLCs Are Not Toilets: Learning to Draw Electrical Schematics
Every piece of industrial automation will have schematics (we hope!). These drawings communicate design intent from the engineer to the assembler, troubleshooter, and maintainer. With pages showing power distribution, IO,…
Employee Reviews: The Right Way and the Wrong Way
In my career before starting my own business, I had a lot of opportunities to experience the dreaded employee review. They ranged from organized and on time to chaotic and…
Free PLC Programming Software for Education
With the recent pandemic measures and schools transitioning to remote education, I’ve been contacted by professors looking for ways to get students hands-on experience programming PLCs without a lab. I’ve…
Stronger Apart (but Still Together)
Read to the end for a 50% off coupon! “It’s a small world,” people often say about industrial automation. It seems like everyone knows everyone across large geographic areas. We’re…
Stop Trying to Engage Millennials, and Start Leading People
Millennials, as a generation, have a bad reputation, full of undesirable attributes, and devoid of any praise. Their reported lack of direction, loyalty, and work ethic have distressed many a…
From the Matrix to the Warehouse: PC vs PLC Programming
How I Got Started Programming I started programming as an early teen. Receiving a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, I’ve worked as a software and web developer for over a…
Repair or Replace: Things to Consider
I had a project a little while back where the work was already 95% done before I ever got there. Problem was it was over budget, kept getting delayed, and…
Giving Thanks
Grateful. I’m grateful for the rare opportunities I’ve had in my career, for the strong mind that allows me to navigate it, for the confidence of those around me that…