News & Knowledge

We’re your source for automation news. Keep up with the latest industry updates and E Tech employee spotlights, as well as tips and guidance from our manufacturing experts.  

E Tech Group Director of Operations Featured on CSIA Podcast

A recent episode of CSIA’s podcast: Talking Industrial Automation, featured E Tech Group’s Director of Operations, Cassy Gardner. A decade of experience in engineering, sales and project management in the Life Sciences field has allowed Cassy to leverage her engineering and MBA degrees to help clients achieve their automation goals. On the podcast, Gardner discusses how she came into the field of automation, citing a professor who inspired her during her senior year and connected her to the automation professionals at Banks Integration, which later became a part of E Tech Group. Let’s look at some of the questions Cassy tackled in her podcast interview and her main talking points: Q: What kinds of trends and challenges are you seeing in industrial automation right now? Engineering labor shortages. Partners, clients, and other automation firms are having a really hard time filling positions with the right type of talent. Company visibility. We’re competing with giants like Apple and Google for the same talent, but are largely referred only by word of mouth within the automation industry. A lack of emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion in recruitment practices. Q: What is DEI and why is it important? Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Another letter being added on is Belonging It’s about people from different backgrounds having equal opportunity to share their skills and perspective. This in turn improves design and engineering because you’re harnessing diverse points of view and skill sets. DEI measures improve the quality of a talent search. Diversity: having a wide array of perspectives and backgrounds Equity: fairness – being thoughtful in policies, procedures and vocabulary Inclusion & Belonging: going past people showing up – making sure people feel like they are a part of the organization/project/story Q: What do you mean by diversity? Engineering is a male-dominated field, … Continued

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Life Sciences Sponsors ISPE 27th Annual Fun Day

E Tech Group’s Life Sciences team was a sponsor for ISPE San Francisco’s 27th Annual Fun Day, where professionals across the automation and pharmaceutical industry got to do a different kind of networking – at golf courses and wineries. We are honored to be involved with ISPE and enjoyed seeing and having a day of fun with so many of our partners and industry colleagues. About the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) ISPE is a non-profit organization that connects pharmaceutical knowledge with manufacturing processes, including things like food sciences and pharmaceutical automation. Their mission is to support and advance pharmaceutical engineering by providing professionals with resources for innovation, networking and industry advancement. The San Francisco Bay chapter has been a particularly active chapter since its inception in the early ‘90s. E Tech Group is proud to be an active participant and sponsor in ISPE’s San Francisco Bay’s initiatives. About E Tech Group: A Nationwide Leader in Pharmaceutical Automation E Tech Group is a leader in automation innovation. Our Life Science division supports clients across the Life Sciences sector, including pharmaceuticals, cultured meats, and biologics. We share the ISPE values of supporting industry advancement and innovation with each client we serve. Offering the best in industrial data analytics, automation services and control system integration, we design, build and support custom manufacturing automation solutions that add value, security, efficiency, and scalability. If you’d like to learn more about E Tech Group’s capabilities in the pharmaceutical field, visit our Life Sciences page.

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E Tech Group’s Challenge for Charity

Each month E Tech Group’s internal Wellness Team promotes healthy living through a different internal “challenge” that focuses on one area of wellness. For our July we had a “Challenge for Charity.” Employees tracked their active minutes; the more activities and fitness minutes tracked the more money we would donate to Revived Soldiers Ukraine. Over the course of the month E Tech Group team members recorded over 45,000 active minutes! We are honored to contribute and support to the efforts of Revived Soldiers Ukraine.

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IIoT Grows Up, Users Ramp Up

At its root, IIoT is about getting data from sensors, instruments and other production devices to the Internet for analysis and consumption by wider circles of users—and getting analytics results back to the line. This data can be used to monitor, control and optimize automated processes, and has gained rapid traction in a variety of sectors, including: There are countless applications and benefits associated with the adoption of IIot, but the novelty has proved an obstacle in implementing these networks. What the Automation Experts are Saying About IIoT Luckily, these tasks are getting easier as users get more familiar with implementing IIoT in their processes and plant, according to Alan Maxwell, VP of the Process Industries Division at E Tech Group, an automation system integrator based in West Chester Township, Ohio and certified member of the Control System Integrators Association. “It’s getting easier for us to connect sensors and acquire signals using software like Kepware that’s part of PTC and Wonderware System Platform that’s part of Aveva, and network via OPC UA and MQTT Sparkplug protocols via Skkynet’s DataHub,” says Maxwell. “This lets them integrate third-party IoT solutions like Oden Technologies’ software for specific industries to help run analytics in cloud-based applications and improve production lines.” Stephen Veldhuis, CTO at E Tech Group, adds: “Five years ago, IIoT was a lot newer, and everyone was doing it differently. So, we evaluated the viability of IIoT and found wireless sensors and edge computing could reduce constructability time and labor, but little standardization of protocols and limited device life due to power consumption resulted in few viable cases for implementation. However, IIoT continued to evolve, mature and add new capabilities. Now, we find more workable use cases, driving adoption.” Customizing a Control System in Chicago For instance, Maxwell reports that E Tech Group’s Advanced Software … Continued

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IIoT Grows Up, Users Ramp Up