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A BARKS PUBLICATION

OCTOBER 2026 / $12

Electrical Apparatus

The global

electrical industry

More than Motors

The EV market matures

Arc-resistant switchgear

Cost data as a strategy

OSHA safety inspections

Good, better, BESS

Electric Avenue

18 The next charge

As EV adoption evolves, reliability, affordability, and grid

readiness will shape the industry’s next phase

By Maura Keller, EA Contributing Writer

EA Reader Profile

21 A troubleshooting frontiersman

How Paul Adams blazed a 50-year trail through electrical

apparatus repair

By Colin Gregory-Moores, EA Contributing Writer

International Industry

29 Electricity worldwide

As the world becomes more electrified, materials and

methods assume critical importance

By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor

Power Transmission & Distribution

33 Arc-resistance essentials

Safety features, installation requirements, and maintenance of

arc-resistant medium-voltage switchgear

By David Bredhold, EA Contributing Editor

Finance & The Workplace

38 Is it profitable?

Using relevant cost data to make better strategic business

decisions

By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Finance Editor

Plant Life

42 Good, better, BESS

The operation, benefits, and drawbacks of battery energy

storage systems

By Bill O’Leary, EA Contributing Writer

Safety & Health

44 Warehouse safety updates

OSHA renews a program for comprehensive inspections

By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor

Pump It Up

45 Pump orders outpace deliveries

Financial reports reveal a trend that’s uneven but undeniable

By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor

Contents

A BARKS PUBLICATION

VOLUME 79 / NUMBER 10

WWW.BARKS.COM

10/26

— Ajax9 / Shutterstock photo

— Electricity Canada photo

— Global Power, Inc., photo

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026 1

04 The editor’s comment

A global view of electric power

05 Let’s solve your problem

Answers to questions on megohm testing, grounding, and fuses

06 Associations

More than one way to run a trade association

10 Know your industry

AAEI’s more than a century of helping trade grow globally

12 Plant happenings

Plants close in Wisconsin and Utah, open in Illinois and Texas

14 Names & faces

Changes at Champion Electric Metals, and Electricity Canada

16 Business

Manufacturers blurring the line between hardware and software

17 Letters

More thoughts about AI in predictive maintenance

26 Standards

How the IEC builds international standards

27 Utilities

International approaches to resolving the utility dilemma

28 Calendar

Upcoming events on manufacturing, service, HVAC/R, and testing

40 Product showcase

What’s new in industrial engineering tools and components

46 Classified advertising

Your monthly marketplace for equipment, businesses, and more

COVER PHOTO: By Grok Imagine generative AI.

Departments

46 Cy’s Super Service

The electrical service industry’s most prominent curmudgeon

49 EA puzzle

A crossword puzzle based on EA’s August and September issues

51 Moe, Genny & friends

The surreal world of an anthropomorphized motor and generator

52 Direct & current

A donation for firefighters and a Peterbilt truck recall

52 Advertising index

Who’s who—and who’s where—in this issue of Electrical Apparatus

— Shanghai Electric Machinery Association photo

— Nunzio Ruggiero photo

— Anomet Products photo

2 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026

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The Editor’s

Comment

In this issue of Electrical Apparatus, we take a look at the

trends and forces converging in the global electricity net-

work, along with how they aﬀ ect the energy world and the

overall grid. EA connected with certain internationally based

organizations for background research and information on

these topics. We also considered the materials and methods

involved. (Page 29)

“The global energy system is under increasing strain,” said

Bryony Worthington, Founder and Chair of the Board at Em-

ber, a London-based global energy think tank that advocates

for the transition to clean energy. “Recent years, and indeed

recent months, have highlighted the inherent vulnerabilities

of a system built around fossil fuels — exposure to price vola-

tility, geopolitical risk, and supply disruption. These pres-

sures are not temporary; they reﬂ ect structural characteris-

tics of how the system operates today.”

According to Worthington, in major economies, including

China and India, fossil generation declined last year even as

demand continued to grow. She claimed that these develop-

ments point to a shift in the underlying dynamics of the pow-

er system: “clean electricity is increasingly meeting demand

growth.”

It’s emblematic of the middle stages of the energy transi-

tion (an eﬀ ort to move from fossil fuels to supposedly 100%

emissions-free energy production) that can be encapsulated

in one word: incomplete. Fossil fuels continue to play a sig-

niﬁ cant role, and progress varies across regions. But the di-

rection of travel is becoming clearer, and the technologies

driving change are scaling rapidly.

Elsewhere in this issue, EA Contributing Writer David

Bredhold (page 33) covers medium-voltage arc-ﬂ ash-resis-

tant switchgear, which is manufactured for 5 kV to 38 kV sys-

tems, while motor control equipment handles 2.5 kV to 7.2

kV systems. The article covers safety features, installation

requirements, and maintenance of arc-resistant medium-

voltage switchgear — speciﬁ cally, things such as safe circuit

breaker racking methods, gas and exhaust management sys-

tems, clearance and installation requirements, and insula-

tion breakdown and monitoring methods.

In “Good, better, BESS” (page 42) — this month’s “Plant Life”

— Contributing Writer Bill O’Leary covers the operations, ben-

eﬁ ts, and drawbacks of battery energy storage systems, one

of the fastest-growing areas of the energy and electrical in-

dustries. In addition to solar and wind farms, BESS are used

across a variety of industries such as electric utilities, manu-

facturing plants, data centers, and commercial buildings.

More speciﬁ cally, it serves a variety of energy management

applications such as peak shaving — i.e., reducing electricity

costs by supplying stored energy during peak demand peri-

ods and backup power during power outages.

CHARLIE BARKS

WWW.BARKS.COM

CHARLIE@BARKS.COM

A global view of electric power

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4 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026

Have you been stumped recently by an elec-

tromechanical application or repair prob-

lem? Send your question to this department,

at editor@barks.com, and we’ll see if we can

give you an answer. — Editor

Interference

ﬁ ts for couplings

We keep standard-size couplings in

our stock room at a chemical manufac-

turing facility. We have the ability to bore

and key these couplings in our machine

shop. The couplings are used for direct-

drive compressor applications. The mo-

tors are three-phase induction, 1800

RPM, 50 hp and 75 hp.

What would be proper interference ﬁ t

between the coupling bore and the shaft?

For 50 hp and 75 hp 1800 RPM direct-

drive compressor motors, the coupling hub

ﬁ t should normally follow the coupling

manufacturer’s recommendation. As a

general rule, small and medium motor cou-

plings often use either a light interference

ﬁ t or a close sliding ﬁ t with set screws, de-

pending on coupling type.

For keyed steel hubs on motor shafts, a

common interference range is approxi-

mately 0.0005 to 0.0015 inch per inch of

shaft diameter. Too little ﬁ t can cause fret-

ting and keyway wear; too much can make

installation diﬃ cult and may overstress

the hub. Do not guess from horsepower

alone. Match the ﬁ t to shaft diameter, hub

material, coupling design, key, and manu-

facturer limits.

Megohm testing:

What voltage?

In our repair shop we use a handheld

insulation resistance tester. We test a lot

for 4000 VAC motors and generators. For

testing 4000 V machines, the Institute of

Electrical and Electronics Engineers and

the Electrical Apparatus Service Asso-

ciation specify applied voltage in a range

from 1000 VDC to 2500 VDC. Is there any

reason to choose the lower or the higher

voltage?

Both voltages are permitted by IEEE Stan-

dard 43 for medium-voltage machines, but

the choice depends on what you’re trying to

learn. A 1000 VDC test is often adequate for

routine ﬁ eld checks, trending, and conﬁ rm-

ing that insulation is dry and free of gross

contamination.

A 2500 VDC test places greater electrical

stress on the insulation system and may be

more eﬀ ective at revealing moisture, con-

tamination, surface tracking, or insulation

weaknesses that might not be apparent at

lower voltage.

For modern 4000 V stator windings in

good condition, many shops prefer 2500

VDC because this voltage level provides

more meaningful trend data and is closer

to the stress levels experienced in service.

However, on older machines with unknown

conditions, recent repairs, or questionable

insulation, some technicians start at a low-

er voltage before proceeding higher.

Neither voltage is universally “better.” For

healthy 4000 V windings, 2500 VDC typi-

cally provides the most useful diagnostic

information, while 1000 VDC may be ap-

propriate for preliminary checks or more

fragile insulation systems.

Breaking ground

I work as a supervisor in maintenance

in a large grocery distribution facility.

We’re planning an upgrade to our over-

head door controls. We need to wire in

some contact coils that will be manually

operated with a momentary pushbut-

ton. Should the pushbutton be in series

with the hot wire or the ground side of

the coil?

The pushbutton should normally be in-

stalled in the ungrounded/hot control

conductor, not in the grounded or neutral

Let’s Solve Your Problem

side of the coil. That way, when the push-

button is open, the coil and downstream

control wiring are de-energized with re-

spect to ground. If the switch is placed in

the grounded side, the coil remains “hot”

even when the circuit appears oﬀ , creating

a shock hazard and making troubleshoot-

ing more dangerous.

This is especially important on equip-

ment such as overhead doors, where main-

tenance people may assume the control

circuit is dead when the button is released.

Switch the hot side, leave the grounded

conductor continuous, and follow the ap-

plicable electrical code and door-control

safety requirements.

Fuse sizing in

a-c circuits vs. d-c

We are building out a circuit protec-

tion system for motors and controls for

a steel processing plant. We had a bad

experience using a-c fuse ratings in d-c

circuits. What is the rule for this? Can

you use a-c-rated fuses on d-c circuits?

Not unless the fuse carries a speciﬁ c d-c

voltage and interrupting rating for that ap-

plication. Unlike a-c, where current natu-

rally crosses zero every half-cycle, d-c has

no natural current zero, making the arc

created when a fuse opens much harder to

extinguish.

Consequently, a fuse rated 600 VAC can-

not automatically be assumed suitable for

600 VDC. It may not even work for a sub-

stantially lower d-c voltage. Manufactur-

ers can give the same fuse very diﬀ erent a-c

and d-c interrupting ratings.

For d-c motor and control circuits, verify

three things. Check the d-c voltage rating,

ampere rating, and d-c interrupting capac-

ity. Inductive d-c circuits may require ad-

ditional consideration of the circuit’s L/R

time constant, because stored magnetic

energy can prolong the arc. — Chase Fell EA

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ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026 5

More than one way

to run a trade association

The association’s meeting is drawing to a close.

Members representing companies that repair rotat-

ing electrical apparatus settle into their seats, chatting

as latecomers arrive. Then, to deliver some concluding

remarks, up to the lectern steps a man who is both labor

secretary of a major motor manufacturer and a deputy

secretary of the Communist Party.

Wait, what?

In the West, two prominent associations serving the

electromechanical service and repair industry are the

Electrical Apparatus Service Association and the U.K.’s

Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades. EASA

traces its origins to the 1930s and initially served the

North American market. It now counts members across

Central and South America, Europe, Australia, and New

Zealand. The AEMT, founded in the U.K. in 1945, has

expanded into more than 60 countries, with a notable

push into the Middle East. Both organizations hold to

the principle that a failed machine is sometimes worth

repairing and sometimes is better replaced. Member

firms are equipped to guide customers either way.

But that’s not the only way to run such an association.

Search the world for organizations serving similar mem-

berships and two exceptions stand out: one in Sweden,

the other in Shanghai.

Sweden’s version, Föreningen för Företag Inom Elek-

tromekanik och Roterande Maskiner (“Association for

Companies in Electromechanics and Rotating Machinery”) is known sim-

ply as ELR. Founded in 1948 to represent electromechanical workshops

and manufacturers, it offers training, certification, and guidance in deal-

ing with government authorities. Its programs cover electric motors, power

electronics, electrical safety, bearings, and lubrication, and it certifies both

workshops and individual technicians.

Associations

Fu Bin, deputy secretary of the Party Committee, secretary of the Discipline In-

spection Commission, and labor union chairman of the Shanghai Electric Machin-

ery Co. Ltd., gave concluding remarks at a May 2026 meeting of the Shanghai

Electric Machinery Association.

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6 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026

Scan the QR code

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Connect with fellow Megger Baker equipment users from a diverse range of

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None of this should sound alien to members of EASA or AEMT.

But then there’s ELR’s stated mission:

“ELR and our member companies work to raise awareness that

replacing functioning electric motors that are in operation is often a

waste of resources. Instead, we encourage our customers to regularly

service and refurbish electric motors to make them last longer.”

Wait, what?

EASA service centers commonly combine motor repair with

sales of new motors and other services. If a customer determines

that a failed or failing machine isn’t worth ﬁ xing, the shop can

sell the customer a replacement. A cynic might say this lets the

shop get ’em coming or going, but it also means the shop has no

built-in bias toward recommending one option over the other.

ELR promotes only one side of this equation, and the reason

has to do with policy in Brussels.

The European Union’s Energy Eﬃ ciency Directive, adopted

in 2012 and updated in 2018, pushes member states toward

reduced energy use across the supply chain, not just at the point

of ﬁ nal use. The EU’s ecodesign rules go further, setting mini-

mum eﬃ ciency classes for motors and speed controllers sold in

Europe and steadily raising them. By mid-2023, larger motors in

common power ranges had to meet the IE4 class.

None of this by itself tips the scale in favor of repair over

replacement. What nudges users towards repair is a broader idea

that has taken hold across the EU: the “circular economy,” under

which products are meant to stay in use for as long as possible

before they’re recycled. ELR describes this as a “circular mind-

set,” one that favors extending the life of existing equipment and

upgrading it rather than replacing it outright. The EU has given

the circular-economy approach a more explicit place in public

policy than is typical in the U.S.

Now on to China, which has its own counterpart to EASA, the

AEMT, and ELR: the Shanghai Electric Machinery Association,

founded in 1987 as a nonproﬁ t organization serving motor man-

ufacturers, repair shops, universities, and research institutes

across Shanghai and several neighboring provinces. Its roughly

100 member companies account for more than a third of China’s

motor production, and the group states its purpose plainly: Serve

enterprises, standardize the trade, and develop the industry.

This innocuous-sounding purpose sits alongside a list of prac-

tices that might strike a dissonant chord in Western ears. The

association maintains its own Communist Party branch, which

organizes “themed Party day” activities, visits to sites the Party

calls “red education bases,” and holds joint events with armed

police marking military holidays. Leadership overlaps formally,

too. At a recent membership conference, the association’s

chairman, who’s also general manager of the Shanghai Electric

Group’s Shanghai Motor Factory, was introduced by yet a third

title: deputy secretary of the company’s Party Committee.

China’s Company Law has long recognized a role for Commu-

nist Party organizations in companies. The original 1993 law said

that Party grassroots organizations in companies should conduct

their activities in accordance with the Party Constitution. Bei-

jing’s own policy documents describe industry associations and

chambers of commerce as an important channel for what the

Party calls “united front work among private enterprises.” In a

system where even nominally private companies operate within

this structure, the term “private industry” carries a diﬀ erent

meaning in China than it does in the West.

EASA and AEMT members can disagree with a customer, or

with each other, about whether to repair or replace a motor. But

in Shanghai, the association’s members answer to a diﬀ erent

kind of authority. — Kevin Jones

Continued from page 6

8 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026

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More than a century of

helping trade grow globally

American Association of Exporters and Importers

Founded: 1921

Headquarters: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 450,

Washington, D.C., 20004

Annual Dues: $7,825

Website: https://aaei.org

“What distinguishes us from other organizations is

that we represent trade compliance professionals,”

says Eugene Laney, president and CEO of the American

Association of Exporters and Importers. “These are the

technical experts on trade, and these are the folks who

deal with trade on a day-to-day basis. They have their

own language, they have their own way of influencing

trade within their company space.”

For more than a century, AAEI has worked diligently to

be the source of truth on all things trade-related. Guided

by the vision to “be the leading voice and trusted part-

ner advancing fair, innovative, and efficient global trade,

empowering U.S. exporters and importers to thrive in a

connected world,” according to the organization, AAEI

operates under three pillars.

“The center of our business is advocacy, education,

and networking,” Laney says. The advocacy pillar of

AAEI works to “encourage whatever administration

it is, Republican [or] Democrat, to lay out laws that

would make it easier for U.S. companies to do business

abroad.” He adds that the education pillar is focused on

“educating trade compliance professionals, the C-suite

[executives], and others on how trade policy can impact

their day-to-day business and their bottom line.” Net-

working, he says, brings together trade compliance

professionals, supply chain managers, and more to “cre-

ate corporate policy that would help their businesses

grow global.

“When something happens in the trade space, the

uniqueness about us is that the government can come

to us and learn exactly what’s happening in the field versus getting a general

view of what’s occurring,” Laney adds.

Membership with AAEI is company-based and includes organizations that

span the wide and varied trade industry. “Our members are divided into two

buckets,” Laney says. “We have importers and exporters — these are your

Fortune 500 companies. Then the other half is trade service providers. These

are companies, or individuals in some cases, if they’re consultants, that pro-

vide some sort of trade services. This can be anything from a small-shop law

firm, it could be a large law firm, it could be a DHL, Maersk, UPS.”

Membership benefits include access to AAEI’s Washington policy confer-

ence, biweekly government affairs updates, weekly industry news updates,

educational courses, and benchmarking road shows, among other benefits.

The regular meetings and update forums are newer additions to member

benefits. They are largely influenced by the ever-changing trade landscape

impacted by tariffs recently.

“[Members] wanted AAEI to provide them a forum to do benchmarking

on urgent issues like a change in tariffs that happens over the weekend or

Know Your Industry

AAEI president and CEO Eugene Laney addresses members at the organization’s

2025 annual conference.

— Nunzio Ruggiero photo

10 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026

a new security requirement. That’s been

very popular with our members because

they’re able to immediately address an

issue versus waiting until the next quar-

terly committee meeting,” Laney says.

“We also added a biweekly government

aﬀ airs brieﬁ ng meeting, which allows

AAEI to bring in government oﬃ cials,

whether it’s someone from a foreign

embassy or whether it’s a U.S. government

oﬃ cial, to talk to our members about the

policies that are facing companies today.”

AAEI’s committees are strong drivers

of progress and change at the organiza-

tion, oﬀ ering specialized opportunities

for members to get involved and inﬂ u-

ence trade actions. “What really drives

our organization are our committees,”

Laney says. “We have 12 committees that

are divided into diﬀ erent topics [like] cus-

toms, export control. We have an industry

verticals committee that deals with the 43

participating government agencies out-

side of customs that have authority at the

border.”

The organization will host its 106th

annual conference, or “homecoming”

as Laney calls it, June 22-24, 2027, in

Washington. The event will build on

the original trade-focused meeting that

President Warren Harding hosted over

a century ago, which would later lead to

AAEI’s founding.

“It’s a mirror of what happened back in

New York in 1921, where companies had

an opportunity to talk about what’s keep-

ing them up at night, and then what they

need from the government to help them

grow their business globally,” Laney says

of the conference. “We’ve kept it in D.C.

because we wanted to be close to the poli-

cymakers.”

“We’re not only a forum for trade com-

pliance professionals,” Laney adds, “but

the conference is a forum for government

oﬃ cials to learn about trade compliance.”

With more than a century of experi-

ence under its belt, AAEI continues to

use its resources to promote advocacy,

education, and networking opportunities

across the trade industry. As technology

continues to transform many industries,

including trade, AAEI is readying its AI

white paper, which Laney says will “show

how not only is AI improving productivity,

but it’s providing a proﬁ t center for a lot

of our companies that are trying to grow

global.”

It’s no secret that trade has been in the

spotlight more regularly as policy changes

inﬂ uence exporting and importing, and

AAEI works to deploy its resources to

straighten things out regardless of party,

company, or business. — Avery Heeringa EA

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026 11

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Tyson Foods closes two plants

Amid restructuring of its beef operations, Tyson Foods in

August announced the closure of its Joslin, Ill.

and Eagle Mountain, Utah, processing plants.

The Eagle Mountain plant had been operating

for only ﬁ ve years before the announcement.

Tyson Foods is also pursuing the sale of one of

its Washington state beef processing facilities.

The Joslin closure impacted about 2,500 employees, while 723

employees were aﬀ ected by the Utah facility closure.

Oklahoma wire company ceases operations

The welding wire division of National Standard in Stillwater,

Okla., will cease operations this autumn. The ARC, high carbon

and other industrial wire divisions of the manufacturing com-

pany will remain open and continue to service

industries like aerospace, automotive, con-

struction, and toolmakers. National Standard

will shift to distributing welding wire instead

of manufacturing. About 93 employees will be

aﬀ ected by the closure. According to the com-

pany, National Standard wire is used to support production of

HVAC systems, speciﬁ cally its “low carbon steel wire is ideal for

fabrication, fasteners, bucket handles, shelving, and more.”

Computer manufacturing plant opens

The August opening of a new Apple Mac Mini manufactur-

ing facility in Houston was attended by Tim Cook, then CEO of

Apple, and Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce. (Cook

became Apple’s executive chairman Sept. 1 and

was succeeded as CEO by John Ternus.) The

plant will house advanced AI servers and free

manufacturing training before the beginning

of production of the Mac Mini desktop com-

puters later this year. Courses are available to

small and medium-sized businesses with hands-on instruction

for advanced automation and printed circuit board assembly

design.

Wisconsin manufacturer closing this month

Durr CTS (Clean Technology Systems) is beginning the clo-

sure of its De Pere, Wis., facility this month.

The company produces panel ﬁ lters, ﬂ otation

dryers, and regenerative thermal oxidizers

among other products geared toward reduc-

ing

pollution

and

creating

sustainable

industrial processes at factories. The more than

70 employees being laid oﬀ range from control specialists and

welders to managers and production coordinators.

Soybean processing plant opens

A new soybean processing plant in Gilman, Ill., is poised to

produce up to 300,000 bushels a day. The Inco-

brasa Industries facility, opened early this past

summer, includes “a 50-acre solar array with

the capacity to generate enough energy to pro-

vide power directly to the plant or to feed to the

grid,” WCIA News reported. The plant brings

with it 40 new jobs. — Kristine Weller

Plant Happenings

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The American Clean Power Association

has announced the appointment of Ken

Young

chair-

man of its board of

directors and wel-

comed three new

directors.

Young,

who

previously

served as chair-

elect,

will

lead

the

association’s

board as the indus-

try works to meet

growing electricity demand by “advanc-

ing reliable, affordable American clean

power, strengthening the nation’s energy

security, and supporting a resilient

domestic energy future,” as the associa-

tion puts it. As CEO of Apex Clean Energy,

Young leads the company’s strategy and

oversees the origination, development,

construction, and operation of utility-

scale wind, solar, storage, and distributed

energy projects. Over Young’s decade in

Apex leadership, the company commer-

cialized more than 11 GW of projects.

Names & Faces

Josée Guibord

Ken Young

Jonathan Buick has resumed his pre-

vious positions as president and chief

executive officer of

Champion Electric

Metals. The com-

pany is active in

the exploration for

and

development

of minerals used

electrification

and energy-storage

supply chains. In

August 2025, Buick

stepped down from

his positions for health reasons, and the

company’s board of directors appointed

Nicholas Konkin as interim president

and CEO to strengthen the company’s

foundation and ensure it was properly

structured to capitalize on the coming

metals market. Under his leadership,

the company “has completed that work

and now stands on solid financial foot-

ing, well positioned for its next phase of

growth.” Having made a full recovery,

Buick returns to lead the company into its

next phase.

The board of Electricity Canada, the

national association representing Can-

ada’s

electricity

providers,

has

appointed Josée M.

Guibord president

and CEO. Bringing

more than 25 years

of expertise in the

mining, infrastruc-

ture, and energy

sectors,

Guibord

joins

Electricity

Canada during a pivotal era as Canadian

domestic power requirements are pro-

jected to double by 2050.

Alongside the association’s mem-

bers, Guibord will collaborate with

government partners and stakeholders

to execute strategies that address ris-

ing demand, facilitate electrification,

and provide dependable, cost-effective,

and sustainable electricity to the Cana-

dian public, according to Electricity

Canada. Electricity Canada chairwoman

Jana Mosley said of this appointment,

“This is a defining moment for Canada’s

electricity sector, which is playing an

increasingly important role in shap-

ing the country’s economic and energy

future. As demand grows, there is signifi-

cant work ahead to build the electricity

system Canadians will rely on for gen-

erations.” — Charlie Barks

14 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026

Jonathan Buick

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connect with the people and ideas shaping the future of HVACR.

Manufacturers blurring the line

between hardware and software

The demarcation between electrical equipment and

software is becoming less and less distinct — a trend

demonstrated this past summer when four major

manufacturers announced six acquisitions spanning

transformers, power conversion, ﬂ ow control, grid

intelligence, semiconductor design, and AI-powered

testing.

These companies announced their acquisitions from

early to midsummer, and together, the deals reﬂ ect the

much-remarked-upon need for more capacity to con-

vert, control, and account for electricity, particularly

the electricity used by data centers. One transaction

alone carries a price tag of about $5.5 billion.

ABB has been the most active of the four. On July 1

the company completed its acquisition of Specialtrasfo,

an Italian manufacturer of medium-voltage transform-

ers whose three factories, staﬀ ed by more than 130

employees, build converter and rectiﬁ er transformers

for industries ranging from energy and metals to min-

ing and oﬀ shore processing. Specialtrasfo reported

about €80 million in revenue last year, roughly half of

it already tied to ABB through existing joint projects.

Joerg Stutz, business line manager for ABB’s High-

Power Solutions Division, said the deal gives customers

“a single, accountable partner for the design and supply

of key components and solutions into critical applica-

tions.”

Two weeks later, ABB agreed to acquire Advantics, a

French maker of silicon carbide-based power conver-

sion technology. The deal, announced July 15, extends

ABB’s direct-current portfolio at a time when data

centers, industrial microgrids, and electric-vehicle

infrastructure increasingly run on direct current rather

than the alternating current that dominates the broader

grid. Advantics founder and chief executive Michal

Elias said the deal would “shape the infrastructure that

will power the energy transition and digital transforma-

tion for the next decade.”

ABB’s biggest move came the following day. On July

16, the company conﬁ rmed a recommended cash

oﬀ er for Rotork, a British maker of ﬂ ow-control valve

actuators used across process industries, at an enter-

prise value of about $5.5 billion. Rotork, based in Bath,

England, has built its reputation on valve instrumentation for demanding

applications. Shareholders will receive 503 pence a share, a premium of

about 60% over the company’s recent average share price.

Then there’s Siemens, which agreed to acquire Defacto Technologies, a

French company that automates part of computer-chip design. The deal,

announced July 21 in Plano, Tex., adds software for the register-trans-

fer-level stage of design — the point at which a chip’s architecture takes

shape before physical layout begins. Siemens said the addition will help

customers manage the growing complexity of systems-on-a-chip through

earlier design assessment and integrated veriﬁ cation. Defacto, founded

in Grenoble, France, in 2003, specializes in automating the assembly and

integration of the kinds of chips that power servers and other AI hardware.

Next came Schneider Electric, which mentioned as part of its half-year

results that it had agreed on June 20 to acquire about 90% of AiDASH, a

Palo Alto, Calif., software company, in an all-cash deal with an implied

enterprise value of $350 million. AiDASH uses satellite imagery and artiﬁ -

cial intelligence to ﬂ ag vegetation, storm, and wildﬁ re risks to utility grids

and other infrastructure. Frederic Godemel, Schneider’s executive vice

president for energy management, said the deal would fold those tools into

Schneider’s own grid products to improve grid reliability and resilience.

Finally, on Aug. 6, St. Louis-based Emerson acquired Glue, Inc., whose

Glue Studio software uses artiﬁ cial intelligence to generate and plan tests for

engineering products, feeding into Nigel, the AI system built into its National

Instruments test and measurement line. The deal has more to do with testing

than power infrastructure, but it’s part of the same pattern: manufacturers

folding AI into engineering and automation software. — Kevin Jones

Business

The Milan, Italy, headquarters of Specialtrasfo S.p.A., a manufacturer of medium-

voltage transformers that was bought by ABB this past summer. It was one of

several recent acquisitions in which electrical manufacturers have sought to build

out their capacity for serving the booming data center market.

— ABB photo

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More thoughts about AI

in predictive maintenance

Editor:

I recently received the August issue of

Electrical Apparatus magazine and was

excited to read the cover article on AI in

predictive maintenance (“Smart motor

maintenance,” August 2026 Electrical

Apparatus, page 31). Being a vibration

analyst, I know the potential AI has to bol-

ster the predictive maintenance industry.

Early in the article, the author stated

there are two types of maintenance

strategies, reactive maintenance and pre-

ventative maintenance, which had me

raising an eyebrow. He went on to claim

that AI could bridge the gap between the

two and open up a whole new world of

predictive maintenance using a litany of

tools to accurately analyze equipment

condition and predict all diﬀ erent types

of defects, failure modes, and even give an

accurate estimate of remaining bearing

life in electromechanical equipment!

Don’t get me wrong; this is all very

exciting, but all these technologies and

methods already exist, and this exact

method of predictive maintenance has

been around for decades. AI can abso-

lutely optimize the entire process and

eventually do it much better than any

human, but not even to acknowledge the

existence of an entire industry prior to AI

coming along is disingenuous and incred-

ibly insulting to the thousands of men and

women who have dedicated their careers

to the trade. I don’t know if Bill O’Leary

was aware of this industry prior to AI, but

I sure would have hoped that the editors

at Electrical Apparatus would have been.

. . .

We’re all susceptible to making mis-

takes, and goodness knows I make my fair

share. I genuinely enjoy going through

Electrical Apparatus magazine — time

permitting — as the electromechanical

industry is continuously evolving at a rate

that is impossible to keep up without it.

Sean Noonan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Editor:

I can give you an example from my own

experience regarding predictive mainte-

nance.

Thin-ﬁ lm deposition systems built in

the 1990S by Evatec AG of Trübbach, Swit-

zerland, had lots of sensors and enough

computing power to collect the vast

amounts of machine and process data.

The data was fed into a statistical-

process-control software module, which

helped the engineers to monitor the coat-

ing process and diagnose the machine

status.

For example, the voltage of the metal-

sputtering process was a very sensitive

indicator for the stability of the process.

A shifting voltage indicated process insta-

bility. The system then would send an

alarm message to the process engineer by

SMS telling him that the system detected

[for example] a trend in the voltage shift

and the system might be approaching the

process limits where the system has to be

shut down. It was then up to the engineer

to interpret the data and look for the root

cause of the instability.

And now there is AI-aided predictive

maintenance available that takes over the

engineer’s job of interpreting and diag-

nosing. As Bill O’Leary says [in his August

article], AI is really strong in recognizing

complex patterns in lots of variables. So

I think AI certainly is a big advancement

for predictive maintenance, but to make

it clear: Predictive maintenance hasn’t

arrived with AI; it has been around for

decades.

Wilfried Wachter, Lindau, Germany

I know that AI is a hot-button topic, and

I’m certainly not surprised the piece elicited

Letters

responses. It wasn’t my intention to suggest

that AI created predictive maintenance;

rather that it’s augmenting AI in exciting

ways while not being a magic-bullet solu-

tion.

While writing the article, I did think of

referring to the predictive maintenance

that came before AI, but I opted to keep the

focus on the subject matter, knowing that

Electrical Apparatus has covered predic-

tive maintenance thoroughly in the past.

I’ve even written a few pieces on the subject

myself.

However, there’s deﬁ nitely an opportunity

to acknowledge the nuance Mr. Noonan

says was missing from the article. There’s

a whole host of talented individuals who

are performing great work in predictive

maintenance, and I certainly didn’t mean

to imply otherwise by failing to mention

them. Acknowledgement is also due to Mr.

Wachter, whose experience supports Mr.

Noonan’s point.

Readers may also be interested in reading

a follow-up article, “Data is gold,” published

in the September 2026 Electrical Appa-

ratus. In that article, we meet a Schneider

Electric executive who lays out the case for

AI-run switchgear. — Bill O’Leary

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026 17

The next charge

As EV adoption evolves, reliability, aﬀ ordability, and

grid readiness will shape the industry’s next phase

By Maura Keller, EA Contributing Writer

The U.S. electric vehicle market is

entering a more measured phase.

After years of emphasis on expand-

ing EV availability and charging

infrastructure,

the

industry

increasingly focused on aﬀ ordability,

reliability, and the ownership expe-

rience. For consumers, that means

access to vehicles that ﬁ t their budgets

and lifestyles, along with chargers that

work when needed. For utilities and

the electrical industry, it means pre-

paring for a transportation system that

will create new grid demands while

opening opportunities for infrastruc-

ture, technology, and maintenance

providers.

The market is also becoming more

diverse.

Battery-electric

vehicles

remain important to electriﬁ cation,

but hybrids are gaining momentum

as consumers weigh range, price, and

convenience. Over the next three to

ﬁ ve years, the availability of appealing

EV models, charging reliability, battery

performance, and infrastructure will

help determine adoption.

Dave Thomas, director of content

marketing and automotive industry

analyst at CDK, says the U.S. market

diﬀ ers from other countries, where

higher fuel prices are accelerating EV

adoption. Here, he sees a shortage of

compelling, aﬀ ordable EV choices.

“The biggest issue as we end 2026 is

the lack of attractive EVs on the market

for interested buyers,” Thomas says. “I

actually feel there is more demand than

supply, especially in speciﬁ c states.”

Kameale Terry, CEO and co-founder

of ChargerHelp, believes the industry

is moving from an emphasis on con-

struction toward operations. “While

the ﬁ rst stage of electriﬁ cation focused

on getting chargers into the ground, the

next three to ﬁ ve years will be deﬁ ned

Feature | Electric Avenue

by whether the industry can operate

that infrastructure reliably at scale,”

Terry says.

Reliability

becomes the priority

The charging network has grown

substantially, but that expansion has

created a maintenance challenge.

Terry says the U.S. EV landscape has

grown 75-fold since 2011, while more

than 37% of public charging ports are

now at least three years old. As equip-

ment ages, operators face increasing

pressure to keep chargers functioning

reliably.

Traditional uptime measurements

may not tell the whole story. According

to ChargerHelp data, 35% of charging

failures occur on chargers that report

an available status, meaning a driver

can arrive at a charger that appears

operational but cannot complete a

session. Terry says improving that

experience requires more proactive

diagnostics.

“The main bottleneck is no longer the

physical repair, but the ‘pre-dispatch

wait,’” Terry says. “Transition silos and

gated diagnostic data often delay tech-

nician mobilization for days.”

Approximately 90% of outages are

software- or communication-based,

according to Terry, creating an oppor-

tunity to use remote monitoring

and API-driven diagnostics. In one

example, ChargerHelp used remote

telemetry to ﬁ lter false alerts and

address software problems remotely,

reducing 33 diagnostic truck rolls to a

single physical visit and cutting oper-

ational costs by 91%. The eﬀ ort also

helped a major ﬂ eet operator improve

portfolio uptime from 62% to 89% over

10 months.

18 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026

Thomas agrees that charging coverage remains

a challenge. Although infrastructure continues to

expand, coverage is inconsistent, leaving some parts

of the country with few charging options.

Making EVs easier to live with

Infrastructure reliability is only part of the EV con-

sumer equation. Improvements in battery range,

charging speed, and battery longevity are helping

address longstanding concerns about EV ownership.

Bernard Swiecki, vice president of mobility and

research with Detroit Regional Partnership, says

battery longevity has helped ease concerns about

deterioration, benefiting both new-vehicle sales and

the developing used-EV market.

“A healthy used-EV market makes electrified

vehicles accessible to more consumers, strengthens

resale values, and builds confidence that these vehi-

cles can deliver long-term value well beyond their

first owner,” Swiecki says.

Thomas says the availability of EVs offering

roughly 300 miles of range represents another

important milestone. In CDK’s recent EV ownership

study, 59% of respondents said their EV had between

250 and 300 miles of range, while only 6% reported

more than 300 miles. Yet satisfaction improved

across every metric tracked.

Long-distance travel and charging availability remain obstacles, but

ownership patterns are changing. Twenty-five percent of respondents

now live in EV-only households, while 87% say they save money with

their EV compared with their previous gas-powered vehicle.

Electric-vehicle charging plugs stand ready for use in a parking lot. Infrastructure

of this type is becoming more commonplace as more drivers and automakers turn

to battery-powered vehicles.

— Ajax9 / Shutterstock photo

Please turn to next page

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026 19

Charging convenience remains criti-

cal, particularly for consumers who

cannot charge at home. Swiecki says

the industry must consider where

chargers are located and how quickly

they can charge. Terry says consumers

ultimately view the vehicle and charg-

ing infrastructure as one connected

experience.

“Drivers do not distinguish between

the vehicle’s battery and the dispens-

er’s delivery system,” Terry says. “They

perceive the car, the battery, and the

public charger as a single, uniﬁ ed fuel-

ing experience.”

Aﬀ ordability and choice

The next phase of EV adoption may

look

diﬀ erent

from

what

many

observers anticipated. Rather than

battery-electric vehicles alone driving

electriﬁ cation, hybrids are becoming

an increasingly important option.

Swiecki says hybrid growth demon-

strates that consumers are embracing

electriﬁ cation while weighing price,

convenience,

and

driving

habits.

“Companies that oﬀ er a broad mix

of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs

are generally in a better position to

respond to today’s consumer demand,”

Swiecki says.

Aﬀ ordability will remain critical as

federal EV incentives change. Thomas

says the expiration of federal tax cred-

its pulled demand forward but had

an even greater eﬀ ect on automakers,

many of which delayed or canceled

planned U.S. EV models. He says the

market needs more choices in the

$30,000-$50,000 range to achieve

meaningful volume growth.

“Without

new

product

the

$30,000-$50,000 range EV volume

simply won’t go back up,” Thomas says.

Gasoline prices will also continue

inﬂ uence

consumer

decisions,

although Thomas says higher fuel

prices in the U.S. appear to be push-

ing more buyers toward hybrids than

EVs. He notes that EV sales have grown

more rapidly in Europe, where fuel

prices are higher and consumers have

access to more EV models.

Preparing the grid

As more vehicles become electri-

ﬁ ed, utilities will play an increasingly

important role in determining where

and how charging infrastructure is

deployed, particularly for ﬂ eet depots

and high-powered charging sites.

Terry says utilities, charging provid-

ers, site owners, and operators need to

coordinate earlier in the planning pro-

cess. Smart-charging technology could

also help manage demand.

Thomas challenges the perception

that EVs will necessarily strain the

electrical grid. Vehicles can be pro-

grammed to charge during oﬀ -peak

periods, and he says the country’s

existing data centers consume roughly

twice as much electricity as EVs.

Vehicle-to-grid

technology

could

eventually make EVs a resource for

utilities by allowing vehicles to supply

electricity when demand is high and

charge when demand is low. Thomas

says the technology already exists,

although it is not yet widespread. Com-

bined with home solar, it could provide

even greater value.

The next phase

Looking

ahead,

battery

technol-

ogy could reshape the EV market by

increasing capacity while reducing

size and cost. Solid-state batteries

represent one potential breakthrough,

although widespread commercializa-

tion remains elusive.

For now, Thomas says the industry

needs vehicles that consumers genu-

inely want. Automakers need to create

EV models that become desirable prod-

ucts in their own right.

“The beneﬁ ts of EVs win owners

over, and the overall ﬂ eet of EVs on

the road is growing, even if slowly,”

Thomas says. “What’s needed now are

some breakthrough products.”

Compelling vehicles, dependable

charging,

aﬀ ordable

pricing,

and

smarter infrastructure will shape the

next stage of electriﬁ cation. For the

electrical industry, the opportunity

extends beyond supporting EV growth

to helping create an ecosystem reliable

enough to make electric transportation

an everyday part of the nation’s infra-

structure.

Continued from previous page

20 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2026