Battery Power - Summer 2014 - (Page 6)

Industry Outlook Overcoming the Challenges in the Power Electronics Industry Edward McMahon, CEO Epec Engineered Technologies Every industry has its challenges, ours is no different. In a technology industry like power electronics, the strength of your technical expertise will be most important in differentiating you from your competitors. Our challenge is the lack of technical resources in our industry to effectively and rapidly move forward. It is true that if you are Apple, Samsung or Lenovo it is more likely to receive the appropriate support when they are developing their next product. However, as you move further down the volume ladder there are not too many companies who are willing to invest the time with small and medium sized opportunities to help develop solutions to make their products portable. Focusing on Battery Engineering and Design At Epec Engineered Technologies we focus on these medium sized opportunities utilizing our burgeoning Battery Tech Center in Denver, Colo. as the focus of our engineering and design strategy. As an industry, we need to spend more time talking about exciting new technologies. One of the obstacles in dealing with this development type work is that the pay back isn't immediate. As everyone knows, the development cycle for custom battery power products can be several months to upwards of a year when you factor in all of the development and regulatory certifications that are required. Innovation of Mind and Technology Growth in our industry is robust, but how much faster could it be if we could support all of the opportunities that were out there? From medical devices to hand held instrumentation, there are few products that cannot be made with the use of battery power to enhance its ability to be used in more applications. Our goal in 2014 is to continue to add engineering and design resources to help customers who need application development for medium sized opportunities to get their products to market. 6 Battery Power * Summer 2014 It's necessary to highlight the fact that engineering graduates make a real difference in the future of varying product groups by helping develop solutions to numerous problems. As a group, our goal should be to get more young people involved in our industry. It is still a secret of how exciting it is to work every day on new and exciting opportunities. While many of us are achieving significant growth in this business, how much faster could we grow if our industry had an influx of young engineering minds? Leading the Pack The US must lead the way by developing young engineering talent in every industry. We all can contribute by working with colleges, universities, technical schools and even high schools with real world projects that they can help solve. While battery technology may not be as desirable as trying to develop the next killer app or laboring away for Google, new battery and power management technologies can change the world. While our industry is not easy by any means, we need to all do a better job of showing our young minds that this is a field that is worth their time and effort. By engaging young people while they are still in school, they can see for themselves that there are today, and will always be, endless opportunities when you understand and develop new battery technologies. For more information, please visit www.epectec.com. www.BatteryPowerOnline.com http://www.epectec.com http://www.epectec.com http://www.BatteryPowerOnline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery Power - Summer 2014

Testing Needs and Challenges of Today’s Battery Researchers and Manufacturers
Overcoming the Challenges in the Power Electronics Industry
Changing Focus of Battery Chargers for Differing Battery Chemistries
Demand Increases Worldwide for US-Made Batteries in Emerging Markets
Battery Pack/Assembly Manufacturer
Primary Battery Manufacturer
Secondary Battery Manufacturer
Alkaline
Lead-Acid
Lithium
Lithium-Ion
Manganese
Mercury
Ni-CD
Ni-MH
Silver
Zinc
Aerospace/Aviation
Automotive
Consumer Electronics/Tools
Electric Vehicles
Marine
Medical
Military
Renewable Energy Systems
Standby/Telecom/UPS
Accessories
Battery Assembly Equipment
Cables/Harnesses
Capacitors
Chargers
Coatings
Components
Consulting Services
Converters & Inverters
Dry Rooms
Electrolytes
Enclosures
Forming Systems
Holders
ICs & Semiconductors
Manufacturing Systems
Materials
Monitoring Systems
Power Supplies
Racks/Cabinets
Recycling
Safety Systems & Equipment
Standby Power/UPS Systems
Testing Services
Testing Systems & Equipment
Watering Systems

Battery Power - Summer 2014