Specialty Marketing Really Works

Years ago, I was working on a couple of Emerson Prism AC drives at the Texas School Book Depository in Austin… They were a mess and I had finally finished Friday afternoon and was ready to get back home (I had been there for 3 days…all the buss caps had to be replaced).

One of the maintenance electricians asked if I would mind taking a look at a plc system (PLCs were in their infancy then).. “The engineer is ready to pull his hair out, wants to go home, and has hit the wall”

So I go to take a look. The engineer is obviously frazzled “every time I try to start the system I clear the fuse. I’ve checked everything. It should be working.”… I briefly look the system over and notice that one of the strands from a common wire is touching one of the outputs …I fix the wire, it works and the engineer is elated and most grateful. … I tell him not to worry about it, it happens to everyone…and leave him the IDM logo screwdriver I used to fix the wire.

A couple of years later I was at the Texas A&M power plant starting up five, 500HP Emerson AS5100 AC drives. When I was done, the maintenance electrician informed me that the head of their Engineering group wanted to talk to me, so I proceeded to his office.

When I opened the door who should I see but the engineer from the Depository (considerably less frazzled). He pulls the screwdriver I had given him years ago out of his desk and tells me, “I bought those drives because of this screwdriver” …needless to say I was in shock…I guess what comes around really does go around …

— Dale Frisk, IIDM Field Service Technician