Dennis Morin

Dennis R. Morin (February 25, 1946 – December 31, 2012) was an American technology entrepreneur and programmer, based in Irvine, California. He co-founded the software firm Wonderware.

Early life Morin was born in Saco, Maine, a New England state, the oldest of six children of Alfred and Annette Morin. He spent his early childhood in Saco, and attended several colleges but never graduated. In the late 1960s, he moved to Boston where he drove a taxi for some time before finally moving to California.

Wonderware After leaving Triconex, Dennis Morin worked as a consultant doing PLC programming and creating FIX applications. During this time, his exposure to FIX and its apparent limitations motivated Dennis to work on and develop something better. By early 1987, he had worked out most of the basic design concept of InTouch. He shared his idea with Phil Huber, his former colleague from Triconex, and asked him to join hands in building a software company. He also contacted other friends (Cole Chevalier, Jerry Cuckler and Bill Urone) to help him code the product. A partnership agreement was signed and Wonderware came into existence on April 1, 1987. 'Wonderware' was supposed to be temporary, but people liked the name and it stuck. It is said that Pinball Construction Set (1982) was the source of inspiration for Morin. With the release of InTouch in 1989, Wonderware revolutionized industrial automation. When Windows 3.0 was released on May 22, 1990, Wonderware introduced its HMI software, InTouch 2.0, the very same day. In fact, Wonderware was the beta tester for Windows 3.0. The organization noted that Morin ‘bet the company’ on Microsoft’s Windows software and started a major transition from dedicated, hardware-based process control to Windows-based ‘open’ technology.

Dennis Morin died on December 31, 2012, of cancer.