BBS Automation Update with Mike Gunner and Steve Hoenig

It brings me great pleasure to welcome two experts in the industry to this edition of TRIP (The Robot Industry Podcast) #141. Steve Hoenig is a senior executive with expertise in marketing, sales, product design, business development, P/L Management, Strat planning, engineering, and leading complex teams. He is an astute, decisive, and energetic leader recognized for outstanding interpersonal relationships and bottom-line results.  MSEE & MBA  35+ Years in Automation  Focused on adding value and helping customers be successful.  Initially drawn and stayed in Automation because I am an engineer, and this industry is on the cutting edge of product development and manufacturing - you never get bored.  On June 2024, Mike Gunner joined BBS Automation Chicago as their Managing Director/President.  Mike comes to BBS with many years in the global automation sector which include roles at KraussMaffei as VP of Automation and at Mikron Corporation   During his 30+ years in Automation, Mike has had Management positions in Sales, Applications, Controls Engineering and Project Management. Some of the industries he has touched on include Medical, Automotive, Consumer and Defense. Mike has a B.Sc. Honors in Electrical Engineering and also a PH. D in Electronic Engineering both from the University of Hull, England. Welcome guys, thanks for joining me. It is great to catch up. Can you give our audience an idea who is BBS? What are some of the changes that have been happening at BBS? How many people are you now? Where are your facilities? Who is your “perfect” client? What value of jobs can you take on? Tell me a little bit about the technologies “stack” of machine systems that you have at BBS (high speed, high accuracy, robotics, etc)  What are some of the automation trends that you are seeing from a high level? How do you share these capabilities between divisions, say Germany and Italy? (ie the “One Company” convo) “Can you walk us through a recent project where a customer came to BBS with a unique challenge—and how your team developed a custom automation solution from concept to completion?” Building for Scalability “How do you help customers future-proof their automation investments? Is scalability built into your systems from the beginning?” Culture of Engineering and Innovation “How do you foster innovation internally at BBS? Are there systems in place that encourage new thinking or cross-functional collaboration across your global teams?” What about sectors, I assume that medical device and pharma are areas of interest? Are there any new areas (of note) happening?  You work in the electronics area and have some specialties in solder, paste and wearable tech, correct? Service and support We talked in the warm up about customers, Industry 4.0 and Mike you mentioned about getting  your OEE up, then worrying about Ind 4.0 Data and MES and Ignitioninfluenceing machine design Automation Inspiration “You both work deep in the world of automation—what’s a piece of tech, a machine, or even a moment in your career that made you stop and think, ‘This is why I do what I do’?” Thanks Mike and Steve, for this update on BBS and what is happening in industrial automation. Did we miss anything? If someone wants to find out how do they get a hold of you? https://www.bbsautomation.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-hoenig-b5b0921<...