Certain features have become mandatory for modern businesses: enterprise process improvement, 24/7 fail-safe systems, professional and in-depth analytical planning, strategic thinking in line with business objectives, the application of professional solutions in a dynamic environment, and beyond strategy, companies must ensure the systematic execution of key tasks. Production safety and operational efficiency are of crucial importance, especially since the COVID-19 crisis highlighted the vulnerability of human life, which accelerated processes that had been underway to achieve a truly harmonious balance between machinery/tools and human resources. This process, in turn, leads to an increase in enterprise profitability and efficiency.

INDEPENDENT AUTOMATION GROUP

In the past, automation experts typically opted to use a single brand; today, the only way forward is to strategically build, implement, and follow up on real-world, brand-independent solutions. In short: a professional, strategic, and complex approach to automation. In traditional automation methodology, the expert partner builds a system based on a company’s pressing workflow challenges. In the vast majority of cases, however, a given expert will only consider one particular vendor’s solutions, study them in depth, and build a partnership with that vendor. But no one brand has the highest level of expertise in all areas, which can mean a significant difference in efficiency for the end-user, and therefore, a significant difference in cost savings. Moreover, the client bears the risk of using systems built on specialised vendors, further increasing exposure. Risk analysis, risk-taking, and risk mitigation are paramount in today’s economy.

The modern and commercially viable approach to automation is for a professional, brand-independent expert to design, select, and assemble the most appropriate systems for their client, using the most suitable components to achieve the client’s goals. To do this, the automation consultant must have a wide range of expertise at the highest levels. International market realignments have led to the increased prominence of this more professional approach to automation and control at the strategic and operational levels. Whereas compatibility among a vendors’ equipment used to be the guiding principle, today, given the precise nature of the field and the significant differences between solutions depending on the sector, complexity has taken over. This also significantly increases cost-effectiveness, since units built from consultancy proposals to achieve defined client goals are much less likely to experience downtime or loss of production. In this approach, decision-makers at the highest level leave it to the consulting firm to define the strategy, and from this, they develop the necessary systems and applications. IAG thus occupies a unique place in the strategic planning process, as it represents the interests of the client from the highest level, managing the entire implementation, and supports cost efficiency, production reliability, and stable, profitable operation with its expertise gained across more than 20 years of building hybrid (manufacturer-independent) systems in 25 countries during 1100+ successful projects.

MENTORING

Business Mentoring has gained ground in the last decade or so. This new dimension of business partnership is a combination of coaching and classic consulting in which the mentoring company executes defined projects while at the same time professionally developing its mentored partner, i.e., providing complex solutions to ensure that processes that meet strategic objectives are smoothly put into practice. Throughout the mentoring partnership, the mentoring partner develops by receiving continuous consultancy and on-the-job training. This is no different in the field of automation. A complex mentoring company not only supports its partners in achieving their current goals, but also provides strategic advice in parallel with the operational processes and ensures that these are put into practice, so that the partner can continuously develop their business by learning more about the benefits of automation and its professional aspects. Complex automation mentoring necessitates strategic consulting experience, adequate industry engineering and technical knowledge, and the experience of the mentoring company to ensure full implementation. All of these must be available independently of any brand, as there can be significant differences in quality and effectiveness among brands, even in the sub-modules of automation solutions. Thus, to provide a truly customised solution for the customer, a complex project might require 3-4 different vendor solutions to ensure an optimally efficient business process.