These two respected professionals are our selected finalists for the 2013 PACE Zenith Lifetime Achievement Awards proudly sponsored by Emerson Process Management.
Russell Hughes
Russell Hughes is the Engineering Director and co-founder of Integra Systems.
With 35 years of engineering, innovative product development and senior management experience, Russell joined his son Paul Hughes at Integra Tooling Systems (now Integra Systems) in 1993 as Joint Director to develop his dream of harnessing innovation to develop engineering solutions for Australian industry.
His inventive predisposition led him conceive the world's first high speed Coil Processing Line (Punch-IT Coil Processing), which together with Paul Hughes, was ultimately built as Integra's first production machine.
At Integra, Russell works closely with customers to support product development and engineering solutions that are cost effective to produce, and assist with positioning them well in the Australian market.
Russell's hands-on and mentoring approach at Integra Systems allows him to oversee engineering design, prototyping, all manufacturing functions and supply chain management. His philosophy is to think beyond the expected to deliver excellence in innovation and service.
Throughout his engineering and manufacturing career, Russell identified a niche in the Australian market for a linear high speed coil processing line that would rival the steel punching competition by punching steel components at a rate that would ensure components less that 300 mm wide were produced economically.
Between 1993 and 1998, Integra Systems designed and built these machines for a range of customers, and branded it Punch-IT Coil Processing Line. This is a five-axis system consisting of an electronic feed system and a series of four punching stations suitable for most linear punching applications.
Punching at a rate of 120 strokes per minute, coil is consumed and converted to finished parts at a rate of 20 linear metres per minute – at least six times faster than a turret punch press.
The Punch-IT line was so technologically advanced that the University of Melbourne's Engineering Professor, Colin Burvill presented a paper on the machine at the International Conference of Engineering Design (ICED). In 1999, a strategic decision was made by Integra Systems to build an in-house Punch-IT line for component manufacture, and became the first production machine and manufacturing foundation.
Russell has also mentored his son Paul Hughes throughout his engineering and business management career, and supported Paul's passion for innovation to ensure this continues to be the key differentiator of Integra's entire business.
This business has become a sustainable family-owned business that continues to harness Russell's inventive predisposition as a cornerstone of its operations, value system and philosophy. At 72 years of age, Russell continues to strive for excellence in innovation for Integra and its customers and is not showing any signs of slowing down.
Russell began his engineering career in 1957 as an apprentice at the Maribyrnong Ordnance Factory. From here, he moved to Caterpillar's Tractor Factory where engineering design became his specialty. He later became an engineering and design contractor for companies such as Ericsson, International Harvester, Ford, Zenford and General Motors Holden.
Russell gained a vast range of skills and experience and became the Senior Engineer for Sidchrome. Russell took on the General Manager role with Rymer Lighting, a Division of Howard Smith Industries, which then became Thorn EMI.
During Russell's 17 year tenure at Rymer Lighting, he was promoted to Managing Director, and Manufacturing & Engineering Director of Howard Smith Industries and grew Rymer Lighting's annual turnover from a $1 million to $33 million.
Russell's contribution to engineering design and development is highly regarded by the University of Melbourne and he is a member of the University of Melbourne Engineering Design Group.
Ian Gibson
Ian Gibson joined the IICA's precursor, the SITA, in 1960 and soon after was invited to join the Victorian Branch committee as Chairman; he became Hon. Federal Secretary and then a member of the Federal executive committee, a post which he held for many decades.
He has held the post of President of the Institute, and continues to serve on federal subcommittees, as well as serving as a member and officer of the Melbourne Branch committee for the past 48 years.
He represented the Institute as the Australian Delegate to the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO) and continues to represent IICA on several Standards Australia committees and the RMIT Electrotechnology Consultative committee.
A voluntary organisation needs on ongoing corporate memory. With 53 years of membership and service to the IICA, Ian provides that continuity.
If the organisation needs a job done, he will do it. Ian regularly contributes to the IICA by supporting Branch activities, being involved in organizational sub committees, acting as IICA representative on a number of Standards Committees and being able to assist the Secretariat with any number of subjects due to his extensive knowledge of the Institute and the Industry as a whole.
At 77, Ian remains in effectively full time employment as a Principal Engineer with WorleyParsons, having 'retired' eight years ago from 33 years with Fluor Australia, as a 'Fluor Fellow'.
He is an active member of a variety of ISO, IEC, AS and ISA standards committees on safety and measurement techniques and the author of several chapters in Liptak's Instrument Engineers Handbook. He is chair of the AS committee for IEC 61511 Ed2, and serves on the corresponding IEC editorial committee. He is also serving on the ISO committee for 5167 Part 5 (Cone meters), and on the ISA S84 committee.
He provides mentoring services within WorleyParsons and on a variety of engineering websites. He also consults and provides lecturing and HAZOP leader services outside WorleyParsons. He is an Hon. Life Member of RACI (CChem, CPChem), Life Senior Member of ISA, Fellow of IICA, and Associate Fellow of IChemE. He is a RPEQ (Chemical) and TUV FSEng (1/04).
The 2013 PACE Zenith Lifetime Achievement Awards are sponsored by Emerson Process Management.
Emerson Process Management
+61 3 9721 0200
www.EmersonProcess.com.au
Emerson Process Management are proud to support the PACE Zenith Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Emerson Process Management has a proud history throughout Australia & New Zealand over many decades.
Many of our staff started with us back when we were known as Fisher Rosemount and some even remember the introduction of HART!
This year we will reward and celebrate six staff members who will reach 30 years of service with the company.
Along with the new generation they continue to provide the reliable and industry leading solutions that our clients have come to expect from us.
Running a process operation means never hearing "That's good enough." Our clients are under constant pressure to cut costs, increase output, reduce energy use and emissions whilst maintaining high safety standards — all while managing increasingly complex operations with fewer experienced workers than ever before. That's why companies turn to Emerson Process Management not only for automation technologies and services, but for industry expertise and solutions to help solve the problems they face today — and build an advantage for tomorrow.
Our brands include Rosemount, Fisher, DeltaV, Micro Motion, Mobrey, Bristol, Roxar, EIM, Daniel, Smart Wireless, PlantWeb and many more. With branches in every state offering full engineering, sales and service support there will always be specialists available to assist with any Process Control, Instrumentation or Valve requirement.