MTInsight Rolls Out Tomorrow

Tomorrow at 2pm eastern, MTInsight will be rolled out...

An Exciting Way To See Switzerland

John sent us these photos when he was "over" and when he "landed" in Switzerland :-)

Two Days Until MTInsight

Just two days until MTInsight will be rolled out.

Thanks Chris Edstrom and my Father - Two Tours of Duty - Memorial Day

My cousin Chris Edstrom has done two tours of duty in Iraq AND two tours of duty in Afghanistan.   My father did two tours of duty in Vietnam and is the world record holder for number of years with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). 

Chris and my father are just two of the many heroes we should thank today for their service to our country.

Corvette The Cat (Kitten Right Now)

I open my 16x12 shed that my father and I built a decade ago and I see the cutest little black kitten right in front of me.  I found some baby squirrels in my shed a month ago.  I found a 6' black snake last year.  I am used to finding things in my shed :-)  I immediately closed the shed door and went next door to Peter and Alice's house.  I knocked on the door and said, "this is your area of expertise, come with me".   We got the little kitten out and Alice came over.  Tim, Mike and Julie came out to check out the kitten as well.  I told Alice, "you can have it under one condition, you name him/her "Corvette".  Peter and Alice are experts in taking care of cats and kittens.  They also prefer black kittens/cats.    Corvette joined the other two kittens they have and the three cats.  The other two kittens are called Simba and Carmela.  They have six cats/kittens right now.  They are not sure if Simba and Carmela will stay, but Corvette will.  Initially, Peter and Alice said if Corvette was female, then the name could not remain Corvette.  I explained that the name Corvette came from a British ship and ships are female.  Also, cars are females - aka "she's my little deuce coupe".  Peter agreed :-)   Below is me feeding Corvette just at Peter and Alice's house.

Video - MTConnect Connecting Manufacturing Conference - [MC]2 2011

This is a video that was created to discuss the first ever Video - MTConnect Connecting Manufacturing Conference - [MC]2 2011

Different Devices, Common Connection

The MTConnect^® Institute is pleased to announce the first ever [MC]2 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference to be held on November 8-10, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, Ohio. This conference is aimed at promoting the benefits and implementation of MTConnect^®, as well as showcasing commercially available products utilizing the standard.

MTConnect is an open and royalty free protocol that is standardizing manufacturing connectivity and and allowing for much greater productivity.  More information on MTConnect can be found here. 

Who Should Attend:

MTConnect^® Institute Participants

Users

Equipment Suppliers

Software Developers

Distributors

ISVs

Integrators

Consultants

[MC]² will have both technical and business tracks. Technical tracks will have a heavy emphasis on the “hands-on” side of MTConnect, while the business tracks will emphasize quantifying increased productivity ROI.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Hotel Information:
Hyatt Regency Cincinnati

151 W Fifth St.

Cincinnati, OH 45202

Phone: 513-579-1234

Fax: 513-354-4079

Check in: 4:00pm

Check-out: 12:00pm

Guest Room Rate:

Single/Double $ 149 plus Tax

Triple $174 plus Tax

Reservations:

Hotel Reservations may be made, modified or canceled by individuals on-line at https://resweb.passkey.com/go/kafm. Individuals can also make reservations by calling Central Reservations at phone: 1-888-421-1442 and referring to MTConnect Connecting Manufacturing Conference.
The Hotel "cut-off-date" is 10/17/2011.

Mazak: HUGE Supporters of MTConnect

Mazak states the following on their MTConnect page:

"Mazak supports the MTConnect standard by providing all machines MTConnect prepped from the factory."

It is very impressive that ALL Mazaks are MTConnect prepped from the factory!

The MTConnect page by Mazak is the perfect example of how to layout all the information that a customer needs to know in order to enable MTConnect on a Mazak.


Brian Papke, President of Mazak USA, and Neil Desrosiers, Senior Programming Manager of Mazak USA, have both been a HUGE supporters of MTConnect and we THANK THEM BOTH!

John Edstrom Traveling Through Europe Summer of 2011

Joel Neidig Head of Technology at ITAMCO OSI/R Interview

The second guest on the OSI/Roundtable is Joel Neidig, Systems Engineer and Head of Technology for ITAMCO.


Joel is a real thought leader in manufacturing and the first person to write and MTConnect app for the iPhone and Android.  Joel also open sourced his work.  Joel Neidig is the type of person that gives me great hope for manufacturing because he is a young guy with deep expertise, vision and passion which means he has decades to keep innovating - which will be fun to watch.  This half hour interview covers:

• Why ITAMCO became involved with MTConnect
• How ITAMCO takes advantage of MTConnect to improve productivity by being able to monitor ITAMCO's machine tools anywhere, anytime on either an iPhone or an Android
• Why Joel wrote the iPhone and Android apps for MTConnect
• The steps involved in writing an MTConnect app for the iPhone and Android 
• The difference between DOM and SAX in writing an app
• What Joel will be teaching at the MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference November 8-10, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio
• The importance of open source and how others can help build upon Joel's great work!
• What the future holds for ITAMCO and MTConnect
• GO GET THE MTCONNECT APP TODAY! 

  

August 1955 at MIT - Numerical Control of Machine Tools

This is historic ashtray is in a glass case just outside the Executive Board Room at AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology.  This was created by Charles F. Carter, Jr., who was at MIT at the time and was also AMT's VP of Technology from 1990 to 2003.

Very cool! 

MTConnect in 2011 (on IMTSTV)

This video was recorded at the Manufacturing For Growth (MFG) Conference held in Phoenix of this year.   Penny DiCarlo of AMT does a GREAT job as an interviewer with IMTSTV and Diyana Hrzic does a GREAT job running the camera and doing all the editing.

This video has me discussing what is happening with MTConnect in 2011 as well as Brian Papke, President of Mazak, discussing the importance of MTConnect to Mazak.  Brian and Mazak have been HUGE supporters of MTConnect and are viewed as true thought leaders in manufacturing.

Jon Stewart Obliterates Bill O'Reilly

Jon Stewart went on Fox's Bill O'Reilly Show last night and completely obliterated the lack-O-logic of Fixed Noise's Bill O'Reilly who was complaining about the rapper Common going to the White House.  Fun to watch :-)  

A good friend of mine, Jim C. likes to say, "don't bring a knife to a gun fight."   When Bill O'Reilly tries to go after Jon Stewart in a debate, he needs to remember that phrase....

MTConnect at Mori-Seiki Innovation Days With Task Force Tips

Stewart McMillan, president of Task Force Tips, and I presented at Mori-Seiki Innovation Days in Hoffman Estates on May 4th.  It was  BIG success thanks to the great job Stewart did (I did ok too :-)  as well as Stewart's real life experiences in manufacturing and with MTConnect.  Below is a picture of Stewart and I in front of the MTConnect area.  Stewart recommended that EVERYONE should be investigating MTConnect and he is telling vendors he wants to have MTConnect on the manufacturing equipment he is purchasing going forward.  Stewart and I share many things in common include one of the first users of Xenix back in the very early 1980s.

One of Task Force Tips claim to fame is that it was their nozzle that was THE benchmark for AutoCAD back in the day.  I remember running AutoCAD benchmarks on Sun's 386i comparing SunOS versus Windoze.  Below is from Stewart's presentation.

Below is a snippet from an article in Today's Machining World:

DMG / Mori Seiki USA Announces Innovation Days 2011 at Chicago Headquarters & Technical Center on May 3‐5

By Vincent on March 21, 2011

Chicago, Illinois, March 17, 2011 – DMG / Mori Seiki USA has announced the annual Innovation Days event will takeplace at the company’s Headquarters and Chicago Technical Center on May 3 – 5, 2011 where progressive machine technology will collide with the latest tooling, automation, software, training and application strategies. Manufacturers will have the opportunity to experience everything needed to stay at the forefront of manufacturing ‐ all in one place. This once‐yearly event gives machine tool users access to over thirty live cutting demonstrations and dozens of engineers specializing in advanced machining solutions.  Technical seminars at the three‐day event will be presented byindustry experts and span several productivity‐boosting topics including: Expanding Production, Shop Floor Networking & Communication, Machine Tools for the Future, Practical Strategies for Reducing Set Up Times and Laser and Ultrasonic Use In New Markets.

Above and below is inside Mori-Seiki's incredible demonstration hall.

Above is the MTConnect roll out poster that Paul Warndorf said, "Dave, if you lose this, do not come back from Chicago!" :-)

Above is a great example of the size of some of the items being created at the show.  The water bottle gives it perspective.  Below is a gear that you do not want to screw up when making it :-)

Below is Athulan from System Insights discussing their MTConnect product, Vimana, with a prospect. Athulan said it was a great show for their company.

Above is a short video of a machine tool making a part.  This shows the size of this particular DMG machine tool.

The piece you see being made here is about five in diameter.

Bryce Harper at Hagerstown Suns Game

At 5 minutes before 5 last Thursday, I told Julie and Tim to jump in the van because we were going up to see the Nat's hitting sensation Bryce Harper, who is all of 18 years old, play that night for the Hagerstown Suns.  I ordered the 2nd row VIP seats behind third base for $11 EACH.  It was "Thirsty Thursday Night" so beers were $1 each.  I bought some beers for the other folks in our row when I went out and was fairly popular guy after that :-)   It was perfect weather and seeing Bryce Harper up and close will be something that Tim will likely be telling his kids about some day.   Three tickets in the 2nd row, brats, sodas, beer, and popcorn all for below $60 is awfully hard to beat....

The True ROI of the [MC]2 Conference

The True ROI of the [MC]2 Conference

MTConnect®: Connecting Manufacturing Conference

May 11, 2011

I Wrote This Article For The May 2011 IMTS Insider

Last month, I announced the [MC]2 MTConnect®: Connecting Manufacturing Conference with a call for papers. These papers are what we will use to determine the technical and business sessions. [MC]2 will be held on Nov. 8-10 in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Hyatt Regency.

[MC]2 will have technical and business tracks, as well as general sessions to discuss all things MTConnect. The technical tracks will have subject matter experts leading hands-on labs for software developers to learn about MTConnect at both the machine side, as well as the application level. The business tracks will feature discussions from manufacturing business leaders that will benefit everyone from plant floor employees to C-level executives in better understanding how MTConnect improves productivity throughout the plant. The general sessions will feature discussions about what the future will hold for increasing manufacturing in an open world where data is king.

I have attended countless IT conferences and a few manufacturing conferences over the last three decades. A question that everyone asks before they decide to invest both their time and money in either speaking at or attending a conference is to determine the ROI for them from two perspectives:

From a company perspective, does this make sense for my company to invest their money and my time to attend this conference? In other words: What new skills will I learn to help me in my job?  From a personal perspective: How will this help my resume? That includes getting to the next level at the prospective attendee's current company, or perhaps getting a new job at a different company.

I would argue that these two perspectives are missing the true ROI for both the company as well as the individual attending a conference such as [MC]2. The true ROI is not just what happens during the business, technical or general sessions, but what happens before, between and after those sessions in the hallways, the breaks, the restaurants and the bars. It is those impromptu conversations and meetings where you meet folks who are doing the same thing you are trying to do but have a different approach. It is these discussions that cause you to think differently and ask questions that you would have never thought of prior to the conference. Those individuals who you meet and then continue to have ongoing conversations with beyond the event are absolutely priceless. It is meeting customers in a setting where you are both searching for creative solutions that can be the petri dish for future collaborations. It is grabbing the speaker of a session and going out for lunch together to discuss some of the finer points of the session. It is the suggestion from another attendee to check out some open source software that your company could use to save tens of thousands of dollars. It is adding lots of new contacts that will save you time and your company money when you run into future challenges.

The next time you are considering attending a conference such as [MC]2, remember that the true ROI is not just the sessions, it is who you meet, what you learn, the relationships you create during impromptu conversations and meetings.

Whether you are technical or on the business side of manufacturing, [MC]2 is a MUST-ATTEND event in 2011! Check out http://MTConnect.org/MC2 for more information!

Dave Edstrom
Director, The Office of Strategic Innovation
AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology

Spike and Photon Wresting

Spike is going to be 13 in a few months, so when he decided to wrestle with Photon who is 7, I thought I better capture this on my iPhone.

Thanks Gary Williams - 22 Years as Basketball Coach of UMD

University of Maryland basketball has been my favorite college basketball team since I first saw Brad Davis as a point guard back for the Terps in the early 1970s do a look-away, fake behind the back pass, turn into a shovel pass on a fastbreak.

It was cemented when Albert King went to Maryland.  This was after I read my favorite sports book of all time:  Heaven Is A Playground

Mike Wise of the Washington Post wrote a great article on Gary Williams.  Below is the story that everyone in basketball knows about Gary Williams as told by Mike Wise:

When I asked Gary a year ago whether Greivis Vasquez and the grit and resilience of his 2008-09 team helped saved his job by improbably getting to the NCAA tournament after being all but counted out in early February, he laughed and said, “The guy who first saved my job was Walt Williams. He didn’t have to stay at Maryland after everything that happened before I got there. But he did. And I’ll never be able to thank him enough.”

Recounted often is how Gary Williams took his alma mater, reeling from tragedy and NCAA probation, to the national title in 2002. What people forget is, he left a very good job at Ohio State to do it, gambling on his future in what many perceived as not a lateral move but an actual step down the coaching ladder.

Lefty Driesell’s storied program of John Lucas, Buck Williams, Tom McMillen, Len Elmore and Adrian Branch was reduced to rubble after Len Bias, one of the greatest players in the history of college basketball, died in a cocaine overdose on campus less than two days after he was drafted into the NBA. Maryland was floundering after Lefty resigned, and Bob Wade tried to cheat his way back.

 No basketball coach was more intense than Gary Williams.   Gary was intense, but a good guy.  He was not an intense a$$hole like some coaches.   He never cheated and he inherited a mess from the previous coach Bob Wade.  The highlight was UMD winning the NCAA Championship in 2002.

Fear The Turtle! :-)

Thanks Gary

To Kill A Mockingturd

No one does it better than Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.   This episode on the killing of Osama bin Laden is classic.

Athulan and Woz

I ran into Dr. Athulan Vijayaraghavan, CTO of System Insights, at DMG Mori-Seiki Innovation Days here in Hoffman Estates just outside of Chicago.  Athulan was pretty excited on who he met on the flight in - Steve Wozniak.   Athulan said Steve Wosniak could not have been more gracious or nice.   That is what everyone says who has ever dealt with Woz.  Go ahead and try to figure out his phone number as he challenged Athulan to do :-)

Congrats Michael and John Edstrom - Arrested Development Trivia

Congratulations to John and Michael Edstrom who won the trivia contest at Hokie House for Arrested Development Trivia Night on Saturday April 30th.

At least the 35 grand I am dropping per year for both of my oldest two sons at Virginia Tech is going to good use :-)