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 a community as surely as a small country town, characterized by mutual support, reputation, and a shared sense of identity. I see Breen Machine and myself personally as a part of this community, contributing our unique talents to help our neighbors thrive. And we all benefit from industry’s success. The recent progression of COVID-19 has required many of us to see this interaction through a new lens.
Distressing changes
I’ve personally seen some concerning changes. Our customers, mostly industrial manufacturers, are closing their doors to us. The suppliers, sales people, and applications engineers that we often work with are describing the same thing. Many of our customers are still operating, being classified as essential (hats off to those keeping our country running). Still, they’re mostly running with limited crews, and even in the last couple weeks, many have closed their doors. What happens to the people who aren’t working? What happens to all our livelihoods as careers grind to a halt? The unknown is always scary, but it reminds us that we’re all in this together. We, as a community, will get through this and we’ll be stronger for it.
A touch of good fortune
Fortunately for us at Breen Machine, we largely work from home anyway. Any work that doesn’t happen at a customer site is performed from our home offices. We started working this way 4 years ago because it made business sense. No building to rent, heat, or maintain means we can be very competitive in our pricing. Eliminating commuting allows us to be very flexible and efficient in our schedules, making happier, more productive employees. And now the model brings a surprise benefit: reducing the spread of contagious disease while still putting bread on the table. We can continue to serve our customers, keeping the wheels of essential industry turning, and providing financial stability for our employees and customers. As vital supplies run low, we are able to do our part to help keep the companies who make these supplies going. I’m grateful to be in this position.
Growing through the pain
I think the quarantine measures will push other businesses to adopt a similar approach to work. I already see office staff at other companies finding ways to work from home, and production teams finding ways to run with fewer people. It’s not surprising that they can. Most office work is done via computer and phone anyway, and most production work is highly automated. What may come as a surprise to some, however, is how efficient working from home can be. Nobody stops by the cubicle to chat, you don’t need to worry about Milton’s radio playing too loud, and you don’t waste precious time and energy every day in rush hour traffic. The ability to control one’s space during work makes a huge difference in productivity. When the quarantine measures are lifted, I’m sure we’ll see a lot of things go back to how they were, but I’ll bet some of these changes will stick. As employers witness the increased productivity and employees get used to this benefit some people will keep working from home. In the meantime, we are where we are, doing the best we can to stay healthy and productive, hopefully not losing our minds to isolation.
While you’re waiting
We want to help people pass the time productively. Rather than sitting on the couch eating Cheetos and watching TV, sit at your desk eating Cheetos and levelling up your career. We’re producing how-to videos for industrial automation faster than ever and giving them away for free on YouTube. Subscribe here to take advantage.
We’re also offering 50% off our video courses during the crisis to support your mental, physical, and professional wellbeing during this difficult time. Just use coupon code COVID50 on our courses page.
Call out to educators
We’re working with faculty at MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering) to improve the at-home learning experience for PLC programming students. If you know anyone in education struggling to meet the evolving challenge and provide a valuable experience to their students, get us in touch. We want to see the next generation get the right foundations.
We’ve got excellent screen share, camera, and audio technology for recording educational videos, and a trained camera crew that knows how to use them. Breen Machine also has access to a variety of tools for demonstrations (such as PLC’s and HMI’s) and we stand ready to help our valued educators any way we can. What would help you most? Video demos and examples? Explanation of key concepts?
Stay healthy, stay sane, and keep on reaching!
Jon
Controls Champion
About the Author
Jon is an engineer, entrepreneur, and teacher. His passion is creating and improving the systems that enhance human life, from automating repetitive tasks to empowering people in their careers. In his spare time, Jon enjoys engineering biological systems in his yard (gardening).
