Daniel Beilfuss, GM of Columbus McKinnon Corporation’s (CMCO) Automation Division.
THE INTERVIEW D
aniel Beilfuss, GM of Columbus McKinnon Corporation’s (CMCO) Automation Division, which includes the company’s
r 'I like solving problems and helping clients understand what their issues are,' says Beilfuss.
Magnetek brand, is celebrating his silver anniversary with the company this year and started his two-year tenure as president of the US Material Handling Industry (MHI) Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA), in January. Here, we catch up with Beilfuss to find out what drives him to succeed.
OCH: Daniel, what drives you as an industry leader? DB: I really enjoy helping customers win. I like solving problems, and helping clients understand what their issues are, what they're trying to overcome, and how to make them more productive by improving their processes through the equipment and services that we provide. We want to provide new ways of thinking about what they're doing, and help them to keep their operations running safely, efficiently and productively. If they win, we win. Within the world of automation, when you
automate processes, you're adding additional safety features which means instead of relying on one person to make sure they are following the right procedures and being safe in their operations, you can put things in place that makes them more efficient and their facilities and operations safer. As a result, they experience more throughput and productivity, which often drives future projects and repeat business. To me, advancements in technology are exciting. When I look back 15 years ago, we had to convince people to invest in technology, but they were hesitant to do so at the time. Manufacturers couldn’t see how it would benefit their business and they didn’t know how to use it. But now, we have reached a point where you're almost expected to have some form of automation. And if you don't, you're going to get left behind and this is only going to continue to accelerate going forward. We continue to develop our Magnetek-brand
motor and radio controls, with more value-added technology so the customer can get more analytics and diagnostic information. We have also developed standard off-the-shelf automation-type products for collision avoidance. No-Fly Zone Systems to pre-programme and map out the operation of a crane through a facility for safe operation. Anti-sway control has been around for many years, but it is still underutilised in the industry today.
OCH: What is your biggest business inspiration?
DB: Again, it ties in with helping customers win. I feel good at the end of the day if we can help to solve a problem and the customer puts their trust in us to provide a solution for them. Developing trust is extremely important to me. So much of what we do is custom-made for a specific application. We have a team of engineers that understand what the problems are, and what we need to resolve. We work together with our customer, it’s not just about selling
40 | Fall 2023 |
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