Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1479191
20 PCB007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2022 How can we expedite it to improve the U.S. market? Like we discussed, training is a good idea, and there needs to be more brainstorm- ing to develop a program. Another idea is hav- ing a site or two that's more open with auto- mation, so people see the benefits. Schweitzer Engineering Labs might be the most open- minded site because they're very America-ori- ented, willing to show what they have. Most of the others have a lot of IP, or just a lot of sins, and they're more worried to share. Holden: Here in western Michigan, there must be at least a dozen firms that focus on auto- mating manufacturing, especially robotics. For example, JS Automation has a specialty that allows it to not only supply Detroit, but the Japanese, the Germans, and the world. Stepinski: Yeah, I think we have more of it in the States than almost anywhere else. Holden: Unfortunately, there's an endless sup- ply of engineers needed, as our unemployment is down to 2.8%. ey're leaning on the com- munity colleges to turn out more skilled tech- nicians. Stepinski: But this isn't the right approach. It's what I would call an unidentified problem with an overall solution. It's better to think, "What action will fix this?" First, the industry can get together and write a statement of work to make domestic automation and equipment at a low cost. Let's make some standard specs for this essentially commodity equipment and get it made in the U.S. We pay twice the price of Asia for most tools in the United States. A lot of this can be mitigated by standardization of subsystems. If we all had the same focus, everything would be highly automated and you wouldn't have to worry about all these technicians. Sec- ond, because you leverage the existing network of people who know how to do it; that's what you do. e next step is having people to run your factory. If you have cobot automation, it's not that highly skilled a force, to be honest. We focus too much on skilled labor here (not that it isn't valuable and necessary), but we should be more focused on writing good statements of work to get simple automation in place and simple processes that anybody can run. at's a much more cost-effective approach. en we leverage our own network of domestic automation people. It makes a lot of sense. Matties: Do you have any final thoughts? Stepinski: To help these factories turn things around, we need the type of discussion we're having now. We need a group to spend a cou- ple days creating a good strategy for our indus- try to grow. Matties: We will definitely carry this conversa- tion forward. ere's certainly enough time to put something like that together. Stepinski: Great talking to you guys. Johnson: ank you, sir. PCB007 Alex Stepinski is principal and president of Smart Process Design, an international technical design studio.