AUTOMATION Industry News is pleased to announce that Jim Pinto, noted industry commentator and author of Automation Unplugged, will be joining us as our featured columnist, appearing each Thursday with Pinto's Perspectives.

Jim Pinto

Through his www.jimpinto.com website, Pinto's pet online project has become a vibrant part of the automation industry culture, featuring weblogs where employees and managers alike congregate to discuss their industry and corporate cultures.

Pinto publishes his own weekly newsletter through the website, parts of which are republished on various industry sites, in addition to his articles for various automation and engineering publications. The content of Pinto's Perspectives will be written specifically for AIN.

Pinto has a long history in the automation industry, founding his first engineering company KPE Controls in the UK during the 1960s. Pinto then moved to the US, eventually settling in California, where he founded Action Instruments in 1972.

Pinto was both the president and chief executive officer of Action Instruments, where he was considered a pioneer in participative management, winning California's Small Business Person of the Year in 1980 and named one of INC Magazine's Employers of the Year in 1993.

Action was acquired by British firm Eurotherm in March 1998, which was in turn acquired by Invensys in June 1998. Pinto now serves as an international consultant in strategic business planning, marketing, sales channel development, technology planning and acquisition strategy, in addition to his own activities as a technology futurist and "angel" investor.

Jim Pinto is an automation industry analyst and commentator, author, technology entrepreneur and futurist. You can email him at: jim@jimpinto.com. Or look at his poems, prognostications and predictions on his website: www.JimPinto.com . Read his latest book: Automation Unplugged

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