Coding for Industrial Manufacturing

By Michael Shank

Hi! My name is Michael Shank. I’m a software engineer at Daisy Data Displays, a hardware manufacturer based in Southeast Pennsylvania.

I was (and still am) a big gamer, which initially sparked my interest in computers.

Computers and electronics have been a big part of my life since I was about 11 years old. I was (and still am) a big gamer, which initially sparked my interest in computers. By middle school, you could catch me disassembling, rebuilding, upgrading, wiring, and anything else that would get my hands on a computer.

During my senior year of high school, I was offered a special opportunity to work a paid internship, as a student IT technician. This was a great experience and continued to fuel my passion.

After graduating from high school, I spent 5 years bouncing from warehouse job to warehouse job. In the midst of those jobs, I was pursuing a degree in Information Technology. I will admit, at times, it was difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel — working full time and attending college online.

In 2014, I had an interview with Daisy Data Displays for an IT job. I didn’t get it… As you can imagine, it was disappointing, but they offered me another position doing warehouse work. I decided to take it, knowing it was going to be a stepping stone.

Eight months after working at Daisy Data Displays, I was sitting in the IT office, taking calls, solving problems, and doing something I really enjoyed!

Eight months after working at Daisy Data Displays, and I was sitting in the IT office, taking calls, solving problems, and doing something I really enjoyed! Today, I write software for both internal and external uses at Daisy Data Displays and manage our servers, network, user workstations, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.

As a hazardous computer manufacturer, my company designs, manufactures, and sells computers that are built to go in some of the most unforgiving environments such as, oil & gas rigs and flight simulations. Almost everything that keeps our company running relies on a program or at least an update/patch that we have written. From writing linux shell scripts to carry out daily tasks, to advanced Ruby and C scripts that are used to run our units through rigorous software tests, to utilizing Ruby on Rails, Java, and Javascript to develop user-friendly applications and interfaces, we really do it all.

Coding let me see that I don’t have to find a work-around — I can design and make programs that are faster, and more efficient than any clunky freeware online.

I’m a gamer at heart so computers have always been cool to me. However, in the end, my true passion for computers was ignited when I wrote code for the first time. I had built and repaired computers in the past, but coding was different. Coding let me see that I don’t have to find a work-around — I can design and make programs that are faster, and more efficient than any clunky freeware online.

A piece of advice: Don’t be afraid that the knowledge or experience you have won’t be enough. I can guarantee you that no amount of schooling will prepare you for every possible situation. Instead, you should focus on your strengths, and be willing to learn as you go. When I started working in IT with Daisy Data Displays, I had never written a single program outside of a batch file. Now, I have written hundreds of small applications that work together to make life at Daisy Data Displays easier.

Computer science is becoming a part of our everyday lives. The more familiar you are with technology and computers, the more useful you will be to your employer.

What tools and programming languages do I use?

• Java
• Ruby
• Ruby on Rails
• HTML
• JavaScript
• Linux Shell/Bash
• Powershell
• GABscript
• JRuby
• C

Outside of work, Michael enjoys spending time with his family and playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends.