He's the president of Edson Packaging, a Canadian maker of end-of-line packaging equipment.
One of Hattin's central observations is that North American manufacturers of packaging machinery are beginning to resemble PC maker Dell. "Increasingly we find ourselves going from being designers of technology to integrators of others' technology," said Hattin. "Whether it's an Alpha Gear component or Sercos software, we integrate it into the machines we build. The key is enabling technology that, because it adheres to international standards such as IEC 61131-3, permits us to sell machines anywhere on the planet. It means that when the packaged goods companies of the world say, 'I want this equipment in this plant in this country, and I want it fast,' we're able to say, 'Okay, here it is.' The enabling technologies minimize the amount of time we need to spend on programming issues and frees us up, as machine builders, to focus on automation and application issues."
To emphasize how important it is for a North American machine builder to think globally these days, Hattin ran down a list of the suppliers who stand behind the Edson RPd270 case packer. "Our PLC and servo motors are from Germany, as are our gear box and cables. Robot mechanics are from Holland, pneumatic components are from France, conveyor parts are from Italy and Germany, guarding is from Italy, polycarbonate parts and fasteners are from the UK, and sheet steel is from the U.S."
Because Edson received as much support as they did from their suppliers of enabling technologies, and because they forged a strategic alliance with technology provider Schneider Electric, they were able to design and build their RPd270 machine from a clean sheet of paper in 97 days. "From pencil to packer, we had it ready for Pack Expo Chicago," said Hattin. "And 87 days after Pack Expo, we sold the first unit. It was a complete change in corporate culture in terms of how we design and build a piece of equipment."
