As an electrical apprentice at Innovative Automation in Barrie, Vienna Lepple has been fascinated by the opportunity to see how manufacturing companies are applying current technology to their product lines.
“I have always enjoyed understanding how things worked and now I not only get a chance to construct the machines, but also get to experience new technology in a close-up, hands-on way," she told BarrieToday.
Lepple says it pushes her brain to apply in a greater critical-thinking lens, since there's almost no repetitive work at Innovative Automation, a Barrie-based factory automation solutions company.
“Every job is unique, as we build custom automation, which shakes things up for us, keeping the work fresh, new and exciting,” says Lepple, whose primary role is to build control panels and wire robotic cells and tooling plates — components of an automated manufacturing plant.
For Alesio Barbera, a controls programmer and developer at Innovative Automation on Welham Road, the constant problem solving, puzzles and challenges is one thing he would list as most attractive about his job.
“It’s exciting to work with industries such as automotive and medical, which are constantly utilizing the latest, greatest and newest technologies.”
Barbera says his job gives him an opportunity to have a hands-on approach and front-row seat to many of the early implementations of exciting new technologies like robotics, computer vision and artificial intelligence (A.I.).
"It’s an adaptive process, in the pursuit of continuous improvement, efficiency and reliability," he says.
Barbera’s responsibilities include writing, developing and maintaining the software controlling the manufacturing machine processes.
“We can also be referred to as ‘integrators’ as we are tasked with setting up communications between third-party devices, such as robotic arms, motors, lasers, vision systems and databases," he says.
Another important motivation for him is experiencing the collaboration that goes into designing, building and developing a machine to meet project needs and customers’ requirements.
“I enjoy seeing the many talented and creative minds from all departments come together to find ingenious solutions on projects," Barbera says.
Barbera says he’s particularly involved in the final stages of a project, working closely with various in-house teams to improve and troubleshoot as required during machine development.
“We work collaboratively with other departments to prepare the machine for the final run-off phase, where we ensure the machine meets all customer scope requirements,” he says.
Lepple says Innovative Automation always has co-op students working alongside the full-time employees, in all departments.
“The company actively encourages students to explore the various departments and separate their time here across them, to gain all different aspects of their program," she says.
Being reactive to change, attentive to details and having the ability to visualize the end goal are all important skills for an industrial automation professional, Lepple says.
“New technologies are implemented all the time, and it is important to be able to keep up with those changes and embrace them with an open mind," she says.
Both Lepple and Barbera agreed that A.I. is the next big thing in industrial automation.
“A.I. is starting to show up in small ways that make machine set-up easier and faster,” says Barbera.
“We are experiencing some of these changes," Lepple adds, "with A.I. software being utilized to analyze parts and determine if they pass or fail certain tests."
For those looking for a career in industrial automation, Lepple advises getting comfortable with A.I. concepts and understanding how A.I. works at least on a basic level.
“Do not fear it. It is here to help us improve our systems and become overall more consistent and organized," she says.
Barbera, in turn, reinforced that lessons learned in college will be valuable tools in your toolkit for troubleshooting issues in the automation field in the future.
“Don’t just ‘aim to get a certain mark’, but rather aim to understand the concept truly and genuinely so you are armed to solve problems with data-driven decisions," he says.
