If you haven't heard the news already by cruising our Web site, there's an editorial director onboard at Control Engineering, and I'm it. Like any "new guy" at any organization, I know I have a lot of explaining to do. After all, everyone wants to know what the deal is with the "new guy." Why is he here? What is he going to do? How is he going to do it? First of all, you should know that whil...
If you haven’t heard the news already by cruising our Web site, there’s an editorial director onboard at Control Engineering, and I’m it. Like any ‘new guy’ at any organization, I know I have a lot of explaining to do. After all, everyone wants to know what the deal is with the ‘new guy.’ Why is he here? What is he going to do? How is he going to do it?
First of all, you should know that while I am a relative newcomer to the controls industry, I have been editing manufacturing publications for more than 10 years. Readership at these publications has ranged from shop floor technicians, engineers, and inventory managers to operations/departmental managers, IT personnel, and corporate executives.
With this background I’ve learned a great deal about how people of all types in manufacturing go about their jobs and what sort of information they are looking for their industry’s business journals to provide. The bottom line is that everyone seems to be looking for two things in exchange for their time spent with any business magazine: 1) to get the critical information they need to be the best at their jobs, and 2) to enjoy consuming this information.
With those two points in mind you should know that my goal is not to completely reassemble Control Engineering . Reader surveys show year in and year out that we are the most trusted, respected, and well-read publication in our field. So what can I possibly to do to improve on that? Add another perspective of practical, useful insight.
To achieve this I plan on introducing two elements, where appropriate, that I believe are too often overlooked in most engineering business journals: 1) focus on the people using the technologies addressed in the publication, and 2) answering the ‘why?’ question in addition to addressing the ‘who?’ ‘what?’ ‘when?’ ‘where?’ and ‘how?’ By incorporating these two elements I hope to bring you fresh insight into how your peers deal with both the day-to-day and exceptional business and technology-related pressures they face, as well as explore the driving forces in business that are impacting engineers and the decisions they must make.
It is my contention that these added insights will help bring to life the control systems technology coverage that Control Engineering has always delivered and will continue to deliver.
I am very excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for Control Engineering in becoming an ever-more integral source of your information needs. And please know that I am always interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions-both about the magazine as it is, as well as the elements we will be incorporating in future issues.
David Greenfield, Editorial Director [email protected]
