Hi, my name is Bill Budde and I've worked in the Custom Automation industry for over 25 years. And now, I guess I'm a blogger. Why? Because I think some changes in our industry over the last 15-20 years have put new designers at a disadvantage from the "old days." A focus on CAD literacy as a primary hiring criteria, the shrinking of the industry in the late 90s and the 00's which has reduced the number of experienced mentors available today, and the shift away from in-house tool rooms all make it more difficult to learn our trade when you are brand new.  Does that mean we don't have highly qualified engineers? Absolutely not. Does that mean the new engineers can't be successful? Of course not. But I believe circumstances have created a separation between design and the final product that was less pronounced years ago, and our experts just don't have the time in their day to sufficiently close that gap. Even though I don't pretend to have all the answers, I was fortunate enough to have many people in my early career that were not shy in telling me what I was doing wrong on a broad range of subjects, so I think I could provide some helpful insight.

To the managers and business leaders, my hope is that you will point your new engineers to this blog. I commit to keeping the information general enough as to not be "trade secrets" that could eliminate competitive advantages, but specific enough to hopefully increase general knowledge, which should benefit us all. And to the engineers that are new to custom automation, I hope you find the information helpful in enhancing your skills and growing your careers. You will likely never find another engineering field that requires the level of creativity and agility as the one you landed in here. There is plenty of room to grow, whether you want to remain in design or try your hand in other areas. I recommend that you embrace the wonky little details that you read here. Some may seem trivial or mundane, but incorporating the information into your designs will save your company money, make your designs stronger, and get you noticed sooner, so it's good for you, too.