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Employer Quotes
The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Engineering
They are talking about this topic: Industry Trends
The quotes below are about this issue:
The industry is experiencing a trend toward cost savings and efficiency through automation and other means. Additionally, there is movement from mechanical controls toward electronic controls.
| "We don't make a lot of one particular thing. So, when you talk about automation, automation at Company X may be running more product through the plant, it may be automation on a huge scale. In their scenario, automation helps with employee numbers. But, for us, we make a lot of very low number things. We've got equipment in 32 countries and 400 machines out there over 10 years, okay? So, our numbers are low, and you can't really do a lot with automation in our situation. We do what we can, but our situation is a little different." | Central |
| "We're always looking at efficiency, so we will automate when possible." | Central |
| "We see technology continuously changing; always trying to improve things. People want to be more efficient and more cost-effective, and they want to sell their product at a more competitive price." | Northwest |
| "About five years ago, we switched over to controls that are operated through a PLC program. They do specific things in the machines and perform certain operations. There is a cost to do that, but you can do a lot more with the motors and be more precise in your packaging. So, we're always asking, 'How do we get cost out of the machinery? How can we be more standardized?' It makes sense to do as much standardization as you can to take that cost out. So, you try to standardize as much as you can, but in our type of business, a lot of it has to be customized. But there are certain things that you can control as far as your motors and your PLCs. There are a lot of things you can do to control the cost there, but it is just an ongoing process. We've got a lot of these engineers, they want to design something, but they over-design it. Well, it doesn't need to be built like a fortress. You do cost-analysis or stress-analysis on parts and different things. Let's not over-build something because you're adding costs by doing that. We're always looking at that, too." | Northwest |
| "The direction we're trying to go in order to reduce cost to the municipality is to say that can we make a somewhat custom product—but let's make more than one so we can maybe modularize it—to maybe just change a few things. Then, you can get that product out faster. This idea of always engineering something completely unique each time is really kind of a waste. But, yet, there is a specifying engineer who says, 'Here's what I want.' You've got to look through all of the details to get what they actually want. Have we dealt with a control panel just like it before? Probably. So, you could use them more efficiently by modularizing them and saying, 'Okay, just buy this kind of module and then put them together.' It would save a lot of municipalities a lot of money. But that's not the way it's currently done. But maybe we'd like to drive the market in that direction. I think we could add value there; otherwise, you get all of these different companies that are trying to do everything unique. And, in the end, it is more costly." | Northwest |
| "We've been using more of the VFDs—the variable frequency drives. They are more energy efficient, and it is easier on the motors. I think we'll see a lot more of that, even in houses. I have my own VFD on my water well, which means I've got constant pressure; it just gives you a constant flow. It is much better on your well pump. So, if you have a whole bunch of sprinklers and you turn all of your sprinklers on, your water pressure stays the same. There are more applications for that, and it offers energy savings. Another example would be if they have a lift station somewhere in your area, it would be more energy efficient to have a VFD on that lift station." | Northwest |
| "We have a research and development department. We're always looking at ways to run our machines more efficiently because that is a cost savings to our customer, and it is environmentally friendly. We're always looking at ways that we can improve things." | Northwest |