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Toasting 2013 - The Patti Engineering Team Celebrates with Clients, Partners and Friends

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 by gwhalen

patti-eng-open-house

Last month, Patti Engineering celebrated our Control Engineering 2013 System Integrator of the Year award at an open house hosted in our home office in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Thank you to all our many clients, partners and friends who attended to help our team celebrate! Below is our video from the big event. Cheers to a fantastic 2013! Hats off to our dynamic engineering team! Their dedication and hard work earned us this prestigious automation industry recognition.

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Patti Engineering Achieves CSIA Certification for the Fourth Consecutive Time

Thursday, December 13th, 2012 by gwhalen

Contact:
Georgia H. Whalen
gwhalen@PattiEng.com
(978) 697-2664

csia_tallPatti Engineering Achieves CSIA Certification for the Fourth Consecutive Time

CSIA Certifies Patti Engineering as Comprehensive Professional Control Systems Integrator

Auburn Hills, MI – December 12, 2012 – Patti Engineering, Inc., a leader in control systems integration, today announced it has successfully renewed its Control Systems Integrators Association (CSIA) Certification. This is the fourth consecutive time Patti Engineering has passed the CSIA audit, which is valid for three years.

Known as the gold-seal mark of a professionally managed control system integration business, the comprehensive CSIA Certification provides assurance to integrator customers in the areas of professional services, business management, financial management, human resources, project management capabilities and more.

“I congratulate Patti Engineering on successfully passing the audit for recertification. This is no easy task and I commend all of the employees who contributed to and participated in this accomplishment,” said Robert Lowe, executive director of the CSIA. “We appreciate Patti Engineering’s continued commitment to the CSIA Certification program which is raising the professionalism of the control systems integration industry.”

The CSIA audit consists of 76 criteria necessary for operating a top of the line control systems integration company. Each company that passes the certification follows a set of CSIA best practices with 300 guidelines including disaster recovery, system backup and internal quality plans.

“Passing the CSIA certification audit for the fourth time is further demonstration of Patti Engineering’s commitment to achieving success across all aspects of our business and client work,” said Sam Hoff, president of Patti Engineering. “CSIA prides itself on having members apply specific industry expertise to a widespread set of client objectives in a professional manner and we’re honored to be a part of that group.”

Resources:
•    Patti Engineering, Inc.
•    Patti Engineering Blog
•    Patti Engineering on Facebook
•    Patti Engineering on Twitter

About Patti Engineering, Inc.
Founded in 1991, Patti Engineering, Inc. is a CSIA Certified control systems integration company based in Auburn Hills, MI with offices in Massachusetts and Texas. Patti Engineering’s technical expertise provides turnkey control systems integration services for design/build, upgrade/retrofit and asset/energy management projects; including project management, electrical engineering, hardware design, hardware procurement, software development, installation, calibration, start-up testing, verification, documentation, training and warranty support. Patti Engineering solutions are used in manufacturing facilities, retail distribution, municipalities, food industry, libraries, law enforcement, military, ice arenas and college/universities. Visit the Patti Engineering website at http://www.pattieng.com/ and find us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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The State of US Critical Infrastructure Control Systems

Monday, October 22nd, 2012 by gwhalen

Just over a week ago, the United States’ Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave a speech to business executives in New York City, sharing the government’s knowledge of “specific instances where intruders have successfully gained access to these control systems. We also know that they are seeking to create advanced tools to attack these systems and cause panic and destruction and even the loss of life.”

To instill the severity of the situation amongst attendees and citizens who would later hear of his cautioning across the country, Panetta confirmed several recent attacks against energy companies – including the use of an advanced, sophisticated virus attack that destroyed 30,000 computers owned by a large and well known oil company, Aramco.

Malicious software is not a new threat to industrial control systems. In fact, an extremely sophisticated computer worm named Stuxnet – that spreads via Microsoft Windows and targets Siemens industrial software and equipment – made headlines this summer for its ability to cripple a plant floor. This unusual and highly specialized malware attacked floor level control systems, which some analysts refer to as a form of corporate espionage.

The Stuxnet virus opened the eyes of our leadership team, our engineers, and our customers. With the rise of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and the increase in IT-based devices in industrial settings, security has risen from a fundamental requirement to an unparalleled concern. The standard methods of protection from hackers are just not keeping up with the pace that technologies targeted have evolved. Unfortunately, the industrial environment is still largely vulnerable.

There is a growing contingent of hackers across the globe that find opportunity and seek potential “pay days” by taking out competition, or making a statement against certain corporations. In fact, up to 80% of the Stuxnet virus infections were collateral damage, not the actual intended target. Now is the time to take a look your “defense in depth” strategy for IT security in your industrial environment, before it’s too late.
While the current state and security of control systems at each and every one of Patti Engineering’s customers may not be as imperative as that of the US critical infrastructure – and may not result in as treacherous an outcome for our country if breached – it is crucial that all systems are installed properly and run accurately. From asset/energy management, product distribution, manufacturing plants, to automation projects and more, it’s vital that productivity and efficiency of all systems are maintained. That’s how you comply with proper business practices and ensure profitability for the company.

As always, we’d love to hear from you. Are you concerned about the state and safety of the most critical US control systems? Are you confident in the security of your control systems? Please contact us if you would like us to conduct an evaluation of your systems to identify any potential security issues.

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Mergers and Acquisitions Driving Current Wave of Automation Upgrades

Thursday, October 18th, 2012 by gwhalen

csia_tallPatti Engineering is a CSIA Certified Control System Integrator and one of our areas of expertise is automation upgrades and retrofits. Earlier this month, the Controls System Integration Association (CSIA) published the following industry news regarding automation upgrades.

For Immediate Release

Contact
Julie Gaier
262-786-5970
julie@trg-marketing.com

Mergers and Acquisitions Driving Current Wave of Automation Upgrades

MADISON, Wis. – More clients served by industrial automation are integrating automation equipment from several different vendors. This follows a third straight year of increased activity in mergers and acquisitions in North America. Members of the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) specialize in combining processes to ensure that those systems function properly.

“Our CSIA members are increasingly providing solutions to clients involved in mergers and acquisitions,” says Bob Lowe, executive director of the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA). “It’s the technology—what we call business intelligence—that our members help plan and implement for their clients so they can enjoy greater understanding and peace of mind.”

A 2012 survey conducted by Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries shows close to half of the business executives queried expect an upsurge in mergers and acquisitions. Higher growth is forecast in manufacturing where 62 percent of business leaders believe the number of M&A transactions will climb through 2014.  Increased opportunities in emerging markets are credited for advancing this trend.

Lowe adds that during mergers and acquisitions, automation initiatives result in system consolidations, waste reduction and improved yields. In addition, companies are increasingly realizing the value of control system integration because they want to manage the risk associated with multiple automation systems.

“Directors of quality, plant superintendents and many others are discovering that automation upgrades provided by CSIA are necessary to compete,” explains Lowe. “Integrated automation systems make them more accountable to their customers and can help drive cost out of their product.”

Control system integrators provide best practice solutions through general management, quality assurance management, system development lifecycle, and service and support. To find an experienced control system integrator or to learn more about CSIA, visit www.controlsys.org.

About CSIA
Founded in 1994, the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) is a not-for-profit, global professional association for control system integration companies. Control system integrators use their engineering, technical and business skills to help manufacturers and others automate their industrial equipment and systems. CSIA members provide a range of services in dozens of industries.

Headquartered in Madison, Wis., U.S., CSIA’s mission is to advance control system integration for the success of members and their clients.  CSIA helps members improve their business skills, provides a forum to share industry expertise, and promotes the benefits of hiring a certified control system integrator. CSIA has more than 400 members in 27 countries.

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Patti Engineering Builds Oil Technology Experience through Relationship with AWC

Wednesday, September 19th, 2012 by gwhalen

Contact:
Georgia H. Whalen
gwhalen@PattiEng.com
(978) 697-2664

Patti Engineering Builds Oil Technology Experience through Relationship with AWC

Business in Texas is Booming due to Strength of Engineering Team, AWC Partnership and Cutting Edge Oil Drilling Technology Projects

Auburn Hills, MI – September 19, 2012 – Patti Engineering, Inc., a leader in control systems integration, today announced continued growth in their relationship with AWC, a leading automation supplier and distributor of Siemens automation products. AWC and Patti Engineering continue to team up to work with global oil well equipment manufacturers; supporting the design and implementation of complex automated drilling technology projects.

Patti Engineering is a certified Siemens Automation Solution Partner with exceptional Siemens experience and expertise, putting them at the forefront of automation in cutting edge oil drilling technology. The unique skill set found among the team of engineers at Patti Engineering allows them to assist with the development of innovative auto drilling technology. At the recommendation of AWC, Patti Engineering was hired to implement Siemens hardware into a drilling solutions provider’s theoretical design that had previously failed using other technology. Patti Engineering was able to develop a concept program based on the company’s criteria, simulated the new PLC program extensively at the test facility and achieved favorable results in only two months.

“Patti Engineering is a trusted resource for innovative solutions delivered on-time and on budget,” said Bob Wenyon, President, Western Operations, AWC, Inc. “Their ability to quickly grasp the nuances of our customer’s needs and maximize the value of the Siemens Totally Integrated Architecture is unparalleled.”

Horizontal/directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” are the technologies that both make shale drilling possible and controversial. With the tremendous growth in directional drilling due to the developments in fracking; control of the drilling process to maximize safety and efficiency is even more important. Automatic drillers are a large contributor in helping rig crews better control the directional drilling process. AWC and Patti Engineering are working with customers on the leading edge of the advances in these technologies.

“Our engineers have unmatched talent that is extremely valuable to us, our partners and our customers. We are proud of the reputation we have earned for our ability to engineer innovative state-of-the-art solutions for complex control applications,” said Sam Hoff, President at Patti Engineering. “Working with AWC has been a pleasure and extremely beneficial for both companies. We very much appreciate AWC’s trust and confidence in referring Patti Engineering to their oil industry customers who are pioneering new oil drilling technology.”

patti-logotag siemens_solution_partner_logo awc

Resources:
•    Patti Engineering, Inc.
•    AWC
•    Patti Engineering on Facebook
•    Patti Engineering on Twitter

About Patti Engineering, Inc.

Founded in 1991, Patti Engineering, Inc. is a CSIA Certified control systems integration company based in Auburn Hills, MI with offices in Massachusetts and Texas. Patti Engineering’s technical expertise provides turnkey control systems integration services for design/build, upgrade/retrofit and asset/energy management projects; including project management, electrical engineering, hardware design, hardware procurement, software development, installation, calibration, start-up testing, verification, documentation, training and warranty support. Patti Engineering solutions are used in manufacturing facilities, retail distribution, municipalities, food industry, libraries, law enforcement, military, ice arenas and college/universities. Visit the Patti Engineering website at http://www.pattieng.com/ and find us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Engineer Recognized for Visual Basic.NET and SQL Server Application Development

Thursday, July 12th, 2012 by admin

We are very excited to congratulate one of our Senior Engineers, Ed Maurer, for being part of a team nominated for an internal merit award at Johnson Controls, Inc. JCI is a great long-time great customer of Patti Engineering. The award Ed has been nominated for recognizes his work on the development of a new application using Visual Basic.NET and SQL Server that took place at JCI over the past year. The Merit Award for Quality recognizes outstanding work to protect JCI customers from IT system interruptions.

The team implemented a JIT plant Emergency Backup System (EBS) involving a detailed “work around” process supported by a lightweight, standalone broadcast order processing application. The project began in early 2011 and since has been installed in 16 North American JIT plants. By having a backup system and manual build procedures JCI is greatly reducing IT risk to customer delivery and internal production downtime.

Again, we congratulate Ed for his work with JCI and are proud that he has been honored with a nomination for their Merit Award for Quality.

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Control System Integrator Patti Engineering Inc. Makes its Mark in Texas

Monday, June 25th, 2012 by gwhalen

csia_tallContact:

Georgia H. Whalen

gwhalen@PattiEng.com

(978) 697-2664

Control System Integrator Patti Engineering Inc. Makes its Mark in Texas

Exceeding Growth Expectations, Michigan Based Patti Engineering Celebrates Two Year Anniversary of Texas Branch Providing Industrial and Energy Automation Expertise

Auburn Hills, MI – June 26, 2012 - Patti Engineering, Inc., a leader in control system integration, celebrates the second year anniversary for its Austin, Texas branch today. Founded on June 3, 1991, Patti Engineering sought diversification and growth opportunities during the severe economic downturn which hit the Michigan area especially hard. Sam Hoff, founder and president of Patti Engineering, identified the energy and industrial rich Texas market as an ideal opportunity.

In a market with a strong presence of existing control system integrators, some had doubts the Auburn Hills, Michigan based company would be successful in carving their own niche. Austin/San Antonio Siemens Senior Account Manager, Rich Jacobson was among the skeptical.

“I just did not see the need for another integrator in our market, but their engineers came in and wowed us with their technical knowledge and capabilities with Siemens automation products,” commented Jacobson. “The difference was night and day. Patti Engineering is the best Siemens Automation Solution Partner that I have ever had the pleasure to work with. They quickly became our top go to resource.”

Steve Palmgren, Patti Engineering senior electrical engineer and branch manager is leading Texas expansion efforts. Steve’s experience as the lead engineer on many of Patti Engineering’s major projects for the past ten years has proved invaluable. The company has been adding to their Texas engineering staff and will soon be hiring a local business development manager.

“Celebrating our 2nd year anniversary is a great honor. I attribute our ability to successfully enter into the Texas market with strong growth results to our most valuable assets: our talented and dedicated engineers whose performance has quickly established Patti Engineering as a trusted and valuable resource to our new clients,” said Hoff. “In addition, we want to thank all of our business partners and new clients for helping us achieve this milestone.”

Patti Engineering is a CSIA Certified Integrator and a recognized partner to many automation technology companies. Patti Engineering is a Siemens Solution Partner, an Authorized Mitsubishi Integrator, in addition to being in the integrator programs for Phoenix Contact, Iconics and Indusoft. The highly skilled team of engineers has technical expertise in the design and implementation of electrical control systems in a wide variety of industries: powertrain manufacturers, automotive parts plants, robotic paint systems, textile mills, retail distribution centers, power plants, oil rigs, chemical plants, and dam spillways.

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Resources:

About Patti Engineering, Inc.

Founded in 1991, Patti Engineering, Inc. is a CSIA Certified control system integration company based in Auburn Hills, MI with offices in Massachusetts and Texas. Patti Engineering’s technical expertise provides turnkey control system integration services for design/build, upgrade/retrofit and asset/energy management projects; including project management, electrical engineering, hardware design, hardware procurement, software development, installation, calibration, start-up testing, verification, documentation, training and warranty support. Patti Engineering solutions are used in manufacturing facilities, retail distribution, municipalities, food industry, libraries, law enforcement, military, ice arenas and college/universities. Visit the Patti Engineering website at http://www.pattieng.com/ and find us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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New MES System Question Posted

Thursday, June 7th, 2012 by admin

A new question has been posted through our Consult with an Engineer Button:

Is there a way for me to view my plant MES system from home or from my smart phone?

One of our Engineers will respond to this question shortly. Please use the comments box below if you would like to add to the conversation!

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Patti Engineering Unveils Platform to Share Industry Expertise, Engage with Community

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 by gwhalen

Engineer Chatter Blog Features Premier Content and Direct Access to Expert Engineers

csia_tallAuburn Hills, MI – May 8, 2012 – Patti Engineering, Inc., a leader in control systems integration, today introduced a new blog, Engineer Chatter. The blog is part of Patti Engineering’s effort to communicate in the industry, providing insight and advice on control systems integration, automation projects, and industry news. The blog will serve as a platform to engage Patti Engineering’s community of partners, clients, and colleagues with informative discussions sharing technical expertise and knowledge.

The launch of Engineer Chatter features several posts from the company on the Importance of Lot Trace Systems in Manufacturing Execution Systems, a video interview with ICONICS President & CEO, and tips on PLC Simulators.

The Engineer Chatter blog will also feature events, Patti Engineering news, and knowledge and expertise from their key partnerships. Patti Engineering is a Siemens Solution Partner, an Authorized Mitsubishi Integrator, in addition to being in the integrator programs for Phoenix Contact, Iconics and Indusoft. The highly skilled team of engineers looks forward to sharing a wide variety of experience in many industries: powertrain manufacturers, automotive parts plants, robotic paint systems, textile mills, retail distribution centers, power plants, oil rigs, chemical plants, and dam spillways.

The blog is open for anyone to post; the engineering team will respond to all posts within one business day. To engage with the Patti Engineering team, subscribe to Engineer Chatter here and follow @PattiEng on Twitter.

Resources:

About Patti Engineering, Inc.

Founded in 1991, Patti Engineering, Inc. is a CSIA Certified control systems integration company based in Auburn Hills, MI with offices in Massachusetts and Texas. Patti Engineering’s technical expertise provides turnkey control systems integration services for design/build, upgrade/retrofit and asset/energy management projects; including project management, electrical engineering, hardware design, hardware procurement, software development, installation, calibration, start-up testing, verification, documentation, training and warranty support. Patti Engineering solutions are used in manufacturing facilities, retail distribution, municipalities, food industry, libraries, law enforcement, military, ice arenas and college/universities. Visit the Patti Engineering website at http://www.pattieng.com/ and find us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Importance of Lot Trace Systems in Manufacturing Execution Systems

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 by admin

download-our-article

‘Lot trace’ in the auto industry became a hot topic back in 2000 when government regulation in the form of the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act passed into law. The law demands part-level visibility in the supply chain and was brought about as a response to the Ford-Firestone sport utility tire controversy.

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In the case of the Ford-Firestone incidents, failures all involved tread separation - the tread peeling off followed often by tire disintegration. If that happened when the vehicle was running above a certain speed, there was a high likelihood of the vehicle leaving the road and rolling over. Many rollovers caused serious injury and even death; it was estimated that over 250 deaths and more than 3,000 serious injuries resulted from these failures.

While the initial cost to auto manufactures to implement part traceability was a daunting financial and time-consuming task, one could argue the gains in supply chain efficiencies and the ability to isolate a problem and quickly respond to warranty claims and recalls have had a substantial long term savings impact. Outside of the realm of the auto industry, other manufactures could benefit from implementing lot trace applications. Return on investment includes product quality assurance and supply chain visibility and accountability.

In fact, there is a new food safety law known as the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the most sweeping reform of food safety regulation in many decades, which will be impacting food manufacturers in the same way the auto manufacturers were impacted back in 2000. History repeated itself here. Similar to the Ford-Firestone incidents, the 2009 recall of peanut products from Peanut Corporation of America was the catalyst for the new food industry regulations. Besides the human cost with nine deaths and hundreds that became sick after eating the contaminated peanut products, there are reports the financial losses have topped $1 billion.

A lot traceability system enables a manufacturer to automate the tracking of the composition of their product through the entire production process. From the purchased lots from suppliers to finished product shipped to the customer. Essentially, a Lot Trace System (LTS) creates an accurate genealogy of the products composition.

Patti Engineering collaborates with clients on system architecture and data structure requirements for their manufacturing execution system (MES) applications operating in the space between the front office information technology (IT) and plant floor operations. The Lot Trace System application is just one part of the overall manufacturing execution system which we customize to provide our clients with the manufacturing and production intelligence needed to translate manufacturing data into actionable intelligence for decision makers.

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