Automation technologies may be increasingly global and standardized, but the organizations deploying them still operate across different cultures, regulations, languages and business practices. Sometimes, these organizational and cultural differences can be more difficult to solve than the underlying technical problems, contends Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) CEO Adrienne Meyer.

For North American integrators handling multinational projects, she recommends disciplined global project management, particularly around documentation, change management and risk assessment. Processes that may work informally within one region need to become more formal when projects cross countries, languages and time zones. Integrators also need regional knowledge of regulations, workforce dynamics and customer expectations, while cybersecurity practices must remain consistent across facilities and geographies.

Meyer ultimately identifies trust as one of the biggest challenges because, as she puts it, trust scales more slowly than technology. In CSIA's peer-learning approach through its "Hot Stove" sessions, integrators openly discuss mistakes, insurance claims and difficult projects so other firms can avoid making the same errors. The discussion reinforces the value of documenting not only what works, but what doesn't.