PAS Musings

Second Life for our Industry?

On a recent drive into downtown Houston with Eddie (Founder & CEO of PAS), we mused about the traffic and why so many humans in the western world drive extended distances to work each and every day.

If we had it to do all over again – from scratch – would we build downtown core areas, far-flung suburbs and enormous freeways to move each individual in metal cocoons that we call cars?

Like developing countries putting in cellphone networks in place of copper wire, wouldn’t we also use technology to come up with a new solution?

What would that solution look like?  And could we get there from here? 

>> Our quick consensus was likely not, since the human race already has so much invested in the automotive, petroleum and construction industries…  besides, we believe that we need to see each other face-to-face and in the flesh to do business effectively, right?)

After a few minutes, our conversation led to the topic of the Second Life virtual world.

If you’ve never heard of Second Life, you’re not alone…

In a nutshell, Second Life is a virtual world created by a company in California (where else, right?) in which people take on a virtual persona to socialize and transact business – in real dollars. 

Read more here...

Wikipedia on Second Life

Second Life’s first millionaire “resident”…

IBM and CISCO jump in…

But, let’s go back to how the Second Life might change EVERYONE”s idea about telecommuting….

Companies could have their own Second Life domains, with employees checking in to the virtual world much like they come to the office.  Enhance the user tools to provide a stronger platform for business, add in a good dose of videoconferencing, and today’s notion of telecommuting looks as archaic as the horse and buggy!

Is it possible that a private virtual corporate worlds could come to pass for daily business use?  Entertainment – which is Second Life’s primary function today – does have a way of leading reality…

But why blog about virtual worlds and the like?  Because the likely most important attribute for corporate success is our ability to change.

As our natural resources diminish, change is necessary.

As our technical talent resigns, change is key.

As a new generation takes over the operation of our chemical plants, power plants and oil refineries, there is no way that the same-old same-old ways will lead to any form of success.

So change is an imperative.

And change means new ways of working, new ways of using technology.

In the future, that may mean a Second Life type of approach.

But today, that means adopting automated alarm management solutions like AMO-Rt, and knowledge/collaboration solutions like Integrity.

At PAS, we struggle with change like every other company on the planet.  Our advantage in the process industries, however, is that we are not tied down by plant and equipment in the same way as our colleagues at manufacturing sites.

So we constantly look for new opportunities – new ways of working – new ways to use technology.

Is there a Second Life for the process industries? 

You bet. 

And at PAS, we’re proud to be both looking for those opportunities and developing them into solutions that can make a difference.

Join us in making a difference, won't you?

© Copyright PAS 2007.  No part of this blog is to be copied in full or in part without the express written permission of PAS; but references and web links are more than OK!

ExperSchlock Part II

A few weeks back, I wrote about the geniuses at Expertune and their “consumer Report” style of software analysis.  Click here to read that

In that posting, I shared how they compared the PAS ControlWizard product to the tool that they sell.

Apparently, they like making charts like this and crank them out on whatever basis they feel the customer will believe.

Are they really so naïve? 

You be the judge…  and have a chuckle at Miss Piggy's observation down below!!

An unnamed reader sent me the other comparison charts that the marketing geniuses over at ExperSchlock have generated.

Rather than writing about it, I’ll reproduce the miniature versions of these “reports”.  Now you can see for yourself.

Here’s one on a company I never even heard of…

But look!  It’s shorter than this next report on another small company…

Hmmm… how can a benchmark comparison take a different approach with a different set of criteria for different vendors??? 

Something fishy here… especially since the “other guys” are all scoring badly compared to the benchmark product.

And then, here are the reports on AspenTech and Matrikon – I won’t say which is which, but notice that these are bigger yet and also vary in the number of comparison metrics used.  What happened to good engineering with unbiased reporting?

Did you notice how everyone else’s product scores almost all red?  I wonder about that…  

As Miss Piggy once said... “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…”  (for a good laugh go read the rest of the quote and get the true meaning!)

And then, rounding out the list of “comparisons” are two “reports” – one on PAS ControlWizard and one on PAS TuneWizard…

Now before I show you these, tell me who do you think the ExperSchlockies are most worried about…?

They sure seem to have a lot to say about PAS… and I guess that all that airtime (report length) is their indication that we have the best product?!?

I think so – but don’t take my word, or that of Expertune.  Check it out for yourself.  Want details on how to do that?  Click here to contact me.

Here's the ControlWizard chart...

and that for TuneWizard...

 

© Copyright PAS 2007 (except for the "reports" which presumably belong to Expertune).  No part of this blog is to be copied in full or in part without the express written permission of PAS; but references and web links are more than OK!

Commute Hassle

I normally try to write a blog posting on my Sunday evening flight – but today’s flight just has a bit too much delay for me…

The good news is that I have SIX MORE ROUNDTRIPS and my 100,000 mile commute is over!

I can hardly wait.

Watch for an ExpertSchlock Part II posting later this week.

Missed Part I? Click here to read that.

© Copyright PAS 2007.  No part of this blog is to be copied in full or in part without the express written permission of PAS; but references and web links are more than OK!

Remembering Chris Uehlinger

This special guest posting is provided by Eddie Habibi, Founder and CEO of PAS and best friends with Chris Uehlinger, the man whose shoes I am honored to fill. 

Many of you will know Chris, and on this the second anniversary of his sudden and tragic death it is appropriate that we join Eddie in remembering him.

- - - -

Friday, July 20, 2007 marks the second anniversary of the tragic and unexpected death of Chris Uehlinger, one of PAS’ best. Chris was a visionary leader, a highly talented engineer, a generous humanitarian, and a genuine friend with a great sense of humor.  Chris was 49 at the time of his death. 

Memories of Chris are alive and well here at PAS.  A day hardly goes by without someone remembering his legacy.  Chris left an enormous impression with everyone he touched. 

Chris joined PAS in 2000 as a managing partner and vice president.  During his five years with us, Chris assumed just about every leadership responsibility in the company including sales, marketing, projects, development, customer care, and quality assurance.  In 2005, Chris took the role of President and Chief Operating Officer.  During his tenure at PAS, Chris was instrumental in our significant growth. He always focused on exceeding customers’ expectations and motivated others to do the same.

Chris was also a fantastic communicator. He had a unique ability to understand complex concepts, and then articulate them concisely and clearly to others.  Chris believed in people’s ability to grow and achieve great feats. Throughout his career, Chris led by example and provided guidance and mentorship to many individuals who later became successful business leaders.

Chris had a great sense of humor, which was contagious.  His humor helped make many business challenges actually enjoyable and fun. 

Chris devoted his life to his family.  He was a catalyst that glued the family together despite the physical separations that today’s life dictates.  In fact, Chris had traveled to Corpus Christi, TX to visit his mother on the day he died.  He had gone out for a run when his heart failed and he collapsed.  That was Chris’s last mile.

We are thankful that Chris brought his talent and unbridled passion for excellence to PAS and to our personal lives.  There is much to learn in the way Chris lived.  The more enduring lesson for me is to live life to its fullest; laugh and make others laugh, give more than anyone expects, and settle for nothing but excellence. 

He will not be forgotten.

To view comments about Chris or to add your own comments, please visit In Memory of Chris Uehlinger.

- Eddie Habibi

Dirk Willard Knew!!

The Alarm Management Handbook is now in its SIXTH printing.

This says two things.

1)     The book is good. 

      REAL GOOD.

2)     The sales we forecast for the book are low. 

      WAY TOO LOW.

In addition, the book’s ISA twin, “Alarm Management: Seven Effective Methods for Optimum Performance” is also selling well – a pleasure to both the ISA and PAS.

But this posting is not about the book – there’s plenty of others about that – click here or here or here.

This posting is about a real-life action figure hero.

This posting is about Dirk Willard.

Dirk is a practicing chemical engineer (hurray! – the world needs more of these – but more on that at another time) and is also a freelance editor for Chemical Processing magazine, writing Field Notes and developing engineering puzzles for the Puzzler column.

In short, Dirk is an engineer’s engineer with 25 years of experience in the business.

As a technical expert who can write, Dirk is also a frequent reviewer on the book scene, having reviewed about ONE HUNDRED books on Amazon.com alone.

Dirk gave our book FIVE STARS. His opening paragraph says it all…

If this book is not on your shelf and you've been told to cut down on the nuisance alarms or else --- start looking for a new job!

I guess our sales forecasts for the book would have been a whole lot better if we had taken his review more seriously....

Haven't seen or read his review?  Click here to read it. 

Thank you Dirk!

Don't have a copy of the book yet?  Click here to get one now.

You’ll be glad you did.

© Copyright PAS 2007.  No part of this blog is to be copied in full or in part without the express written permission of PAS; but references and web links are more than OK!

Commitment...

This week, I’m on vacation.

And, as far as vacations go it’s a flop.

We’re supposed to spend 10 glorious days camping on the beach in southern California, but instead here I am playing nurse to my wife and daughter at home.

Remember, I’m a beach nut (see prior blog), and so the idea of spending my hard-earned vacation in Phoenix where the temperatures have been up around 115F (46C) just a few days ago, is not my idea of fun.

But it has to do with commitment.

Nearly 30 years ago, I made a commitment to take care of my wife and family and stick with them through thick and thin, in sickness and in health.  << I might have committed to a beach vacation every year too, but that part never appeared in my marriage vows or those of my wife.  Too bad! >>

So instead of beaching it this holiday, here I am in the desert taking care of my lovely bride after her minor “outpatient procedure” – the medical professionals sure have nice words for nasty knife-wielding tactics, don’t they?

And, since my wife had already planned for me to be here taking care of her, she scheduled my daughter to have her wisdom teeth removed in the same week… maybe so she won’t be too “wise” when she gets to college…?

So here I am playing nurse – changing bandages, replacing gauze, cleaning drainage tubes, and all the things that medical students love but engineers generally shun.

And, on top of that, I’m playing grocery shopper, housekeeper, pool man, chef, laundry man and everything else that goes on behind the scenes for a man blessed with as wonderful a spouse as mine.

Wow – all this stuff is hard work!!  And I hardly have time to keep up with email, much less write a blog.

All in the name of commitment.

Just like I’m committed to PAS. 

And to writing this blog.

Commitment is one of the great qualities that I look for in all of the people at PAS.

All too often, people are in it for ourselves.  And this is especially true in the USA, where many look for the fastest dollar, the best promotion, the best opportunity for one’s self.

Now I won’t say that the people at PAS don’t want the best for themselves, but as a culture, we want to commit to providing the best for our customers.

The best product.

The best service.

The best attitude.

We are committed to that.

I’ll confess we may not always get it right, or even have it right in all areas yet.

But we will get there.

Because I am committed. 

Because Eddie is committed.

And as the leadership goes, so goes the company.

Over time, our commitments will pay off – for our customers and our staff.

We’re on to some great things – but if we’re missing anything, let me know!

© Copyright PAS 2007.  No part of this blog is to be copied in full or in part without the express written permission of PAS; but references and web links are more than OK!

ExperSchlock-NeoTune?

Good engineers make good software.  PAS, OSIsoft, and others make this point.

Mediocre engineers can crank out mediocre software.  No names mentioned.

But, with rare exception, almost all engineers make bad marketers.

Remember the world of Advanced Process Control?  In that market, engineers reduced the selling process to a feature:function comparison, driving prices lower and lower. This, in turn, drove away the high talent, stifled innovation and reduced customer benefit.

An interesting case study of how an entire niche market suffered tremendously from bad marketing. 

I know – I was there!

And this kind of bad marketing continues today.

Our engineer friend over at small company ExperTune (they do control loop tuning software, in case you haven’t heard of them), have constructed a comparison chart that would make the folks at ConsumerReports roll over.

I guess they expect customers to believe that this feature:function comparison of their product with ControlWizard is unbiased and accurate…

Their comparison chart is shown in miniature to the left and at www.expertune.com/controlwizard.html.

This chart is like Hyundai marketeers comparing their 2007 Hyundai Elantra to the 1988 Toyota Camry.

 

The newer Elantra has airbags, the older Camry does not.

The newer Elantra has anti-lock brakes, the older Camry not.

But a comparison like that is almost worthless - especially if it is promoted by Hyundai themselves...

And, although some companies may like comparing their latest and greatest to someone else's 1988 model, that doesn't really give the true picture for 2007 - where Toyota far outranks Hyundai. 

Maybe the ExperSchlock Marketing Company thinks that their target market is not smart enough to figure this out….

But all bad marketing eventually leads to bad results. 

Caveat Emptor – once you buy it, it’s yours.

Especially when anyone shows you a “comparison” chart that looks so imbalanced.

…

By the way, hopefully the folks at ExperTune are embarrassed enough to pull down their “comparison” chart and retain some credibility.  But if you have a copy of their chart and want input on how our product really measures up, drop me an email.

...

© Copyright PAS 2007.  No part of this blog is to be copied in full or in part without the express written permission of PAS; but references and web links are more than OK!