42 years industrial controls - Retirement this Friday 10/28/2022

[geniusintraining]

You made it!!! as Phil would say.... Enjoy!

 

[I_Automation]

Enjoy it if you can.


I retired 2 years ago right after the lockdown,
I have been called at least twice and up to 8 times each week for a service call.
The past 2 weeks I have been driving 3 hours a day and spending 8 to 11 hours installing robots (probably a 2 month project, looking to rent a house in the area to alleviate the driving but that is an expensive area)
The first thing I was going to do when I retired was travel out west - haven't even been able to pack the trailer to do it yet.

 

[Ronnie Sullivan]

All the superstars of automation controls are reaching or reached retirement age. (Including me)
The world economy depends on automation - that's how important it is.

But who is coming up behind?
From what I've seen over last years, not much quality.
I'm not being rude, it's what I have experienced.

I've been to so many jobs where poor programming has caused so many problems for the customer.

Even last week I went to a machine for rolling mattresses up because it was destroying every mattress they put in it.
One photocell had come out of line and was permanently off.

Nothing in the program to stop this.
I just put a quick line in to stop it happening again. I mean just one line of if, or ands and an alarm on the HMI.

This is a regular occurrence I'm finding.

 

[widelto]

Congrats on your retirement, enjoy your new spare time, enjoy with your grandsons and granddaughters and the rest of your family.

 

[Puddle]

Judging by this thread, I'm probably less than half the age of post of the people on the forum.
Judging by all the other threads, I doubt I know 10% of what the rest of you do.
I'll get there. Eventually.

 

[widelto]

@Puddle: Go like the song "step by step". LOL.

 

[KuulKuum]

Congratz Plastic on the retirement. Enjoy your future.
I in a few years will be joining the retirees of this great forum and putting myself out to pasture.

 

[OkiePC]

Congratulations and thank you for your dedicated service for so many years.

Lot's of people love to thank a farmer or a trucker or a soldier and that's great, but have you ever used a manufactured product?

Maybe thank a PLC guy too, or maybe we're better off that no one knows about us.

 

[Tom Jenkins]

Congratulations. Enjoy the adventures ahead!

 

[Robb B]

That's a solid stretch of time in the trenches! I'm sure we're all going to have some sort of PTSD from this work, but as long as you are enjoying it (and the rest of life!!) mostly, that's the important stuff.

 

[parky]

As a veteran of Controls & now a retiree, just a warning yes you get rid of that boss who makes your life difficult and the awkward customers, layins, forget it, sitting in front of the telly forget it, if your married and your wife still works, forget the lazy lifestyle, you will have a new boss, probably a slave driver, lists of jobs to do that you have been putting off

 

[John Soltesz]

Congratulations!
I retired in 2015 after some 44 years. I went cold-turkey, but still mess around with stuff at home. My wife just shakes her head.
Stay healthy, stay in touch, grab opportunities while you can.
My retirement present was going to Alaska. A must see place. A few trips out to western states. Europe a couple of times and just finishing arrangements for Australia next Feb/March.
The thing I miss is the contact with the old staff. It seems most have gone elsewhere or died. But it was thrilling to see one of our projects come to fruition when the first views came from the Webb Space Telescope. That was a long wait.
Stay away from politics!

 

[LegacyLee]

I've been at it for 34 years and get the ¿¿¿Honorable??? distinction of being the "legacy guy"...working on things that no one knows how to work on anymore. Happy retirement. There are plenty of legacy things to do work on...for big $$$ too.

 

[Steve Bailey]

There are plenty of legacy things to do work on...for big $$$ too.

There's a lot to be said for being at the leading edge of obsolete technology.

 

[LegacyLee]

It keeps me busy.