1. Automation Providers Conflicts
WHAT IS THE CONFLICT BETWEEN
AUTOMATION DIRECT (AD) AND ALLEN
BRADLEY(A/B)
AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
What to do for workforce development?
Ron McGary
MAOL 539
April 24, 2015

2. 1–2
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CONFLICT?
 What is our present situation?
● Business environment and industry condition Conflicts.
● Conflict has to do with "differences between and among
individuals; goals, motives, values, ideas, and resources."
● Conflict in workforce development.
 Where do we want to go from here?
● Creating a vision for the future direction in education and
training.
 How are we going to get there?
● Conflict defined is “a struggle over values and claims to scarce
status, power, and resources in which the aims of the opponents
are to be neutralized, injure, or eliminate their rivals (Borisoff,
Victor, 1998).”

3. 1–3
WHAT IS CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
ABOUT?
 Conflict Management is all about
ASSESSMENT OF THE RIVALS AND
RELATIONSHIPS:
● Assess individual traits and relationship
● Assess nature and cause.
● Assess clarification of goals.
● Assess communication environment.
● Assess appropriate conflict handling behavior.
(Borisoff, Victor, 1998)

4. 1–4
WHAT IS CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
ABOUT?
 Conflict Management is all about
ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
● How to understand and convey your view point.
● How to understand rivals viewpoint.
● How to focus on interest, not positions.
● How to understand the similarities and differences
between people.
● How to understand their perception and expectations.
(Borisoff Victor, 1998)

5. 1–5
WHAT IS CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
ABOUT?
 Conflict Management is all about ATTITUDE:
● How to understand their reason.
● How to reconcile interests, not positions.
● How to focus on interest, not positions.
● How to demonstrate the willingness to engage.
● How to demonstrate conciliation, compassion, and
concern.
(Borisoff, Victor, 1998)

6. 1–6
WHAT IS CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
ABOUT?
 Conflict Management is all about ACTION:
● How to employ conflict managing behaviors.
● How to Invent Options for mutual gains.
● How to focus on your verbal and nonverbal
communication strategies.
● How to Insist and decide on using objective criteria.
● How to understand the individuals choice of verbal
and nonverbal cues.
(Borisoff, Victor, 1998)

7. 1–7
WHAT IS CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
ABOUT?
 Conflict Management is all about ANALYSIS:
● How to understand successful conflict resolve.
● How to understand the outcome.
● How to understand the steps that may might have
been taken for a different solution.
(Borisoff, Victor, 1998)

8. 1–8
ASSESSMENT OF THE RIVALS AND
RELATIONSHIPS
 Allen Bradley (A/B) was established in 1903:
● Organizations were using A/B in the beginning of electrical and
automation projects.
● Over time It has strengthened its competitive position.
● Multiple viewpoints "The Path to Thought Leadership.”
● Publicly traded on Wall Street.
● www.rockwellautomation.com
 AutomationDirect was established in 1994:
● The first industrial controls company to successfully use a direct
sales catalog for PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) products.
● Increases competitive pressures on rivals.
● Privately owned.
● Customer Driven Leadership (CDL) and Servant Leadership.
● www.automationdirect.com

9. 1–9
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
 Rockwell Automation Viewpoint
● Doing what they don’t do or doing it better!
● Doing what they can’t do!
● Doing things in ways that attract customers.
● Doing things in a manner calculated to
produce a competitive edge over rivals.
(www.rockwellautomation.com)

10. 1–10
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
 AutomationDirect Viewpoint
● We will offer the #1 Value in Automation to
you, the customer, consistently, every day
on every product we sell.
● Get more for your money with value priced
products that help you maximize your
budget.
● Conduct interactions and transactions with
integrity, respect, excellence and
community.
(www.automationdirect.com)

11. 1–11
What is "Thought leadership"
Used by A/B
 Thought Leadership
● Thought leaders are the informed opinion leaders
and the go-to people in their field of expertise. They
are trusted sources who move and inspire people
with innovative ideas; turn ideas into reality, and
know and show how to replicate their success. They
create a dedicated group of friends, fans and
followers to help them replicate and scale those ideas
into sustainable change not just in one company but
in an industry, niche or across an entire ecosystem
(Brosseau).

12. 1–12
What is "Customer Driven Leadership®"
Used by AutomationDirect
 Customer Driven Leadership
● CDL is a methodology for business improvement
based on the servant leader concept that says in
order to be a leader, everyone must serve others
(customers and one another) (AutomationDirect).
 Servant Leadership
● AutomationDirect has created an environment of
servant leadership in which ordinary people do
ordinary things in extraordinary ways.
(www.automationdirect.com)

13. 1–13
ATTITUDE
 How to understand organizations reasons for
using either provider:
● Organizations want to use a low-cost provider
(efficiency).
● This does have an effect on rivals within the
organizations own industry (effectiveness).
● A/B was here first, thus creating a loyalty factor.
● Both providers focus on serving a niche market’s
needs (efficiency andor effectiveness).

14. 1–14
Action
 How to communicate conflict managing
behaviors :
● By using a positive behavior and rationality to justify
the use of either provider.
● By using decisive criteria; i.e. pricing.
● Mutual gains can be achieved through compromise,
another conflict managing behavior.
(Borisoff, Victor, 1998)

15. 1–15
ANALYSIS
 How to understand the conflict is resolved :
● The concerns of all parties have been met as
adequately as possible.
● Has the stagnation ended?.
● Has the conflict resolve brought new opportunities?
● The relationship between the parties will be
productively modified.
(Borisoff, Victor, 1998)

16. 1–16
Why not train with AD?
 Developing a workforce:
● By training with AD it would be efficient and effective.
● Easier understanding and comprehension of
programming and hardware education for everyone.
● Uses professional jargon with ease.
Action

17. 1–17
Why not train with A/B?
 Developing a workforce:
● By training with A/B it would not be as efficient and
effective because of the professional jargon.
● Jargon risks confusing the reader who is unfamiliar
with it (Borisoff, Victor, 1998).
● Leaves the individual feeling patronized, isolated, and
less intelligent because of the jargon(Borisoff, Victor,
1998).
● Provides job security for those who do not know the
knowledge and it is very hard to learn.
Action

18. 1–18
Hardware Criteria for AD
 The hardware reliability information is easy to
obtain:
● It is clear that the hardware will lasts for a long period
of time, i.e. 10 million cycles for contactors.
● The information is quickly obtained from
http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catal
og/Motor_Controls/Fuji_Contactors_-z-_Overloads
● Easy selection of exactly what is needed for the
application.
● Do not need an electrical engineering degree to
decipher what is need for the application.
Analysis

19. 1–19
What is Reliability?
 Reliability is:
● The ability of a system to perform its intended
function during its expected life period.
● A machine, component, or product, over its expected
life period, should be able to perform its function at its
expected level of capacity.
Ref: (Stephens, 2004)

20. 1–20
Hardware Criteria for A/B
 The hardware reliability information is not easy
to obtain:
● Reliability must be searched within Rockwell website
to find the specifications.
● There are no real-time specifications for reliability.
● No Easy selection of exactly what is needed for the
application, it is time consuming and very inefficient.
● Do need an electrical engineering degree to decipher
what is need for the application from their website.
Action

21. 1–21
Perception
 Users Perception:
● Just because it is made in China, it is cheap and not
trustworthy.
● Fact: A/B and other controls are made in China as well.
(Retrieved from
http://forums.mrplc.com/index.php?showtopic=16288).
● The reason why there is a manufacturing learning gap is
employees do not share information for job security.
● Why Train with AutomationDirect?

22. 1–22
THE PRICE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
A/B and AD
A/B
CPU Cost
$1099+
Backplane Cost
$296
AD
CPU Cost $399
Backplane Cost
$132
$$$
www.scribd.com

23. 1–23
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
 Conflict Management and Manufacturing:
● The cost of doing business with AD is more efficient.
● The need to pass down this information from
generation to generation will not be as difficult with
AD.
● Proven Training with AD is best retained by the
student than it is with A/B, which in turn will produce a
better workforce.
● Training is better with AD products, it will be less
stress on the student and others.
Analysis

24. 1–24
References
About.automationdirect.com,. (2015). About AutomationDirect - Who We Are: - Customer Driven Leadership (CDL).
Retrieved 26 April 2015, from http://about.automationdirect.com/who-we-are/customer-driven-
leadership.html
AutomationDirect.com,. (2015). How to buy a PLC. Retrieved from https://youtube/PpVT2mZ-3-A
Borisoff, D., & Victor, D. (1998). Conflict management: A communication skills approach
(2nd ed.). Boston, Mass.: Allyn and Bacon.
Brosseau, D. (2015). What is a Thought Leader?. Thoughtleadershiplab.com. Retrieved 26 April 2015, from
http://www.thoughtleadershiplab.com/Resources/WhatIsaThoughtLeader
Rockwellautomation.com,. (2015). Rockwell Automation | Dedicated to Innovative Industrial Automation and
Information. Retrieved 26 April 2015, from http://www.rockwellautomation.com/global/about-us/company-
overview.page
Scribd.com,. (2015). TechCorner 29 - AutomationDirect vs Allen Bradley PLC’sA head to head comparison. Retrieved
26 April 2015, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/121481252/TechCorner-29-AutomationDirect-vs-Allen-
Bradley-PLC-sA-head-to-head-comparison#scribd
Stephens, M. (2004). Productivity and reliability-based maintenance management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall.