Promoting automation among US ex-military recognised

The Automation Federation is a winner of the seventh annual PM100 Awards by Manufacturing Enterprise Communications - producers of the Manufacturing Leadership Summit and publishers of Managing Automation. This is the third consecutive year that AF has won a PM100 Award.

In 2009, AF was honored for the development of the Automation Competency Model (ACM). In 2010, AF was honored for the completion of the ACM and efforts to disseminate information about the model to the international community. This year, AF is being honored for its new AutomationVETS program.

 AF’s AutomationVETS program gives US military Veterans the opportunity to pursue new careers in automation. The program combines the technical skills Veterans acquired in the service of their country with mentoring from current automation professionals to make the transition to a lucrative career in automation smooth and straightforward. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has offered its support to help make the AutomationVETS program a success. 

Steve Pflantz, 2011 chair of the Automation Federation membership committee, said, “Winning the award for our AutomationVETS program is especially meaningful to us because this program is designed to give back to our Veterans, who have worked hard to serve and protect the rest of us. Re-entering the workforce after retiring from service is often challenging for our Veterans. This program will help them use the skills they already possess to pursue careers in which they will continue to make a difference to the health, safety and well-being of our nation. We hope this award will help spread the message throughout industry that mentors are needed and that our Veterans are a prime source for new hires.” 

The 2011 PM100 Winners will be honored and presented with awards at the Awards Gala, scheduled for 11 May 2011, the last day of the Manufacturing Leadership Summit 2011, at The Breakers in Palm Beach, FL, USA.