Advanced Automation by Calvary Robotics: Recent Episodes
Calvary Robotics
Welcome to Advanced Automation, a podcast by Calvary Robotics, where you'll find industry leaders and experts sharing their thoughts on the world of automation.
So, what is it like to receive such praise from the industry? Cal-TV’s Joe Gemma brought along Jeff Burnstein, President of A3, the Association for Advancing Automation, to talk about this high honor with three past recipients; Martin Beuhler, CTO of Wavemaker Labs; Catherine Morris, Retired Former Director of Auto Sales at ATI Industrial Automation; and Rory Cooper, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Research for Health Sciences and STEM Collaboration at the University of Pittsburgh.
The Engelberger Award, first presented in 1977, recognizes high achievements in robotics from leadership to technology, education, and application across the globe. “When I call people to tell them they have been selected to win the award, people who have been in this industry a long time are just floored,” Burnstein said. “They can’t believe they’ve been selected. And I think that’s a great testament to how important this award is.”
Morris, Buehler, and Cooper agreed on how special and honored they felt receiving the call. It is an honor that follows them in the industry.
The honor was extra special for Morris, as she was the first woman in North America to receive an Engelberger Award. “My first reaction was disbelief,” Morris said. Morris did not have a robotics or engineering background. She accidentally found her niche in sales working at ATI and quickly fell in love with the industry. Her tireless leadership received recognition with an Engelberger, and the distinction touches her to this day.
Companies are embracing ever-evolving technology almost as quickly as it is becoming available. With increased technology and automation, innovation comes with new ideas which leads to new projects and initiatives being created. Who can handle the job? One of the most important roles in any organization: the project manager role. Project managers possess a variety of set skills and oftentimes wear many hats to oversee a specific project from start to finish.
Growing up in the Finger Lakes region of New York, Erik Weber, Senior Project Manager at Calvary Robotics, has spent more than 20 years in project management. His background is in Machine Design, has taken on leadership roles over the years, PMP certified and manages small to large scale projects. Weber explained how he has always had an interest in building, assembling, and understanding how systems worked so being at Calvary has been an exciting journey. He addressed that being a project manager wasn’t his ideal career path from the start. He explains that though sometimes people wind up on different career paths, project management is overall rewarding because you can see all aspects coming together like a finished puzzle. The key to being successful is being flexible in where the career takes you and with that, you gain many skills.
For those that are wanting to posses into project management, Weber shares that, “you need to be willing to learn all the aspects of the process and you must truly know the industry you are in.” Being a project manager allows you to be the expert and to speak up when necessary. Since project managers have to keep things moving along, they have to be expert problem solvers and communicate clearly so that all understand.
To keep current on the advancement of technology, Weber shares that he learns the most from their own customers since they are the ones innovating with prototypes and pilots. There is a constant exposure to what’s new and upcoming in the industry.
What does the future of project management look like? Weber explains that quality Standards will continue to become important, embracing technology advancement like Machine vision, machine learning, and AI. The overall goal will still be to bring project management costs down. A strong emphasis for tech-skilled project managers will be the most ideal.
Project managers play key roles in ensuring that jobs stay on track, on time and on budget; and the supply chain challenges over the last two years have made their job even harder. Advanced Automation Host Josh Gravelle welcomed Jeff Smith, project manager of Boulter Industrial Contractors, to share how his company minimizes the strain. Boulter, an industrial contracting company since 1892, provides transportation, rigging, steel fabrication, custom crating and packaging, and more.
At Boulter, Smith manages logistical projects for just about any customer needs and enjoys the variety, planning and coordination involved. Reciprocatively, customers appreciate the partnership with Boulter since they only work with one contractor to handle any project needs.
However, the pandemic has thrown a wrench in the supply chain, and Boulter immediately felt the pains. “Materials for crating and packaging have been an issue with lumber shortage. The steel shop has, too,” Smith explained. “Things we could get next-day now could have a lead time of eight weeks.”
Smith described how many projects, like a brewery in Rochester, came to a halt: “The project was underway, and then the pandemic hit. The job site wasn’t ready, so we received the tanks and stored them until they were ready.” Thankfully, once construction began, Boulter could finish the project, delivering and installing the catwalks successfully.
Smith continued to talk about how Boulter is taking measures to minimize the supply chain issues, such as:
• Ensuring superior internal and external communication
• Logging accurate paperwork
• Accounting for delays in scheduling
• Ordering early and extra resources
• Investing in new technology
For more information on manufacturing, storage, shipping and transportation needs, contact Boulter today or connect directly with Jeff Smith here at https://lp.boulterindustrial.com/jeffsmith
Edwards holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University. She has served as the principal investigator on fundamental and applied research projects, focusing on oxide materials for fuel cells, batteries, thermoelectric devices, environmental remediation, and solar energy applications. They talked about her career and how science can change the world.
Growing up on a ranch in South Dakota, what got Edwards interested in engineering was her attraction to math and science courses in school. According to Edwards, when people like those courses, they tend to get pushed into careers in science and engineering. She also lived close to a college with an engineering and science school, so that possibility was always on her radar. In college, she ended up majoring in Chemistry.
“I can trace that interest back to a fascination with the idea of atoms and molecules,” Edwards said.
She recalled a story from the third grade when a teacher told her a desk was filled with atoms moving at an incredible speed. She was in awe. With her fascination sparked, she moved into her career after her undergrad years. The spark she found in her early years hasn’t withered, either.
“One reason is the potential that science and engineering have to change the lives of people,” Edwards said.
Being a woman in STEM can be challenging. But, for many, it’s a field with limitless opportunities and the potential for life-changing growth.
Michelle Hand, who holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, was always attracted to the mechanical side of things. She grew up in a family of “backyard engineers,” was enamored with race cars, and found her career footing as a mechanical engineer before joining Calgary Robotics, one of North America's leading providers of turnkey automated systems and machine replication services, as an applications engineer.
Host Sarah Verna, Corporate Marketing Manager of Calgary Robotics, was joined by Hand on this episode of Advanced Automation to talk about her career strides in engineering, an area that’s historically been dominated by men.
Mechanical engineering, Hand said, is a viable option for women, yet they’re often discouraged from pursuing it. Ultimately for Hand, the challenge wasn’t so much being a female engineer, but being a young engineer.
“One of the hurdles of being a young engineer is proving your abilities,” she said. “You have to prove your dedication.” Her diligence paid off, and ,last year, she transitioned her engineering skills to sales, becoming a Business Development Manager.
Being on the ground floor of an explosive industry has also opened her eyes to future advancements within the automated field.
“Robotics and humans will work hand-in-hand, with the use of artificial intelligence, to increase overall production,” she said.
Each team member brings something unique to the table at Calvary Robotics. Their experience and expertise ensure that the company innovates and provides the best products for its users. On Advanced Automation, host Josh Gravelle spoke with Jamie Green, Director of Manufacturing, Calgary Robotics.
Green has over 23 years of experience in manufacturing and is an engineer. He worked with Calvary as a partner during his career and was excited to join the team in 2020. “This is my first manufacturing leadership role, and I’m enjoying what I’m doing.”
Joining the company during the pandemic brought new challenges and opportunities. “The supply chain has been a focus. It’s impacted lead times and material availability. We’re using standard products and building up inventory to take the volatility out of build time,” Green said.
While they don’t have robots building their robots, they use pre-engineered solutions and automation of support processes to get products to customers on time. Since they work across many industries, the knowledge they have can translate. “Regardless of the end market, techniques and tools can apply across many industries,” Green added.
The company has been quick to respond to new needs and delivering on quality. Green noted that there is a collaboration between different groups in the company, including mentoring. Since manufacturing has had quite a transformation with technology, seasoned workers can learn from younger workers. In turn, those veterans can provide education on what you can’t learn through technology.
The big lessons for manufacturing going forward will be to “remain diversified.” Green continued, adding that, “To stay competitive, companies will continue to focus on LEAN, automation in areas traditionally staffed by people, and new automation opportunities for online businesses like order fulfillment and material handling.”
Demand for American manufactured goods is soaring, and March 2021 set a three-year high for U.S. manufacturing activity. Yet, there are currently 500,000 skilled labor positions unfilled.
What’s the answer to closing the shortage gap? That’s the topic for CalTV, as host Tyler Kern spoke to return guest Joe Gemma, Global VP Sales and Marketing at Calvary Robotics.
As companies grow and change, employees do, as well. Some might stay for a short time before moving on to better things, while some stay a lifetime. It's always essential to get the perspective of long-time employees, as they've seen things change for the better.
Buying and selling changed dramatically in the last year, accelerated by the pandemic, forcing both parties to use digital channels. Back to discuss COVID-19’s influence on global selling, Christoph Schell, Chief Commercial Officer at HP, talked with Calvary TV host Joe Gemma.
The second conversation focuses on eCommerce, social selling, omnichannel and other paradigm shifts.
Schell described HP’s response. “There is a decentralization of decision-making, and the shopping journey moved online for B2B. Regions don’t work anymore; it’s a global strategy to ensure consistency.”
HP redefined its sales process and included centers of excellence. The two most critical are the HP store, where customers interact directly with the brand, and building an omnichannel team. “The customer is getting more information and leaving footprints, which we use to understand what they want, sometimes before they articulate it. That’s caused me to hire data analysts in sales,” Schnell said.
More data about customers offers companies the chance to have one-on-one engagement and more personalized experiences. A global message is the bedrock, but Schnell noted that localization in individual markets customizes it.
Schnell also spoke about forecasting. “Historical data wasn’t important last year. We went to scenarios looking at the accuracy of ambition of what we want to achieve. It’s a bigger focus on outcomes.”
How people sell is different now, too. Schnell thinks that some traditional approaches will remain, but that social selling and data analytics will thrive. “Social selling works. It’s relationship-building –virtually. Both traditional and social will co-exist, but the pandemic accelerated digital channels.”
The pandemic has permanently reshaped business environments and supply chains. From this, what are the lessons learned? Offering his perspective, Christoph Schell, Chief Commercial Officer at HP, joined Calvary TV host Joe Gemma. Schell has held various leadership positions with HP for the last 21 years and worked in brand management for P&G and growing the Phillips Lighting division.
Thanks to a demand for automation that has only increased in recent years, Calvary Robotics and its subsidiary companies have flourished and broken into new markets. But for those companies interested in opening up a relationship with Calvary Robotics, what can they expect? Here to shed some light on the topic is Steve Hayward, the general manager of CGS Precision Technologies. Boasting a successful career in manufacturing that started in the mid-70s, Hayward worked on the Calvary side of the business for six years before managing CGS today.
The place: Webster, New York, home of Calvary Robotics and Christopher Grieve, Manager Simulations/VR, Lead Technical Artist, Sales & Marketing, at Calvary. While Grieve grew up in Webster, he’s felt fortunate to call Calvary Robotics his home for the past six years, where he runs the virtual reality and simulation department. Grieve gave host Joe Gemma, Global VP, Sales & Marketing at Calvary Robotics, a rundown of what his department does.
While employees in most industries have the opportunity to work from home during the pandemic, this is not the case for those in the manufacturing sector. As a company that deals almost exclusively with physical products, FANUC Robotics started cycling employees into its Michigan headquarters once their governor gave the green light. But how have its employees adjusted to new workplace expectations? Advanced Automation host Joe Gemma reached out to Mike Cicco, President and CEO of FANUC in America, to learn how his company is faring during the pandemic and how the coronavirus will impact the automation industry as a whole.
It’s not often one spends their entire career in a single industry. For Mike Fisher, President at Calvary Automation, there’s no other place he’s quite as comfortable than automation and robotics. With dynamic changing markets at play in the robotics and automation industry, Calvary Automation, like other organizations, has its share of challenges. Still, Fisher believes they are more than up to the task.
Robotics and automation were already on the uptick heading into 2020, but COVID-19 has spurred even more people to look into innovation.
Education is a big part of the job for Jeff Burnstein, President of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), who said the pandemic has made businesses get curious about what robots might be able to do for them.
“I think the why is pretty clear. The pandemic has revealed to us that there are some issues here we’re not prepared for,” he said. “The fact you can’t bring people into work, that’s a real problem for keeping the businesses up and running. Automation can help in that regard. Can automation reduce the number of touches on products so we don’t spread the virus? Can collaborative robots help separate people that are able to come to work? There’s a lot of eyes being opened here about how to keep your company up and running during a situation like this.”
Those topics and many more were discussed by the more than six dozen speakers who conducted events during A3’s ambitious Robotics Week, with Calvary Robotics Global Vice President Joe Gemma one of many distinguished guests taking part.
The organization will continue to host events to provide education to those in the industry for as long as it needs, Burnstein said, even when it’s able to return to traditional in-person events. That’s thanks to the increased number of voices from around the world the virtual format allowed.