What initially interested you in the electrical engineering/coil winding industry? 

I initially became interested in the electric motor industry when I was an international licensing and technology transfer consultant and some of my clients were OEMs who used electric motors or produced motion control components. They were looking for innovative motor technology at the time, mid-1990s, that would give their equipment competitive advantages. This was a time when brushless DC and switched reluctance motors as well as new controls for variable speed motors were receiving a lot of attention in terms of new developments. 

Can you give me a brief history of your work in the industry? 

I found the electric motor industry fascinating because of its wide range of variety and innovation and an opportunity presented itself with an electric motor manufacturer client to join that company in a full-time role responsible for new motor technologies.  

I spent the next 20 years in executive management roles for U.S. and European manufacturers of electric motors, gearmotors and controls. Eight years ago, I started my consulting practice focused on strategic growth initiatives such as licensing, joint ventures, M&A, etc. for manufacturers of electric motors and motor controls. 

What made you want to become a CWIEME advisory board member? 

From the beginning, I’ve spent time in electric motor manufacturing facilities around the world and kept an eye on the developing trends in automation as well as motor components since they’re integral to the growth of new motor technologies. CWIEME events were the logical event place to keep up on the rapidly developing state-of-the-art in the motor industry and I saw a synergy between what I was doing with motor manufacturer clients and the CWIEME exhibits and presentations. I welcomed the opportunity to help in developing CWIEME’s vision and participation in the industry. 

What are you most looking forward to seeing at this year's event? 

For the past ten years eMobility has been the elephant in the room of the electric motor industry. Whether it’s on wheels, in the air or sea, innovative new developments are happening in all these markets and CWIEME presents an early opportunity to learn about what’s new and different not only in components, but also production techniques as well as new motor technologies themselves. 

What technology do you think is going to have the biggest impact over the next ten years? 

Personally, I think materials will have the biggest impact on the motor industry. Historically, motor manufacturers themselves just didn’t have the R&D budgets to do much in terms of exploring new materials and the benefits they can have in improving motors. For too long, it was mostly just steel and copper. But what looms large in the future are things like new and alternative magnetic materials, soft magnetic composites, new alloys as well as completely new materials for 3D manufacturing among others that will have a significant impact on the performance, durability, efficiency and life cycle of electric motors. 

For more insights on the future of the coil winding and electric engineering industry join CWIEME Berlin 2025. 

Image courtesy of Motion Mechatronics