MESA, Change, Manufacturing, Food Safety

I'm sitting in the Swiss Air lounge in Zurich before continuing to Nuremberg and the SPS/Drives show. Yes, my life seems to be one airport lounge after another--well, not really.

MESA International, the association that promotes manufacturing enterprise solutions (MES or MOM), has elected a new slate of officers for 2011. You can read all the information at its blog. True to a promised change of direction when Rockwell Automation, Wonderware, GE Intelligent Platforms and Siemens entered the space, members from the user/integrator community are assuming more input and leadership.

I hope that most everyone who reads this blog is a change agent. Have you run into obstacles or backlash from attempted changes? Feel lonely? Well, Michael Hyatt's recent blog post offered some suggestions to help you prevent or overcome backlash while effecting change.

Lean guru Bill Waddell wonders if everyone's crazy these days. Instead of dealing with root causes to prevent complaints--or ignoring them by sending complainers through an endless overseas telephone loop, there is now a software application that helps companies "manage" complaints. Whatever that is.

The GreenTech blog discusses a new food safety bill under consideration in the US Senate. If passed, could this be an opportunity for automation software providers?

Social Media, Safety, Change, Jobs

The Siemens PLM social media team kept going long after the conclusion of their event. Here's one of the wrap-up blogs.

Have you noticed the changing sections at bookstores lately? Over the past 18 months or so, I've noticed that the once huge computer sections have shrunk dramatically. Also the business book sections. Lots of fiction. Lots of specialty books. The "philosophy" section is often devoted to Buddhism and Taoism. New Age is still pretty hot. So what happened to computing? No new programming languages to learn? Have we seen enough of the quick solution, light-weight business book?

Jim Cahill discusses the very timely issue of safety at Emerson Process Experts.

Speaking of safety, I've been interviewing for an article. A couple of conversations about risky behaviors. And on how a series of decisions that each one alone may appear to be only low to moderate risk add up over time to a major risk. (Think BP in the Gulf...) I think these exhibit patterns. I've seen it throughout my career. It's not so much the one decision, or even a series of decisions. It's the pattern and acceptable behavior of cutting small corners here and there. Unsafe workplaces, poor quality, poor manufacturing performance are among the results of such sloppy or duplicitous thinking.

Here's a presentation on inspiring kids pointed out by Garr Reynolds on the Presentation Zen blog.

The tyranny of the urgent. Heard that for the first time at the very first motivational management seminar I attended. Michael Hyatt discusses setting time aside specifically written in your calendar to actually work!

Robert Reich argues that "We Can't Rely on Foreign Consumers to Rescue American Jobs." The analysis is sound. You may not all agree on the prescriptions. But that's what makes politics interesting.

Leo Babauta discusses the elements of change in this Zen Habits post.