MiMfg Magazine
PREMIUM
ASSOCIATE
8
August 2019
Member
Spotlight
John Calabrese &
Michael Calabrese
Control System Integrators
Member since January 2019 • Learn more at www.csiadvantage.com
Manufacturing has truly become a 24/7 industry
and, with limited downtime, the constraints facing
companies aren’t simply budgetary. Today’s
manufacturer is faced with a growing demand for
perfection. From better tracing, improved accuracy
and higher standards of quality along the supply
chain to greater customer service, faster turnaround
and more innovation for the consumer, manufacturers
must automate, digitize and modernize their
facility in order to compete in a global market.
“Manufacturers come to work to do good
work, but everyday issues — inefficiencies, poor
data, process bottlenecks and limitations on
quality or safety — can inhibit the potential for a
good company to become a great company,” says
John Calabrese, chairman of Control System
Integrators (CSI).
Since 1992, Lansing-based CSI has been a
provider of innovative technical solutions to the
most complex operational challenges impacting
Michigan manufacturers — from leading automo-
tive suppliers to materials handling companies and
other key sectors.
“There are technologies, resources and solutions
available to help companies overcome many of these
barriers. If clients can get a clear picture of what
stands between them and their production goals,
they are better positioned in the market,” says
Michael Calabrese, president of CSI. “Our team is
focused on customer success and wants to help our
clients reach their goals,”
Even as they work with some of the world’s
largest companies, the CSI team understands the
pressures facing smaller companies and works with
them to create hybrid solutions combining a small
manufacturer’s existing options with a multi-year
mindset for maximizing their resources.
“Automation can be a democratizing force within
the industry,” Michael explains. “It can help smaller
companies do what the big guys are doing. It allows
them to compete in a way they may not have otherwise
been able to — and that’s good for all of Michigan.”
By asking themselves some common questions,
any manufacturer can locate the right solutions for
their unique needs:
• Do they have a digital roadmap to understand
their inputs and in-process sequence?
John Calabrese (left) and Michael Calabrese (right) are
ready with their Control Systems team to aid manufacturers
in automating, digitizing and modernizing their business.
• Do they have in-process error-proofing?
• Is there something beyond human detection in place?
• Do they have visibility and transparency of their
plant floor ops?
• Can they get information easily to operators?
• Does senior leadership have the data organized
in a cohesive manner to detect efficiency and
effectiveness?
• Do they have technology and software — AI and
machine learning — to overcome their weak points?
“We can sit down with you, get to know your
pain points and build the necessary automation
roadmap to meet your goals,” John notes.
The assistance provided by consultants like CSI
will vary based on need. Some clients have solutions
in place and CSI will aid in their execution. Others
are only beginning to get a handle on what automation,
digitization and modernization is required. CSI can
help them best utilize their assets, upgrade where
possible and effectively plan an all-encompassing
automation strategy.
“Now is when you should begin shoring up your
automation effort — manufacturing is a cyclical
industry and the ones who survive and excel are
thinking long-term; they are thinking to the next
recession and beyond,” Michael says. “If you can
prepare ahead of your competitors and consider what’s
coming next, you can come out of a slowdown
faster, better and ahead of the game.”
6
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