I didn't really have withdrawl pains, but it feels like it. I'm staying at my daughter's apartment over Thanksgiving. She only has dial-up. Finally got away from the family for a few minutes to hit the local Starbucks and my T-Mobile account.
I've had a lot of time to sit and think the last couple of days. That's what I look foward to after my hectic soccer schedule winds down in early November. One thing I was contemplating was Rockwell Automation, probably since I was just innundated with RA information last week. I ran into many people I've known for years at RA and heard about some company reorganizations (that would never come through the official press relations channels). Rumbles of those reorgs probably fueled some of the rumor/speculation I've heard for a couple of months. I think that there are people who are like the old Kremlinologists (political scientists that monitored every scrap of information coming from Moscow during the Soviet era for signs of what was happening) regarding Rockwell. The thought hit me--that company is in almost a constant state of reorganizing. Seldom anything major. But management constantly tweaks the organization trying to get the right fit of people and markets for the time. I think sometimes it's a signal to distribution about what's important for the company at a particular point in time. Then it's on to another important goal.
There were some realignments of sales and service organizations. After reflection, I think the moves are congruent with corporate management's stated goals of 1) strengthening vertical market presence (in selected areas) and 2) strengthening global presence (again in target areas). I'm beginning to think that among the suppliers of broad product lines in automation, the game is settling into a 2 horse race (Rockwell and Siemens). I'm open to being proved wrong -- go ahead and post a comment, but make it factual.
On the other hand, I'm seeing lots of automation opportunities for "smaller" companies with focus, innovative spirit and some marketing smarts. So overall, I think this could be an exciting time in the automation business after a few years of consolidation and recovery.
3:07:31 PM 
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