Many manufacturers question the value of using a systems integrator. Often the use of systems integrators is discouraged for one or more of the following reasons:
- Too expensive
- Outside integrator is not invested in the success of the company
- Desire to keep everything “in house”
While we understand all of these concerns, and, depending upon the system integrator, these concerns may be accurate, we firmly believe in the value added of partnering with a systems integrator.
We would like to relate a story from early in the formation of WBA Automation:
A large automation product supplier got a call from a customer. The end user of their line had a system run-off the following week and the line was not performing. The line used motion control to achieve tight control of web tensions. The automation supplier had no available local support for motion control, so they contracted WBA to “tune” the system. Instructions were very clear to make no programming changed – just refine the controls to achieve required performance.
WBA spent the weekend making adjustments. Overall tension control was improved significantly, but disruptions caused during sampling could not be eliminated. In the end WBA analyzed the code and determined that the update rate for some of the controls could be as bad as several seconds and tight could not be achieved with the existing logic. The run-off got cancelled, and WBA’s involvement ended. Months later, the line was still not functioning and the automation supplier wound up quoting a complete rewrite of the system.
WBA was told that the initial cost for the line was in excess of $1 million. The facility was built with the capacity for 2 lines and there were plans for a second clean room for 2 more lines. We do not know what happened to the plans for future lines, or what the final costs for the debacle were, but we did learn the back-story. This is what was related to us:
The end user favored the quote supplied by the equipment manufacturer, but was concerned that the equipment manufacturer planned to outsource the controls. They accepted the quote on the condition that the manufacturer hire a controls engineer and did everything “in house.” The manufacturer hired a controls engineer, but he apparently was in a little over his head. On the initial testing of the line, the tensions got out of control and thousands of dollars in damage occurred. The controls engineer then modified the program to prevent future damage – resulting in the extremely slow response time in motor speeds. All of this led to delays in the project, and the line was shipped prior to final testing. The controls engineer then wound up in an extended start-up away from home. He eventually picked a fight with the customer and got thrown off-site. The manufacturer of the equipment wound up with a line that would not meet specifications with no controls staff to fix the problem.
This story reveals several lessons:
- Doing everything “in house” is not necessarily a good idea. How do you go about hiring a qualified controls engineer when there is no controls expertise in the company? How do you review his work? What do you do if something happens to him?
- Having the controls “in house” does not ensure that those involved in the project are invested in the project.
- Using a system integrator is not necessarily more expensive than doing everything in-house. What are the costs of delays in projects, damaged equipment? What is the cost of damaged reputation from putting out an inferior product?
- The large companies don’t always have all of the expertise. WBA was contracted for this project, because it had expertise available that the larger company did not. Bigger is not always better.
We would like you to consider the following:
- As an end customer, a system integrator may be more invested in your equipment than the in-house engineers. If the OEM loses you as a customer, they lose one customer. If a system integrator fails to deliver for one customer of the OEM, they may lose the OEM – resulting in the loss of all of that OEM’s projects. The in-house engineers may leave the company for personal or health reasons – a system integrator is a company that can still support the end customer.
- As a company, doing everything may not be the best solution. If your expertise is in widgets, how do you evaluate the controls engineer? How do you know whether things are being done well? Does your electrical work even meet code? Companies use outside resources for legal, accounting, computing, human resources. Most companies purchase components to use in their equipment. Why does controls engineering need to be internal?
- Doing everything in-house may appear to be cheaper, but is it really. If a project is delayed significantly, because of lack of expertise, overall costs of the project can actually be significantly higher. More time costs more and delays in implementation mean higher costs due to loss of efficiency gains that the project would achieve. A good electrician could probably take on developing your office network and implementing your accounting software. The learning curve would be steep and delays would be significant. You wouldn’t consider that as a viable option. Why is outsourcing your controls considered “expensive?”
- If you have needs for a larger staff and are comfortable with your control’s abilities, is it still best to do it alone? We often get involved with companies after an engineer leaves. When we ask the remaining staff why they do things a certain way, we are told: “That is the way we always do in.” Companies and even industries are often very closed. When everyone involved has only ever seen one solution, it is difficult to grow. Getting a diversifies systems integrator involved with your company can provide an outside view with other ways of solving the problem and possibly other hardware solutions.
- Should you decide to engage an outside resource, we believe that an independent system integrator is your best option. Many manufacturers and distributors provide engineering and panel building services, but they will be strongly biased toward using their own products, regardless of whether they are the best for your application. Furthermore, they will lack the experience with implementing outside products when necessary. A well-rounded systems integrator has experience with a wide variety of products. When confronted with a new product, the well-rounded engineer can more easily get up to speed, because they are not limited to only having experience with one way of approaching an issue.
WBA believes strongly in the value of independent system integration companies. We would love to discuss our value added, should you be interested.