Last weekend, I attended the 15th annual Control Systems Integrators Association (CSIA) Conference in Savannah, Georgia. Patti Engineering staff has attended 12 of these conferences missing only one since 1996. The organization was started with a monthly newsletter prepared by Charlie Bergman in 1989 that targeted control systems integration (CSI) companies. Charlie, who retired from Bailey Controls, organized a conference with about a dozen companies in 1994 at Wrightsville Beach, NC. The 2008 conference had more than 150 companies represented as the organization has grown in excess of 325 companies.

The conference is a great way to remove yourself from the day-to-day operations and take a 30,000 foot view of your company. Some people are hesitant to go to the conference, feeling that they will lose a competitive advantage by talking to their competition. I look at it as talking with my peers.

There are enough industries and niches that there is plenty of CSI work out there. At one time, controls were used strictly in manufacturing facilities, but now you see application of control systems in amusement parks, farms, libraries, police departments, distribution centers, municipal systems and energy management. Add to this, the line between I/O electrical controls and information systems has blurred.

In 1997, the CSIA released the “Best Practices and Benchmarks” publication. In 2001, the CSIA started auditing companies against this standard to verify that its certified member companies are implementing these best practices. Patti Engineering was one of the early CSIA companies to be certified and were recertified in 2006 (CSIA requires recertification every 3 years).

CSIA has also been particularly helpful with our insurance and legal matters. For insurance, the CSIA has pooled about 70 members to a common broker and carrier. This has helped ensure that the member companies are properly insured. In the legal realm, Mark Voigtmann, of Baker Daniels, has given a great presentation at each annual conference and offered many companies (including Patti Engineering) outstanding legal advice. He has helped the membership with many terms, conditions, and contract issues.

I look forward to the 2009 conference in Naples, Florida so I can catch up with all my peers who face the same challenges as Patti Engineering. I also look forward to the great list of speakers that will be invited. The CSIA is helping to raise the bar for the control systems integration field.

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