It Worked on the First Try but That Wasn’t the Best Part.
We were starting up a new automation system - a transfer system feeding a series of Fill Lines. Over a hundred valves, about a dozen mixers, and a handful of intermediate tanks.
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Everyone from the site was gathered around - maintenance, the install crew, the Plant Manager, and even a few corporate folks dressed a bit too nicely to be on the plant floor. All eyes were on us, eagerly waiting to see their product move the new pipe for the very first time.
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No pressure, right??
We ran through our final checks. Maintenance did their last walkthrough, making sure all the manual valves were in position. Everything was ready to go. With everyone watching, we got the all-clear from the Maintenance Team.
It was go time.
We stood back as their operator navigated the HMI, he found the right mixer, selected the first holding tank as the destination, and then…
He pressed Start.?
Over the hum of the plant we could hear the Valves click into place and the Pumps roaring to life. Everything appeared to be running exactly as we expected so a few of the guys split off. They started their walkthrough, looking for leaks or anything else that might cause an issue.
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While they did that, the rest of us stared at the tank levels on the screen.
Waiting for it to start climbing from 0%…
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and then...
nothing happened.
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Silence.?
Some people started to shift nervously as the product was definitely leaving the mixer that meant that it had to be going somewhere. The question was - where?
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Out of fear, the operator slowed the pump, worried about what was or wasn’t happening...
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And then, after what felt like an eternity - 1%.
?A few seconds later - 2%, 3%, 4%.
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It was working.?
No leaks, no hiccups. The valves in position, the pumps humming, and the product was flowing like it had already been running through these pipes for years.
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The install crew nodded approvingly, the maintenance team gave each other high-fives…
and the guys that were dressed a little too nice?
Fist bumps, like we had just won the championship game.
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And then, our newest engineer turned to me and asked, “This is what makes it worth it, right?”?
I didn’t have an immediate answer to that...
I just stood there, watching the celebration around me, and I felt… Nothing.
Maybe relief?
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This was supposed to be the best part.
This was supposed to be the moment where all the stress, late nights, and problem-solving paid off.?
So why wasn’t I excited?
Why did I feel like I was watching someone else’s win?
What was wrong with me?
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That’s when I realized, this wasn’t the best part. At least not for me…
This was the expectation I had set for myself, anything less would have been viewed as failure.
Of course, it should work when you press Start.
So, I quickly started thinking “What does make it worth it?”...
While taking way too long to respond to the original question…
“This is what makes it worth it, right?”?
After a while, my answer was “That part comes next”.
That leaves a new question, when do I celebrate a job well done?
For me, the real win comes later.
It comes when I see that first group of operators training the next round.
It comes when I overhear conversations about how much easier things have gotten.
It comes when maintenance tells me - months later - about problems they solved on their own.
It comes when engineers tell me about new solutions they built on top of what we left behind.
That’s when I know we did our job.
Because success isn’t just pressing Start.
It’s what happens after.
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What makes it worth it for you?
Automation | Software and Hardware Integrated Solutions | From idea to innovation to integration
1 个月It's the times before you reach for that start button for the hopefully last time. (It will never be) Extracting that requirement that you had no idea existed, half way through the project and you caught that an entire subsystem cannot exist like it is or that it needs to exist but is not planned as part of the design. I think the best example was a time I HAD to ask if the customer can sign off on billing ~40hrs engineering and UI design. Or their equipment is going to work 70 hours and drop dead. (Actually I would've just eaten the cost) But they signed off since they trusted me. I helped them through smaller changes and improvements. So if I'm asking for ????, then it must be serious But I had built trust already. And by presenting a solid case, admitting fault in not finding it but truly educate the customer on what is needed. They're happy. And they listen to you, believe you and trust you. I love the relationships built with customers when integrating/designing. You get to be an employee for a bit. The real info about UX/UI design, controls design is there in a lot of cases. Get to know the techs, the front desk, the production team and actively listen to them.
Electrical Engineer || IoT and IIoT Engineer ||Automation Engineer || Tech and Innovation Enthusiast
1 个月For me it’s definitely proving the concept. I always picture how it should work and how it works/not work and always enjoy proving the hypothesis especially after all the headaches. Seeing it run and the customers look is definitely an added bonus
Engineer Electrical & Automation
1 个月No matter how many times you test that start button during pre commissioning. Everything tightens up that moment when everyone is watching ??. But I think it’s the whole process no one moment. That moment when the project kicks off it feels like being a kid let loose it a toy store. The pressure of meeting the deadline, like your life depends on it. The relief of hitting that start button and but also nervous anticipation watching the client “Do they like what their seeing?”. And the humbling moment that brings it home. Hearing 12 months later that the work you have done has changed the way they do things forever, making the roller coaster all worth it.
Driving Digital Transformation in Manufacturing | MES/MOM | Industry 4.0 | OT & UNS Strategy.
1 个月Good narrative, Dylan DuFresne. While I was reading it, a lot of good memories came to mind from those high-pressure startups, with many heads looking to you for results. The satisfaction of seeing the process running as planned makes all the stress worthwhile.