don’t want to see it again.”

Cosman details one key consideration: the drawbacks of a team whose members come from organizations with differing levels of empowerment. One group might be task oriented, where people are told what to do. A second group might be individualistic or self-tasked. “When you put those two types of groups together, you will have problems,” he says.

He adds, “It helps that in our company, we have internal training as part of HR (Human Resources). One course focuses on creating strategic partnerships for mutual success, and if you are in engineering, it’s mandatory that you take it. It helps people realize that their success is connected to the success of their partners.”

Identifying a focused, yet meaningful, initial project can be a key enabler for ongoing collaboration among team members. Fraser notes, “You need to make sure you are fighting for something that matters. Create a solid set of requirements based on your business strategy, and create a focused program.”

She gives some examples: In a process industry, you might focus on how close you are to theoretical yields, or whether you are making margins, whether you are meeting market needs with production. In discrete manufacturing, this focus could well be on the pace at which new products make it to delivery. “If there is a longer ramp-up time to quality than you want, a delay of three or four weeks may put you past your window of opportunity,” Fraser points out.

MAKING THE MOVE

Though there are barriers and tough spots, many companies have successfully married corporate IT and automation. It takes some learning, but the most down-on-the-floor manufacturing team can learn enterprise perspectives. The most remote of IT departments can at least begin to get a sense of what transpires in manufacturing.

One key return, albeit soft, is pride. Says Santoriello: “We helped in a revolution that changed how a 100-year-old company makes its products. Everybody should be proud of that.”

And other returns can be pleasantly measurable. “Once the IT staff understands what you’re doing, they can lobby for you,” Fraser notes. “They’re already in the top office, and they have great success funding their systems—now it’s our turn to get some goodies.”

So, yes, business and engineering can work together.

For more information, search keyword “information technology” at www.automationworld.com.

See sidebar to this article: Uh-Oh, Isolation Is History