We learn from the accumulated wisdom of others and by doing, we combine acquired knowledge with our own experiences. Frankly, I’d rather learn from others to avoid as many of my own mistakes as possible, thanks (recording and studying history helps civilizations progress in a similar fashion).

Development and the use of standards blend accumulated automation, controls, instrumentation and packaging wisdom with our own on-the-job experiences. For instance, ISA-88, originally for Batch Control, is expanding its relevance with Parts 5 and 6 and by revisiting Part 1, all of which can help packaging (see the “Standards” page in this supplement). These expansion efforts, which include equipment and software-based demonstrations along the way, build on more than a dozen years of real-world, integrated best practices from those thinking about and applying the concepts in this standard.

Read the Part 5 draft, think about how it fits with your understanding (model) of your world and fill out a comment form. This will ensure that it becomes an even more robust, relevant bridge between batch or process control and the more discrete world of packaging. Before you finish that summertime paperback, browse the 50-some pages in the draft, including its instructive models and diagrams. Learn from others and help create new best practices by participating in these and other standards efforts. A little extra time and effort now will increase your efficiencies; requiring full adaptation by vendors puts a whole lot more food on everyone’s table.