Trying to move along…

‘Do you really want to do this?” has been a lingering question since Sept. 11.

“No” was the answer in my heart, but “Yes” has been the response. After a respectful pause, we move along.

The events and responses to the Sept. 11 tragedies in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania evoke emotions beyond words. Like the rest of the world, we at Control Engineering extend our thoughts and prayers to those personally affected by the loss of a family member, other friend, or acquaintance. Cahners lost two of our own—Jeff Mladenik and Andrew Curry Green—see Control Engineering Online “Daily News” on Sept. 14 for more information.

Despite the sorrow, I’m encouraged to see people from diverse backgrounds and of all faiths praying for peace; working for justice; and finding compassionate ways to embrace all of humanity.

Along with obvious slowdown in travel industries and aerospace, added security is slowing some industrial production. Several Cahners publications surveyed manufacturers and found some constriction in just-in-time manufacturing facilities. For more, see “News,” in this issue.

Online interviews

As we try to move along, I would invite you to join Control Engineering ‘s online interviews on Ethernet and networks, e-productivity, and lifecycle costs at SupplyChainLinkExpo, online at www.supplychainlinkexpo.com , on Oct. 17 and 18.

For the Oct. 18 keynote, Control Engineering senior editor Dave Harrold interviews 3M’s chairman and ceo, James McNerney Jr., at 10 a.m. ET. Expect 3M (Maplewood, Minn.) to use its tools and resources to push “e-Productivity” and Six Sigma efforts, among topics to be covered. Mr. McNerney joined 3M in January 2001, after 18 years at General Electric.

3M’s looking at the Six Sigma process and “e-Productivity” along with other current business initiatives—such as supply-chain management, lean manufacturing, acquisitions, and customer satisfaction—with a desire to pull them together into a cohesive strategy.

Wall Street has consistently rewarded GE for delivering innovation. Mr. McNerney expounds a similar vision for 3M: creative, quick, and profitable. Preview more in the “Web Exclusive” area of Control Engineering Online. Other Control Engineering interviews in the SupplyChainLinkExpo, in the “Make Pavilion” are:

• Oct. 17, noon ET, “Lifecycle costs: automation and the supply chain,” John Moore, vice president and general manager for supply chain & enterprise software, ARC Advisory Group; and

• Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET, “Industrial Networks and Ethernet” with Michael Bryant, Executive Director, Profibus Trade Organization and AS-i Trade organization; David Glanzer, Director of Technology Development, Fieldbus Foundation; and Frank Wood, Executive Director, ODVA and ControlNet International.

Join us.

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