There’s a difference between knowing about manufacturing and truly understanding it.
You can read industry reports, study automation trends, and learn technical specifications. But real understanding—the kind that enables you to be a trusted partner, not just a vendor—comes from decades of experience working alongside manufacturers, solving real problems, learning from failures, and celebrating successes.
At Integrion Automation, we’ve spent over 40 years earning that understanding. We’ve integrated more than 1,000 automation systems. We’ve supported equipment running in production for 30+ years. We’ve worked with manufacturers through economic downturns, technology disruptions, competitive pressures, and industry transformations. We’ve been there for emergency breakdowns at 2 AM and for strategic planning sessions that shaped the next decade of a company’s growth.
That experience has taught us lessons you can’t learn from textbooks—lessons about what really matters in manufacturing partnerships.
If you’re evaluating automation partners or wondering what separates truly experienced integrators from those who just have technical capabilities, these lessons matter.
Early in our history, we approached every project with an engineer’s mindset: find the most technically elegant solution, push the boundaries of what’s possible, demonstrate our capabilities.
We designed brilliant systems. Complex. Sophisticated. Technically impressive.
And sometimes, they were harder to maintain than they needed to be. Sometimes, they required specialized expertise that wasn’t readily available. Sometimes, the incremental performance gain didn’t justify the additional complexity.
What 40 years taught us: The best solution is the one that delivers the required performance reliably, can be maintained by your team, and provides the best long-term value—not the one that wins engineering awards.
We ask different questions now: - What performance do you actually need? (Not what’s theoretically possible, but what delivers business value) - Who will maintain this system? What’s their skill level and available time? - What’s the cost of downtime in your operation? How does that shape reliability requirements? - What’s your tolerance for complexity vs. simplicity?
We recommend simpler solutions when they’re sufficient: If a pneumatic actuator delivers the required cycle time and reliability, we won’t specify a servo system just because it’s more sophisticated. If traditional vision systems meet your inspection requirements, we won’t push AI-driven systems that add cost and complexity without proportional value.
We balance innovation with maintainability: When we do recommend advanced technology, we ensure you have the infrastructure, expertise, and support to maintain it long-term. Cutting-edge solutions that become maintenance nightmares don’t serve you well.
Real-world example: A manufacturer needed a palletizing system. We could have designed a complex multi-robot cell with sophisticated coordination and maximum throughput. But after understanding their actual production volumes, available maintenance expertise, and growth plans, we recommended a simpler single-robot solution that met their needs, cost 40% less, and could be maintained by their existing team. Five years later, it’s still running reliably—and they’ve come back to us for three additional projects because we prioritized their success over our opportunity to showcase technical sophistication.
In our early years, we sometimes avoided difficult conversations. If a customer’s timeline was aggressive, we’d commit and hope we could make it work. If an application had challenges we weren’t certain we could solve, we’d express confidence and figure it out along the way. If a project’s ROI looked marginal, we’d focus on the technical feasibility and let the customer worry about the business case.
We learned—sometimes painfully—that avoiding difficult conversations early just creates bigger problems later.
What 40 years taught us: Honest, transparent communication from the very beginning—even when it’s uncomfortable—builds trust and leads to better outcomes for everyone.
We have the hard conversations upfront: - If your timeline doesn’t allow for proper implementation, we say so—and explain what’s realistic and why. - If your application has technical challenges we’re not certain we can solve, we’re transparent about the risks and our approach to mitigating them. - If the ROI looks questionable, we share our analysis and discuss whether the project makes business sense.
We walk away from projects that don’t set us both up for success: We’ve turned down projects because the timeline was unrealistic, the budget didn’t align with requirements, or the application wasn’t a good fit for our capabilities. Losing a sale is better than damaging a relationship or delivering a disappointing outcome.
We’re transparent about risks and tradeoffs: Every project involves decisions with tradeoffs. We don’t hide those or make them seem simpler than they are. We explain the options, the implications of each, and our recommendation—then collaborate with you to make informed decisions.
Real-world example: A manufacturer approached us about a complex assembly automation project with a six-month timeline. After initial analysis, we determined that properly designing, building, and commissioning the system would require 9-10 months. We could have committed to six months, hoping to compress the schedule. Instead, we explained why the timeline was unrealistic, showed them our detailed project plan, and offered options: delay the start to allow proper implementation, phase the project to deliver partial capability sooner, or consider a different approach. They appreciated the honesty, adjusted their timeline, and the project delivered exactly as planned. They’ve been a loyal customer for over a decade because that early honesty built trust.
For years, we measured our success by traditional business metrics: revenue growth, project margins, on-time delivery rates, number of systems integrated.
Those metrics mattered. But we learned they weren’t the right primary focus.
What 40 years taught us: If our customers succeed—if their systems perform as promised, their operations improve, their competitiveness increases, their ROI materializes—everything else takes care of itself.
We define success by your outcomes, not our deliverables: - Did the system deliver the promised throughput, quality, and reliability? - Did it solve the business problem you were trying to address? - Did it deliver the ROI you expected? - Would you partner with us again?
We stay engaged beyond commissioning: Our relationship doesn’t end when the system is commissioned. We follow up to ensure performance is sustained, address any issues that emerge, and support optimization and improvement over time.
We make decisions with your long-term success in mind: When we face decisions during a project—whether to use a more expensive component for better reliability, whether to add a feature that wasn’t in the original scope but would deliver value, whether to delay shipment to address an issue properly—we ask: “What decision best serves the customer’s long-term success?”
We measure ourselves by relationship longevity: Our best customers aren’t one-time projects—they’re decade-long partnerships where we become their trusted automation partner for every challenge they face. That only happens when we consistently prioritize their success.
Real-world example: During commissioning of an automated inspection system, we noticed that while the system met all specifications, a minor modification to the part handling approach would reduce cycle time by 8% and improve long-term reliability. The modification wasn’t required by the contract, and implementing it would delay final acceptance by a week. We recommended it anyway, explained the benefits, and implemented it at our cost. The customer got better performance than they contracted for, and they’ve trusted us with every automation project since—because they know we’re focused on their success, not just contractual compliance.
Early in our history, we sometimes treated projects as transactions. Win the sale, deliver the system, move on to the next opportunity.
We learned that approach was shortsighted.
What 40 years taught us: Manufacturing partnerships are long-term relationships. The equipment we deliver today will be running in your facility for 15-20+ years. How we support you over that time matters far more than the initial sale.
We invest in understanding your business: We don’t just understand your immediate project—we learn about your industry, your competitive challenges, your growth plans, your operational constraints. That knowledge makes us better partners for every engagement.
We’re there when you need us—even years later: Need support for a system we installed 15 years ago? We’re here. Have a question about equipment we delivered a decade ago? We’ll help. Facing an emergency on a production line? We’ll respond quickly, whether it’s a million-dollar customer or a small service call.
We treat every interaction as part of a long-term relationship: Whether it’s a major automation project, a field service call, a question about parts availability, or a consultation about a future opportunity, we approach every interaction with the same commitment and professionalism—because we’re building a relationship, not just completing a transaction.
We’re honest even when it costs us short-term revenue: If you don’t need a new system yet, we’ll tell you. If repairing existing equipment is more economical than replacing it, we’ll recommend that. If another partner is better suited for a particular project, we’ll say so. We’re optimizing for a 20-year relationship, not this quarter’s sales.
Real-world example: A long-time customer called with an equipment issue. They assumed they needed a major upgrade or replacement—a significant project. After assessing the situation, we determined that a relatively simple repair and some preventative maintenance would extend the equipment’s life for several more years at a fraction of the cost. We recommended that approach, even though it meant far less revenue for us. They took our advice, saved significant capital, and when they did eventually need new equipment, we were their first call—because they knew we’d always prioritize their best interest over our short-term profit.
When you’ve only done a handful of projects, you focus on making the system work during commissioning. When you’ve done 1,000+ projects and supported equipment for decades, you learn what actually fails in real-world production environments over years of operation.
What 40 years taught us: Reliability isn’t about over-engineering everything—it’s about understanding failure modes, designing to prevent them, and building in maintainability for the issues that will inevitably arise.
We design based on long-term reliability data: - Which components fail most frequently in your type of application? - What maintenance challenges will your team face five years from now? - Which design approaches look good initially but create problems over time? - What seemingly minor decisions have major long-term implications?
We build in maintainability from the beginning: Systems will need maintenance. We design for easy access to components that require regular service, clear diagnostics when issues arise, and straightforward troubleshooting for your maintenance team.
We specify components based on proven performance: We’ve seen which brands, models, and technologies deliver reliable long-term performance in production environments—and which ones look impressive on spec sheets but underperform in practice. That experience informs better component selection.
We share lessons learned across our entire customer base: When we identify a reliability improvement, a better maintenance approach, or a design refinement based on experience with one customer, that knowledge benefits all our customers. You’re not just getting our expertise—you’re getting lessons learned from 1,000+ installations.
Real-world example: In designing a material handling system, we specified industrial-grade proximity sensors rather than lower-cost alternatives that met the technical specifications. Why? Because 40 years of experience taught us that in dusty manufacturing environments, those lower-cost sensors fail frequently, creating nuisance downtime and maintenance frustration. The industrial-grade sensors cost more initially but virtually eliminate that failure mode. The customer has experienced zero sensor-related downtime in five years of operation—and their maintenance team appreciates not dealing with frequent sensor replacements.
Early in our history, we sometimes approached projects with an “we’re the experts, trust us” mentality. We’d design solutions, present them, and expect customers to approve our recommendations.
We learned that approach missed enormous value.
What 40 years taught us: The best solutions emerge from true collaboration—combining our automation expertise with your deep knowledge of your product, process, and operation.
We listen more than we talk: Before proposing solutions, we ask questions, observe your operation, understand your challenges, and learn from your team’s experience and expertise.
We value your input throughout the process: You know things we don’t—about your product variations, your quality requirements, your operational constraints, your team’s capabilities. We actively seek that input and incorporate it into our designs.
We’re open about what we don’t know: We’re automation experts, but you’re the expert on your application. When we don’t understand something about your process or product, we ask rather than assume. When we’re uncertain about an approach, we’re transparent about that and collaborate on solutions.
We treat your team as partners, not just stakeholders: Your operators, maintenance technicians, quality engineers, and production managers have invaluable insights. We engage them throughout the project, value their input, and design solutions that work for them—not just for management or engineering.
Real-world example: During an automation project for a food processing application, our initial design called for a particular material handling approach. During a site visit, an operator mentioned that product variations we hadn’t fully understood would occasionally cause issues with our proposed approach. We listened, investigated further, and modified the design to accommodate those variations. That operator’s insight—which we only got because we approached the project collaboratively and valued input from the production floor—prevented what would have been a significant operational issue.
There have been times when we faced a choice: absorb additional cost to deliver better outcomes for a customer, or protect our project margin and deliver exactly what was contracted.
What 40 years taught us: Investing in customer success—even when it impacts short-term profitability—creates long-term value that far exceeds the immediate cost.
We do what’s right, not just what’s contractually required: If we identify an improvement that would benefit you—even if it’s not in the scope or budget—we’ll recommend it and often implement it at our cost because it’s the right thing to do.
We stand behind our work: When issues arise—whether they’re technically our responsibility or not—we focus on solving the problem quickly rather than debating liability. We can sort out responsibility later; your production line needs to run now.
We invest in the relationship beyond individual projects: We provide consultation, share industry insights, offer assessments, and support your team—often without immediate revenue attached—because we’re investing in a long-term partnership.
We measure ROI over decades, not quarters: A customer we support well today will partner with us for 20+ years, across dozens of projects and service engagements. That long-term value justifies short-term investments in their success.
Real-world example: During a project, we encountered an integration challenge with the customer’s existing equipment that wasn’t caused by our system but was preventing optimal performance. Solving it required additional engineering time and some hardware modifications that weren’t in our scope. We could have documented that it was outside our responsibility and left it for the customer to address. Instead, we solved it—at our cost—because it was necessary for the customer’s success. That investment paid off many times over in future projects, referrals, and a partnership that’s now in its second decade.
If you’re evaluating automation partners, these lessons translate to tangible differences in how we serve you:
You’ll get solutions designed for long-term success, not just initial commissioning.
You’ll experience honest, transparent communication—even when it’s uncomfortable.
You’ll work with a partner focused on your outcomes, not just their deliverables.
You’ll build a relationship that extends far beyond any single project.
You’ll benefit from reliability insights gained across 1,000+ installations over 40+ years.
You’ll experience true collaboration that values your expertise and input.
You’ll partner with a company that invests in your success because your success drives ours.
Forty years of manufacturing partnership has taught us what really matters: your success, honest communication, long-term relationships, proven reliability, mutual respect, and unwavering commitment to doing what’s right.
If you’re facing an automation challenge, need support for existing equipment, or want a partner who brings four decades of hard-earned wisdom to your operation, we’d welcome the conversation.
👉 Contact our team to experience the difference that 40 years of manufacturing partnership makes.
About Integrion Automation
Integrion Automation designs, engineers, and integrates transformative automation solutions and proprietary Wauseon TubeTech™ tube forming equipment. With over 40 years of manufacturing experience, 1,000+ automation integrations, and equipment operating reliably in 22 countries, we bring hard-earned wisdom to every partnership. We’ve learned what really matters—not from textbooks, but from decades of working alongside manufacturers, solving real problems, and building relationships that last. From comprehensive automation systems to tube forming technology to field service support, we’re the experienced partner you can trust for solutions that work today and for decades to come.