Get Ready for EASA 2024!

A BARKS PUBLICATION

Electrical Apparatus More than Motors

Hello, EASA 2024 exhibitors!

Electrical Apparatus covers the Electrical Apparatus Service Association like no other magazine!

Advertisers in our May, June and/or August issues qualify for -• May EASA preview - FREE 2” ads!

• June EASA exhibitors - FREE editorial previews!

• August EASA report - FREE photos of your exhibits!

• Digital and at-show promotions from February through September!

Closing dates are earlier this year .Email me now for details- We want to include you!

Barbara

Barbara Wachter Advertising Director barbara@barks.com 312-626-2316

See examples from last year!

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT BARBARA@BARKS.COM

EASA 2024?

Making plans for

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS SERVICE ASSOCIATION LAS VEGAS JUNE 23-26

check out our 2023 coverage!

THE MAY ISSUE

Motors, Drives & Controls

Special 2” ad section 3

Listing our EASA exhibitor advertisers

Advertisers in our May, June or August issues qualify for FREE inclusion in this well read, “keeper” May EASA issue.

New this year -A “See Who’s Exhibiting at EASA 2024” flipbook of the 2” section will be promoted in our E-news and social media acounts as insertions are placed and throughout August. Sign up early to make the most of this excellent esposure!

EASA show preview 7

3

visit booth #411

Telling our readers what to expect

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Last year’s “Ninety Years Young” related how the Electrical Apparatus Service Association’s plans to celebrate a milestone anniversary near Washington, D.C., June 24-27m 2023

All about the venue

11 Sightseeing, meals and more

We share the best of the host city with our readers

THE JUNE ISSUE

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41

Annual EASA Exhibitors section - our biggest issue!

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14 The latest in electrical apparatus service and repair

All EASA exhibitors qualify for editorial consideration in this well read section. Your ad in the June issue is an ideal way to establish your brand primacy and bring extra attention to your booth and convention offers.

THE AUGUST ISSUE Show report

32 Wrapping up show highlights

With first person reporting from the show conference sessions, last year’s “Together in National Harbor” told how EASA expressed EASA’s ‘American heart with a worldwide reach’

40

The EASA convention in photos —

40 The view from the show floor

Lively photos taken at booths, conference sessions, keybotes, ribbon cuttings and more. Another keeper issue that attendees and others treasure.

Your ads in our EASA issues keep your company in front of the EASA audience BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the convention!

Contact Barbara today to reserve your space!

4/7/2023 3:41

Capital ideas VIsit these Electrical Apparatus advertisers that will be exhibiting at the 2023 EASA Convention in National Harbor, Md., June 25-27 A special Electrical Apparatus advertising supplement

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Background photo: The U.S. Capitol rotunda, construction of which was begun in 1818 and completed, under the direction of Charles Bulfinch, in time for a visit by the Marquis de Lafayette in 1824.

— gary718 / Shutterstock photo

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Motors, Drives & Controls

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Background photo: A view from the Lincoln Memorial across the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool towards the Washington Monument. The steps of the Lincoln Memorial have been the setting of several historic events, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.

— Yaya Ernst / Shutterstock photo

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Feature | EASA Convention 2023

Ninety years young The Electrical Apparatus Service Association will celebrate a milestone anniversary when it convenes near Washington, D.C., June 24-27

By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor The Electrical Apparatus Service Association turns 90 years old this year, and the organization plans to mark the occasion with a birthday bash at its annual convention this June. The theme of this year’s convention: “Together Towards Success!”

The convention is being held June 24-27 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., about a 20-minute drive south of Washington, D.C. The convention will offer much of what members have come to expect, with a few details tweaked here and there in response to member feedback to make what’s already a popular event even better.

In a recent issue of the association’s Currents newsletter, EASA chairman Sid Seymour wrote that the convention will be noteworthy for its diversity.

“The 2023 Convention & Solutions Expo will be diverse in its programming, exhibitors, attendees, and entertainment,” he wrote. Variety, he said, will be found not only in the “great technical, sales, and management sessions” but also in the networking with friends and peers, the 90th anniversary birthday bash, and the results of research about end users that will be reported during the convention.

More than 130 providers of products and services are expected to exhibit at the convention’s Solutions Expo. Chairman Seymour said that last year’s convention attracted attendees representing more than

500 service centers and 32 countries and that more can be expected this year. “It will be difficult to find a more diverse audience in the electromechanical profession,” he proclaimed. And then there’s nearby Washington, D.C., a city that’s about as diverse as it gets when it comes to the attractions, both historical and contemporary, that can be found there.

Breakfast on your own This year’s keynote address is to be delivered by Connie Podesta, a psychologist who specializes in sales strategies, leadership, and identity branding. The title of her address appears to have been tweaked to fit the convention’s theme: “Together Towards Success! Really? But Life Would Be Easy If It Weren’t for Other People.”

There will be no breakfast served before the keynote address, and the session will depart from long-standing tradition by being open to all convention attendees, not just to those who have paid for a meal ticket. In fact, there will be no breakfasts served during the convention at all, apart from a Women of EASA Networking Breakfast that’s scheduled for Sunday morning.

Jettisoning breakfasts is part of the “diversity” that chairman Seymour spoke of. “To be more inclusive, EASA will not be serving breakfasts during the convention,” EASA notes, the women’s breakfast notwithstanding.

Why? During the business meeting at the end of last year’s convention, a member commenting from the floor objected to the practice of presenting the EASA Award during a breakfast that not everyone had a ticket to attend. Apparently, other members had raised the same objection. Therefore, “All attendees and exhibitors may now attend our

As at last year’s convention, attendees at this year’s EASA Convention can expect a full slate of educational sessions on a variety of topics.

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keynote general session on Sunday, and all members may attend the annual business meeting on Tuesday,” according to EASA.

Concurrent conference sessions As in EASA conventions of recent years, the conference sessions will be dominated by technical matters, with sessions on management, sales, marketing, and family business rounding out the program. The presence of two sessions on family business, compared especially with the 14 sessions devoted to technical subjects, doesn’t itself indicate an emphasis on the subject, but merely breaking out family business into its own category bespeaks an acknowledgement of the importance these days of business ownership succession.

The sessions on family business merit special mention. Thomas Deans of Détente Financial, making a return appearance at this year’s convention, is scheduled to present a session on succession planning on the Saturday before the official opening of the convention. The following morning, he will facilitate two sessions, each with representatives of three EASA member companies talking about their experience in business transition. (A special note from EASA: These two sessions will not be recorded.)

For the first time we at Electrical Apparatus can recall, the conference sessions at this year’s convention, when laid out on a grid, resemble the “tracks” one would see at a larger conference. On both Monday and Tuesday morning, six sessions will be occurring at any given time, with each of the initial sessions followed by a session in the same subject category. If you think six concurrent sessions sounds like a lot to cover, you’re not alone. Some convention attendees have complained in re-

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cent years about the scheduling of multiple sessions at the same time. Taking it all in on your own can be difficult, if not impossible, unless you’re unusually nimble.

The practice of jamming all sessions into the morning hours came about because companies paying to exhibit in the expo hall, which traditionally opens at noon, complained in previous years that afternoon sessions were keeping attendees away from the expo hall.

EASA, caught between members who wanted to attend as many sessions as possible and exhibitors who figured they had paid to have a captive audience, resolved the dilemma by making video recordings of all sessions available on the EASA website within days of the convention’s conclusion. The posting of these videos began in 2020, when the convention was virtual. The continuation of this practice is but another example of policies adopted during the pandemic that have been retained because they brought unanticipated benefits.

A concentration on the technical Many of the technical sessions at this year’s conference will lean toward the fundamentals, which means the convention would be an ideal place to Please turn to next page

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EASA PREVIEW continued from previous page

send employees learning the trade who have also earned a trip to an interesting locale. Most of the technical sessions are to be conducted by EASA technical support specialists.

Those specialists are scheduled to present the ever-popular Open Tech Forum on Sunday morning, so attendees are encouraged to come prepared to ask questions. This is the annual opportunity to take those pesky problems you’ve spent months puzzling over and bring them to the attention of experts who may have the answers.

A few fundamental matters will be addressed by EASA technical support specialists Tom Bishop and Chuck Yung when they offer presentations on winding verification and vertical motors respectively.

Bishop plans to discuss the need to verify as-found

data before proceeding with a rewind, while Yung anticipates concentrating on bearing combinations in vertical motors.

More narrowly focused presentations will be offered by technical support specialist Mike Howell and EASA pump and vibration specialist Gene Vogel when they take a close look, in consecutive sessions, at fractional-slot concentrated windings and close tolerance fits in pump repairs.

EASA staff members won’t be the only ones giving technical presentations. Ed Spence of Machine Instrumentation Group is lined up to provide an update on the use of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things in condition monitoring, while the leveraging of new technology will be addressed by a panel of four representatives of suppliers to the industry. Another panel of three will share business and technical tips.

Technical support specialist Carlos Ramirez will have a busy two days as he presents sessions in Spanish on fundamental topics: motor disassembly, motor storage, and the basics of a-c motor redesign. He will also present an open tech forum in Spanish.

Management and sales

The Solutions Expo at the EASA Convention is a lively marketplace where vendors meet face-to-face with customers and potential customers.

The keynote address won’t be the end of responsibilities for Connie Podesta. She’s also lined up to give two presentations on Sunday morning, one on leadership and the other on communication. Her second presentation will coincide with another session, presented by a panel of four, about emerging opportunities in the motor service industry.

On Monday morning, there will be two “peer-to-peer” management sessions held consecutively, one an open management forum with a four-person panel and the other about using an “operating system” to “get better results,” presented by a panel of three.

At a time when many owners of service companies are thinking about selling — and the finance guys have “discovered” the electromechanical industry — a session presented by Glenn Tofil of England & Co. should be of particular interest. Its title says it all: “Why Are You Getting So Many Calls/E-Mails from Private Equity Investors and Bankers?”

The art of sales — as well as managing the people responsible for making the sales — will be the subject of several sessions concentrating

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— Electrical Apparatus photos by Kevin Jones and copyright 2023 by Barks Publications, Inc.

be conducted by Crystal Bristow of Jenkins Electric, Kelley Fujino of Lubbock Electric, and Justin Hatfield of HECO.

Side trips and social gatherings Some people come to the EASA convention as much for the networking and sightseeing as for the education, and this year is certain to be no different.

At 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, all are welcome to attend the 90th Birthday Bash in the expo hall. This will come immediately after the official end of exhibit hours. Similarly, a happy hour will be held from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the final day of the convention, when many people have already begun heading home.

With the nation’s capital only 20 minutes away, it’s only natural that arrangements for side trips to historic sites should be made. On Saturday and Monday, there will be a shuttle bus running periodically between the convention center and the National Mall, where attendees will have the option of visiting any of the many sights clustered there. (For more about what to see and do in the Washington area, see EA Managing Editor Charlie Barks’s article “Let’s capitalize” beginning on page 28 of this issue.)

Complete information about the convention may be found at https://easa.com/convention.

EA

Last year’s convention attracted attendees representing more than 500 service centers and 32 countries. Even more are expected this year.

on the practical aspects of pitching products and services. Rob Jolles of Jolles Associates is scheduled to conduct a workshop about “customercentered selling,” the approach whereby one seeks to fulfill specific customer needs.

Jolles will also present two other sessions, with the promising titles of “No More Order Taking!” and “The Art of Urgency.” Managing a sales team will be addressed in a session presented by the now-retired Ron Keppel of Illinois Electric Works.

Completing the sessions on sales and marketing will be a discussion about using LinkedIn to forge company and personal brands. It will

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Feature | Conventions & Trade Shows

Let’s capitalize

Opportunities remain for our industry, even if you’re currently swamped

By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor The “D.C.” in Washington might as well stand for “direct current” this June during EASA’s 90th anniversary in our nation’s capital. This year’s convention is shaping up to be a classic, driven by a unifying message.

Registration is now open for the EASA 2023 Convention & Solutions Expo, which will channel the theme of “Together Towards Success” in National Harbor, Md., just down the Potomac from Washington. As always, connecting old and new friends and colleagues, EASA 2023 will include technical, peerto-peer, sales, and management sessions.

The standard-bearing electromechanical association wants to remind attendees and exhibitors to carve out time to attend the industry research presentation, EASA’s 90th Birthday Bash, and the entertaining Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta. (A summary of the conference side of the convention begins on page 20 of this issue.)

The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center is the official venue of this year’s convention. Located directly off I-95 on the east bank of the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md., this venue is minutes from Washington and will offer EASA members “a world-class meeting experience,” the association says.

As always, the association provides a number of great optional tours, both for industry, business, and sightseeing. These begin on Saturday June 24, with the optional tour Monuments by Moonlight (6:30 p.m.

- 10:30 p.m.). On Tuesday, a second optional tour of Hillwood Estate will run from 9:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

EASA will list the business and plant tours additionally as they assign them. All of these operate around EASA’s 90th Birthday Bash on Sunday afternoon.

History old and recent

The Jefferson Memorial, one of Washington’s most iconic sights, has recently been renovated.

— Destination DC photo

While in Washington, here’s a look at some of your options for leisure, entertainment, and eats. As opposed to other EASA venue sites, this year’s list of attractions is pretty well-known, you could say. One important thing to remember off the bat: The city is divided up into four sections, and addresses in D.C. are delegated accordingly. The United States Capitol acts as the center of these, so if you need to go to an address listed as “NW,” walk northwest from the Capitol Building.

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The National Mall and everything on its immediate perimeter is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, due to its containing the U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian Institution museums, White House, and a number of other famous presidential, governmental, and war tributes.

We’re certainly not here to discourage any of that!

For a look into our nation’s history, the Mall is certainly the place to begin. It’s worth remembering, however, that the Mall area has many dimensions of U.S. history. You could start at classic Smithsonian museums such as the Museum of Natural History or American History, or you could try out newer edifices like the African-American History Museum or the Museum of the American Indian.

Sadly for this trade publication (although perhaps not for others — insert wink emoji here), the “Newseum,” a fascinating tribute to the history of U.S. media, reporting, and news that was located just across Pennsylvania Avenue, has shut down due to funding problems. Luckily, there’s no shortage of options to fill the space; we’d especially recommend venturing into the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial south of the Mall, or to the newly renovated Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

The full bloom of Cherry Blossom season will have ebbed by Late June, but the early summer scenery of

An audience takes in a play at Ford’s Theater, a national historic site in D.C.

— Fords.org photo

these areas ought to make up for it and provide a flattering backdrop for Washington’s most famous outdoor areas.

Beyond the National Mall That gives you a rough coverage of the Mall, which is a good central base if you’re planning a day in the city. Moving outward from that area, there are a number of intriguing and different options.

Please turn to next page

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Oxon Cove Park & Farm, a former 19th century plantation that contains exhibits and tours.

Closer to the convention hotel

Farmers Fishers Bakers, a riverside dining spot in Foggy Bottom, is popular with locals and tourists alike.

— Farmers Fishers Bakers photo VISITING WASHINGTON continued from previous page

Ford’s Theater, the site of President Lincoln’s assassination and still a performing arts venue, is located at 10th St. NW, just east of the White House. Walk west from the White House (or north from the Lincoln Memorial, if you’ve reached the west end of the Mall and the Potomac is to your west) and you’ll be in the famous Foggy Bottom neighborhood, which contains George Washington University, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Watergate Hotel.

Around this area, we’d recommend Farmers Fishers Bakers, a restaurant with farm-inspired American fare, plus sushi and cocktails served in sleek, eco-chic digs with river views. Other restaurants worth checking out include The Dabney (122 Blagden Alley NW), the Tabard Inn (1739 N St. NW) in Dupont Circle, and Ambar Capitol Hill (523 8th St. SE).

In between the downtown area and the convention center, there’s Betty Blume Park for the kids (89 Balmoral Dr. E, Oxon Hill, Md.) and

Lastly, it wouldn’t be fair to omit a section for National Harbor, for those who’d prefer to stay near the convention center and out of the ruckus of downtown.

As you may have seen on the venue’s website, National Harbor invites you to “make it an out-ofthe-ordinary date night or an unforgettable girls’ night out,” with options including one of the largest casinos outside of Las Vegas, Musepaint bar, Bobby McKey’s Dueling Piano Bar, and dinner at one of the town’s 40 restaurants.

The possibilities continue into the air and water; there’s excitement of every sort at National Harbor’s “waterfront wonderland,” they say, where families can explore the outdoors with waterside trails and tours or take to the skies and soar over the Potomac River in the famous Capital Wheel to witness a oneof-a-kind sunset that rises 180 feet above the river to provide unique waterfront views of DC, Maryland, and Virginia seated in comfortable, climate-controlled gondolas.

You’ll be able to get a bird’s eye view of National Harbor, the Washington Monument, Masonic Temple of Alexandria, and more. The Capital Wheel hours are 4:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday. General admission is $17 plus tax, with tickets available for kids for $13.59 plus tax.

Check out the EASA website for the details (https:// easa.com/convention), and register by May 8 for the most cost-effective registration price. We’ll see you this summer in National Harbor!

EA

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Feature | 2023 EASA Convention Exhibitors

The latest in electrical apparatus service and repair The newest and best the industry has to offer will be on display at the 2023 convention of the Electrical Apparatus Service Association By the Electrical Apparatus staff A couple of thousand people involved in providing electromechanical service sales to the industrial sector will descend on National Harbor, Md., June 24-27, for networking, education, and fun. This year’s convention of the Electrical Apparatus Service Association appears set to bring together an industry that’s adjusting to change and proving resilient under economic conditions that are sometimes challenging.

The convention will be held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, about a 20-minute drive south of Washington, D.C., in an area with plenty of interesting restaurants and retail shops.

In last month’s Electrical Apparatus, we previewed the conference side of the convention, which this year will offer sessions on marketing, management, technical matters, and family business. There will also be numerous social and networking events. Our May issue also looked at this year’s venue, which, given the venue’s proximity to the nation’s capital, will offer no shortage of interesting side trips to local attractions.

This month, as Electrical Apparatus does each June, we look at a number of companies that have reserved space in the exposition hall and see what they’re planning to feature. The exhibitors you see on the following pages constitute a snapshot of the industry. These exhibitors will be promoting

the products and services that matter most to members of the association and the industry the association represents, from new motors and custom laminations to testing and maintaining systems in the field.

Electrical Apparatus invited all of this year’s exhibitors to let us know what they’re going to be featuring at their booths, but we didn’t hear back from all of them.

What you see here is a sampling of what’s going to be displayed at the expo, and while this preview might prove most valuable to people planning to attend the event, it should also be of interest to anyone who wonders where the industry’s priorities lie these days.

Several of the staff members of Electrical Apparatus magazine will be at the convention too, at Booth 522, and we invite one and all to come by and introduce themselves.

We’re always interested in learning what our readers are up to, and who knows? We just might make you famous. — The Editors

Many of the people and exhibitors present at last year’s EASA Convention in St. Louis — a view of which is shown above — will be coming to this year’s convention in National Harbor, Md. — Electrical Apparatus photo by Kevin Jones 28 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JUNE 2023

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At NTN Bearing’s booth at the 2022 EASA Convention (left to right): John Marshall, territory manager, Rick Rembis, new business development manager, and Scott Eiss, vice president of industrial aftermarket sales.

An example of Isovolta slot liners for motors.

Bearings for demanding motor applications

Insulating laminates and resins

NTN Bearing Corp. of America will be highlighting its Megaohm series of bearings, which are engineered to handle the demands of electric motor applications. Staff will be on hand to educate visitors about the company’s EM bearing features and benefits as well as best bearing practices. The company will also hold a raffle.

Isovolta, Inc., plans to feature its laminate products, such as Nomex-Kapton-Nomex, NMN, and DMDs. The company will partner with AEV, Inc., now part of the Isovolta Group, and will feature AEV’s full line of resins and liquids. Isovolta tells us its staff is looking forward to building relationships with EASA Please turn to next page members.

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Feature | 2023 EASA Convention Exhibitors continued from previous page Monitoring for power and utility companies

New investments and more motor inventory

Cutsforth, Inc., plans to feature its “vast and growing array” of monitoring solutions for the power and utility industries.

These include EMI monitoring, motor current signature analysis, vibration monitoring, thermal imaging, and more, all of which may be monitored through one platform, InsightCM. The staff at Cutsforth is excited to introduce the company’s new Steve Furedy electric signature analysis solution to complement its motor current signature analysis system. Also, there will be a drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card. Says the Cutsforth staff, “We look forward to seeing you there!”

Look for company representatives Steve Steve McAlonan Furedy and Steve McAlonan at the show.

The folks at WEG Electric Corp. are inviting EASA partners to learn more about the company’s ability to supply a motor, gearbox, and drive as a single solution. “No need to work with various suppliers,” the company promises.

During the convention, WEG representatives will be available to talk with visitors about the investments WEG is making to expand production capacity and increase its inventory of MV motors TEFC and WPII, as well as MV soft starts with NEMA 12 WEG Electric Corp. will highlight its and NEMA 3R enclobroad capabilities in the manufacture sures. of motors, gearboxes, and drives.

WEG representatives will be prepared to show EASA partners upgrades to the company’s Motion Fleet Management (WEG Digital Solutions) for online monitoring of industrial assets “and how together we can help our mutual customers increase their efficiency and reliability.”

“And of course,” WEG adds, “we would love for our partners to join us in our booth and have a beer from our famous ‘WEG keg’ and join us Monday night for our even more famous WEG hospitality event.”

High-quality a-c/d-c form-wound coils Stimple & Ward Co./S&W Wire Co. tells us that they’re excited to be returning to the EASA 2023 convention after a three-year absence. The companies will bring their usual display of highquality a-c/d-c form-wound coil examples along with accompanying literature. S&W Wire will display examples of its magnet wire serving and distribution capabilities. Representatives from both companies will be present for the entire show.

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Laser cladding by Alabama laser.

Members of the Erbessd Instruments U.S. team (left to right): Chris Keniston, Allyssa Daniels, Aurora Mangiacasale, Theresa Girard, Megh Howard, Miranda Olsen, and Dr. M. David Howard.

Condition monitoring instruments The folks at Erbessd Instruments tell us they’re excited to showcase their full suite of condition monitors designed to reduce downtime and increase return on investment. Erbessd Instruments experts will be available to demonstrate the company’s portable vibration and balancing solutions, video deflection technology, and the Phantom family of sensors. Visitors are invited to stop by for hands-on demos, giveaways, and answers to questions about the company’s products and services.

The company will also be introducing its energy consumption monitoring module for electric motors as well as its IR camera for monitoring MCC buckets. Erbessd plans to give one DragonVision video deflection license — a $4,000 value — to one lucky person who stops by and registers for more information.

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Electric motor repair and laser cladding Alabama Laser will be featuring its laser cladding, a process used to deposit a layer of material to a surface to repair shafts and keyways on electric motors. In comparison to heat-inducing technologies (conventional plasma weld overlay, MIG, TIG, or sub arc welding), laser cladding employs low heat, which is said not to affect the concentricity or cause warpage of the shaft. After being clad, the repaired area may be post-machined back to print specification.

Unlike metalizing processes that produce a mechanical bond that can flake off, the durable clad produced with lasers is a metallurgical bond that won’t flake off during assembly or in process, according to Alabama Laser. Laser cladding also allows alloys to be added to strategic areas on the shaft to eliminate problems.

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Feature | 2023 EASA Convention Exhibitors continued from previous page Strand brazing in motor production

A class conducted by the Vibration Institute.

New vibration training courses The Vibration Institute’s past president, Bob Sayer, will be presenting a half-day workshop on Saturday, June 24, titled “Vibration Diagnostic Methods and Corrective Strategies for Machine Reliability.” The company — which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year — will also have an exhibitor booth.

The Institute offers programs such as education, training, certification, and opportunities for exchanging technical knowledge, information, procedures, and data that are offered through meetings, publications, formal training, and networking.

The company launched its CAT II training course “Basic Machinery Vibration” online at the end of 2022 and added a “Vibration Analysis Overview” course for those who would like to expand their knowledge in vibration without the complexity of a full course or certification. The Vibration Institute also has a number of promotions going on with training courses and membership all year in celebration of the 50th anniversary.

The company eldec LLC wants to remind us that brazing flat copper wires for electric motors is complicated and that making a high-quality joint without damaging any insulation that has already been fitted “can be challenging.”

Using a medium-frequency power supply from the company fitted with a boom arm for support and balance and a brazing pistol to hold the workpiece-specific induction coil, flat wires can be brazed repeatedly and precisely without operator fatigue or damage to adjacent insulation, according to the company. eldec strand brazing.

High speeds used in induction brazing reduce the amount of heat that would normally be transferred to the insulated area, and the boom arm reduces the amount of weight the operator holds. The reproducible process delivers consistent and high-quality brazed joints, according to the company.

The company’s support doesn’t end with recommending the power supply. It also designs and custom-manufactures all of its induction heating coils for each application and will work with customers to optimize their production processes.

Visit us at Booth 747 • EASA 2023 Expo

High Voltage, Inc. offers a full line of AC Dielectric Test Sets up to 300 kV in voltage and 40 kVA in power.

HVI produces many higher kVA AC Test Sets for performing AC withstand testing on all types of electrical apparatus. These include corona free sets for performing partial discharge testing on switchgear, bushings, breakers, motors, linemans safety HPA-10010FC3 equipment/accessories, distribution transformers, etc. 100kV @ 10kVA (Pd equipment not availabe from HVI.) Various control packages are available: simple manual controls, Contact our sales automated and computer interfaceable department for more information. controls, and fully microprocessor based controls for complete test automation and data collection.

transformers, etc.

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New app tracks jobs online and off

Part of the Spring Point team in the company’s booth at the 2022 EASA Convention in St. Louis, where Spring Point launched the Pricing Analyzer. Present were (from left to right): Sara Bouldin (training and support specialist), Mike Gomez (quality manager), Jamie Stultz (co-founder and CIO), Yue Chen (software engineer), John Dolson (software developer), Roy Richard (The Generalist), and Troy Locke (co-founder and CEO).

New ownership, the same reliability WorldWide Electric Corp. informs us that “customer centricity and strong growth over recent years” attracted AEA Investors, a private equity firm, to purchase WorldWide in late 2022.

The new owners “will continue to invest to drive future growth,” according to WorldWide. The coming months will see WorldWide Electric expanding its workforce to ensure a high level of customer service. The company also plans to expand its portfolio of products to meet market demand and invest in operations

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On Sunday at 2:10 p.m. in the New Solutions Theater, Spring Point Solutions will be presenting its new Spring Point App for IOS and Android. This product is designed to give technicians the ability to access their jobs, view and take pictures, review technical documents, and perform tasks using Spring Point’s QM Wizard application. The company’s Mobile Time Clock app also allows technicians to interact with QM Wizard while tracking time for job costing.

“Our team loves catching up with our more than EASA customer base while demonstrating our products to anyone interested in improving their work flow processing and profitability,” Spring Point declares. “We will be demonstrating our suite of products, which include MotorBase, QM (quality management) Wizard, CRM, EM (equipment manager) and Storage, Customer Web Portal, and Spring Point Connect.” The latter includes Credit Card Connect, AP Connect, Storefront Connect, Sensor Connect, and Supplier Connect. to ensure a reliable distribution network that provides equipment quickly to its customers.

The company expects business as usual at the EASA Convention but will be showcasing multiple new products, including a remote operating module. Visitors to WorldWide’s booth will be able to learn how to control their field equipment from their phones. A line of new parallel-shaft helical speed reducers, stainless-steel close-coupled pump motors, general-purpose world drive variable frequency drives (WDG2 series), and positive displacement pump cabinets and panels will be featured.

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ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JUNE 2023 33

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Feature | 2023 EASA Convention Exhibitors continued from previous page New resistance temperature detectors The Gund Co. (right) will be introducing new copper and nickel resistance temperature detectors at this year’s convention. The company also plans to feature its G-Flex meta aramid paper YT510. The RTDs are used to measure temperature continuously within the stator slot to detect hot spots and monitor other signs of machine health to prevent downtime. The RTDs are commonly installed in hydro and wind generators and large electric motors.

The company says its G-Flex Meta Aramid paper YT510 offers high inherent dielectric strength (more than 20 kV/mm), mechanical toughness, flexibility, and resilience. Manufactured from 100% aramid fibers, G-Flex is recognized by Underwriters Laboratories as a 210°C insulation, has full UL approval, and carries a VTM-0 flame rating.

On hand will be industry professionals discussing products and applications, showing and distributing various product samples, and discussing market trends. The Gund Co. will hold a raffle each day of the show.

Victoria Villa, Gund Company application engineer for rotational equipment, explained the company’s products to a visitor at a previous trade show.

New models of winding analyzers

Motor maintenance and repair products

Electrom Instruments will be introducing additional iTIG IV series winding analyzers. New and on display will be the 6 kV through 15 kV models, which feature a smaller form factor than previous generations of the product. The instrument is extensively vibration- and drop-tested to improve suitability for field testing applications, according to Electrom.

Martindale Electric Co., in Booth 302, plans to showcase its motor maintenance and repair products, which include commutator mica undercutters, commutator grinders, hand tools, rotary burs, and electrical test equipment. The company also offers Diamond D abrasives: commstones, brush seaters, rubber bond cleaning stones, and diamond spatulas.

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Custom control panel assembly at North American Electric.

A selection of Myung Youn Electronics’ digital phase shifters.

Best defense for VFD control panel heat

Digital phase converters and more

North American Electric, Inc., will highlight its electric motors, shaftmount reducers, and electric motor control panels such as variable-frequency drives, soft starters, across-the-line starters, and part-wind starters.

The company recently unveiled a newly redesigned Vortex Cooling tunnel, which on the company’s NEMA 3R, 12, 4, and 4X variable-frequency drives can draw ambient air up the back of the enclosure in a separate chamber. According to the manufacturer, this allows for the drive and all the components to stay separated from the heat and other containments, thus remaining cooler and dust free.

In keeping with the Vortex Cooling tunnel introduction, North American Electric will have a drawing for a Dyson air purifier and fan. “With this technology working for you,” North American Electric proclaims, “it is the best defense for minimizing maintenance, downtime, and energy costs.”

Myung Youn Electronics Co. Ltd. tells us it’s “making a new start with a second leap forward.” Since its establishment in 1973, the company has designed and manufactured products focusing on the needs and satisfaction of customers. As a manufacturer specializing in phase converters, torque motors, and inverter motors, the company has grown into an export company expanding not only in Korea but also around the world.

Based on the digital phase converter that can be made three-phase from single-phases based on high efficiency, the company produces and distributes products such as torque motors based on unique technology that meet customers’ specifications.

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Testing Solutions for All Things Electrical MTC2 R7: Speed and precision redefined ◦ Motors ◦ Generators ◦ Solenoids ◦ Armatures

MDSUSA.NET

EASA Booth #1140

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Feature | 2023 EASA Convention Exhibitors continued from previous page Motor bearings and condition monitoring Schaeffler Group USA plans to present live demonstrations of OPTIME, the company’s new condition monitoring system that’s designed to prevent unplanned machine downtime.

OPTIME monitors all plant assets across entire manufacturing facilities – “seamlessly, automatically, and costeffectively,” according to Schaeffler Group. OPTIME provides 15,000 measurements (based on six different vibration measurements plus temperature at preset intervals) per sensor per Angular-contact ball bearings from year.

Schaeffler.

The company plans to exhibit a number of other products as well: X-life single-row angular contact ball bearings offer up to 30% higher dynamic load rating, as much as 50% longer rating life, and up to 10% less friction vs. conventional bearings, according to Schaeffler.

The Heater-Smart and Heater-Gasic series of induction heaters offer installation professionals from the electric motor repair industry a broad range of applications well suited for specific requirements.

Danielle Wethington, vice president of sales at Hansford Sensors, plans to be available to answer questions at the company’s booth.

Vibration monitoring equipment Hansford Sensors, the manufacturer of high-performance industrial accelerometers, will be showcasing its vibration monitoring products at EASA 2023. These products include 100 mV/g accelerometers and 4-20 mA transmitters, which can be used in a wide range of industries, including marine, paper, wind, and mining, playing a key role in the role of predictive maintenance.

The company will display its vibration monitoring equipment featuring industrial accelerometers and mounting hardware.

The Hansford Sensors team will be available to explain to visitors how the company’s products can help with industrial applications. Representatives will be available to explain how the company delivers a combination of “product quality and reliability, prompt delivery, competitive prices, and outstanding customer and technical support.”

Expanding their sales of VFDs in America TOOLS FOR ELECTRIC MOTOR MAINTENANCE ABRASIVES & COMMUTATOR GRINDERS: • Commstones • Brush Seaters • Rubrite Flexible Abrasives • Contact Cleaning Flex Files • Diamond Spatulas CUTTING & HAND TOOLS: • Mica Undercutting Saws & Rotary Burs in H.S.S. & Solid Carbide • Commutator Undercutters • Hand Tools OTHER PRODUCTS & SO MUCH MORE: • Test Equipment • Electric Etchers • Blowers • Demagnetizers • & So Much More

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Shenzhen INVT Electric Co. Ltd. is planning to showcase its high-performance, low-voltage variable-frequency drives, GD20-UL/GD20-EU/GD350-UL series.

All are designed for the North American market, including HVAC/R, textiles, plastics, food and packaging, printing, chemical, and machine tools. The company also produces its dedicated drive BPD/GD100PV/SPC series for solar pumping applications. These drives support a-c/d-c input and advanced MPPT technology, and they provide “excellent control performance,” according to the manufacturer.

The company is planning to set up an office and warehouse in California to enhance localized operation and offer better service. The company’s sales growth rate outside of China has been reaching around 44% per year. As the company scales up production, it’s building a large production base in Zhongshan City, Guangdong.

INVT claims to be the leading manufacturer in the industrial automation field in China, offering a product line that covers LV and MV drives, servos, HMIs, and PLCs.

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4-1/2 W. x 4-7/8 H. (1/3 Page)

Electrical Apparatus -

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New critical cooling motor and starter

BAE Wire’s location in Iowa is now up and running.

Going strong in Iowa and Florida BAE Wire comes to the EASA Convention having recently gotten its new location in Iowa up and running “at full speed.” The operation manager there is “hungry for new business and ready to process orders same day,” BAE Wire informs us. In Florida, the company is now doing in-house varnish and resin testing in its new lab. BAE continues to grow by offering “great customer service and the best available products on the market.”

Toshiba International Corp. will introduce its newest product: the EQP Global Critical Cooling motor, which has the quality and reliability required by data centers, hospitals, and other critical cooling operations, according to the company.

These motors are designed to operate in applications, such as fan arrays, where the motors are hard to access.

They require minimal Toshiba’s new EQP Global Critical maintenance for the Cooling motor. lifetime of the machine.

Toshiba will also showcase its outdoor medium-voltage drive, the MTX-2, which has a small footprint, stackable design, and low profile. The NEMA 4 enclosure is watertight and protects the equipment from dust and dirt, according to the manufacturer.

In the New Solutions Theater on Monday, June 26, at 1:10 p.m., a Toshiba representative will give a presentation on the company’s latest product development, the arc-resistant JK Starter, a medium-voltage starter created with safety in mind.

Turn to page 52 for more EASA Convention exhibitor highlights

Products Designed to Deliver Excellence in Any Environment

Holder Solutions

Carbon Brushes

Grounding Kits

www.morganelectricalmaterials.com 800-999-6322 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JUNE 2023 37

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Feature | 2023 EASA Convention Exhibitors continued from page 37

Motor Diagnostic Systems’ redesigned MTC2.

Diagnostic testing instruments Motor Diagnostic Systems will showcase its testing and instrumentation products for electric motors, solenoids, armatures, and coils. New at EASA this year, the company will have a redesign of its MTC2 and plans to present the MTC2 R7 for 2023. “The MTC2 R7 has redefined speed and unmatched performance,” Motor Diagnostic Systems declares. “Come check it out in our booth, #1140!”

Motor Diagnostic Systems is the exclusive North American representative and service center for Schleich GmbH. The company says its instruments measure more data points, providing better information. “By better,” they say, “we mean more reliable and accurate to help you troubleshoot, design, and compare your motors to decrease downtime, save money, and get back to running your business.”

Returning this year to staff the Diversitech booth will be (from left to right) Joey Laminack, Neal Reeves, and Carmen Garcia.

Motors and motor accessories Diversitech plans to showcase motors (48-frame all the way to C-frame), capacitors, contactors, belts, pulleys, motor brackets, EC motors, blower wheels, draft inducers, disconnects, whips, indoor air quality, “and much more!” Highlighted will be motors and all the accessories one needs to support customers purchasing motors, such as capacitors, contactors, brackets, belts, and pulleys. The company is introducing free shipping on orders of $1,000 or more, and there will be various giveaways at the booth.

Don (left) and Jason Lammers will be bringing their product display to the 2023 EASA Convention.

New edition of industry price guide Our friends at Vaughen’s Price Publishing Co., Inc., are looking forward to seeing everyone in Washington. The company’s 2023 Price Guide Book, along with its website Vaughens.com, will be on display at the booth, and visitors are invited to stop by to see the new Digital Price Guide the company will be releasing soon.

Don Lammers, owner and publisher, and Jason Lammers, Vaughen’s project manager, will be available to take orders and answer questions about any of Vaughen’s products. Vaughen’s has been dedicated to the electric motor and pump repair industry for more than 90 years and looks forward to many more.

“We hope to see you in Washington,” Vaughen’s says, “and remember to use Vaughen’s to ‘Put More Profit in Your Price!’”

Megger’s ADX, the automated diagnostic static motor tester.

Analyzers for online and offline testing Megger Baker Instruments will be highlighting its innovative analyzers for motor testing. The company’s comprehensive instruments compile information via online and offline testing.

The online test equipment searches for power, torque, overcurrent, load, efficiency, and other problems within a running motor. The offline equipment tests for faults within the windings, coils, or leads. These testers simulate the spikes associated with startup - finding problems that are above operating voltage - allowing time to repair or replace equipment on the user’s schedule rather than that of the machinery, according to the company.

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Laser cutting and design service Superior Services LLC will be displaying its laser cutting and design service at this year’s EASA Convention. Representatives of the company will be on hand to explain how the company utilizes its state-of-the-art equipment, and a variety of sample laminations will be on display.

Superior Services’ principal products and services include laser-cut electric motor and generator laminations and cores.

The company stocks a wide range of electrical steel, mild steel, and aluminum. Principal products include stators, rotors, armatures, pole pieces, and transformer laminations.

The company employs a staff with over 25 years of combined experience in laser technology, lamination production, and design. Utilizing advanced equipment and technology, the company’s experienced staff guarantees the highest quality possible, rapid turn-around time, and competitive pricing.

A Jenkins Electric core loss tester.

New addition to a core loss tester line

Mike and Gerry of Lafert are hard at work assembling the company’s products.

Jenkins Electric plans to feature a variety of new equipment and distribution items this year. The new Jenkins Gen3 Series core loss tester will be in the booth and available for demo. With integration into the Jenkins Gen3 Series motor test system, the new core loss tester is the latest addition to the Gen3 family.

Additionally, the company will feature new items from its online store, including Axalta resin, Seymour paints, cleaners and lubricants, standoff insulators, and more.

The company continues to expand its offerings to the motor repair industry by providing servo repair, winding as a service, transformer winding, and new distributed items to aid shops in their repairs. Jenkins Electric offers same-day shipping and no minimums.

IE5 and permanent-magnet motors

New staff members and new mica paper

The team at Lafert N.A. tells us they’re enthusiastic about participating in “another exciting EASA event.” The staff is looking forward to engaging with customers and industry peers as well as meeting new people. This year the company is inviting visitors to try their luck at a trivia game for the chance to “climb to the top of the leaderboard.” Prizes will be awarded to the top scorers each day of the expo.

The need for a “cleaner and more sustainable future” is the driving force behind the increased demand for Lafert permanent-magnet motors, according to the company. Sales director Doug Backman will be presenting HPI 2.0 at the New Product Theater on Monday, June 26, at 12:30 p.m. Attendees are invited to join in to learn more about the technology behind IE5 ultra-premium efficient products and how users can take advantage of size and weight reductions of 50% or more “while significantly reducing energy consumption.”

Nippon Rika, Inc., will have a multinational staff at its booth, including team members from North America, Europe, and Japan. Displaying its new booth for the first time, the company will be introducing its new sales representative and account manager for North America, Kevin Kaufhold. Nippon Rika North America also has a new vice president, Konstantin Kandlbauer, and a new general manager and director of operations, Jon Lipaj.

The company will also be introducing its new KMG mica paper made with glass chops. The paper is backed with poly film with mica and glass chops added. The paper shows high impregnability and has considerably shorter impregnation times without impact on insulation performance, according to the company.

This allows the user to optimize the impregnation process and consider resins with increased viscosity.

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Feature | 2023 EASA Convention Exhibitors continued from previous page

The AEGIS shaft grounding ring will be highlighted by Electro Static Technology.

Motor shaft grounding rings High Voltage’s VLF-34E very low-frequency a-c hipot tester is suitable for testing up to 34 kVac at 0.10 Hz.

High-voltage electrical test equipment High Voltage, Inc., will display its high-voltage test equipment for testing motor and generator coils, windings, OEM fabricated parts, terminations, and cables. Both high-voltage a-c and d-c voltage output instruments will be shown, including VLF 0.10 Hz a-c hipots.

The company will also be introducing its Select Your Hipot Help Desk to the Knowledge Center section of its website. Customers are invited to find all the info they need to learn how to test rotating machinery with a-c voltage using VLF 0.10 Hz hipots, parallel resonant systems, or conventional 50/60 Hz test sets.

Representatives will be available to explain the IEEE 433-2022 standard and a-c testing of rotating machinery. Revised from the 1974 original, this standard defines using VLF 0.10 Hz a-c technology for overvoltage a-c withstand, tan delta, and partial discharge testing. Visitors will learn the standard, the tests defined, the equipment needed, and the methods used.

Motors and generators in many sizes TECO-Westinghouse Motor Co. plans to showcase its extensive line of electric motors and generators. The company offers a full line of induction, synchronous, and d-c machines ranging from ¼ hp to 100,000 hp (0.2 to 74, 571 kW).

The company’s products are used to drive pumps, fans, compressors, rolling mills, grinders, crushers, and a variety of other rugged applications in the petroleum, chemical, pulp and paper, mining, marine propulsion, steel, electric utility, and other industries around the world.

TECO also supplies low-voltage motor controls, such as inverters, starters, and contactors. The company has a serviceand-repair team that provides engineering and testing services, renewal parts for Westinghouse and TECO-Westinghouse machines, and large-motor repairs.

Electro Static Technology, an ITW company, plans to showcase its AEGIS shaft grounding ring, which according to the manufacturer is used in millions of motors around the world to protect motor bearings from electrical discharge. The company’s dedication to providing an “effective and lasting solution” that prevents bearing damage, motor failure, and expensive downtime has led Electro Static Technology to be adopted by electric motor users in manufacturing, HVAC/R, transportation, energy, water treatment, electric vehicles, and other commercial and industrial applications.

A mica supplier that’s expanding operations The Asheville Mica team says it’s “truly excited” to be exhibiting at EASA for the first time in almost 10 years. “We’ve been super busy and growing our team in the past 18 months, with three new technical sales engineers joining,” the supplier of mica and ceramic high-temperature electrical insulation parts tells us.

Asheville Mica’s senior expert on all things mica and vice president of key accounts Larry Padrick just celebrated his 40th anniversary with the company. He, along with the company’s inside sales director, Susie Land, is guiding the new sales team.

Asheville Mica is expanding its capability for in-house part production, adding multiple steel-roller dies, a new 125-ton punch press, and a water jet machine to its current workshop.

Experts on testing, consulting, and training Advanced Energy will be represented by its motors and drives team, which offers expert testing, consulting, and training for motor-driven systems from its internationally accredited test lab. The company is a third-party auditor for the EASA Accreditation Program and offers its own Proven Efficiency Verification program. These programs evaluate service centers to ensure they’re employing practices to maintain motor efficiency and reliability during repairs. To learn more, convention attendees are invited to visit Advanced Energy at Booth 431.

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ABB plans to exhibit a number of industrial electric motors of various sizes and horsepower ratings.

‘Efficient, sustainable’ motors and controls ABB will showcase what it calls “efficient, sustainable solutions” at Booth 400. Featured will be products using the latest motor technologies. With increasing usage of controlling motors with variable-frequency drives, Baldor-Reliance’s threephase motors are designed for inverter-duty operation.

Recently ABB has expanded its portfolio of NEMA motors, previously manufactured by Siemens. The new line adds to an existing line of general-purpose, severe-duty, and explosion-proof motors from 1 to 800 hp and extends the company’s NEMA 5013 Frame.

ABB is welcoming Elaine Duraes as the new vice president of marketing and communications for the NEMA motors division.

She brings more than 20 years of experience from the HVAC/R, automotive, and IT industries.

Visitors are invited to learn how industrial electric motors make energy more productive. “ABB motors are smart, with ABB Ability smart sensors that analyze the health of the motor for preventive maintenance to extend the life of the equipment,” the company tells us.

The Rock Hill, S.C., headquarters of ESR Motor Systems, Inc.

Distributor with a comprehensive inventory ESR Motor Systems, Inc., a distributor of new motors and drives serving commercial and industrial customers across the U.S. and around the world, plans to showcase its various products.

The company takes pride in maintaining a comprehensive inventory of top-tier brands, along with the necessary tools to facilitate basic modifications, across all of its warehouses.

Over the past year, ESR Motor Systems has made strides in expanding and developing its operations at each of its six locations. These changes have included the appointment of a third operations manager, the introduction of innovative motor storage solutions, and the acquisition of tools required for basic motor modifications.

ESR Motor Systems’ president, national sales manager, and one of its operations managers will be available at the booth to talk with attendees about “the unparalleled service, innovative solutions, and exceptional support that ESR Motor Systems can provide,” the company tells us. ESR Motor Systems plans a custom JBL speaker giveaway during the convention.

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Your Universal Servo Motor Test Station!

NEW Developments in Technology, Training, and Support!

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Manufacturer Support List Continues to Grow ...

Allen Bradley. B+R. Baumuller. Berger Lahr. Bosch/Rexroth/lndramat. Elau.

Fanuc, Heidenhain, Kawasaki, Matsushita, MFE, Mitsubishi, Nachi, Sanyo Denki, Sick Stegmann, Siemens, Sumtak, Tamagawa, Yaskawa, and many more ..

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Feature | 2023 EASA Convention Exhibitors continued from previous page

Attendees are invited to visit the Akard booth and meet some of the company’s staff.

Commutator and slip ring specialists Akard Commutator of Tennessee will display ACTually Compliant sample commutators and slip rings as well as mini-model assemblies to better explain specific advantages of the company’s “Backed by Science!” slogan. Its message is based on ACT’s expertise working with all types and sizes of these products.

The company has added additional CNC equipment focused on rapidly growing demand for competitively priced, top-quality redesign to split-ring, split-hub slip ring units, which Akard says save customers both time and money.

Akard’s one-of-a-kind new custom Mazak CNC mill, which debuted at last year’s EASA Convention, “is truly proving to be a game changer for expedited machining as well as holding extremely tight tolerances,” the company tells us.

Mike, Donna, Camron, Hudson, Pearce, Kevin, Tim, and Melissa are planning to attend the convention this year. Attendees are invited to “come visit with the experts.” There will be drawings for Bristol NASCAR cup race and ACT swag, and this will be the anniversary of Akard’s “proof pudding.”

EIS will have a variety of demonstrations and product samples.

Insulation, giveaways, and a ‘special guest’ EIS, a long-time sponsor of EASA, will be displaying its full portfolio of products for the motor repair industry. The company’s exhibit, at Booth 601, will showcase EIS, EIS Fabrication Solutions, Midpoint Bearing, and Schoen Insulation Services.

There will be products on display, free fabrication samples, and informational and interactive videos. HeatTek, Champlain Cable, and Better Engineering will be joining EIS in the EIS booth.

EIS will have giveaways as well as raffles and prizes. The company will host a happy hour during the last hour of the show on Sunday and Monday. Visitors are invited to drop by and have their picture taken with a costumed “special guest.”

An Elantas processed stator.

Godfrey & Wing offers VPI builds in numerous sizes.

Epoxy impregnating resin for motors

VPI equipment, accessories, and service

In booth 516, Elantas PDG, Inc., plans to showcase its Epoxylite E 477 Thixo epoxy impregnating resin series for motor repair. The company’s history of innovation has led Elantas to design this material with an increased film build of 4 mil to offer enhanced chemical protection in corrosive environments. Epoxylite E 477 Thixo, according to Elantas, offers lower viscosity and “superb mechanical strength,” significantly contributing to the “safety, reliability, and long life of small or large electric motors.”

Godfrey & Wing, a provider of vacuum impregnation equipment, sealant, and service, is inviting convention attendees to come by Booth 1112 to learn about the company’s VPI technology and state-of-the-art build capability at its Aurora, Ohio, facility. With more than 15 VPI builds currently under construction ranging from 24 to 96 in diameter, the company says it’s “confident we can provide you with your VPI needs.”

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Automatic random winding machines In Booth 1043, Samatic will be featuring one of its latest models of automatic random winding machines that it currently offers repair shops, starting with the popular Model Samatic 2780 and all the way to Model Samatic 5780.

Each Samatic model can handle all of a shop’s a-c and d-c winding needs, accord-

Repair of internal motor components At this year’s EASA Convention, Advanced Rotors plans to showcase its specialty: repairing the internal components of electric motors, which consists of repairing and manufacturing rotors, stators, armatures, wound rotors, pole pieces, shafts, and bar kits. The company has a facility more than 20,000 square feet in area with 70-ton crane capacity and 54inch swing lathe capacity.

Advanced Rotors’ laser team offers on-site stacking at the customer’s facil-

The wind-power industry is one of several segments in which Jasper Electric Motors is expanding as a new generation moves into the company.

Motor servicer celebrating a half century Jasper Electric Motors, Inc., will be celebrating 50 years of gratitude to its customers and vendors for all their support over the decades. The company says it’s looking forward “to the next 50-plus.”

The Jasper team is constantly expanding and improving its knowledge and facilities while challenging themselves for better end products.

Recently the company has been doing more hydro and wind for its customers as well as industry efficiency improvements. Jasper Electric has been doing more in green energy and processes and equipment improvement as a younger, third generation comes into business as planned.

At its booth at this year’s convention, Jasper will be providing small gifts with its 50-year logo and holding drawings for gifts such as a couple of Ross reels in honor of Bob and Norma Ross, who started the company.

ing to the company. “The time saved and the highest-quality winding with our patented tooling are major money savings for the shops,” Samatic says, adding that more than 3,500 shops use Samatic machines “daily and flawlessly.” The company offers five different sizes because service operations nowadays are seeing bigger motors and bigger generators, requiring them to move up their capability in size and torque. ity. Quality control includes a coordinate measuring machine, hysteresis testing, Franklin testing, and core loss testing, as well as calibration of all instrumentation.

Engineering services for redesign are also available.

The company’s staff is “very excited about our recently added 10,000 square feet of stacking department space as well as our one 40-ton crane.”

Also, while the company has always offered custom delivery services, Advanced Rotors is now able to provide custom pick-up and delivery with a hauling capacity of 48,000 lbs.

Reference guide for bearing buyers Last year, Bartlett Bearing Co. debuted its first brochure in nearly a decade.

This year the company will introduce its first Reference Guide, a pocket handbook for industry professionals to use when they need a quick reference. Looking for mounting fits? Check in the Reference Guide, Bartlett Bearing suggests. ABMA Interchanges? They’re in the Reference Guide too. A decimal equivalent chart?

Reference Guide.

The company will have physical copies of the guide available at the show and will share a digital version the week before the show. Product-wise, Bartlett Bearing will be displaying a bearing heater as well as popular products from such manufacturers as NTN, SKF, Timken, and Schaeffler.

The entire Philly-based team will be at the Bartlett booth this year, including Mike Pulley, Sarah Musser, Vic McDevitt Jr., John Conway, Pat Ullman, Mike Schubert, Nick McDevitt, and Stephanie Ford. There will also be a raffle. To take a shot at winning, visitors are invited to leave their business cards with one of the team members and cross their fingers.

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Feature | 2023 EASA Convention Exhibitors continued from previous page

This end-to-end predictive maintenance system from relayr can help reduce downtime and improve return on investment, according to the company.

IoT-enabled predictive maintenance

Just a couple of the many products offered by GE Wolong.

New and expanded motor product lines There are “many exciting things happening with Wolong in North America,” the company tells us. Wolong is introducing new products and expanding ratings for some of its existing lines. The company plans to showcase a new line of stocked general-purpose motors along with the latest super-efficient permanent-magnet and electronically commutated designs up to 10 hp. The company will also be bringing its a-c and d-c displays and conducting some motor training right in the booth.

GE Wolong’s booth layout this year will be open, in a large island space, so it will be easy to see all displays from three sides.

One long wall will showcase the company’s global footprint and business capabilities, while a hanging banner will advertise the Wolong family of brands.

“We at Wolong prioritize customer hospitality,” the company informs us, “so visitors to our booth will enjoy freshly brewed coffee, phone charging ports, bottled water, and snacks as we discuss their business challenges.”

Predictive maintenance specialist relayr has been working to bring new developments to Skyler – the company’s “end-to-end, IoT-enabled predictive maintenance solution.” The company says the product empowers users to energize service businesses by offering new service packages with unique warranties. Its success, according to the manufacturer, is based on three principles: Skyler makes it easy to get up to speed fast; the product is designed and supported by experts; and it’s “the most complete end-to-end solution for rotating equipment.” According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, average return on investment is up to 10 times higher in predictive versus preventive maintenance, while downtime is shown to be reduced by up to 35%. “That’s why we recommend exploring innovative ways of approaching the predictive maintenance topic,” the company says.

Motor brushes, springs, and holders In Booth 929, Morgan Advanced Materials will feature its highly engineered and maximized performance brushes, springs, and holders for all types of motors and generators. The company offers a robust Profiler (MS PRO14) for measuring TIR on slip rings and commutators. Also, grounding holders and brushes for containing currents to protect bearings, and several variations which can easily and economically be obtained.

Morgan offers engineering consultation as well as products designed for difficult applications. The company does complete manufacturing, from raw materials to finished product, with a grade portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite to metals (copper and silver).

According to Megger, the company has been “reducing failures and improving the life of valued motors and generators for industry for over 125 years around the world.”

Helwig Carbon Brushes will offer demonstrations of its shaft voltage detection device.

Innovations in carbon brushes Helwig Carbon Products, Inc., will be showcasing its latest innovations within its carbon brush, brush holder, and shaft grounding product lines. New demos, displays, and product samples will be available for all attendees.

The company has developed a specific shaft grounding kit for main shaft bearings in wind turbines that is now OEM-approved. Helwig also has new universal, single-bolt mounting brackets for its BPK product line.

Product experts will be available at Helwig’s booth to give demonstrations of the BPK-Probe shaft voltage detection device, as well as the company’s MultiFit bracket mounting system, toeto-toe brush holders, and premier carbon brush grades.

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Expanded lines of electrical insulation Three years ago, Pittsburgh Electrical Insulation significantly expanded operations with the acquisition of Fibertek’s Electrical Products division. The company has since continued its expansion by adding a new storage warehouse in Pittsburgh and expanding its warehouse in Brownsville, Tex. PEI is exhibiting at EASA this year in Booth 934.

PEI has also added new equipment to its in-house manufacturing and converting divisions, including two new braiders to increase B-stage surge rope production and a new slitter capable of slitting master logs more than 72 inches in width.

The company plans to have all of its product experts on-site at the EASA Convention to showcase its expanded lines of banding tapes, banding films, edging tapes, armor tapes, b-stage surge rope, felts, NMN/DMD/NKN laminates, and solvent-free DMD laminates and wedges. There will also be a variety of insulating and pre-peg papers, mica tapes, and felts (aramid, polyester, polyimide, and dacron).

A few samples of HT Pumps’ product offerings.

Innovative pump replacement parts Once again, HT Pumps plans to have its innovative and valueengineered replacement parts on display. This will be the company’s eleventh year in business since its first EASA Convention in Nashville back in 2012. Since then, HT Pumps has sold thousands of its parts to EASA service dealers and distributors nationwide. The company has also increased its product offering from its complete line of maintenance-free bearing assemblies. Additional offerings include mechanical seal kits, shafts, cartridge assemblies, rebuild kits, impellers, and most recently, seal plates and motor brackets. At the convention, HT Pumps staff hopes to familiarize new and existing customers with cross referencing from OEM parts to our line of parts. But “Most importantly,” the company says, “thanking our customers for making our business such an overwhelming success.”

Serving as the voice of the industry

For 40 years, ICC has been providing commutators and slip rings for large industrial motors.

Forty years of commutators and slip rings 2023 marks the 40th year ICC International has been manufacturing “compression-seasoned” commutators and slip rings for large industrial applications, including those in the mining, metals, and paper industries. Compression seasoning refers to a process by which copper and mica segments are compressed to their minimum diameter. The segments are mechanically and thermally locked in place so nothing can move in either direction. Individual pieces effectively become a solid piece of metal.

ICC specializes in emergency turnaround and technical consultation. The company is also a distributor of GE motors and parts. Visitors to the company’s booth are invited to ask ICC representatives about compression seasoning and pre-undercutting.

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Last but not least, several members of the staff of Electrical Apparatus magazine will be at the EASA Convention, in Booth 522, to answer questions about advertising, editorial, and subscription matters.

Electrical Apparatus magazine is known as the voice of the electromechanical service and sales industry, reaching more than 18,000 readers per month to deliver the news and in-depth information readers need to run their businesses successfully.

But that’s only a segment of the magazine’s readership. EA also reaches thousands of readers among manufacturers, contractors, electric utilities, engineering and consulting firms, and educators.

At the convention, subscribers will be invited to stop by the booth to confirm that their subscription information is up to date. They’ll also be invited to tell the EA editors what’s new at their companies, because Electrical Apparatus is constantly looking for news to report and interesting companies to write about.

Marketers are invited to come by as well, to learn how Electrical Apparatus magazine can deliver their messages to the readers who are in a position to buy. Electrical Apparatus offers a number of advertising programs, with reduced pricing, value-added benefits, and rate protection for advertisers with frequency contracts.

EA ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JUNE 2023 59

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Feature | The 2023 EASA Convention

Together in National Harbor

The Potomac River, with the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge towards Alexandria, Va., in the background, as seen from the Gaylord Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. —the location of this year’s EASA Convention.

The ninetieth anniversary of the Electrical Apparatus Service Association expressed EASA’s ‘American heart with a worldwide reach’

By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor EASA 2023 is in the books, and it was “one for the books” as well. The historic and premier trade show for the electromechanical industry celebrated its 90th anniversary this year in National Harbor, Md., outside Washington, D.C., to great effect.

This year’s EASA theme was “Together Towards Success” — something embraced by portions of the EASA-sphere but questioned by others, such as keynote speaker Connie Podesta (see page 28.) The idea of working together fit the 90th anniversary of the organization and clashed ironically with being a mere 10 miles from a divided Congress in Washington, D.C. From National Harbor across the Maryland border from the District, EASAns came out in droves and competed for sales as usual — but also certainly helped each other during useful sessions and at the booths.

This year’s expo demonstrated a tangible energy, great attendance, and a willingness to adapt and change to new technologies.

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rollout in the near future, per marketing manager Angela Cooper — showcased its shaft current mitigation techniques and exhibited its lineage of EASA t-shirts. The former was illustrated by a tube containing a basketball (photo), which hovered when propelled upwards by a Techtop VFD. A neighboring monitor visually depicted a reduction in shaft currents, showing a wavelength on its screen akin to an electrocardiogram from an episode of “ER.” Techtop used this setup to compare three different shaft current mitigation methods — all connected by one switch — including the patented AEGIS shaft grounding ring and an internal grounding brush. CoolBlue was also affiliated with this demonstration.

Pragmatic LinkedIn advice “We envisioned this as a workshop,” opened Kelley Fujino of Lubbock Electric Co., during Sunday’s peer-to-peer session, “How to Build Your Company & Personal Brands via LinkedIn.” Fujino, Justin Hatfield, and Jenkins Electric’s Crystal Bristow certainly achieved that vision. This was a novelty at EASA and one that conveyed the social media age.

The session began with show-of-hands requests for a number of Linked-In queries. “On an average quarter, we get 12,000-plus Please turn to page 22

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A two-minute LinkedIn challenge was part of the workshop atmosphere for Sunday’s Peer-to-Peer Session on how to optimize the business networking site.

EASA CONVENTION continued from page 20

impressions via LinkedIn, versus less than 2,000 from all others,” said Hatfield, adding that he believes there is “no competition for B2B sales” compared to LinkedIn. Bristow explained the importance of taking a professional photo (“not Bourbon Street”) and shared her person exemplary LinkedIn job description: She is “Guardian of the Brand” for Jenkins. She encouraged people to think outside the box when it comes to their job description, and use the guidelines of what they believe their value and vision is to the company.

“Deliver your value,” Bristow said. “If you’ve completed a website build, put it on there. You can dictate how visible you are on LinkedIn.” She added that the education section is great for networking.

After these introductions, we had the true “workshop” come into bloom in the form of a two-minute challenge, sharing QR codes with as many people as possible in the room.

Crystal had some other zingers that made this session uniquely enjoyable. For example, she advised the group on proper usage of LinkedIn’s messaging feature. Avoid sending the immediate “I see you viewed my profile” message; since this is considered “creeper level”

by most people. This was met with relatable laughs from women and men alike, to which Crystal responded, “I’m just gonna give it to you straight!”

Insights for presentation of a good LinkedIn page were also provided. While it’s obvious that the company page should include a logo, Kelly Fujino added that prominent products are also a useful image. “I always love showing the coils in these,” Fujino said, adding that canva.com is a useful website for cropping these images.

To optimize searches and reach a broader audience, you can add up to 20 specialties to your LinkedIn page. The three C’s: “Content, connection, consistency” can help grow your page, Justin Hatfield said. All presenters agreed that it’s useful to re-post EASA’s posts on LinkedIn, with Hatfield offering a funny EASA-specific anecdote.

“We’re not all Matt Fletcher, who went viral from chugging champagne in his post last year,” he said.

Fletcher, present during the session, laughed along with everyone else. This segued into “showing a little behind-the-curtain action” from your company — as long as it’s appropriate; don’t be afraid to illustrate the fun and interesting parts of your job.

“Imagine being an accountant, sharing pictures of documents,” Hatfield quipped.

Questions to round out the session included whether or not LinkedIn’s premium membership feature is worthwhile. All three presenters said they don’t use the premium feature, and deemed it not necessary for success on LinkedIn. One audience member asked if anyone else uses ChatGPT to generate content. The overall response from the gallery and presenters alike was that this was not advisable.

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A ‘special energy’ at the event Attendees from across the industry were well-represented, and they ignited EASA 2023. Benefitting from a perfect floor layout, outdoor access, and handy escalators to upstairs session rooms, show-goers brought a special energy to the association’s 90th birthday.

This was not one of those conventions where empty aisles drained the crowd’s energy by the second day. Family members, industry peers, EASA staff, old friends, and first-timers all coalesced for the anniversary (some of them basking in the air conditioning against 90-degree swamp conditions outside.)

The staff of Electrical Apparatus had the pleasure of seeing the fabric of the industry, from Todd Byrd of Holland Industrial (Henderson, N.C.) to Bill Overton of EMR (Richmond, Va.). There were longtime members (Gerry Siemon of London, Ontario’s Ampro Electric and his son Brad) and new arrivals (Josh Mitchell of Owensboro Electric, Owensboro, Ky.); Charles Helm of Racine, Wisconsin’s MSI (Motor Specialty, Inc.) and Vinay Pattni of Relayr. Now more than ever, EASA spans all demographics. It felt revitalized and ageless and continued to display an American heart with a worldwide reach.

Busy aisles around the Electric Materials booth.

Business succession tales In the peer-to-peer session “Next Generation EASA Members: Challenges in Business Transition,” the “Together Towards Success” theme was embraced. As a tagline of the session noted, “It ain’t easy being next in line in any family business, including EASA service centers.”

Moderated by Thomas Deans, Ph.D,. president of Detente Financial and

author of Every Family’s Business, a book selected by the New York Times blog, this session featured Tim Geoppinger of Matlock Electric, Brian Smither of the Brehob Corp., and Jonathan Robinson of Burford Electric Service as the three panelists. All three are Please turn to next page

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Forget those fancy craft brews. WEG’s booth ran it back with what we’ll call “Stator Light” again this year.

Techtop’s booth featured a rotating history of its classic tees as well as a demonstration of shaft current mitigation featuring a hovering basketball.

EASA CONVENTION continued from previous page

third-generation owners of their respective companies with fascinating, relatable, and useful histories.

“I started when I was 13,” said Goeppinger, who was schooled by his dad and grandfather. While he said this dynamic is “always a good thing” in terms of learning the skills of the trade, he admitted to some difficulties in succession planning, mentioning that his grandfather was focused on the big picture of business profitability and service, and therefore his planning wasn’t always the greatest.

“He was gonna work till the day he dropped dead in his office, and he thought that was a good plan,” Goeppinger elaborated, in a statement that is familiar to many EASA members and family businesspeople in general. Striking a balance between the unquantifiable guidance and admiration derived from a company’s founder and bringing up succession plans can be extremely difficult, as you often respect that family member so much.

Other panelists and participants echoed this difficulty. One mentioned that he was gifted money and bought shares with it over five years. Another was gifted 25% of company shares, and used a third party for valuation, but even so, he conceded, “we didn’t handle the communication piece well.” After the founder had a medical event, other siblings, who had not been involved in the business, felt entitled. This brought up the common issue of “adult children” wanting a piece of the action when the original owner hasn’t specified how to proceed.

“Family business is double dysfunction. If you’re in here, you get that,” Robinson said, to which Deans replied, “Even if you watch Netflix, you

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get that,” referencing the hit HBO show “Succession.” Deans asked the room at large, did anyone have a theory for why there isn’t more communication?

The common answer was an unspoken pride — an unwillingness to relinquish control of businesses they’d worked so hard to build.

Dividing the leadership role in half, Deans responded, equals uncertainty.

“Business loathes 50/50 control,” he said. Regarding succession and transition in general, Deans summarized the big picture. “All around the world, business owners struggle with this issue,” said the moderator, who has spoken in 27 countries. “I just wish we’d had more family meetings early on,” Robinson added.

Goeppinger went on to add that his experience attending college at the University of Cincinnati helped a bit for his own perspective and input, an observation which Brian Smither echoed.

One of the next questions raised was about performance reviews for family members. One option is to have a third-party manager do these. One association member mentioned he has a family member on staff with whom he makes a conscious effort to reiterate the job description. When asked if that family member is in line to own the business one day, he emphatically (and hilariously) replied: “Oh, absolutely not.” Laughter filled the room at this other relatable dynamic.

An additional popular opinion was revealed when Deans encouraged the room to use financial advisors rather than lawyers as their third party to aid in business transition and drawing up a will. “Lawyers are mopping up,” he said, implying that they usually don’t have a personal touch or a genuine care for the family.

Did these third-generation owners feel underpaid or overpaid? The consensus was, it’s complicated. It’s not unusual for some family members to feel under-compensated at some point, even if that may be tempered by feeling fortunate for inheriting shares or being gifted money. Offering some perspective, Smither said he’d concluded that “Ultimately, if I did what I needed to, it’ll all work out at the end.”

— Electrical Apparatus photos by Charlie Barks

Essex Brownell’s booth featured a golf challenge and Plinko.

Attractions at the expo Once you got to the booths themselves, there was plenty to watch and talk about. It’s no small wonder why WEG Electric Corp.’s booth was situated near the doors . . . they had the beer.

Not far away, ICC paid a touching tribute to former CEO Laura Lyke, who died unexpectedly last year, by serving her

signature cocktail: The Bishop. Titled after Laura’s maiden name, it’s a white wine spritzer, in case you’re looking for the recipe.

Essex Brownell had putt-putt golf and Plinko. Von Roll’s squeezable toy cows and Advanced Rotors’ similarly pliable red-white-and-blue stars appealed to adults in need of destressers Please turn to next page

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as well as their kids. Techtop had tees and tenacity. And there were knowledgeable, friendly technicians and sales experts to help with questions and describe products whenever you needed them.

At the Essex booth, for example, Greg Hagen described a great opportunity for the distribution arm of Superior Essex. “We are well known in this space,” he said. “Service is important for us. [Essex is here to learn] how we service better” as well as “a way to say thank you to customers,” which they did via drawings, giveaways, and single-day branding partnerships with companies like Elantas and Regal . . . not to mention the booth’s wellspring of technical knowledge.

With more than 400 suppliers in its orbit, Essex expanded its ware-

A survey reveals what customers want

A popular and well-attended session at the EASA Convention each year is the report on the annual Industry Research Survey, a project that gathers responses, usually from EASA members, about the state of their businesses and, by extension, of the industry as a whole.

This year, for the fifth time since the surveys were begun in 2003, the questions were posed not to association member companies but to customers — the plant managers who provide much of the demand for the services electromechanical service companies offer. The survey was conducted, and the results presented, by Jerry Peerbolte, professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

The survey is valuable not only as a collection of data but, more importantly, as an examination of trends among the priorities of plant customers.

The data gathered from this year’s survey, Peerbolte told his audience, reveal “valuable trending data about how customers make decisions about repair and replacement of electric motors.” Armed with this information, service companies can get a sense of which services, tools, and equipment they should invest in.

This year’s survey, which received 165 responses, revealed that “energy efficiency, sustainability, and circularity” are leading concerns among customers. These themes hadn’t shown up to a significant degree in previous surveys, Peerbolte said.

Peerbolte walked the audience through the steps that plant customers take when they decide whether to repair or replace a motor. He pointed out that the class of “non-believers” — those who don’t think a repaired motor is as good as a new one — is getting smaller by the year.

He also looked at the threshold below which a failed motor is “automatically” replaced: “Do you have a repair cost percentage above which you will choose to buy a new motor?” the survey asked.

“Only one in four respondents have a policy of automatically replacing failed electric motors that fall below a specific rating,” the survey found. “Those with a policy use 30 hp as their average cut-off point.”

As recently as 2014, fully 49% of respondents had such a policy, indicating that plant managers increasingly are considering the repair-replace question case by case.

For a number of years, electromechanical service providers have been evolving into “trusted advisors”

house network in the last year. The company’s sister division, Essex Furakawa, manufactures magnet wire, converging to “cover the gamut” in the rewind space, Hagen said. In all, Essex’s suppliers account for varnishes, insulation, motors, fabrication, and much more.

Embracing new technology If any session epitomized the EASA community’s willingness to adapt to change, it was Monday’s “Leveraging New Technologies” featuring Iain

to their plant customers. How do you become one? “Quality service work is a key factor” when plant managers choose a service provider, Peerbolte said. This is a matter “you need to be discussing with your team.”

Peerbolte displayed a chart that showed ten maintenance tasks and the degree to which plants outsource them to outside service providers — useful information for service shop owners and managers who are looking to offer services for which there is demand.

The top two services, as ranked by survey respondents, were “motor service and repair” and “drives and controls service and repair.” The bottom two were “route-based condition monitoring” and “root-cause failure analysis.” The rankings of these services change over time, marking the ebb and flow of demand for particular services.

The survey asked respondents to rank their top priorities. The top two were “reducing equipment downtime” and “labor costs.” The top two trending services — those showing the greatest increases over time — were “reducing equipment downtime” and “improving productivity and output.”

Machine diagnostics rely heavily on the collection of data. This is a service that service shops are well-positioned to provide, Peerbolte said. “EASAns have been collecting data for a long time” as well as helping customers to understand that data, he said. “It’s not the data; it’s what you do with the data” that matters most. Among the various service providers plants deal with, “You’re in the best position to help them do something with the data they collect.”

Jerry Peerbolte The final topics Peerbolte discussed were those of energy efficiency, sustainability, and circularity. These are hot-button issues that rank high in importance among survey respondents, he said. The primary factor behind the interest in efficiency is “sky-rocketing energy prices,” Peerbolte said. He also mentioned “greenhouse gases” in passing but didn’t elaborate on this divisive issue.

Concern about the physical world in which we live is on the minds of many, Peerbolte said. “A lot of us are looking at what we do and are asking, ‘Are we doing what’s right for the environment?’”

Peerbolte encouraged audience members to go to the websites of major manufacturers and look up manufacturers’ policies regarding such things as emissions and sustainability. Knowing what customers prioritize can help a service center customize a service plan.

EA — Kevin Jones

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Jenkins of Jenkins Electric, Justin Hatfield of HECO, and Frank Vitucci of RDI Technologies.

Jenkins discussed remote shutdown alerts for burnout ovens. He described using tablets to document real-time core temperature during burnout.

“We’re always interested in sharing what kind of hardware we use, what things work and what things don’t,” he said. This was exemplary of a shift in EASAns to accept IoT-related techniques — in this case, “text messages sent out to a phone, which is kind of the way things happen now.”

In seamless transition, Hatfield stepped in to say that, “We just wanted to show that IoT is being used in your shops. It’s not just condition monitoring.” In furthering an explanation of hot, dusty, and greasy environments, Jenkins said, “with younger generations of technicians, we’re going to need to be able to offer new tech [like IoT].”

Frank Vitucci was up next to describe motion amplification, a technology less than ten years old that is frankly mind blowing. This “technology of the future” turns each pixel of a video into a sensor. “Traditional sensing is like a check engine light, this tech is meant to supplement it,” Vitucci went on, before advising how to deal with skeptical technicians.

“Data may not mean anything to them; it’s just a bunch of squiggly lines,” Vitucci said. If you’re trying to convince someone to shut a machine down, Vitucci explained, this method would face resistance “until you show them the motion amplification.” He proceeded to do so using a number of useful pixelated examples. These ranged from the domestic (his own snowblower) to the industrial (an electromechanical system at a plant).

“We were more than pleased with the show. It brought in a lot of people from the industry, and we mined more leads than anticipated,” said Brett Eyring of Godfrey & Wing. “EASA 2023 was a great way for us to display our VPI equipment technology.”

Tim Juday, of Godfrey acquisition Imprex, echoed this outlook. This was “Imprex’s first show in quite a while,”

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Attendees hustle past the Bartlett Bearing booth, while others stop to examine.

Juday said, adding that the company was seeking to reconnect with past customers and expand its network in the VPI market. “A great show, very beneficial.”

Nachi America, out of Greenwood, Ind., showcased a diverse line of specialty steel products. These included bearings, gear tools, hydraulic equipment, and more. The company had success making a number of new contacts and locking down additional sales as it continues to expand its client base into new markets. It has come out of the pandemic stronger than ever. Electrical Apparatus is proud to say they were also wonderful booth neighbors.

Everyone understood the pressure of determining the “right time” to talk to potential successors. The age will undoubtedly depend on the parentchild relationship, as it has for generations. If you’re reading Electrical Apparatus (third generation, founded in 1948), you’re proof: If we can do it, so can you.

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More about succession The final topic in the peer-to-peer session about family business was how to handle offers to purchase your family company. (See also, p. 41). How would you handle an unsolicited offer, when, as Deans pointed out, “succession planning is playing ‘what if’?” Robinson credited his wife, who has helped work on a will. “If the plane goes down, she’s with me,” he said.

This drilled home the larger takeaway that trust and loyalty are crucial. Smither, whose daughter is 13, then brought up perhaps the toughest question of all — when do you have the “family business” conversation with your kids? Deans suggested pointedly to the room: “Do it now. Buy them a will at 18.”

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ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2023 27

7/10/2023 9:15:01 AM

Feature | Scenes from the 2023 EASA Convention

The suspenseful moment before EASA chairman Sid Seymour cut the ribbon to welcome the crowd into the 2023 Solutions Expo.

Keynote speaker Connie Podesta, who expressed skepticism about the convention’s theme by titling her presentation “Together Towards Success! Really?” takes a moment to mug exclusively for the Electrical Apparatus camera.

The staff at the Electrom Instruments booth stand ready to answer visitors’ questions about the company’s lines of test instruments.

Staff members at Electric Materials Co. explain the company’s commutatormanufacturing capabilities to a visitor at the Solutions Expo.

Pete Smith of C&S Associates, a long-time financial advisor to EASA member companies, makes the rounds during the convention.

28 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2023

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— Electrical Apparatus photos by Kevin Jones and Charlie Barks

In a surprise, unscripted moment during the annual business meeting, Frederic Beghain (right), general manager of EASA’s European & World Chapter, presented EASA’s president and CEO, Linda Raynes, with a special award for her years of service.

In an unscripted moment during the annual business meeting, Frederic Beghain (right), general manager of EASA’s European & World Chapter, presents EASA’s president and CEO, Linda Raynes, with a special award for her years of service.

Immediate past chairman Tim Bieber (left) presents this year’s Exceptional Achievement Service Award to Dennis Franklin of Essex Brownell during the convention’s opening proceedings.

The staff at Godfrey & Wing was on hand to explain the company’s VPI technology and the state-of-the-art build capability at its Aurora, Ohio, facility.

Visitors to the Alabama Laser booth had the opportunity to learn about the company’s laser classing process, which can be used to repair shafts and keyways on electric motors.

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EASA wasn’t alone in celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. The booth of Jasper Electric Motors of Jasper, Ala., was decked out in gold in observance of the company’s 50 years in business.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | AUGUST 2023 29

7/9/2023 2:34:10 PM

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