Industrial Talk is onsite at MD&M West and talking to Zach Bauer, Sales Development Program Manager at Murrelektronik about "Automation Insights".
Overview
Zach Bauer, Sales Development Manager at Murrelektronik, discussed the company's innovative solutions for industrial automation at MD&M West in Anaheim, California. Murrelektronik specializes in automated machinery infrastructure, offering decentralized, agnostic systems that reduce labor requirements and improve efficiency. Their SIP safety fusion block consolidates safety signals on the machine, reducing wiring and improving connectivity. Bauer highlighted the company's manufacturing facilities in Georgia, Germany, and the Czech Republic, and emphasized the importance of data collection and edge computing in modern manufacturing. He also shared his background in industrial automation and the company's commitment to continuous improvement.
Outline
MD&M West Event Overview and Introduction
Scott introduces the episode of Industrial Talk, sponsored by MD&M West and News and Brews, highlighting the event's focus on medtech, automation, packaging, plastics, and design.
Scott emphasizes the importance of attending MD&M West, describing it as a significant manufacturing conference with a strong focus on innovation and networking.
Scott introduces Zach Bauer, the guest for the episode, and mentions the similarity of Zach's name to Jack Bauer.
Zach Bauer confirms his affiliation with Mer Electronic, a German industrial automation company.
Casual Conversation and Personal Interests
Scott and Zach Bauer engage in a casual conversation about their beer preferences, with Zach mentioning his preference for Belgian beers.
They discuss their experiences with Belgian beers, including a Belgian vacation where they drank various types of beer.
Scott humorously comments on the abundance of beer options in Belgium, comparing it to the limited options in other places.
Zach mentions a fan who appreciates beer, adding a light-hearted moment to the conversation.
Zach Bauer's Background and Role at Murrelektronik
Zach provides a brief background on his career in industrial automation, mentioning his decade of experience and his current role as Sales Development Manager at Murrelektronik.
He explains his responsibilities, including setting strategy and developing training for the US sales team.
Zach shares his personal background, mentioning his father's role in manufacturing and how it influenced his career.
Scott and Zach discuss their experiences with manufacturing and the challenges faced in the industry.
Murrelektronik's Solutions and Market Impact
Zach explains Murrelektronik's focus on automated machinery infrastructure, including cabling, modules, and power supplies.
He highlights the company's decentralized, agnostic approach to automation, which reduces the need for skilled labor and simplifies the wiring process.
Zach discusses the company's solutions for safety and vision applications, emphasizing their ease of use and connectivity.
He mentions the SIP safety fusion block, which consolidates safety signals on the machine, reducing wiring and improving efficiency.
Data Collection and Automation Solutions
Zach explains how Murrelektronik's modules capture and transmit data from various sensors and devices.
He discusses the importance of data collection in automation and how Murrelektronik's solutions facilitate this process.
Zach shares an anecdote about his wife's lack of understanding of his work, adding a personal touch to the conversation.
He emphasizes the ease of use of Murrelektronik's modules, comparing them to Lego pieces that fit together seamlessly.
Future of Automation and Manufacturing
Zach discusses the future of automation, highlighting the ongoing challenges with labor and the increasing demand for data.
He mentions Murrelektronik's work in data centers and the harsh environments of automotive manufacturing.
Zach shares his excitement about the company's solutions and their impact on improving manufacturing efficiency.
He encourages manufacturers to visit Mer's manufacturing facility to see the solutions in action.
Closing Remarks and Contact Information
Scott thanks Zach for the conversation and encourages listeners to connect with him on LinkedIn.
Zach provides his contact information and directs listeners to Murrelektronik's website for more information.
Scott reiterates the importance of attending events like MD&M West to meet industry leaders and solve manufacturing challenges.
The episode concludes with Speaker 1 promoting Industrial Talk and its mission to help manufacturers succeed.
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Hey, this episode of Industrial Talk is proudly brought to you by MD&M West and the incredible News and Brews team. MD&M West delivered big medtech, automation, packaging, plastics, and design all came together under one roof. The innovation, the energy, the conversation - it was everything that makes this industry extraordinary. I was on the floor capturing the stories, the breakthroughs, and the leaders who are shaping the future. Thanks for tuning in and celebrating the people driving industrial innovation. Industrial Talk powered by MD&M West and the News and Brews team. All right, once again, welcome to News and Bruise. I had to look up and get the name, because I have another podcast that I know they do, so now I had to look at News and Brews. Yeah, we're at MD&M West. We are in Anaheim, California, and we are interviewing, and we were talking to all of the incredible manufacturing leaders here at this show. And if you're not at this show, if you're not part of the cool kids, then you need to put this on your calendar for next year, because it is bigger, better, stronger, faster - it's everything that you want in a manufacturing conference, and you know what else you get to do. Yes, you get to talk to great people. In the hot seat, we have a gentleman by the name of Zach Bauer. There is nobody. I have to get this off my chest. It's so close to Jack Bauer. I'm sorry, I had to get
01:38
it off. It's a reasonable point. It's
01:40
always the case. Yep, he is with Murr. Did I get that?
01:44
You got it right, Murrelektronik. It's German, though. Hey,
01:54
they worked hard at that. The biggest.. I get it. I would never have spelled it that way, but I get it. Yeah, so you have your beer. I have my beer. Is it what? What type of beer is it? I think it's like a heifer. She'd see you just stir out a name, like a heifer, like heifer. You're a beer guy. I'm a beer guy. Yeah, okay. You have to ask the question, what's the beer you like? What do you read? Okay, it's a season. The season is wintry. There, what beer do you like? Give me a nice porter. Shut up. I love that. I agree with you. I like that too.
02:35
I'm a big Belgian guy. My wife and I did a Belgian vacation last year, drank a bunch of Belgian beers.
02:40
Is that a country that has beer, or what? Oh my goodness, it's unbelievable. They're everywhere.
02:45
Yeah, you go into like a McDonald's and they've got 40 beers on beer.
02:50
This is it's insane, and you know what's what's really insane about it? It's delicious,
02:55
fantastic.
02:56
It is. You're not saying that wasn't very good. You have beer here that it's not very good sometimes, beer, but there, no,
03:03
all great,
03:04
all great gazillion type of beers. Yeah. Oh, there's the green team right there. Hello, green team. Oh, here comes another beer. Oh, there it is, right there. Set your.. is that your fan club?
03:18
I have no idea who she is.
03:20
Yeah,
03:22
she appreciates beer, so it's clear I need fan right there. Are you having a good conference? Yeah, great conference. Why? Good day one.
03:32
Why?
03:33
Just a lot of people interested in the solutions that Murrelektroniks bring into the market.
03:38
Really, that's you said you were gonna sort of extend it out a little bit. Now you're making me work too hard for this interview. It's been
03:46
a lot of, a lot of cool manufacturers coming through, doing everything from olive oil manufacturing.
03:53
No way,
03:53
yeah, yeah, yeah. One of the largest olive oil manufacturers in the United States stopped by earlier, had some good discussions with them.
04:03
If they stop by your booth again, tell them to come talk to me, because I like olive oil.
04:09
I can do that. I can do that.
04:10
I just want to talk about it. What that process looks like.
04:13
Yeah, well, they do quite a bit. It's apparently a much more water-friendly crop versus almonds and some of the other things that are grown out in California, so they're displacing a lot of the the more water intensive crops like grapes and stuff with olives, because they're naturally drought tolerant compared to some of the other things.
04:32
I just read an article about the impact that the almond industry is having on California. Oh,
04:38
it's unbelievable. I
04:39
didn't know. Wow,
04:42
crazy amounts of water into producing almonds. Who would have thought
04:45
it is okay? I digress. The green team's getting upset with me. They're over there, green team. All right, you need to give us a little background on Zach Bauer. Yeah, batting third and. The Zach Power, give us to it.
05:02
So, I've been in industrial automation for about a decade, mostly in like the sensors and control space. So, I've been with Murrelektronik for about three and a half years now. I was a territory manager for a good portion of that, promoting our solutions in the mid-Atlantic market. Recently moved into the sales development manager position, so kind of responsible for setting strategy and developing trainings for our US sales team
05:30
near Suwannee.
05:32
So our headquarters is in Suwannee, just north of Atlanta, but I pretty fun
05:35
name. I like that, that's a
05:36
good name. I live in the Philadelphia area, though.
05:39
Philly. Okay, I had to share this with you. So, I used to have a terminal in Philadelphia, so I'd fly into Philly. It was always the fastest, most chaotic taxi ride to that location. It's like, like something was on fire.
05:57
Yeah, that's Philadelphia.
05:58
Yeah, I was, I was climbing
06:00
light poles. It's just, it's the wild west out there.
06:02
I was, I was stunned. I remembered I was gone. You can't believe it. I really thought somebody was chasing us, because the car was just like.. and in a matter of minutes we were at the location. I thought, okay, I'm all in. Well, with all that said, you've been a decade in. What do you start when you were what, 12
06:22
or less? Yeah, yeah, I grew up around manufacturing. My dad was a maintenance manager for a company called Atlas Press Metals, so they did powdered metal and sintering for just various machinery type applications. So
06:40
he was the maintenance man, he was the
06:41
maintenance manager. So
06:43
was he part of SMRP Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals?
06:48
I'm gonna guess no.
06:48
Okay, but he
06:49
probably should have been.
06:51
Yes,
06:51
he's retired now, though. So,
06:53
okay, that makes sense. All right, let's talk about Murrelektroniks, E L E K T R. r o n i k, Elektronik. There you go. Yeah, talk to us about that. So, what's about
07:08
Murrelektronik? Is a 50 year old German industrial automation company, really focused on automated machinery infrastructure. So,
07:19
we went right over my head. What is it? What do you mean by that?
07:21
So, on a typical machine on a factory floor, you have a PLC, that's the rail, you have the sensors, the actuators, the motors that are really acting on the product that's being made or transported. We make the infrastructure for that, so we make the cabling, the modules, the power supplies to essentially help an automated machine builder distribute signal power and data across their machine, and really, our special sauce is a really decentralized agnostic approach. So, we really try to pull things out of the control cabinet, like IO cards and Ethernet switches, and put them out on the machine closer to the devices. So, for a manufacturer or a machine builder, it's a much lower level of skilled labor required to work with our products versus a traditional approach to wiring an automated machine,
08:11
which addresses the challenges that we have with resources.
08:14
Absolutely, is
08:15
that what it is? Yeah, and learning curve.
08:16
M applications is done by the:
08:41
do not
08:42
implement that on their machine
08:43
way above my pay grade.
08:44
Yeah, so that
08:45
whole silver tsunami.
08:47
Yeah, so we really try to partner with companies that build or integrate systems to take our approach, and they can typically realize overall bomb cost reductions, labor reductions, little material
09:00
bomb, yep. No act, no acronyms on this doggone podcast, not zero. Don't even go there, go ahead, continue. Yeah, take your beer.
09:11
So, yeah, it's.. it's been a.. it's been really fun this show. We're really showing some solutions for safety, as well as vision applications. So,
09:20
okay, because we haven't had enough conversation around safety. What do you mean by that? How is your solution? How is how is Murr? Yeah, so positively impacting safety.
09:31
just laying there going back:
10:20
so connectivity connected quickly.
10:22
Yep,
10:23
pretty quick,
10:23
very quick. It's all M 12 plug and play, really simple stuff to use.
10:30
Are you in the world or in the in? Because everybody is talking about it. We got that now. I'm now I'm receiving safety related. It is like, yeah, everything's good, everything's good. Whoa, here's something that's happening. Be careful, that is, that sort of.. it's very
10:44
much like a.. oh no, something's not good. Let me hit the e stop, and the machine will stop. Or safety guarding that you can't enter an area until the machine is deemed safe, things like that. So, really dealing with devices that are essentially stopping the machine whenever a person would be entering an area that's dangerous, that's where our product is often used.
11:10
Right, right, right, right, right, right, right. Now, are you, are your devices collecting data?
11:17
Yes.
11:19
Now, is that data I can it be analyzed?
11:25
Absolutely, yeah. So we were communicating for the SIP safety block, that's typically going back to like a Guard Logics PLC or something similar, but we also have solutions that will send data to an OPC UA server or an MQTT broker or something like that, which are all kind of the new hotness in the IoT protocol type space. So we really do a great job of helping capture that data and then send it to wherever the custoMurr needs that information.
11:55
Are you married?
11:55
I am married. Do
11:56
you have kids?
11:57
We do not have kids.
11:58
Oh, kids, I was going to say, you better hold back on all of those little, like this device name is, you'll get it eventually to the point where they'll gloss over and say never. Does your wife do that?
12:12
Oh, she has no idea what I do. I do. It's actually pretty funny. I've been in the space for a decade and she's like something with wires, and I think that's about where she talks out, but she's a pharmacist, so it's really like she does something with medicine. Yeah, I was gonna
12:25
say she has no room to talk, just FYI. I'm sure she goes down that old pharmacist route, chirping chemical names,
12:33
exactly. Yeah, so you guys
12:35
have those great conversations. So, in this world, so we're taking assets, spinning assets, whatever it might be, pumps, whatever, whatever the assets are, and I'm pulling that data off of that asset. Sure, you're facilitating that ability for me to be able to pull that data off that asset and be able to do stuff with it. Yeah,
12:51
absolutely. I mean, anywhere on a machine that you have a signal that's being generated, whether that's from a photo eye or a pressure sensor, yes, our modules are made to essentially capture that signal and then send it wherever it's needed to go for the custoMurr.
13:07
Now that makes sense. So you're not, you're not in the world of the device where I'm saying I'm capturing vibration analysis on this, this, or this, this, you know, heat sensor or whatever it might be, but I do need to get it to point B. Here's a, I need to get to point b, and to be able to do that in an effective way, that's that's where the absolutely, that's where your magic resides. Yeah,
13:30
we, we really help manufacturers that are looking to either easily add additional automation, or when they're bringing new automation in for the first time, in a way that's a lot more approachable than that big scary control cabinet that I think a lot of people are afraid of, all of those wires and what's going on. The analogy that I always use is, you know, a USB fits into that port and you can plug it in. It's the same way with our modules, it's plug and play, really easy to use. I like to use the Lego analogy. Yes, you know it's the pieces fit together, they're going to work together, and that makes a really easy automation system.
14:08
So, there's a lot of conversations around edge computing too. So, I'm going to send, I'm going to send my information to the edge, and then take that edge solution and then send it to the cloud, but I'm going to have some processing capabilities at that edge, and therefore make that more efficient and impact, or in a positive way, the latency of that analysis. Are you in the world of, let's say, cellular?
14:35
So we have some solutions coming out that are what I would call local wireless, more Wi-Fi scale,
14:41
like a local g,
14:44
yeah, yeah, similar to that, but really, I mean, we're we're a connectivity company. What I find is 95% of what you're doing on the factory floor, you need copper there that's going to carry power to that device and carry signal away.
14:58
So does Murrv with this? Solutions, are you vertically integrated when it comes from manufacturing? We are,
15:03
yeah. So, we have manufacturing in Suwannee, Georgia, where we manufacture M 12 connectivity, but then we also have facilities in Germany, in the Czech Republic, where we do additional manufacturing for modules and things like that.
15:17
See, here's an interesting question: you guys are a manufacturer, plus you also sell solutions to manufacturers, so you are in the need, because you're a manufacturer, so you're in the need for manufacturing solutions to make your manufacturing
15:30
absolutely, and you walk around our factory floor, and you see quite a bit of myrrh green. I was gonna say our machines, yeah,
15:36
because you're not, you're not going to tolerate inefficiencies.
15:39
Oh no, not at all. It's, it's really actually pretty cool to see the way that we've implemented our own solutions to improve our own manufacturing. Really kind of brings full circle for people coming in to see, you know, not only the product manufacturer but also being physically used to manufacture. It's, yeah, it's a pretty cool scenario. Scenario there. Yeah, see, I, that would be great. Sure, we can. We can help you, but why don't you come on by our manufacturing facility and see the green and work exactly? Exactly,
16:08
green is green is a good color. All right, where do you see it going?
16:14
I mean, I just see it keep moving in this direction, the labor challenges, and yeah, the push for additional data. It's not going anywhere. It's,
16:24
you know, it's not going anywhere. And are you guys, I mean, just think of the data center.
16:31
Are you guys? We do a little bit of work in data center. A lot of those applications aren't as harsh enough for us, but we do do some work in
16:39
data. That's so manly. I mean, we, we
16:42
really grew up in automation and automotive, where it's oils and coolants and just real dirty hard environments. Zach
16:50
Bauer, that's Zach Bauer. If I was a guy that said you were dazzling and you were fantastic, and I need for you to be a part of my network, and I need somebody that I can trust on my for my journey, I want to contact Zach. How do they, how would I do that? Zach Bauer,
17:07
you can find me on LinkedIn, or you can find Murr at Myrrh inc.com
17:13
inc.com. Okay, good. I was just looking at, yeah, I see it. I see your URL. Okay, you're great, thanks. Say thank you very much. Beer and no beer. All right, he's already went through the beer.
17:27
I gotta go get another one.
17:28
Yeah, all right. That's Zach. You need to connect with him. We're gonna have all the contact information out on Industrial Talk, so you make sure that you contact Zach, so you don't come to me and say I can't contact Zach. That's you're not working hard enough, because it's all out there. He's on LinkedIn, connect with Zach, because he's he's a must-connect guy. And Murr, follow them, Murr Inc. All right, once again, News and Brews. We're here, MD&M West, and it is in Anaheim, California, and you need to be here if you're in the world of manufacturing, because you get to meet people like Zach and others that are real problem solvers and really focused on their success. All right, stay tuned. We will be right back.
18:09
You're listening to the Industrial Talk Podcast Network.
