For years, Peter Martin has espoused the benefits of taking the automation principles of the plant floor and applying them to the business processes of the enterprise. In essence, the same control algorithms used to adjust a valve, for example, can be adapted to business variables, such as energy or feedstock. The outcome, he proclaims, is dialing up production efficiency as well as saving dollars and cents.
Now, Martin, a 30-year veteran of the automation industry, book author, and patent holder, whose doctorate degrees range from industrial engineering to biblical studies, is getting recognition for his extensive work on integrating financial and production measures to improve process plant profitability and performance. In October, the International Society of Automation (ISA) awarded Martin a Life Achievement Award, a discretionary honor that recognizes individuals with a history of sustained dedication to the instrumentation, systems, and automation community.
To date, a total of 15 individuals have been recognized for this award. Martin, vice president for business value generation at Invensys Operations Management, follows former Wonderware President and Chairman Peter Pitsker, who won the award in 2006; Emerson Electric Executive Vice President John Berra, who won it in 2002; and Dick Morley, “the father of the PLC,” recognized in 1999.
“I am truly honored and surprised to have been recognized by ISA in this manner,” Martin told Managing Automation, in an e-mail. “For most of my career, I have firmly believed that effectively integrating automation technology with talented frontline personnel is one of the best financial investments any industrial company can make. This belief drove me to develop the Dynamic Performance Measures approach, which contributed to this honor.”