you know how far you ran, how many calories you burned and whether you hit your targets.

But how can that be applied to automation? Lee has worked with numerous automation vendors, including Mitsubishi, Omron, Rockwell and Siemens to help them figure that out.

“A factory has a supply chain, a factory, sensors and so on. Anybody can follow the same path. You don’t need an MBA (Master of Business Administration) to follow that path. Don’t make controllers, because anyone can do that. Make devices that provide value-added services like tracking and reporting energy use and monitoring machine health and performance.”

One concept Lee is working on right now is evidence-based services. Rather than a product, this innovation is about delivery and billing, and offers the billing department economies of scale in exchange for risk. “I don’t sell you product. I sell you results, and at the end of the year, you give me a cut of what you save. You no longer compete in a product market.”

He agrees with Pinto and Gifford that things need to change. For example, he says that in the current manufacturing model, companies don’t talk to customers enough. However, “I don’t agree with all the negative things we are hearing. There is a lot of hope in manufacturing. We can change the whole world if we start thinking this way. I am very optimistic about America’s future.”

Innovation isn’t a luxury, says Pinto. “The companies that don’t innovate die. If your company is doing badly, then you are selling things people don’t want. It’s time to change that and start making new things.”

Before it’s too late.

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