2026 Event Agenda

As global electrification accelerates, the transformer market is entering a period of unprecedented demand. From grid modernisation and renewable integration to data centre expansion and industrial growth, transformers sit at the centre of the energy transition.

As the transformer industry continues to evolve amid shifting global dynamics, manufacturers and customers (utilities, industrials) are navigating a complex mix of geopolitical risks, supply chain pressures, and extending delivery times as demand continues to exceed supply.

This presentation will deliver an in-depth exploration of the global electrical steel landscape, with a particular focus on the rapidly evolving e-mobility sector and its impact on non-grain-oriented (NGO) electrical steel demand. Complementary insights on grain-oriented (GO) electrical steel production and market volumes will also be provided

As electrification accelerates across the automotive sector, the electric motor has become a critical focal point in both technological innovation and global supply chain strategy.

In just one year, Stora Enso’s development programme for unbleached kraft pulp delivered measurable quality improvements aligned with the stringent demands of high-performance electrical insulation papers and boards.

In this fireside conversation, Javiera McGuiggan, Vice President Marketing, Sustainable Solutions at Helm AG, will speak with C-level executives from the transformer and power sector to examine the structural shifts shaping energy infrastructure.

As transformers age, ensuring reliability, resilience and safety is essential for utilities and industrial operators.

This session highlights how advanced insulating fluid treatments can extend service life, enhance efficiency, and support sustainable asset management.

Discover how Axial Flux Motor (AFM) technology is moving beyond niche applications and into the mainstream. This session explores its distinct performance advantages and the design and manufacturing strategies enabling scalable adoption across industries.

Henrik Stiesdal, by many considered the father of modern Danish wind power, shares how innovation in Transmission and Distribution (T&D) can transform the path to a resilient, affordable, and clean energy future.

The speech introduces a compact axial‑flux permanent‑magnet motor with an immersed double‑rotor layout tailored for high‑integrated electric water‑pump systems. A unified CAE workflow drives electromagnetic optimization and cooling performance tuning on e-motor design parameters in function of internal fluid‑flow effects. Prototype testing validates the motor’s performance, demonstrating high efficiency, robust thermal behaviour, and scalability for next generation thermal management modules (TMMS) in transportation applications.

Achieving industrial decarbonization and strengthening Europe’s resilience require new market models that accelerate the uptake of CO₂‑reduced materials.

This session presents a 48 V, 35 kW electric drive system that rethinks motor design through the use of rigid aluminium bar conductors and rare-earth-free ferrite magnets. By addressing cost, supply chain resilience, and sustainability simultaneously, the concept offers a practical pathway for material transition in motor manufacturing. Combining technical analysis with quantified life-cycle data, the session provides actionable insights into next-generation low-voltage drive development.

This session presents the design, simulation, and experimental validation of a rare-earth-free single-sided axial flux synchronous motor using iron nitride (FeN) permanent magnets and soft magnetic composite (SMC) core.

EU flagship and Horizon-funded energy projects play a vital role in validating advanced grid technologies, digital twins, and system-level innovations at scale. However, technical success alone rarely guarantees operational deployment or market uptake. Drawing on concrete case studies, including Digital Twin for Europe, this session explores the technical, regulatory, and organisational conditions that determine whether grid innovations progress beyond the pilot phase and deliver real-world impact

This session provides an overview of the latest global trends shaping the Repair & Maintenance industry, from technology and sustainability to workforce and market dynamics.

The motor repair and maintenance landscape is evolving fast under the pressures of electrification, energy efficiency, and AI. This session explores the global forces redefining service strategies, cost structures, and sustainability targets. Discover how innovation and quality standards are creating new opportunities for service providers and asset owners alike.

Discover how AI is revolutionising the power grid by boosting operational efficiency, enhancing reliability, and driving sustainable energy solutions. This transformation paves the way for a smarter, greener energy future.

As electrification and renewable integration increase system volatility, asset reliability is no longer enough. OEMs are now expected to ensure performance within dynamic, interconnected energy environments where operational decisions directly affect system stability. This session introduces Asset Intelligence as a system-level, decision-centric capability that links equipment behaviour, digital insight, and operational coordination. Hafiz Muhammad Noman will explore how OEMs can move beyond component optimisation to deliver resilient, decision-ready energy solutions

Global demand for permanent magnets is accelerating, driven by electrification, renewable energy, and high-performance industrial applications. This presentation, co-authored with John Ormerod, will provide an updated overview of market dynamics and evolving technology trends. Particular attention will be given to China’s recent export limitations and emerging competitors worldwide. The session will conclude with perspectives on future growth scenarios and strategic recommendations for industry stakeholder

The new EU F-gas Regulation is accelerating the transition to SF₆-free medium-voltage switchgear across utilities, industry, and infrastructure projects. This session explores how fluorine-free technologies, meet upcoming regulatory requirements while maintaining reliability, safety, and compactness. Real-world deployment insights highlight what engineers and procurement specialists must consider staying future-proof and compliant

Unplanned stator failures in Medium-High Voltage machines can halt production and create substantial financial losses.

The electric motor industry is entering a decisive period, shaped by accelerating electrification, shifting global trade dynamics, and mounting pressure on critical material supply chains. As manufacturers balance innovation with resilience, the next three years will be pivotal in determining competitive advantage.
This panel brings together leading motor manufacturers and industry experts to explore how design, production, and market strategies are evolving, and what practical steps companies can take to prepare for what’s ahead.

Digitalisation is reshaping how TSOs and DSOs monitor and optimise grid assets through sensors, IIoT, cloud platforms, digital twins, and AI. This session explores how these tools enable predictive operations, smarter forecasting, and greater grid resilience. It will also examine the cybersecurity challenges that come with a more connected and decentralised energy system.

This work explores how metal additive manufacturing (AM) can unlock higher-performance electrical machine windings by enabling optimised conductor geometries, integrated cooling features, and tailored insulation systems. It addresses three key barriers to industrial adoption: systematic AM winding design, reliable electrical property characterisation, and robust insulation of complex as-built surfaces. Together, these developments support more efficient, power-dense and reliable machines needed for future electrified systems

Grid reliability increasingly depends on proactive, data-driven asset management rather than reactive maintenance. SAMSTEO introduces an intelligent monitoring solution that combines Earth Observation, IoT, and weather data to anticipate structural and operational risks across transmission infrastructure. By enabling condition-based maintenance and early fault prediction, the system empowers operators to optimise load distribution, reduce downtime, and lower operational costs.

The increasing adoption of aluminium windings as a strategic alternative to copper in wind turbine generators introduces significant challenges in electrical joining, material compatibility, and long-term operational reliability. Robust interconnection technologies are critical to ensuring performance stability under demanding service conditions. 

In this session, Dr. Ahmed Al Marzooqi will share insights on how utilities are modernising transmission and distribution networks to meet growing demand and sustainability goals.

This presentation explores how Argentina’s energy transition is transforming distribution networks, with a particular focus on the impact of renewable-based distributed generation on distribution transformers. Drawing on real operating data, it analyses how evolving load profiles are affecting transformer losses and utilisation levels, highlighting the potential need to revisit and modernise efficiency standards to better align with emerging grid realities

As Europe accelerates grid modernisation and decarbonisation, distribution transformer replacement strategies are evolving beyond cost efficiency toward long-term sustainability and lifecycle value.

This session explores the end-to-end decision process behind selecting rare-earth-free EC motor technology for axial cooling fans in transformer applications for the European market.

Accurate thermal insight is critical to transformer windings and electric motor reliability. This session presents a multipoint fiber optic sensing solution that delivers high-density, EMI-immune temperature mapping for precise hotspot detection and comprehensive asset-level thermal assessment.

Transverse Flux Motor (TFM) technology is setting new benchmarks for low-speed, high-duty-cycle electrification. By decoupling magnetic and electric circuits, TFM achieves exceptional torque density and superior low-speed efficiency—enabling simplified, high-performance direct-drive and low-ratio architectures for actuation and motion control systems.

As electrification, renewables and AI-driven infrastructure accelerate global power demand, transformer design must evolve to meet higher performance expectations with lower environmental impact. This session examines how thermoplastic insulation is reshaping transformer materials, manufacturing efficiency, and end-of-life strategies. Moving beyond incremental improvements, it will provide practical insights into how advanced materials and processing technologies can reduce energy consumption, simplify production and enable circularity, supporting the next generation of resilient, future-ready grids.

Electrification of compact off-highway machinery is accelerating, but OEMs continue to face constraints around efficiency, packaging, and total system cost.

Transformer manufacturers are under constant pressure to increase productivity, improve quality, and secure capacity, often while operating ageing equipment and highly interdependent processes.
This session presents a practical, problem-solving framework to decide when fixing equipment is enough, when replacement is unavoidable, and when automation genuinely delivers results.

The effect of PWM induced current ripple on the efficiency of traction motors is often ignored or hidden in empirical build factors.

This success-story session showcases how Clifford Ondieki, IEEE award-winning electrical engineer and Future Engineers Programme participant, navigated the path from academia to industry readiness. Highlighting his work in AI-driven grid optimisation, Clifford illustrates how emerging talent can meet urgent industry needs across transformers, motors, generators, and T&D. The session underscores the critical role of CWIEME’s Future Engineers Programme in connecting skilled young engineers with a rapidly evolving sector.

The industry is navigating economic uncertainty, AI adoption, and shifting market priorities all at once — in this session CTOs and engineering leaders share what's actually changing inside their organisations and what that means for the skills, mindsets, and adaptability they're hiring for right now.

• The engineering skills shortage is a challenge that goes beyond gender — from highly specialised engineers to technicians, the sector faces critical gaps as digitalisation, AI, and automation transform what skills are needed.
• What does the future engineering workforce actually look like, and where are the biggest shortfalls?
• Rethinking pathways into engineering: apprenticeships, vocational routes, and industry-academia partnerships all have a role, and these routes need to attract and inspire a broader, more diverse talent pool

IEEE Young Engineers presentation followed by panel discussion

AI and automation and the energy transition are reshaping electrical engineering from the ground up. This panel cuts through the hype to give students a clear picture of what the industry actually needs from the next generation.

• How the ENHANCE Alliance of European technical universities is embedding gender and diversity perspectives directly into the engineering curriculum as core technical competence.
• How AI amplifies gender bias in engineering
• Practical strategies engineering firms can adopt now; including diverse development teams, bias audits, gender-aware design checklists, and participatory design.

• Electrification is at the heart of ambitious net zero targets, but delivering it sustainably demands real engineering breakthroughs — from integrated motor drives that cut energy and material waste, to compact power electronics.
• What does sustainable electrification actually require? Reducing lifecycle impacts, minimising use of precious materials, and rethinking how we design, manufacture, and integrate power converters and electric machines across sectors
• Understanding where the critical innovation challenges lie and what engineers need to solve them

The engineers with the most interesting careers didn't follow the safe route; they switched functions, crossed into unfamiliar territory, and made deliberate bets on themselves.

• EU regulation is moving fast, demanding durability, repairability, and recyclability by design - circularity can no longer be an afterthought, so what skills do young engineers need to develop?
• A deep dive into the specific challenges the industry needs future engineers to solve: rare earths in permanent magnets, complex composites in power electronics, and long-life assets like transformer cores that outlast the insulation around them.
• What does circularity look like as a practical engineering discipline, not just a compliance exercise?

• Challenging the archetype of what a female engineering leader should look, sound, and act like
• A deep dive into the messy, non-linear reality of building leadership through technical credibility, setbacks, and self-trust
• Building mentor relationships, and how those relationships shift as your career evolves
• The next generation and how they will move into future leadership roles

Advisory Board members and CWIEME industries professionals will host a guided tour around the exhibition for the students, providing insights along the way and stopping at key exhibitors who will be ready to discuss opportunities.

End of day

Many female experts lack the experience or confidence of speaking at events, this is an opportunity to try speaking within a supportive, casual environment.