A BARKS PUBLICATION
AUGUST 2026 / $12
Electrical Apparatus
AI in predictive
maintenance
paratus
More than Motors
All about hipot testing
All about hipot testing
EASA Convention report
EASA Convention report
Coiltech, Automate & IMTS
Coiltech, Automate & IMTS
When pumps meet SCADA
When pumps meet SCADA
EVs and renewable energy
EVs and renewable energy
EA Reader Profile
12 No time to buffer
How Amir Kouhestani learned to judge risk
By Colin Gregory-Moores, EA Contributing Writer
Electric Avenue
20 Powering the transition
How electric vehicles, renewables, and grid technologies are
reshaping electric power systems
By Maura Keller, EA Contributing Writer
Conventions & Trade Shows
26 We’re only humanoid
Robots fed off human energy at Automate 2026 in Chicago
this summer
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
27 Market intelligence
AI, leadership, workforce succession, and the nitty-gritty
of motor repair dominated this year’s EASA Convention
conference program
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor,
and Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor
46 A material world
Coiltech North America 2026 emphasized the importance of
magnet wire, insulation, and other basic electric materials
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
47 Go big or go home
IMTS 2026 will present innovation on a massive scale
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
Maintenance Operations
31 Smart motor maintenance
The benefits, challenges, and future of artificial intelligence in
electromechanical service
By Bill O’Leary, EA Contributing Writer
Energy
36 Force multipliers
Weather, war, and energy intersect in the first half of 2026
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
Motors & Generators
37 The hipot advantage
High-potential testing methods, standards, and diagnostic
evolution for motor insulation systems
By Chase Fell, EA Contributing Writer
Finance & The Workplace
42 Taxing lessons
How entity choices and tax structures affect seller proceeds in
mergers and acquisitions
By William Wiersema, CPA, EA Finance Editor
Pump It Up
57 When pumps meet SCADA
The benefits of connecting chemical metering pumps to SCADA
systems may be too significant to ignore
By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor
27
31
37
Contents
A BARKS PUBLICATION
VOLUME 79 / NUMBER 08
WWW.BARKS.COM
08/26
— Electrical Apparatus photo
— Digineer Station / Shutterstock image
— Chase Fell photo
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026 1
04 The editor’s comment
Lots to see and do this trade show season
05 Let’s solve your problem
Answers to questions about motor application and maintenance
06 Know your industry
ASNT brings awareness and innovation to nondestructive testing
08 Business
ABB is investing heavily in innovation
10 Calendar
Upcoming events on pumps, manufacturing, coils, and energy
11 Plant happenings
Minnesota loses a lighting plant and gains a meat processor
18 Names & faces
Ken Lefever takes the helm at CAM Innovation
30 Associations
Report suggests standards may help spur innovation
44 Product showcase
What’s new in components for electric power transmission
59 Utilities
$10.5 billion federal initiative to enhance the nation’s power grid
60 Classified advertising
Your monthly marketplace for equipment, businesses, and more
60 Cy’s Super Service
The electrical service industry’s most prominent curmudgeon
61 EA puzzle
A crossword puzzle based on EA’s June and July issues
COVER PHOTO: By Anukul / Shutterstock
06
30
44
Departments
63 Moe, Genny & friends
The surreal world of an anthropomorphized motor and generator
64 Direct & current
U.S. job growth slows but solar capacity expands
64 Advertising index
Who’s who—and who’s where—in this issue of Electrical Apparatus
— ASNT photo
— Grok Imagine generative AI illustration
— Erbessd Instruments photo
2 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026
www.toshiba.com/tic
(US) 1-800-231-1412
Motors • Adjustable Speed Drives • Controls • Industrial Automation
Toshiba’s WC1 active front end is a regenerative low
voltage drive powered by advanced silicon carbide
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most traditional designs.
True Sine Wave Output with Filtering
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New WC1 AFE Drive
New WC1 A
• ≤5% THDi to support IEEE 519 system compliance
• Near unity power factor
• 96% system efficiency
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• 9–12% cooler motor operation
• No motor protection accessories required
The Editor’s
Comment
With so many exciting conventions in constant rotation,
defi ning the phrase “trade show season” is tricky, but the fi rst
half of this summer certainly fi ts the description.
In this issue alone, you’ll fi nd extensive trade show cov-
erage in the form of reports and previews on at least four
diff erent events, including the 2026 editions of Automate,
the International Manufacturing Technology Show, Coiltech
North America (page 46), and of course, the convention of the
Electrical Apparatus Service Association.
For starters, Automate (page 26) celebrated its most success-
ful show to date, drawing more than 50,000 registrants and
1,230 exhibitors to McCormick Place in Chicago June 22-25
and identifying its purpose in fostering new innovations like
humanoid robots and industrial AI. The organization and its
peers also reaffi rmed that workforce development and edu-
cation are distinct areas of focus and strength for a rapidly
expanding realm.
AI is stubbornly everywhere. Getting used to it yet? Even at
Coiltech — a show founded on hands-on material processes
and supply chain dynamics — companies showcased new AI
assistants for things like magnet wire and resin applications.
This year’s Coiltech North America expo featured 91 compa-
nies spanning materials, machinery, testing, and software.
This year’s International Manufacturing Technology Show
has yet to take its turn on stage, but the massive biannual
event off ered a mouthwatering palette of things to come in
its release of the show format, covered in our IMTS preview
this month (page 47.) The 2026 IMTS event will consist of
nine aligned conferences: the IMTS jobs workshop, IMTS’s
Latin America day, an aerospace and defense subset, an
investor summit, the “ELEVATE” conference powered by
Women in Manufacturing, the Industrial Laser Conference,
the Industrial AI Conference, and an EBITDA Growth Systems
presentation on the fi nal day to boot.
That brings us to yet another wonderful three days at the
EASA Convention this past June in Orlando. Michael Stewart,
this year’s Exceptional Achievement Service Award recipi-
ent, expressed during his acceptance speech how far EASA
has come. This was abundantly clear on the show fl oor and in
sessions, with old faces meeting new ones under the theme of
“Cultivating Learning, Inspiring Experience” and discussing
AI as one demographic. Turn to our complete report starting
on page 27.
In this month’s cover feature (page 31), Bill O’Leary dis-
cusses how AI is changing predictive maintenance for pumps
and rotating equipment.
Just like that, we’ve reached the second half of the year.
Have a great rest of the summer, and thank you to all our
advertisers, readers, and contributors for your continued
hard work and commitment to a resilient industry.
CHARLIE BARKS
WWW.BARKS.COM
CHARLIE@BARKS.COM
Lots to see and do this trade
show season
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Apparatus online
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4 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026
Have you been stumped recently by an
electromechanical application or repair
problem? Send your question to this depart-
ment, at editor@barks.com, and we’ll see
if we can give you an answer. — Editor
Flux density in wound-
rotor induction machines
In our motor rewind shop we have the
ability to use winding data and core data
to evaluate flux densities. We use soft-
ware to evaluate this so we can make
sure the winding data makes sense. This
system works well for a-c stator systems,
and most of these use a bar-type rotor. But
recently we got a wound-rotor induction
motor (WRIM) in the shop for rewind. We
are wondering how we should evaluate
the flux densities for the rotor.
The first thing to remember is that the
main air-gap flux is established by the sta-
tor, not the rotor. In the WRIM, the rotor
winding does not create an independent
rotating field the way the field winding does
in a synchronous machine. Instead, the sta-
tor’s rotating field cuts the rotor conductors
and induces rotor voltage and current at
slip frequency.
So the rotor teeth and back iron are car-
rying the same basic mutual flux crossing
the air gap, but under slip-frequency con-
ditions. That means the rotor flux-density
check is usually not done as a completely
separate magnetic design. Instead, it is
evaluated from the air-gap flux per pole
already established from the stator data.
From there, the shop can calculate rotor
tooth flux density and rotor back-iron flux
density using the rotor slot geometry, rotor
core dimensions, and the effective iron
areas at the rotor.
In practical terms, the process is similar
to stator evaluation. Determine total flux
per pole from the stator winding and core
data. Divide that flux through the net iron
area of the rotor teeth to get tooth density.
Then divide the pole flux through the rotor
back-iron section to get back-iron density.
The caution is that rotor slot geometry in
a WRIM is often tighter and more irregular
than on a squirrel-cage rotor, so local tooth
densities can run high. Also, because rotor
current flows at slip frequency, the rotor
sees additional I²R heating and leakage-
flux effects that do not show up in a simple
stator-style flux check. For a wound-rotor
induction motor, don’t think of the rotor as
a separate magnetic circuit to be designed
from scratch. Start with the stator-derived
air-gap flux, then evaluate whether the
rotor teeth and back iron can carry that flux
without excessive saturation. In short: The
stator sets the flux, and the rotor iron must
be checked to make sure it can live with it.
The RSO test
In preparing a bid for the rewind of a
large turbine field, the test requirements
call for an RSO test. What is the purpose
of this test?
RSO stands for recurrent surge oscil-
lograph, a test commonly performed on
turbine-generator rotor field windings. The
purpose is to detect shorted turns, winding
movement, incorrect connections, or insu-
lation defects that may not be apparent
during resistance or insulation resistance
testing.
Let’s Solve Your Problem
The test applies a fast-rising surge pulse
to the field winding from both directions
and compares the resulting waveforms. A
healthy winding produces nearly identical
traces. Any asymmetry between the traces
may indicate a turn-to-turn fault or other
winding irregularity.
Seal-in contacts
We’re working through an old set of
drawings for a conveyor in a metals pro-
cessing plant. We are troubleshooting a
switching function that includes “seal-in”
contacts. The drawing is incomplete. Can
you help us understand how this works?
A seal-in contact (sometimes called a
holding contact) is an auxiliary contact
used to keep a relay or contactor energized
after the start button is released. In a typi-
cal motor-control circuit, pressing the start
pushbutton energizes the contactor coil. At
the same time, an auxiliary normally open
contact on that contactor closes. This aux-
iliary contact is wired in parallel with the
start button. When the operator releases
the button, current continues to flow
through the auxiliary contact, keeping the
coil energized, or “sealed in.”
The circuit remains energized until a stop
button, overload relay, limit switch, or other
control device opens the circuit and de-
energizes the coil. A seal-in contact creates
an electrical memory.
A momentary start signal becomes a
maintained run condition until another
device intentionally breaks the circuit. This
arrangement is one of the most common
control schemes found in industrial motor
starters. — Chase Fell
EA
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026 5
Bringing awareness and
innovation to nondestructive testing
American Society for Nondestructive Testing
Founded: 1941
Headquarters: 1201 Dublin Rd., Suite #G04,
Columbus, Ohio 43215-1045
Annual Dues: Varies
Website: https://www.asnt.org
“If you break your arm, they’re not going to cut
you open to look at it, they’re going to do an X-ray,”
says Garra Liming, director of public relations and
government aff airs at the American Society for Non-
destructive Testing. “[Similarly,] what we do is inspect
materials to make sure that there’s no fl aws when
something’s built. . . . An airplane or bridge, once it’s
in service, needs to be inspected to make sure that it’s
still functioning properly. Our goal is to fi nd the faults
before something bad can happen.”
For the last 85 years, ASNT has worked to make non-
destructive testing a more well-known and respected
practice while making the world a safer place. “We’re
the world’s largest professional association focused
on nondestructive testing,” Liming says. Whether it be
testing infrastructure or automotive parts, nondestruc-
tive testing, or NDT, ensures that everyday things are
held to the highest safety standards. “It really is a mat-
ter of public safety, what we do,” Liming adds. “I think
most people get on an airplane automatically thinking
it’s safe, or when they drive across a bridge. We really
try to make a diff erence in the world.”
Bringing together members who work across indus-
tries, ASNT works to preserve and advance the fi eld
of NDT through education, certifi cation, and stan-
dardization. ASNT’s membership base is made up of
professionals who perform nondestructive testing
across industries. “I think one thing many people don’t
realize is how broad the NDT industry really is,” Liming
says. “It’s in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, infra-
structure, energy, automotive, maritime, transportation, construction. I
mean, it’s in every industry possible.”
Membership with ASNT is off ered at three main tiers: associate, profes-
sional, and pro plus. The recently added associate membership tier is the
association’s free level of membership. It off ers networking opportunities
with fellow professionals and limited access to ASNT’s publication, Materi-
als Evaluation, and e-mail newsletters. Professional membership includes
full access to Materials Evaluation, discounts on events, courses, and pub-
lications, as well as opportunities to get involved with the association’s
councils and committees. “One of the biggest benefi ts of ASNT member-
ship is the professional network and the access to expertise,” Liming says.
“Once we bring somebody into the fi eld, we want to help them continue to
grow in this career.”
Pro plus membership includes everything that professional and associ-
ate levels do, in addition to access to the NDT ProTracker app or ASNT’s
Anita AI Assistant. “It’s got all of our publications, every article from Mate-
Know Your Industry
A nondestructive testing demo at ASNT’s India facility.
— ASNT photo
LASER CLADDING
Repair of Electric Motor
Shafts & Keyways
www.alabamalaser.com
6 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026
rials Evaluation [in there],” Liming says.
“You can learn more about NDT, you can
study for your exams using that. It’s our
AI tool with all of our information on it.”
ASNT also off ers lifetime and ASNT India
membership tiers, the latter of which is
tailored to India’s particularly popular
nondestructive testing practice.
ASNT’s goal to increase awareness of
nondestructive testing is driven by the
common lack of knowledge of NDT for
those who aren’t working in the fi eld.
“We’ve got a real workforce issue,” Lim-
ing says. “There are more people retiring
from the fi eld than coming in, so that’s
one of the things that we’re working on.
We’re creating an ASNT advocate pro-
gram where a volunteer or a member can
volunteer locally. If they want to be on
the legislative side, they don’t have to go
to D.C.; they can talk to their local govern-
ment or their state government. We’re
giving them the tools to be able to go out
and do that outreach and bring more
people into the fi eld of NDT because it’s
a great career to have.”
ASNT hosts an annual conference that
brings members together and encour-
ages
collaborative
thinking
among
industry professionals. The association’s
next conference will take place this fall
in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 12-15. “If you’re
interested in learning more about NDT,
or you’re in NDT and didn’t realize that
there’s an association for it, it’s the best
conference to go to to learn more about
it,” Liming says. “It’s a wonderful oppor-
tunity to learn more about the industry
and what new technologies are out
there.” The conference will host more
than 100 technical sessions, feature
over 200 exhibitors, and off er network-
ing opportunities with more than 2,000
anticipated attendees.
Because NDT touches so many indus-
tries yet remains a somewhat specialized
practice, many professionals have fol-
lowed unique paths to get involved with
it. “Our members are very passionate
about NDT. . . . They’ve got some cool
stories on how they got involved with
it,” Liming says. “There’s the inspectors,
people in the fi eld, but there’s also the
researchers and the engineers.”
With just about every industry currently
experiencing technological innovations
and evolutions, ASNT is prepared to
ensure nondestructive testing remains a
priority no matter how it’s done. “We’re
in every industry imaginable,” Liming
says. “We’re really into the new technol-
ogy and AI, making sure that NDT is up to
speed with all the new technology that’s
coming.” — Avery Heeringa
EA
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026 7
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ABB is investing heavily in innovation
When it comes to innovation, Swiss industrial giant
ABB puts its money where its mouth is.
One of the places where ABB has been investing has
been in the development of IE6 motors. While ABB isn’t
the only manufacturer of this class of motors — Lafert,
WEG, and Innomotics make them as well — ABB recently
claimed to be the first out of the gate with a magnet-free
IE6 motor for hazardous areas. And in another sign of
its dedication to bringing new products to market, ABB
held three out of nine spots in the
New Solutions Theater at this year’s
convention of the Electrical Appara-
tus Service Association. (Our report
on this year’s EASA Convention
begins on page 27.)
These things may be evidence of
ABB’s commitment to innovation,
but more significant evidence may
perhaps be found in the kind of
money the company spends each
year on research and development —
expenses that, as a public company,
ABB is obliged to report.
In its 2024 annual report, ABB
disclosed that it had allocated
$1.5 billion to non-order-related
research and development during that year, represent-
ing 4.5% of revenues. That was a 12% jump over 2023,
when the company spent $1.317 billion on R&D. The
2024 report noted that all four of ABB’s business areas
contributed to the increase in R&D expenses, “led by the
motion and process automation business areas.”
ABB’s 2024 report attributed much of the increased
spending to particular growth initiatives, including
products and services for data centers, an enhanced ser-
vice portfolio, market localization, and investments in
renewable energy. The company has spent about $10.6
billion on non-order-related research and development
in the aggregate since the beginning of 2016, according
to the same report.
In 2025, ABB’s non-order-related R&D spending came
in at $1.318 billion, or 4.0% of revenues — a step down
from 2024’s record spending but still nearly three times
the $464 million the company spent in a single quarter
Business
ABB’s new IE6 Hyper‑Efficiency motor, certified to ATEX
and IECEx requirements for use in hazardous areas.
— ABB photo
8 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026
a year earlier. The company’s 2025 annual report said that since the begin-
ning of 2022, ABB has spent approximately $4.7 billion on R&D, “focusing
on developing best-in-class products and services in the fields of electrifica-
tion and automation.”
A significant portion of that spending goes toward software and digital
development. ABB employs around 7,800 people in research and develop-
ment, and the company says that roughly half of them work on software.
“Embedding software and artificial intelligence in our products and solu-
tions is an integral part of our strategy,” the 2025 annual report states, “with
the majority of our offering including software or being digitally enabled.”
One consequence of this investment in innovation may be found in ABB’s
recently introduced IE6 Hyper-Efficiency synchronous reluctance motor,
certified to ATEX and IECEx require-
ments for use in hazardous areas. ABB
says it’s the first manufacturer in the
world to offer an IE6-class motor with
this certification — a claim that Electri-
cal Apparatus can neither confirm nor
refute.
The motor is built on synchronous
reluctance (SynRM) technology, which
requires no magnets and no rare earth
materials. This matters in hazardous-
area installations because SynRM
motors run cooler than conventional
induction motors. In a Zone 1 instal-
lation, the cooler operation may allow
the use of an increased safety enclosure
where a flameproof motor with a spe-
cial enclosure would otherwise be required — a potentially significant cost
advantage.
The new motor covers ratings from 110 kW upward; IE5 versions are avail-
able for ratings up to 90 kW. ABB says that the IE6 motor reduces energy
losses by 60% compared with a standard IE3 induction motor. The company
calculates that over a typical 20-year service life, switching a single 110 kW
motor from IE3 to IE6 operating 8,760 hours per year at 75% average load
and an assumed energy cost of €0.20 per kilowatt-hour would save €87,520
in energy costs and avoid emission of 157,540 kg of CO2, with a payback
period of eight months.
The motor is certified for use with variable-speed drives, which gives
the operator precise control across the full speed range, including at par-
tial loads. This, according to ABB, makes the motor suitable as a drop-in
upgrade for standard IE3 induction motors driving pumps, fans, and com-
pressors in zones where flammable gas, vapor, or dust may be present.
The new IE6 magnet-free motor for hazardous areas is but one example
of ABB’s corporate-wide commitment to putting up the money to push the
limits of engineering design. — Kevin Jones
EA
Update your calendar with these upcoming
trade shows, conferences, and other events.
Please note that events are sometimes
rescheduled, so make sure to confi rm dates.
Do you know of an event that you think we
should bring to the attention of Electrical
Apparatus readers? E-mail us about it at
editor@barks.com.
• August 11-12, 2026 — Solid State Bat-
tery Summit, Intercontinental Hotel, Chi-
cago, Ill. Cambridge EnerTech, www.cam
bridgeenertech.com/solid-state-batteries.
• September 10, 2026 — BPMA Golf
Day 2026, Breadsall Priory Country Club,
Derbyshire, U.K. British Pump Manufac-
turers Association, https://bit.ly/4cDnANj.
• September 14-19, 2026 — Interna-
tional Manufacturing Technology Show,
McCormick Place, Chicago. Association
for Manufacturing Technology, www.imts.
com/index.cfm.
• September 16-18, 2026 — AEE
World Energy Conference & Expo, Orange
County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.
Association of Energy Engineers, https://
aeeworld.org.
• September 23-24, 2026 — Coiltech
Italia 2026, Pordenone Fiere, Pordenone,
Italy. QUiCKFairs, www.coiltech.it.
• September 24, 2026 — AEMT Con-
ference, Concorde Conference Centre,
Manchester, U.K. The Association of
Electrical and Mechanical Trades, www.
theaemt.com/ems-event-calendar/aemt-
conference.html.
• September 28-30, 2026 — 48th
Annual EOS/ESD Symposium and Exhib-
its, Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas
Frisco Hotel & Convention Center, Frisco,
Tex. Electrostatic Discharge Association,
www.esda.org/events/48th-annual-eosesd-
symposium-and-exhibits.
• October 4-7, 2026 — NECA 2026 Las
Vegas Convention and Trade Show, Man-
dalay Bay Convention Center. National
Electrical Contractors Association, www.
necaconvention.org.
• October 21-23, 2026 — Fabtech USA,
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas,
Nev. Fabricators & Manufacturers Associa-
tion International, Society of Manufacturing
Engineers, American Welding Society, Pre-
cision Metalforming Association, and
Chemical Coaters Association Interna-
tional, https://bit.ly/4bg7jhW.
• October 21-23, 2026 — ASNT 2026,
Greater Columbus Convention Center,
Columbus, Ohio. American Society for
Nondestructive Testing https://www.asnt.
org/events/asnt-2026.
• November 3-4, 2026 — National
Facilities Management & Technology
Conference & Expo West, Horseshoe
Event Center, Las Vegas, Nev. National
Facilities Management and Technology,
www.nfmt.com/west/2026.
• November 10-12, 2026 — 2026
NEMA Annual Meeting, Vinoy Resort &
Golf Club, St. Petersburg, Fla. National
Electrical
Manufacturers
Association,
https://bit.ly/4u4U36E.
• November 16-20, 2026 — 90th IEC
General Meeting, Congress Center Ham-
burg, Hamburg, Germany. International
Electrotechnical Commission, http://bit.
ly/4plWDlS.
• November 18-20, 2026 — IFMA
World Workplace, Anaheim Conven-
tion Center, Anaheim, Calif. International
Facility Management Association, https://
worldworkplace.ifma.org.
• December 8, 2026 — U.S. Celebra-
tion of World Standards Day, Top of the
Hill Conference Center, Washington, D.C.
American National Standards Institute,
www.ansi.org/events/standards-events/
world-standards-day.
• January 23-27, 2027 — 2027
ASHRAE Winter Conference, McCor-
mick Place, Chicago, Ill. American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers, www.ashrae.org/
conferences/2027-winter-conference.
Calendar
• January 25-27, 2027 — AHR Expo
2027, McCormick Place, Chicago. Inter-
national Exposition Co., www.ahrexpo.com.
• February 14-18, 2027 — Hydrau-
lic Institute 2027 Annual Conference,
JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort &
Spa, Tucson, Ariz. The Hydraulic Institute,
www.pumps.org/event/2027-annual-con
ference.
• February 23-25, 2027 — Operations,
Maintenance & Safety Conference, Long
Beach Convention Center, Long Beach,
Calif. Clean Power Association, https://
cleanpower.org/oms.
• March 8-12, 2027 — PowerTest 27,
Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Fla. Inter-
National Electrical Testing Association,
https://bit.ly/4mMdKNZ.
• March 10-12, 2027 — ACCA 2027,
Gaylord National Resort & Convention
Center, National Harbor, Md. Air Con-
ditioning Contractors of America, www.
accaconference.com.
• March 31-April 2, 2027 — National
Facilities Management & Technology
Conference & Expo East, Baltimore Con-
vention Center, Baltimore, Md. National
Facilities Management and Technology,
www.nfmt.com/east/2027.
• April 5-8, 2027 — Hannover Messe,
Hannover Exhibition Grounds, Han-
nover, Germany. Deutsche Messe AG, www.
hannovermesse.de/en.
• April 27-29, 2027 — CWIEME Berlin,
Messe Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Coil Wind-
ing, Insulation & Electrical Manufacturing
Exhibition,
https://berlin.cwiemeevents.
com/home.
• June 12-15, 2027 — EASA 2027,
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center &
Hilton Riverside, New Orleans, La. Elec-
trical
Apparatus
Service
Association,
https://easa.com/convention.
• June 16-17, 2027 — Coiltech North
America, Vibe Credit Union Showplace,
Novi, Mich. QUICKFairs, www.coiltech.us.
— Edited by Kevin Jones
EA
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10 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026
Meat processing facility opens
A new cattle and hog processing plant in Staples, Minn., opened
June 2. The Farmers Union Processing + Meats was a project
initiated by area farmers who need livestock
processing across multiple counties. “A meat
processing facility is a critical asset for farm-
ers who want to add value to their farm by
adding livestock,” said Minnesota Farmers
Union president Gary Wertish. “The open-
ing of Farmers Union Processing + Meats is a
celebration of persistence and working together to create a more
resilient local food system.”
New South Carolina manufacturer is hiring
TS Conductor, a producer of conductors for
utilities, is working to expand the workforce
at the new Hardeeville, S.C., location to 460
employees. The facility opened in May and
operated at 5% capacity with 20 employees in
the early months. The advanced conductors
manufactured at the plant are components
of the U.S. power grid, where they replace the existing wires in
transmission lines.
Cooper Standard closing Ohio plant
Cooper Standard, a Michigan manufacturer of fl uid handling
and sealing systems for industrial and automotive industries,
announced it will close its Bowling Green, Ohio, location by the
end of 2027. A Cooper Standard spokesperson
confi rmed the closure will aff ect almost 175
people and that equipment will move to other
Cooper Standard locations. The closing is a
result of the company’s eff orts to reduce cost.
Ritz USA returns to Georgia
A hundred new jobs arrived in Waynesboro, Ga., with the
opening of the Ritz USA facility in June. The
manufacturer of high-voltage instrument
transformers offi cially returned to the city
after the previous Ritz facility was acquired by
another company in the 1990s. The workforce
was a main draw for returning to the area, with
some of the new employees having previous
transformer production experience. Ritz USA also manufactures
low- and medium-voltage transformers.
Minnesota lighting plant closes
Acuity Brands Lighting fi led a Worker Adjustment and Retrain-
ing Notifi cation this summer for a plant closure in Winona, Minn.
The closure will aff ect 86 employees and
realign production to Acuity’s Indiana facil-
ity. The Minnesota facility manufactured the
Winona Custom Solutions products, a lighting
brand under the Acuity umbrella that is no
longer available. Other Acuity products range
from residential and commercial light fi xtures
to lighting controls and drivers. — Kristine Weller
EA
Plant Happenings
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026 11
No time to buffer
How Amir Kouhestani learned to judge risk
By Colin Gregory-Moores, EA Contributing Writer
As an avid and experienced mountaineer trained in mountain rescue,
Amir Kouhestani knows that climbing is a constant assessment of risk.
Depending on human judgment, timing, and supporting systems. He
brings the same thinking to his work in the autonomous heavy-vehicle
project at Fernride, of Munich, Germany. As a princi-
pal engineer, he leads a five-person team responsible
for platform software, drive-by-wire interfaces, mid-
dleware, operating systems, and embedded sensors.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineer-
ing from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, Iran,
and a master’s degree in embedded software from
KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm,
Sweden.
Coming of age in Iran
Long before he judged risks for autonomous sys-
tems and mountain expeditions, he had first to
make sense of social rules. Born in 1988, the final
year of the Iran–Iraq War, he came of age in a coun-
try shaped by the war’s aftermath, social pressure,
and increasing international isolation.
Raised in Tehran, his father’s work as an engineer
took Amir and his family for periods to Dubai and South Korea. Much of
his adolescence after the age of 14 was spent competing for admission
to a selective high school and then to a leading university. “For my gen-
eration and our parents, it was very important that
we got accepted to a university in Tehran.” When he
was not studying, he would often be in the moun-
tains. The extreme pressure to excel, long hours at
a desk, and hard hikes shaped his
discipline. He learned to manage
himself in challenging situations
and difficult terrain.
His mother, who holds a
degree in English literature and
worked as a translator for liter-
ary magazines, taught him how to
intuitively read people and adapt
to changing circumstances. “In
my career, I’ve learned that a lot
of the hard problems cannot be
solved just by facts and knowl-
edge, and I owe a lot of that to my
mother,” he explains. In the Iran
of the 1990s and early 2000s, his
social acumen became important
for navigating the different codes
of conduct at school, in public places, and at home.
His memories are interwoven with stories: his
dread at the age of eight coming home from school,
Feature | EA Reader Profile
Amir Kouhestani, principal engineer at
Fernride of Munich, Germany.
— Amir Kouhestani photo
Please turn to page 14
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fi lled with teachings of hellfi re and
brimstone. The confusion he felt listen-
ing to the “sinful” music playing in his
parents’ car. The risk of going to mixed-
sex parties as a student, drinking and
listening to uncensored music, with a
mixture of fear and excitement. Sto-
ries which only started to make sense
after living for many years in the West,
where, he comments, “people can be
more transparent about how they live.”
He belonged to the fi rst Iranian gen-
eration to grow up with the freedom
of the Internet. Around the age of 10,
he remembers the magic of using a 56
kbps dial-up modem for the fi rst time.
“Back then, we had access to a lot of
diff erent sources of information.” At
university, he recalls how he and his
classmates could not enter some com-
petitions because they were unable to
obtain the required fi eld-programma-
ble gate array.
By the time he left Iran in 2011,
Western companies were starting to
withdraw from the country, and mea-
sures were being considered to cut
Above the clouds on the Hoher Gaif (2,288
meters) in the Wetterstein Mountains, Upper
Bavaria, Germany, summer 2025.
— Amir Kouhestani photo
off Iranian banks from the interna-
tional banking communication system
SWIFT. Amir had always wanted to
study abroad, just like his father, and
see the world. “My father especially
encouraged me to leave. My mother
was torn, and, having lived at home
until then, I wanted to be indepen-
dent,” he adds. Like many students
faced with a tightening system of con-
straints after the 2009 election, he also
became part of a larger wave of emi-
gration. More than 45 of the 60 people
in his bachelor’s cohort, he estimates,
left. Like Amir, they took the risk of
rebuilding their lives and reclaiming a
sense of identity elsewhere.
Emigration to Europe
Amir enrolled at KTH in Stockholm.
His master’s thesis focused on power-
aware schedulers for hard real-time
multi-core processing systems — envi-
ronments in which calculations must
be completed not only correctly, but
on time. It examined how safety-crit-
ical multi-core applications, such as
ICU patient-monitoring networks, can
process many simultaneous tasks pre-
dictably and within strict time limits.
While several of the challenges have
since been addressed, his thesis was
highly relevant at the time, and he
was hired by Ericsson. After starting
READER PROFILE continued from page 12
Master’s graduation in 2015 at Stockholm
City Hall, where the Nobel Banquet is held.
— Lachezar Yankov photo
14 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026
Ice climbing close to Sylvensteinsee, Upper
Bavaria, Germany, January 2026.
— Amir Kouhestani photo
as a test-framework developer using
Java, he switched departments to
become an embedded software devel-
oper working with Linux, and later a
senior researcher in a team of roboti-
cists. Instead of production coding,
he suddenly found himself working
on patents at the cutting edge of aug-
mented reality technology. It was, he
says, a very fruitful time.
Regaining the
edge in Germany
Eventually, however, the work became
routine. “Whenever things get too
comfortable, I feel I’m in danger of
losing my edge,” he comments. After
eight years, he decided to take a risk
and leave the corporate environment
for a startup. He had one other condi-
tion: the company had to be closer to
the Alps. He chose Fernride, a startup
based in Munich developing human-
assisted autonomy for large vehicles.
“When I look back, I ask myself: How
come they trusted me to do this, and
how come I took such a big risk moving
to such a small company?”
Although Fernride did not yet have
a specifi c product, he was attracted to
the company because of the opportu-
nity to be in on things at the outset. It
off ered him the freedom he sought: to
learn and do more than was possible
in a large corporate structure and see
rapid and tangible results. “Every day,
you are changing something, you see
the impact of your work very quickly,
and you get to understand and solve
problems on the ground.”
After a couple of years, he says, the
company faced the hard reality that a
teleoperation-only solution was not
commercially viable. It then shifted
to self-driving with teleoperation as
a reliable fallback. Six years on, more
capable sensors and machine learn-
ing have dramatically changed the
autonomous-driving sector. In the
summer of 2025, Fernride reached a
signifi cant regulatory milestone for its
autonomous terminal-tractor system.
However, that alone did not solve the
challenge of scaling the product. In
December, the company was acquired
by Quantum Systems, a German auton-
omous-systems company serving the
defense and security sectors.
Vertical problems
Besides technical architecture and the
challenges of software and hardware
integration, his work as a principal engi-
neer involves mentoring colleagues
and shaping engineering decisions. He
is particularly interested in what he
calls “vertical problems.” These issues
cut across the company and require a
full understanding of both the techni-
cal stack and business operations, as
well as the ability to work with people
across organizational boundaries. For
that reason, he adds, “I feel it’s always
important to build a cohesive and well-
connected network.”
Much like “vertical problem” solving,
mountaineering, he notes, demands
constant assessment of every move,
every path, every risk — and whether
it is worth taking. In his early days of
mountaineering, he was, he says, “a
bit reckless and never thought that the
scary, life-changing mountaineering
stories could happen to me.” Until one
day, at the end of summer. There was
some fresh snow underfoot. Suddenly,
Please turn to next page
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026 15
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Amir Kouhestani
answers the hard questions
CGM: What are the biggest obstacles still facing
autonomous vehicle systems?
AK: Building a safe system is one thing. Meet-
ing regulatory requirements and obtaining the
necessary certifi cations is another. With classical,
rule-based autonomy, the path is relatively clear
because the system functions more like a white box:
Engineers can analyze its internal logic and dem-
onstrate that it behaves as intended. With machine
learning — especially end-to-end approaches — this
becomes uncharted territory because the model is
not fully transparent. Human judgment will continue
to play an important part in the design phase, but
once the system is deployed, the goal is to minimize
the need for it as much as possible.
As autonomous systems increasingly rely on
machine learning, data becomes critical. These
systems require enormous amounts of data from
the environments in which they operate, whether
on public roads or in specialized industrial settings.
While public-road driving generates vast quantities
of data, many other operational environments still
lack suffi cient real-world data. For that reason, it remains diffi cult to
predict exactly when fully autonomous systems will become reliable
enough for widespread deployment.
CGM: Is there enough funding in Europe to compete with China and
the U.S.?
AK: Simply put, no — not at the scale seen in China or the U.S. At the
moment, much of the available funding in Europe seems to be fl ow-
ing through the defense sector. Signifi cant funds have been unlocked
there, which is one reason more companies are pivoting toward
defense.
CGM: Will autonomous driving contribute to a better world?
AK: In its current form, it is not easily transferable beyond highly
developed infrastructure environments, because it relies so heavily on
that infrastructure.
It is also a double-edged sword, like any major technology. One of the
initial problems Fernride set out to address was the shortage of truck
drivers. However, technologies also change societies. The Industrial
Revolution made many jobs obsolete as machines began doing work
that people had previously performed. Something similar is happening
now. At the same time, new jobs will also be created.
Technology alone cannot magically bring great benefi t to humanity.
It is only one part of society. Society also has to create meaningful and
safe ways for people to experience, use, and adapt to that technology.
Companies, in turn, should play a more active role and take responsi-
bility for how their products aff ect societies and shape the world.
it gave way. And without a sound, his friend started sliding down the
mountain. Miraculously, his fall was precariously stopped by a rock, 15
meters below. Everything occurred in a spilt second. It took 12 people
to rescue him. “This changed how I view risk,” Amir adds, “and I defi -
nitely carry that into my work as well.”
For mountains, startups, and autonomous driv-
ing alike, success depends on evaluating risks and
consequences in real time and with incomplete infor-
mation. Where decisions cannot be buff ered, delay
can, however, be more unforgiving than error.
EA
READER PROFILE continued from previous page
16 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2026
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CAM Innovation of Philadelphia, a designer and manufac-
turer of machinery for building and repairing large motors,
has formally introduced Ken Lefever to its team, according to
a June 18 announcement. “This is a meaningful time for CAM,”
the company said in an e-mail to Electrical
Apparatus. “After the passing of [company
president] Chuck McGough, we continue
to feel both the weight of that loss and
the strength of the foundation he helped
build. While many of you may not have
met Ken yet, he has been working behind
the scenes during Chuck’s absence over
the past several months, helping support
CAM through this transition.”
Lefever brings to the company more
than 35 years of executive leadership
experience, with a background that includes manufacturing,
operations, sales, marketing, business growth, turnarounds,
acquisitions, and team development.
“Ken’s experience will help CAM continue building on Chuck’s
legacy while supporting the clients and industries we are proud
to serve,” the announcement said. “Please help us welcome Ken
Lefever to CAM Innovation.”
The Coca-Cola Company announced June 25 that Jennifer
Mann was to step down from her role as executive vice president
and president, North America operating unit, eff ective Aug. 1,
at which time John Murphy, president
and chief fi nancial offi cer, was to assume
responsibility for the North America oper-
ating unit on an interim basis. Mann will
stay with the company through April 2027
as senior advisor to ensure a smooth tran-
sition.
Jane Heff ner has been elected as the new
president of the International Federation
of Robotics. Heff ner is taking over the
rotating presidency from Takayuki Ito of
Fanuc Corp. The new president holds the
position of global vice president of channel communication at
Teradyne Robotics. Her new vice president, Adrien Brouillard,
heads the robotics division at Stäubli as executive president. He
completes the federation’s new leadership team.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Takayuki
Ito for his outstanding leadership and dedication since taking
offi ce in 2024,” Heff ner said in a statement following her elec-
tion. “The global robotics industry is at an important infl ection
point, driven by rapid advancements in artifi cial intelligence
and automation. We will continue to build on the excellent
work that Takayuki has done as ambassador of the global robot-
ics industry.”
The energy company Williams, based in Tulsa, Okla.,
announced July 2 that its board of directors has appointed
Lloyd W. “Billy” Helms Jr. and Robb E. Turner as independent
directors.
Helms brings more than 40 years of energy industry experi-
ence, most recently serving as president of EOG Resources, Inc.,
said to be one of the largest exploration and production com-
panies in the U.S. During his career working across multiple
divisions at EOG, he held several senior positions of increasing
responsibility, including chief operating offi cer from 2017 to
2023. — Charlie Barks
EA
Names & Faces
Ken Lefever
John Murphy
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