A principled approach

When looking to affect change on anything—especially a product or process that is well known, highly respected, and widely considered to be the industry benchmark—one must proceed cautiously. Even the smallest adjustment can have long-lasting effects. At the same time, being too timid about change can leave behind an opportunity to raise the bar even higher.

Engineers regularly face such pressures—often re-evaluating processes and products to devise newer and better ways of doing things, while being ever conscious not to interfere with the core deliverables that customers expect. It is with this mindset that we are undertaking enhancements to Control Engineering .

Most noticeable of the changes is our redesign, which debuts in June 2003.

In surveys and focus groups you provided direct input about likes, dislikes, and views about our current design as well as the redesign, helping us build a more attractive Control Engineering that will be easier to read and navigate.

Changes to the order of content, developed to make it easier to find your favorite sections, have already begun with this issue. Editorial content will now appear in the following order: Editorial (this column), news, technology insights, Mark Hoske’s “Think Again” column, feature articles, case studies, software reviews, products, and tutorials.

With the redesign, we are introducing a more modern, fresh, clean look to the layout of the magazine that will serve to enhance our award-winning content.

These changes, as well as other additions in the months ahead, are considered with constant recognition of our place in the market. No changes will be made for the sake of change, but to better fulfill our mission of being the voice of the global control, instrumentation, and automation marketplace.

Victor Hugo’s suggestion regarding change fits my outlook well. “Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots,” he said.

Control Engineering did not achieve its current position by luck or coincidence. We are where we are because of the solid product we have been delivering for nearly 50 years. I seek to improve upon that by addressing information needs that materialize as the manufacturing industry and engineering professions change.

Speaking of change for engineers, according to a recent study we conducted among our readers, respondents say their pay has increased somewhat, they’ve experienced fewer mergers and acquisitions, and they place more emphasis on job security, perhaps linked to layoffs and restructuring that have confronted this market over the past few years. More details can be found in this month’s cover story, “Calmer Waters?” on page 22.

I am working with you and the rest of the team here to plan a great future for Control Engineering , but we can only guarantee that by delivering what you want. So please, let me know what you think of our redesign that debuts next month, as well as what you think about the order of content introduced in this issue.

David Greenfield, Editorial Director dgreenfield@reedbusiness.com

Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our CFE Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.