Rudolf Erasmus is the Hardware Manager at Reliable Controls.
As Hardware Manager, what excites you most about the current direction of building automation technology?
For me, it’s seeing what other companies are trying that’s new and seeing what we’re doing that’s different. We’re starting to explore using millimeter-wave technology for better occupancy detection as well as single-pair Ethernet networking for high-speed long-distance communication. That means looking at the hardware and seeing what we’re trying to do that’s unique to our competitors. I think that’s very exciting for what we do in engineering.
What challenges do you think the R&D team at Reliable Controls is uniquely positioned to solve?
As we continue to develop the RC-FLEX lineup of controllers, what really excites me is their ability to log every object on a controller. It’s going to open up what we’re capable of doing with data: deeper analysis, unlocking features like early issue detection for maintenance, and for ensuring that a system is running optimally.
What makes Reliable Controls a place where people stay and build their careers?
It’s the people and the culture. I work with people who take pride in their work, and whenever there’s a problem, we work together to fix it. It’s a very high-trust environment where ego doesn’t really play a part.
Our social committee does a lot to help foster social relationships between all employees, which is especially important now that we’re growing. There might be people whose names I’ve seen only on an email and now I get to hang out with them. Two weeks ago, I was on a camping trip with a bunch of people from Reliable Controls, and last weekend we had a scavenger hunt. I think it’s really cool to get to go to all these different events and meet people I haven’t had a chance to meet yet.
What makes the building automation industry a rewarding field to work in?
It’s still rewarding for the same reasons as when I applied for a co-op job in the first place: I can have an impact on the environment through building sustainability. That’s a core thing that Reliable Controls markets itself to be, and I feel the company achieves that positive impact.
As a tinkerer, going into engineering, I get to solve all these problems in fun and interesting ways, so it scratches both those itches for me.
What’s a common misconception people have about working in building automation?
The scale of it! I think this is true for any field where there’s such a breadth of possible jobs you could be doing. If I tell someone I’m an HVAC controls designer, a lot of people assume I’m installing HVAC equipment. But then I get into the specifics of how we design and build these products, how we have a sales team selling them and field application engineers helping our dealers solve problems in specific systems.
We have a huge production team doing a lot of work to produce these products, so by the time a dealer receives a product for the first time, there’s this whole industry of people and technology behind it. Then there’s everything our dealers do, which is an even bigger industry. And here I am in this little, tiny corner designing products. There’s just so many different jobs when you say HVAC or building automation.
What’s one recent project or development that you worked on that you’re proud of?
Recently, the RC-FLEXair is the one I’m the proudest of. It was my last project where I had a real big part in the design process. After that I switched more to the supervisor and manager side of things. That was my last one where I really got my hands dirty.
It was a 5-year-long development cycle, and when it’s so long you begin to think of your wish list items and start to have these dreams of what the product could be. Then one day you’re holding it in your palm. It’s awesome.
And with COVID and the supply chain issues that happened, we had to quickly pivot and make a new version of that product that was extremely successful.
What skills or mindset helped you move forward in your career here?
Teamwork, initiative, and curiosity. Those are my top three.
Teamwork because you can’t do any of what we do without working with others. We accomplish things as a team. As a manager that’s one of the big things I drive with my people: we work as a team. When we deliver a product, we do it as a team.
Initiative is finding all the ways to make things better, whether that’s with design or process. It’s how you contribute to continuous improvement.
And you have to be curious enough to want to know how things work and then have the initiative to make them better.
What skills or mindsets can help people succeed in the building automation industry, even if they’re new to it?
It’s been teamwork, initiative, and curiosity that helped me get where I am today. But thinking of the past half decade, adaptability would be a big one. Especially through COVID and in my role where we had supply chain issues happening, you just have to learn how to roll with the punches and not get stuck in the mud.
There’s the recent trend of AI too. We have this new tool and it’s not going away. You have to start learning how to use it, or in 10 years you’re going to be behind if you don’t.
How do roles in R&D at Reliable Controls connect with the work of facility managers or building operators in the field?
It’s easy to get stuck in your own world and make decisions you think are right. That’s why we communicate directly with our customers. We have a portal where dealers can make requests for features and provide us feedback. We have our tech support team who are talking to customers every day.
We also do Interconnect and Synergy Sessions, which are both places where we do Q&As with our dealers. We get to sit down with them for brunch or dinner and have conversations about what’s going on in the industry. We really depend on our dealers and the feedback they provide, because they’re supporting facility managers and building operators directly.
At the end of the day, we’re just making sure we have products that are intuitive, easy to install, and reliable. Then we just keep that feedback loop going. With that I can try and make sure we’re always doing the right thing.
Interested in how Reliable Controls can help you better manage your buildings? Reach out today.
