This press release just hit the wire the past couple of days. Courtney Hill is going to be a fantastic President and Chairman of the Board for the MTConnect Institute. I honestly can not think of a better choice than Courtney Hill. I will do whatever Courtney asks to help him with the transition.
My concern, that I stated to the MTConnect Board of Directors and in my last blog post:
"It is very important for
the MTConnect Institute that the President and Chairman of the Board
have the time to take MTConnect to even greater heights. My hope is
that the next President and Chairman of the Board will have the support
needed to work full time as this is what is absolutely needed to take
MTConnect to the next level."
In the announcement below from the MTConnect Institute, it is stated, "Mr. Hill replaces David A. Edstrom, CEO/CTO Virtual Photons Electrons,
LLC. who has completed his term and is leaving the management team to
pursue development of MTConnect-related products and services in the
private sector, as well as supporting AMT’s MTInsight business intelligence platform and other projects."
Questions started to come in about this announcement and in anticipation of more questions by friends, MTCTAG members, manufacturers and family members that basically went, "well, which is it Dave - are you leaving because you believe that the next President and Chairman should be full time or you want to get into the MTConnect market?"
Let me be very clear. The number one reason I tendered my resignation is that the next President and Chairman of the Board for the MTConnect Institute absolutely needs to be a full time position. Today, it is a part time job. Having been in the computer industry for over 35 years, 23 years at the most innovative and standard creating company ever in mankind's history for the computer industry - Sun Microsystems - and having been President and Chairman of the Board for the MTConnect Institute since May 2010, and finally as the person who worked with Dr. David Patterson of University of California of Berkeley to lay out the foundation of MTConnect, I have a very good idea on what it takes to truly grow a successful standard.
Let me be very clear. The number one reason I tendered my resignation is that the next President and Chairman of the Board for the MTConnect Institute absolutely needs to be a full time position. Today, it is a part time job. Having been in the computer industry for over 35 years, 23 years at the most innovative and standard creating company ever in mankind's history for the computer industry - Sun Microsystems - and having been President and Chairman of the Board for the MTConnect Institute since May 2010, and finally as the person who worked with Dr. David Patterson of University of California of Berkeley to lay out the foundation of MTConnect, I have a very good idea on what it takes to truly grow a successful standard.
The secondary reason is that I do honestly believe the MTConnect market is prime for takeoff. There are a few companies that are really taking off and it is quite exciting! My company, Virtual Photons Electrons, I believe, can be a part of the commercial aspect of MTConnect and therefore contribute to the MTConnect standard.
In summary, the primary reason I resigned was I do not believe that anyone can do justice to the position of President and Chairman of the Board for the MTConnect Institute if it is part time and I personally felt ineffective doing the job part-time. I loved being President and Chairman of the Board for the MTConnect Institute, so this was a very difficult decision. The secondary reason is that I believe the business opportunity has never been better for those companies that can execute in the MTConnect marketplace. I believe Virtual Photons Electrons can be one of those companies.
For Immediate Release: October 31, 2013
Contact:
Paul Warndorf
Secretary
MTConnect Institute
MTConnect Institute Announces New Leadership Team
McLean, Va. … The MTConnect Institute, the developer and administrator of MTConnect, the open-source standard for communication and interconnectivity between manufacturing equipment and devices, has today announced its new leadership team, which will take effect at the Annual Meeting of the MTConnect Institute Board of Directors on December 11, 2013.
Courtney Hill, President, CJ Hill Consulting Services and retired General Manager, Manufacturing & Quality at GE Aviation, will become President and Chairman of the Board. Mr. Hill, who has been involved in the standard from its origins and most recently was the Chair of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), brings continuity and industry experience to the leadership of the Institute.
“I am gratified and honored for the opportunity to chair the MTConnect Board,” Mr. Hill commented. “With a long-held passion for advanced manufacturing technology, I've had the privilege of participating in the MTConnect journey since its launch and continue to be impressed by the results achieved by the entire MTConnect community. MTConnect is truly transformational and a key enabler to next generation digital manufacturing and sustained U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. The future of manufacturing and MTConnect is bright.”
Mr. Hill replaces David A. Edstrom, CEO/CTO Virtual Photons Electrons, LLC. who has completed his term and is leaving the management team to pursue development of MTConnect-related products and services in the private sector, as well as supporting AMT’s MTInsight business intelligence platform and other projects. Mr. Edstrom, author of the book “MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know,” which documents the development of the MTConnect standard, stated “It has been a highlight of my career to be involved in the development of MTConnect. This standard has truly contributed to the transformation of the manufacturing industry and individual manufacturing plants from an information-starved situation to an information rich position, which will allow future manufacturing decisions to be based on knowledge and data, not assumptions. I have enjoyed my tenure as President and Chairman of the Board and look forward to working with companies to take advantage of the MTConnect standard in their operations.”
Mr. Hill commented “On behalf of the entire MTConnect community, we would like to thank Dave for his tireless support of MTConnect and manufacturing and wish him well in his future plans; we know he will be in our community and continue to advance the standard in the future.”
Mr. Hill will be replaced as Chair of the TAG by Scott Hibbard, Vice President of Technology, Bosch Rexroth Corporation, who was previously Vice Chair.
Joining the MTConnect Board of Directors will be Thomas Kurfess – HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control and Professor Mechanical Engineering Georgia Tech. During 2012-2013 he was on leave serving as the Assistant Director for Advanced Manufacturing at the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President of the United States of America. In this position he had responsibility for engaging the Federal sector and the greater scientific community to identify possible areas for policy actions related to manufacturing. Mr. Kurfess was elected to a 3-year term on the Board.
The Institute also announced that Paul Warndorf , Vice President – Manufacturing Technology, AMT- The Association For Manufacturing Technology, will continue his role as Secretary MTConnect Institute for an additional 3-year term and Ralph Resnick, President & Executive Director, NCDMM – National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, will extend his position as Director MTConnect Institute for an additional 3-year term.
They join Douglas K. Woods, President, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, Treasurer MTConnect Institute; Brian J. Papke, President, Mazak Corporation and Dean Bartles, Vice President - Large Caliber Ammunition General Dynamics – Ordnance and Technical Systems, as members of the MTConnect Institute Board.
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MTConnect Institute
The MTConnect Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization established to further the development of the MTConnect standard and publish related materials. The organization includes a Board of Directors, a Technical Advisory Group that’s also called MTCTAG, a Technical Steering Committee, as well as various working groups to further the standard in specific technology areas.
How can I become a member?
Any company or organization can be a member and aid in furthering the development of the MTConnect standard by becoming a member of the MTCTAG. Membership is free, and it requires agreement to the MTConnect Intellectual Property Policy, which can be found on the MTConnect website’s “Institute” section.
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