From the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany - 'The History of a Safer World' - The greatest entrepreneurial story in history!

The greatest entrepreneurial story in automation history was published in August, 2013 and is available on Amazon.com and Kindle. From Orange County, California, visionaries changed an industry, their engineers changed the world!

The book is a tribute to true geniuses like Dennis Morin, co-founder of Wonderware, who made history as a business and technology pioneer. These leaders knew the limits of their enterprise, but inspired those who did not.

http://www.amazon.com/History-Safer-World-Triconex-Wonderware/dp/0615794025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411313719&sr=8-1&keywords=the+history+of+a+safer+world

Now you can be a Pinball Wizard - at Work!

The world's leading HMI was inspired by an early 1980's video game called Pinball Wizard. Wonderware visionary Dennis Morin was many things, an accomplished chef, a sailor, an artist, and a linquist.   He was also fascinated by video games, he understood the technology and the psychology of gamers.

In 1986, he was also out of a job in Orange County, California, an expensive area to be unemployed.  But, he had an idea, an inspired idea.  Operators in factories around the world were monitoring their plants on text-based terminals....not very exciting, not easy to follow.

Morin's idea?  Why not build the same flexibility into the engineering software used to control valves and temperature gauges in factories?  And why not use an operating system from a still struggling startup based in Redmond, Washington called Microsoft?  Operators could play video games at work, graphically designing the plant layout, just like building their own Pinball Wizard!  Companies find the workers having fun at work are more productive workers!  Morin understood that. 

Wonderware co-founder and technology wizard Phil Huber made many trips to Microsoft headquarters to work with Steve Ballmer and his team.  The work led to Wonderware's InTouch industrial-automation software. InTouch was fun to use and increased productivity!  The genius of Dennis Morin was that he understood technology and psychology.   He knew what would excite the worker on the factory floor and the boardroom executive.

Speaking of fun, Wonderware was founded on April fool's day, 1987 (Apple computer, was also  founded on April fool's day). The founding partners were Morin, Huber, Bill Urone, Cole Chevalier, and Jerry Cuckler.  Peter Pitsker became the first CEO and Dianne Castignetti became employee #7 to run the office.

After all these years, Wonderware is still #1!   It just didn't just create a new market, it created a new business culture! 

The Greatest Entrepreneurial Story of our Time

The greatest entrepreneurial story of our time has now sold for 12 consecutive months on Amazon.com and Kindle. Hundreds of copies sold in over a dozen countries.

And yes, the writing staff at the History of a Safer world is looking for documentary makers (and perhaps 'crowd funding') to bring this incredible story to the big screen!

http://www.amazon.com/The-History-Safer-World-Wonderware/dp/0615794025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406562745&sr=8-1&keywords=the+history+of+a+safer+world See More

The History of a Safer World: The true and amazing history of Triconex and Wonderware

www.amazon.com

The History of a Safer World is the true story of the engineers who built and connected a safer industrial world. The book is a...

A Most Interesting Man

Met this fella at the Houston airport yesterday. I noticed he was carrying what looked to be about a 2,000 year old bowl from ancient China. Indeed, that's exactly what it was. He had just returned from giving a lecture and said he prefers to carry items like this on his person rather in luggage.

Turns out Michael Weber is also a resident of Huntington Beach like me. He has lectured all over the world and worked as a creative consultant on movies such as 'Forest Gump' and 'Casino'. So, naturally I told him about my published book and he gave me some good advice and contacts on how to turn it into a documentary/film.

But, the best advice he gave me? "Just do the work!" Do good work. That's what matters no matter what success or failure follows, for if your ship comes in, you'd best be ready.


http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/michael-weber.htm

 

 

http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65668-curiosity-project-john-hendricks-retreat-education-colorado

 

 

http://keynotespeakers.com/speaker_detail.php?speakerid=4524

 

http://www.brandweber.com/

 

 

An Interesting Man - Michael Weber

Met this fella at the airport yesterday. I noticed he was carrying what looked to be about a 2,000 year old bowl from ancient China. Indeed, that's exactly what it was. He had just returned from giving a lecture and said he prefers to carry items like this on his person rather in luggage.

His name is Dr. Michael Weber.   Turns out he is also a resident of Huntington Beach like me. He has lectured all over the world and worked as a creative consultant on movies such as 'Forest Gump' and 'Casino'. So, naturally I told him about my published book and he gave me some good advice and contacts on how to turn it into a documentary/film.

But, the best advice he gave me? "Just do the work!" Do good work. That's what matters no matter what success or failure follows, for if your ship comes in, you'd best be ready.

(by the way, I got the aisle seat on the plane, Michael got the middle seat)

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/michael-weber.htm

Note: Industry Futurist Jim Pinto will cease publishing automation newsletter.

Denny Harris was a retired US military officer when he went to Ford Aerospace in Orange County, California just in time to play a significant role in implementing their quality program. This was in the 1980's when US auto companies were battered by price competition and the better quality Japanese vehicles. For D...etroit, the past was glorious, the future uncertain and the present was desperate. Lee Iacocca came along, as Chrysler CEO and nearly singlehandedly jumpstarted the US auto industry with his charisma and dedication to what made America great in the first place. He nearly ran for President.

Denny was also a dynamic and restless man. He was the type to get the job done, get it done now and do it right. He noticed an ad for a struggling startup in 1986 in Irvine, California called Triconex. The startup was struggling, had just laid off nearly 1/2 its 50 employees and fired the company founder. There was 4 months operating cash left and the rest of the company would fold, the venture capital investors would write it off as a failure, part of the risk of doing business. The initial investor? Future two-term Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

It was the perfect situation for Denny. After all, Mr. Iacocca took on a similar task and turned it around. The remaining Triconex employees, including future Wonderware co-founder Phil Huber were wary. Denny was a whirlwind, a burst of energy wrapped in military bearing. How would he fit into a startup of risk-takers who had left more secure jobs to be part of a greater good? A group of employees who had been working on a dream to build the world's first digital safety system using a space age technology known as TMR for nearly two years, living paycheck to paycheck? The flagship product was called the Tricon.

Well, Denny fit in quite well. Implementing the Triconex quality program had no margin for error, it had to exceed the requirements of Exxon, Mobil (yes, there used to be an Exxon and Mobil), Shell, and the rest of the oil sisterhood. Later, it would become the world's first Commercial Off-the-shelf controller to be certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRC). Denny stayed with Triconex through the struggling years, the IPO, and the sale of Triconex to a British holding company, then called Siebe.

When he hired a Technical trainer who later would become the training manager, he told his new hire about an automation guru named Jim Pinto whose industry insights were being circulated on new web based technologies like email and blogs. Mr. Pinto was more a futurist than a historian, and many corporate executives were clearly unhappy with his sharp wit and predictions, particularly when it effected their quarterly bonuses. Mr. Pinto also had a history with Siebe, having sold his dynamic company Action Instruments to them. Jim published books and kept circulating his insights, at Triconex today there are Jim Pinto signed books in many of the engineering cubicles.

Denny died from Alzheimer's in 2007. He remained friends with Wonderware co-founders Phil Huber and Dennis Morin. The later built a Fellini-esque bungalow in Laguna Beach known as the Rock House. It listed for 16 million when it was put up for sale after Mr. Morin died on the last day of 2012. Triconex and Wonderware of course, ceased to exist as independent companies in the 1990's, but their brands live on. Phil Huber continues to be a technology wizard for startups, the latest being Philadelphia based Thingworx, headed by former Wonderware executive Rick Bullota.

The dawn of automation occurred in Paris at the beginning of the 19th century. At the height of the space age, an MIT trained physicist named Dick Morley built the modern Programmable Logic Controller. During the Apollo program, a TMR based system was aboard a Saturn booster rocket. The next time a TMR based system was in the air was some 20 years later, hoisted by Tricon architect Gary Hufton and Phil Huber among others, as Triconex employees loaded the first Tricon onto a truck to make its first commercial delivery in June, 1986. Today, Paris based Schneider-Electric owns Mr. Morley's former company, Modicon, as well as Triconex and Wonderware. The executive team from Schneider, including CEO Jean Pascal Tricoire, live in Hong Kong.

To paraphrase a French saying, the more things stay the same the more things change.

Gary Wilkinson
Triconex Training Manager

The History of a Safer World - Now Available on Amazon.com!

The greatest entrepreneurial story of our generation is now available on Amazon.com.  It is the inspiring, rags-to-riches tale of perseverence and genius of the engineers who built a safer industrial world. 

The History of a Safer World

Amazon.com or createspace.com

"My management style is seduction; I seduce my employees into falling in love with their jobs" Dennis Morin, Wonderware Visionary

Now, the staff at The History of a Safer World does NOT encourage our readers to go into the boss's office tomorrow and say "Seduce me." We are a responsible organization. However, the Wonderware startup was the place to work as Dennis and Phil Huber co-founded the ...company. In the words of the HR manager; "people would kill to work for Wonderware." Hot shot programmers, competitors, developers.....Wonderware was the Apple, Oracle, and Google of Southern California for talent seeking a creative place to work. The hours would be long and if the startup succeeded, co founders Dennis Morin and Phil Huber let it be known they would share the wealth. They did, and nearly 25 years later, working for Wonderware is still one of the hottest tickets in town!

From the History of a Safer World:  The proprietary Triconex operating system, the TSX, is the heart of the world's most successful industrial safety system.  Who wrote the TSX?  
The most critical function of the TSX is to guarantee the switching of the modules on a timely basis which provides the continuous reliablity of the Tricon controller.  Victor Torres, a Cornell graduate was one of the first 20 employees of Triconex  in 1984.  He wrote the original version of the Triconex operating system.  Jerry Cuckler came aboard to the Triconex startup at a critical time and modified and advanced the TSX version that was certified for use for industrial applications.  This certification was the key turning point for Triconex, not only allowing it to be sold to major customers, but gaining investors confidence to continue funding.  In 1986, Jerry Cuckler recommended a longtime friend, John Gabler to come to Triconex.  Mr. Gabler was hired by the software development manager, Phil Huber.  In 1988, Mr. Cuckler and Mr. Huber left Triconex to become founding partners of Wonderware, John Gabler took ownership of the TSX operating system and has been there ever since.  The system is as reliable and safe as the extraordinary engineers who designed it.

From the History of a Safer World: The great man died on December 31st, 2012. He was often called "The Software Playboy" and local obituraries described his social life as "one that would make Hugh Hefner blush." Who was Dennis Rene Morin? He was named one of the 50 greatest entrepreneurs in automation history (Bill Gates was another). When starting Wonderware, he told prospective employees "Listen, I don't know what I'm doing, but its going to be a great company." They listened, they followed, and made money. Wonderware became a great company, creating thousands of jobs and millions in new wealth worldwide. Not bad for an idea conceived in the founder's bedroom.

From The History of a Safer World: As the industrial world celebrates the 30th anniversary of the world's premier safety system, the Triconex controller, we look back on the company that built the Tricon. The DNA of Triconex is entreprenurial spirit and culture of relentless quality. As an independent company, it acquired companies that shared their values. In 1992, it bought a Turbo-machinery company whose founder was an Australian born swashbuckling motorcycle enthusiast who shared the wealth his employees when Triconex acquired his firm. A year later Triconex bought a Baton Rouge based safety consulting company whose co-owners kept paying employees out of their own pockets when times were lean. All three companies exemplify the raw entreprenurial spirit and business acumen of operating their companies locally and defining themselves globally.

 

"Triconex is a pill looking for a disease" Bill Barkovitz Sr. During the 1980's, catastrophic industrial accidents at Bhopal and Chernobyl caused public outrage and increased government oversight. The ISA SP84 committee was formed in 1984 provide safety standards. Patients soon began taking their medicine, and by 1989, Triconex was the number one safety perscription on the market.

Before the Internet Revolution - The World of Industry

1989 was a year of tumultuous events and the beginning of the greatest entrepreneurial story of our time.   From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the dawn of the dot.com economy in 1995, two startup companies from Orange County, California made the world safer and advanced the business culture.  Triconex and Wonderware operated locally but defined themselves globally.  They defined an era of entrepreneurship in the age of globalization.   Risk taking men and women became part of a greater good.  Their passion and success reached beyond their grasp.  The wall of Industrial automation had little time for an avant-garde movement launched from Bauhaus laboratories in Southern California.   

But Bill Barkovitz of Triconex sold the world on a better safety system and Wonderware's Dennis Morin changed the business culture.   Triconex held its IPO in March, 1992 and Wonderware had its spectacular debut on the Pacific Stock Exchange in July, 1993. 

"With immediate effect, all persons are free"

"East Germans are free to travel where they wish, with immediate effect."

These were the words of East German Politburo spokesman, Guenter Schabowski.  They were uttered on November 9th, 1989 as suddenly free East Berliners crossed the crumbling Berlin Wall for the first time since it was built in 1961.   The Fall of the Berlin Wall caused a new paradigm in the world order. 

The statement was profound, but it was not an original thought.

That same year in Irvine, California, Triconex CEO Bill Barkovitz and Wonderware Founder Dennis Morin were challenging investors, markets, and employees who wanted to be part of a new world order (and make more money).  The world of industrial applications was a conservative one.  Much of the industry had their own proprietary safety systems and operator interfaces.   They supplied the control and process systems for their factories from established vendors, who ofter were as large as themselves.

It was time for something new, with a stamp from the evangelical sun culture of Southern California, and time for insanely cool products to enter the world of automation.  It was time for Wonderware's InTouch and the world's premium safety system from Triconex.  Their products were not new technology, nor where they incremental changes.   They were business solutions of relentless quality and reliability.   Through users groups and steering committees, users became part of the experience, an unheard phenomenen in non-consumer product markets. 

With immediate effect, the fall of the Berlin Wall signaled the start of the History of a Safer World.  Within two years, both Triconex and Wonderware were mentioned by Business Week as two of the fastest growing companies in America.  A New World Order indeed.  This revolution was complete by 1995, and was broadcast on the World Wide Web. 
 

"We don't realize the most significant moments in our lives, but we remember them"

The man who opened the door was not the same man who closed it.  There was one founding and two visions.   A unique path was followed from two different directions to the same destination.  

Mickey, Manufacturing, and Evangelism

The evengelical sun culture of Orange County, California, is a place where extremes have thrived culturally, politically, and in the business of manufacturing.  Orange County was the base for the political career of Ronald Reagan and for a time, home to Timothy Leary in Laguna Beach.  Disneyland opened in Anaheim, in Orange County, California, in 1955.  Walt Disney himself led the opening day ceremony.  The same year, the Reverend Robert Schuller preached at a drive-in theatre in Garden Grove, California.  Orange County itself was officially separated from Los Angeles County by the California State Legislature in 1889.  Some historians point to taxes as the defining issue for independence, others say it may have just been a troublesome commute for those who wanted to get business done and had to travel up north.

We fast forward to Irvine, a master-planned community incorporated in 1971.   City planner envsioned a technology park in the city alongside UC Irvine, and soon enough, the manufacturers came.  They were led by Western Digital, a powerhouse in the disk drive market.   Roger Johnson became CEO of Western Digital in 1982.  A prominent local business leader, he also was an original board member for Triconex.   In 1992, Mr. Johnson invited Presidential candidate Bill Clinton to speak at the Western Digital campus, and the event drew a sigificant crowd.   Mr. Johnson, a Republican, later served in the Clinton administration. 

A Western Digital employee who worked under Mr. Johnson, Bob Rasmussen, came to work for Triconex in the early 1990's.  Mr. Rasmussen was  a graduate of the California State University of Long Beach.  Not long after being hired by Triconex, he assumed full command of the manufacturing operations for the company, supervising over 100 employees.   His facility manufactured the world's leading emergency shutdown system for industrial plants, and therefore was required the highest quality and international certification standards.   He was a product of the people-centric culture inspired by leaders like Roger Johnson and Triconex CEO Bill Barkovitz.   Over a decade of his leadership, his facility produced over 100 million dollars annually for the corporate parent, and each year faced the same external and internal pressures that each manufacturer faces, particularly in a high-cost area like Orange County.  Mr. Rasmussen's team consistently exceeded his goals each year.  Eventually, corporate cost  targets, and markets demanding lower prices led to the decision to outsource much of the Triconex manufacturing base.   It was a facility that was built into the original business plan by Jon Wimer in 1983.  Denny Harris, hired in 1986, brought quality controls into the process from his background from Ford Aerospace.

Mr. Rasmussen steadfastly announced the outsourcing move to his team in April, 2009.  The transition would be complete in December, 2010. There were over 200 people in the room during his presentation, and at least 100 people in the audience realized that their jobs would be affected by the announcement.  It was Mr. Rasmussen's forthright delivery, he was a man who could speak to hundreds, yet connect with each individual in the crowd, that instilled that bit of confidence in each listener.   The future would be different, but there was going to be a tomorrow.  And for the next 18 months, as those who lost their jobs said their goodbyes monthly, there were hugs, tears, and yet not a single incident to disrupt operations.   It was the culture that sustained the family during the times of transition. 

After overseeing the move, and Mr. Rasmussen himself left Triconex after 18 years to join his old boss, Kevin McGlensey, at FMC corporation.  Mr. McGlensey had been a former President of Triconex.

The History of a Safer World.

"Now Norm, whatever you do, don't touch the espresso maker" - Phil Huber

The people-centric cultures that drove the astounding success of Triconex and Wonderware officially ended in December, 1995 with the respective departures of CEO Bill Barkovitz (scheduled) and Wonderware founder Dennis Morin (not so scheduled).  

Or did they?  Unofficially, the culture still exists, and indeed thrives in Lake Forest, California and other global reaches that Mr. Barkovitz and Mr. Morin established during their picaresque reign.  

One need look no further than the ubiquitous espresso machines in each breakroom at the Lake Forest campus as .   Controllers come and go, and these companies have had good ones.  Norm Farquhar was brought in by Wonderware in the early 1990's to become the new Vice-President of Finance as the company grew from startup status to being mentioned by Business Week as one of the most promising small companies in America.  By 1994, it was rated by many analysts as a better by than Cisco Systems.   Mr. Farquhar replaced Beccie Dawson, who moved to head the Human Resources deparment.   Mr. Dawson had been hired by CEO  Peter Pitsker in 1989 as the "Corporate Conscience" in 1989 and served as the company's first controller.   Actually, Beccie did not become Mrs. Dawson until after she was hired.  Founder Dennis Morin was building a company gym for Wonderware and asked a gentleman named Jim Dawson to install the equipment. 

Mr. Farquhar, as was his duty, began looking for ways to cut costs immediately.  He eyed the espresso machines as a candidate for making the list to er, take a look at.   After all, who would notice save for a cult like staff of programmers working 24/7 on the leaded beverage?   Phil Huber, already a legend as the chief technologist and co-founder of Wonderware (as well as playing a significant role at Triconex) stopped by Mr. Faquhar's office soon after he hired to offer encouragement.   Phil offered to help the new controller in any way he could, and he would always be open to cost cutting ideas.  There was one exception, however.  As he left the office after offering his own thoughts, Phil turned to Norm with one foot already in the hallway (positioned so those outside would hear) and said:

"Now Norm, whatever you do, don't touch the espresso maker"

The sound of steaming espressos, lattes, and cappuccinos are still heard in the breakroom!

The History of a Safer World

History of a Safer World Goes Live Worldwide!

The History of a Safer World is a love story - about business!  Its a tribute to the men and women of Triconex and Wonderware.  A history from startup to the time to serve the wine (you'll have to read the book to find out which wine) that began in the evangelical sun culture of Orange County, California.   The author was recently interviewed on a webcast hosted from Manhatten, New York City! 

Here's the link for the show.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chattininmanhattan/2012/02/24/the-history-of-a-safer-world.mp3


http://www.chattininmanhattan.com/featured/guests

Gary L. Wilkinson has written the great American novel, volumes of picaresque verse, as well as several well-crafted short stories. None of which has ever been published. However, he has written many technical training manuals, user specifications, and engineering documents that describe the flow and configuration of industrial computers, and how to program the machines so they don’t catch fire and cause a ruckus. Nearly all of this output has been published by the high-tech and aerospace firms that have employed him over the years.

It is this fusion of art and machinery that has enabled him to bring to life The History of a Safer World – a love story about business. It is a beautiful story of men and machines that will inform and entertain you. He has been a witness to the space and time in which these events have occurred. He has recorded the voices of this stunning entrepreneurial triumph. In these times, their story is more relevant than ever as a legacy on how to build and grow businesses as the story takes place during the global recession that followed the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.

Mr. Wilkinson was born in the gritty river town of Chester, Pennsylvania, a few miles southeast of Philadelphia. After a non-descript academic career, he joined the army. During his military service, he continuously trained to defend his county, particularly if the expert application of mops and brooms were to be called upon.

During the mid-1980’s he arrived at Huntington Beach, California. At the time it was known as a center of the punk rock music scene, with skinheads and surfers warily skateboarding past each other on Main Street, which led to the pier. There were scores of shops to buy booze and corners to buy drugs, and there was no Starbucks.

Then, on January 17th, 1988, something happened. The pier collapsed into the ocean. The city fathers used the rebuilding of the pier as a fine reason to clear out the riff-raff, some still call it the character, from the city streets. When the pier re-opened four years later, there were designer shops, high-end condos, and upscale restaurants. And, of course, a Starbucks opened.

He began working for Triconex in December, 1995. It was a magical place to work. And, nearby, there was another magical destination called Wonderware. In the evangelical sun culture of Orange County, the History of a Safer World began.

Gary's Blog The History of a Safer World

The World before and after Bhopal and Chernobyl

A muscular optimism was stirring in the year 1984.   The global economy was surging, and at the height of the cold war, Western governments held their ground during the ferocious debate in Western Europe over the deployment of the SS-20 missles.  Within 5 years, the bricks fell at the Berlin Wall.   In Southern California, a successful Summer Olympics was held, without the Soviet Union, and spirits were buoyed in time for Ronald Reagan to be easily re-elected.  Investors wallets were opening also, Los Angeles venture capitalists Chuck Cole and Richard Riordan funded Triconex.   

In December 1984, a catastrophic gas leak at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India led to nearly 2,000 immediate casualties and lasting health and environmental issues that continue a generation later.   Most of the lawsuits have been settled, but as the say, nothing is inevitable except death, taxes, and loopholes.  Public revulsion caused governments to act with new regulations and petro-chemical companies to invest in updated safety systems for their plants and factories.   Some safety analysts still believe that sabotage was involved in the Bhopal incident, but the magnitude of the disaster ameliorated any serious investigations into the cause and focus on the victims and community to recover.

In August, 1986, untrained personnel conducting an experiment during a scheduled maintenance period caused an explosion at a nuclear facility at Chernobyl, in the Ukraine.  This time, the damage spread throughout Western Europe and once again focused world attention on plant safety.  In American, construction of new nuclear plants had already ground to a halt due to the Three Mile Island incident in 1979.  The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was real, caused serious long term damage, and provided foes of nuclear energy with a powerful new agenda.

Industry, which had increasingly put dangerous petro-chemical facilities in low-cost countries, now faced unwanted scrutiny by association with the disasters.

It was time to upgrade safety systems.