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At Rockwell's PSUG
Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Rockwell Automation's Process Systems User Group, or as it is affectionately known, "P-SUG." (It's location this year in Chicago is very convenient, and I'd appreciate it if other companies in the same market area would take notice.)
Steve Eisenbrown announced that there were 485 attendees, but he promised they would kick that up to 500 before the event was over. He said that level is a record setter for the event, and this is only the sixth meeting. If you compare that to Emerson Process Management with 2400 at their Global Users Exchange in September, you might think it's a paltry attendance. On the other hand, the fact that Rockwell can draw better than 20% of Emerson's attendance should be considered quite an accomplishment given Emerson's long established position in this market segment. Eisenbrown made the point that process automation is one of the two fastest growing businesses under the Rockwell banner, a point reinforced later by Kevin Zaba who said the division has had a 44% compound annual growth rate over the last few years. Granted they're starting from a low level, but the efforts are impressive and well focused.
Kevin Zaba gave a detailed history of the Process Automation division's efforts to build that business which shows a careful and well thought out strategy for growth. I will examine that in greater detail later.
On the other hand, motivational speakers who come out of a sports background don't do much for me. I don't think leadership metaphors taken from coaching basketball have much to do with business. A college team at the bottom of its division will continue to go on. A business with similar success simply folds. I also have to wonder about a presenter on process safety who displays a slide with a picture of himself that looks 20 years old and begins his presentation by describing how he locked himself out of a hotel room in New Orleans, naked, after a night of too much partying. Ultimately the presentation was useful, even after the strange beginning.
At Rockwell's PSUG
November 13, 2007
Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Rockwell Automation's Process Systems User Group, or as it is affectionately known, "P-SUG." (It's location this year in Chicago is very convenient, and I'd appreciate it if other companies in the same market area would take notice.)Steve Eisenbrown announced that there were 485 attendees, but he promised they would kick that up to 500 before the event was over. He said that level is a record setter for the event, and this is only the sixth meeting. If you compare that to Emerson Process Management with 2400 at their Global Users Exchange in September, you might think it's a paltry attendance. On the other hand, the fact that Rockwell can draw better than 20% of Emerson's attendance should be considered quite an accomplishment given Emerson's long established position in this market segment. Eisenbrown made the point that process automation is one of the two fastest growing businesses under the Rockwell banner, a point reinforced later by Kevin Zaba who said the division has had a 44% compound annual growth rate over the last few years. Granted they're starting from a low level, but the efforts are impressive and well focused.
Kevin Zaba gave a detailed history of the Process Automation division's efforts to build that business which shows a careful and well thought out strategy for growth. I will examine that in greater detail later.
On the other hand, motivational speakers who come out of a sports background don't do much for me. I don't think leadership metaphors taken from coaching basketball have much to do with business. A college team at the bottom of its division will continue to go on. A business with similar success simply folds. I also have to wonder about a presenter on process safety who displays a slide with a picture of himself that looks 20 years old and begins his presentation by describing how he locked himself out of a hotel room in New Orleans, naked, after a night of too much partying. Ultimately the presentation was useful, even after the strange beginning.
Posted by Peter Welander on November 13, 2007 | Comments (0)
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