Ease of use is becoming an increasingly prevalent topic of discussion. The skills gap facing many industries, including the hydraulics and pneumatics sector, is one of the factors prompting the need for systems and machines that are both easy for end-customers to use and engineers to deploy.

This need for easy to use systems has been a running theme in my discussions with companies exhibiting at the upcoming Automate Show, including the one featured in today’s newsletter with Jesse DeSanto from SMC Corp.

He noted during our discussion that while many engineers are capable of building complex automation systems, time is a major constraint for them. He said solutions that are user-friendly, configurable, and readily available can help simplify integration and accelerate implementation.

How, if at all, have you seen ease of use gain importance in recent years? What methods are being used to make systems and machines easier to use and deploy? Reach out to me at [email protected] and let me know your thoughts!

Sara Jensen, Editor, Power & Motion