Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Thankless

It's almost Thanksgiving here in the United States, and we have so much to be thankful for!

Join us as we reflect on past guests and episodes for which we are grateful.  If you haven't had the opportunity to listen to elliTek's podcasts, this is a rundown of a few of our favorites.

We had the opportunity to do a crossover podcast with Lisa Richter of CSIA's Talking Industrial Automation podcast.  During this episode, you'll hear how Brandon got into automation, how elliTek began, and how elliTek has grown over the years.

Dave Rice with Datalogic joined us for "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Unsafe."  Dave has been in safety product sales for more than a decade, so it's safe to say that Dave knows safety!

Recently, Jon Fields with Yaskawa Motion & Drives and Peter Zafiro with LinMot joined the show to talk about supply chain issues and semiconductor chip shortages.  Listen to hear how their companies are navigating these disruptions, "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be In Short Supply."

Morgan Everett, Lead Mentor with Red Nation Robotics, was our special guest for "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Last."  You'll hear how building a robot in six weeks isn't the team's biggest challenge!

If you like welding -- robotic welding, you don't want to miss "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Boring." 

For automation in general, check out "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Manual."

ROI, return on investment, was much different pre-pandemic than it is now. Brandon breaks it down during "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be a Loss."

For more on ROI and robotic automation, go to "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Menial."

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was the topic for "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Untraceable."  If the Rule is passed and finalized, affected companies will have two years to meet the recordkeeping requirements.

Reach Out!  www.elliTek.com • (865) 409-1555

Transcript

Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Thankless

[00:00:00.130] - Brandon

Hey, everybody, this is Brandon Ellis with Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To. Today, we're going to be talking about being thankful. That's right. It's Thanksgiving here in the United States of America. And for those of you outside of the US, celebrate with us as we eat turkey. So, join us.

[00:00:16.630] - Brandon

Hello, everybody, and welcome to Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To. In case you're new to our program, I'm Brandon Ellis, and I'm your host and also the owner of elliTek. Before we start today's episode, I just want to ask that you consider hitting the follow button and the subscribe button depending upon the platform you're listing upon. Also, if you're listening on Apple podcast and you enjoy what you hear, please go to the show page and scroll to the bottom. Leave us a five-star rating and review. Now that we've got the marketing out of the way, I want to say thanks for tuning in. So, let's get started with today's episode.

[00:00:51.370] - Brandon

Hey, guys, welcome to the show today. Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To. I'm Brandon Ellis, your host, and I'm here with Miss Beth Elliott. Hey, Beth.

[00:00:58.270] - Beth

Hey, Brandon. How are you?

[00:00:59.830] - Brandon

I'm good. I'm feeling thankful.

[00:01:02.170] - Beth

Amen to that.

[00:01:03.190] - Brandon

Yes. And so, the reason is because we're just a few days from celebrating, in the United States, Thanksgiving, and I realize that's not celebrated globally.

[00:01:13.210] - Beth

No. But I think globally you can have something to be thankful for.

[00:01:17.890] - Brandon

That's right. So today we're going to have a bit of a short episode. Not that we're only shortly thankful. But we want to talk about kind of just a review of some of the shows that we've had and do a quick review on that. I want to thank some people. So go ahead and hit us with the title and we'll just started.

[00:01:34.090] - Beth

 Today's title is Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Thankless.

[00:01:40.150] - Brandon

That's right, and for those on video, Beth's doing her best Vanna White there. Thankless. And so the opposite, of course, the antonym of thankless is thankful. And so there's a couple of folks that I wanted to thank personally that have been part of the show during the last season, specifically some of our vendors. But some of our guests. And so the first one I want to thank is Lisa Richter with CSIA, and we did, what do you all call that cross cross crossover?

[00:02:10.090] - Beth

The crossover podcast. Yes. And their podcast is Talking Industrial Automation.

[00:02:14.290] - Brandon

That's right. And so, we did a crossover podcast for us it was Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be

[00:02:22.390] - Beth

Uncooperative

[00:02:23.350] - Brandon

That's right. Uncooperative. And so cooperative because we were cooperating with this crossover episode. So that's a bit of a marketing, I guess, term crossover. But it's really cool. So, thank you, Lisa, for allowing me to be a guest on your show. That was fantastic. And then, of course, thank you, Beth, for making that a show for our listeners as well.

[00:02:43.750] - Beth

Absolutely.

[00:02:44.410] - Brandon

So also, we did Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Unsafe.

[00:02:48.190] - Beth

Oh, yes, Dave Rice.

[00:02:49.510] - Brandon

Dave Rice with Datalogic. Of course, Dave was full of all kinds of knowledge. So, if you haven't checked that out, if you got safety concerns, safety considerations, Dave goes into some really interesting topics on that. You can scroll back and take a look at that. Again, that was episode eleven of season... No, I'm sorry. Episode, it's episode three of season two, I think.

[00:03:09.850] - Beth

Yes, I need to number those a little bit better.

[00:03:13.450] - Brandon

You see I'm looking at a cheat sheet. That's the 11th one we did total since season one. If you're scrolling down, it's going to be number eleven if you start season one. I use my podcasting, or I guess you call streaming app is the Amazon app.

[00:03:29.110] - Beth

Okay.

[00:03:29.950] - Brandon

No, that's not right. It's the Apple Podcast app.

[00:03:32.230] - Beth

Okay. Have you given the show a five-star rating and review yet?

[00:03:36.910] - Brandon

I have every time I can figure out how to do it. But yeah, so that was Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Unsafe. Some of the other stuff, most recently, we had Jon Fields with Yaskawa Motion and also Peter Zafiro with LinMot. Why were we talking to them?

[00:03:59.290] - Beth

Oh, supply chain issues.

[00:04:01.690] - Brandon

Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be in Short Supply. That's where we're talking about. That's really relevant, really trending right now. We're all looking at semiconductor chips. And, I almost said ships. I was going to say chips, I promise. And then I was going to thank my Mama. I made some references to a conversation that my mom and I had had during that episode about why don't we just make more chips? And so that's kind of what spurred that thought for me was that. So, thanks to my Mama. And so, she got a kick out of being part of that podcast. Let's see who else? Everett Morgan.

[00:04:44.830] - Beth

Yes. With the Red Nation Robotics.

[00:04:47.650] - Brandon

Red Nation Robotics, that's the FIRST Robotics group. It's part of Halls High School. And it's kind of a combination between Halls and Powell High Schools. But those students getting ready, rearing to go, because last season they didn't get to have it because of Covid because of the pandemic. But so far, it's looking like they're going to be next semester. So, coming, I guess, winter into spring, they'll be doing their competitions.

[00:05:16.390] - Beth

Maybe we could have Everett on again to talk about it. 

[00:05:19.750] - Brandon

Certainly. In fact, I've already spoken to him about that. But we revamped another toolbox for them. Put wheels on it. More wheels, got more wheels on their toolboxes, make them go in four directions, and that kind of stuff and had a real good time doing that. So, yeah, just shout out to Everett and those guys. Morgan Everett. I said, Everett Morgan. It's Morgan Everett. So, everybody knows him. He's Mr. Everett, and everybody over there calls him Everett.

[00:05:47.890] - Beth

Okay.

[00:05:48.610] - Brandon

And knows him as Everett. So, when I say, is Morgan here, they don't know who I'm talking, but he's a fantastic guy. And he probably would answer to anything as long as it's nice. I want to thank him for being involved. We want to get him involved again. The other thing I wanted to kind of make reference to was some of the topics, well, cool stuff that we were doing. So robotic welding.

[00:06:13.090] - Beth

Yes. That was cool.

[00:06:14.590] - Brandon

Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Boring. That's right. Because we were making fire and when you're making fire, nothing is much less exciting. So, we were welding with our collaborative robots, our Hanwha robots. And then, of course, also in the short supply video, the topic was not just talking about chips with my mom and talking with Jon and Peter, but the reason we were talking with Jon and Peter was because those products, the LinMot products and the Yaskawa products and also the Hanwha products are available.

[00:06:51.070] - Beth

Yes.

[00:06:51.490] - Brandon

They are not in short supply.

[00:06:54.490] - Beth

Those companies have managed their supplies well.

[00:06:58.210] - Brandon

Very, very well. And so, we wanted to get the word out about that just in general, because certainly we're partners with them in our trade region, but across the globe, these are global companies. And so, if you're looking for those kind of things, even if it's not on the spec list it can get your ox out of the ditch.

[00:07:18.250] - Beth

Get you out of a pickle. Ox of a ditch?

[00:07:24.350] - Brandon

So again, I want to talk about that. But we were talking about the Hanwha robots, and we were doing in "It Doesn't Have To... Be Boring" we were doing welding and welding is an exciting thing, but just robotic automation in general. We talked about how because of the labor shortage, robotic automation. But just again, automation in general. And that's where "It Doesn't Have To... Be Manual."

[00:07:49.130] - Beth

That's right.

[00:07:49.910] - Brandon

And so, we were looking forward just talking about some ways that you can go in and do that. And then "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be a Loss." I was talking about the ROI, the return on investment.

[00:08:03.710] - Beth

Especially with the Hanwha robots. 

[00:08:06.350] - Brandon

Yes. So those two episodes kind of go... They're not back-to-back in our list, but as far as if you're going in order. But they both are closely related. Again, "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Manual" and "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be a Loss." So, manual talking about good opportunities, things that you can find. And also "It Doesn't Have To... Be Menial" that was another one as well.

[00:08:26.270] - Beth

Yeah.

[00:08:26.930] - Brandon

So, menial meaning repetitive type task that can easily be automated and not for the point of removing labor.

[00:08:35.930] - Beth

It's reclassifying labor.

[00:08:38.090] - Brandon

That's right. And so, because there is a labor shortage, we are dealing with that. And I'm flipping back to the short supply when those chips get taken care of and they're available again, we still have the demand. The demand is very high. And so, there will be a correction there. So, automating now is a good time to prepare for that. I guess the last thing we haven't made reference to, and I wanted to and that was the very first episode of season two, "Industrial Automation - It Doesn't Have To... Be Untraceable," and you did all of that research on the FDA traceability requirements. And that is coming to be.

[00:09:21.450] - Beth

It's a big deal.

[00:09:22.470] - Brandon

Yeah. I can't remember. We are either in it or we are about to be in it as far. I think it was next year or maybe 2023.

[00:09:31.880] - Beth

I thought and I should have brushed up on this, but I thought it was already supposed to be implemented, but maybe not. I'll have to look at it. I'll put it in the show notes.

[00:09:43.210] - Brandon

But if you're in the food production world, in food type of manufacturing or

[00:09:51.970] - Beth

Pharmaceutical, too.

[00:09:53.650] - Brandon

And pharmaceutical

[00:09:54.250] - Beth

Cause you got to trace that, don't you?

[00:09:56.230] - Brandon

Well, the pharmaceutical is a little different. But the research that you did was specifically about food. And, I’m going to say farm to table, what I’m talking about from the time the farmer gets it out of the ground to the time it ends up on your plate the time it ends up on your plate, it has to be traced. And for foodborne illnesses and things of that nature, it's a requirement. It's not a suggestion. FDA some of those are suggestions as far as medical devices, but in the food, it is a requirement. And so that's what that was all about. So, it was our very first season two episode. "It Doesn't Have To... Be Untraceable." So, I thought those were some interesting episodes as I looked back over season two. We're into season three, and we talked a bit about season three as well. Short Supply, Boring, things of that nature. But those are some of the ones that jumped out at me.

[00:11:12.400] – Beth

All right.

[0011:13.400] – Brandon

So, what are you thankful for this season, Beth?

[00:11:17.300] – Beth

I'm thankful for my health.

[0011:18.900] – Brandon

Yeah.

[00:11:19.800] – Beth

I am thankful for my family.

[0011:21.800] – Brandon

Yeah, I need a glass.

[00:11:25.200] – Beth

I'm thankful for elliTek and the great team that we've got here.

[0011:30.800] – Brandon

We do have a fantastic team.

[00:11:31.600] – Beth

They're fun to work with. They're dedicated, passionate about what they do. And, yeah, I'm very thankful to be part of it.

[0011:39.800] – Brandon

I'll thankful that team as well. So that starts with you because you're here in the room. But Beth, Brian, Alan, Shawn, Julie, Joe, Todd, Timberlie. Am I missing anyone? Alan, I got Alan.

[00:11:56.100] – Beth

Ella

[0011:57.900] – Brandon

Ella the dog. Yeah. I'm happy for Ella. I'm thankful for the whole thing because as I get the opportunity as folks come by to visit our facility, to see our elliTek University training center, to see our shop and things of that nature, it's just so proud. I'm proud to show them what we're able to do. I just talk up our folks all the time and their capabilities. And so, every year, actually, every day, I'm pretty thankful for having those people in place and for their talents. And finally, I'm very thankful for our customers and our listeners for keeping the downloads going and keeping us going. It's been a fantastic season one, two and half of three. We're not finished with the season. It's just that this fell within a few days of Thanksgiving. And so, I just wanted to be thankful for you guys. So, thank you very much for all of the kind comments, the downloads. Even offline when I get to see you all, the nice things that you've said about stuff.

[00:13:06.800] – Beth

You know, I wouldn't mind if you've got even some criticisms, you can share.

[0013:15.100] – Brandon

I'll take that as well. But thankfully, it's been mainly positive as folks have listened. So, we've had a lot of kind things of saying I really got a lot out of that episode. I appreciate that topic, things of that nature. And I appreciate that as well. So, thank you for all you do to put this together.

[00:13:34.600] – Beth

Well, thank you for everything that you do behind the scenes.

[0013:37.900] – Brandon

Well, we've got the video, and I think this video is going to be we're betting that this thing is going to be good because we've had a couple of misfires on that, but we're getting it. And the most important thing is, I have a blast doing this with you.

[00:13:55.500] – Beth

Awesome. Me, too.

[0013:57.300] – Brandon

This is a lot of fun. So, guys, I want to wish you all very happy holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving. And we'll have more podcasts, and then we'll say Happy Christmas. But for right now, let's focus. If you're in the US or globally, focus on being thankful whether or not you're in the US, focus on eating well and spending time with family and have a very great day.

[00:14:22.000] – Beth

That's right.

[00:14:22.800] – Brandon

And then after Thanksgiving, when you're ready to look at some automation again, give us a call at 865-409-1555. Look us up online at www.elliTek.com. e-l-l-i-T-e-k.com. And then, of course, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

[00:14:42.600] – Beth

That's right.

[00:14:43.500] – Brandon

How did I do?

[00:14:44.500] – Beth

Perfect.

[00:14:45.100] – Brandon

All right. Remember, as Beth always encourages you to do, rate and review, give us five stars. Subscribe. Ring the Bell. All those kind of things that helps us to continue to move forward in our efforts to get out to the world and hopefully empower more and more people.

[00:15:03.900] – Beth

That's right.

[00:15:04.800] – Brandon

So, guys, thank you very much.

[00:15:07.200] – Beth

Happy Thanksgiving.

[00:15:08.200] – Brandon

Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving, Beth.

[00:15:10.600] – Beth

Same to you, Brandon.

[00:15:11.700] – Brandon

All right. We’ll see ya.