FALL ISSUE 2020: PREVIEW
Transformer Technology Editor in Chief announces the Fall issue of the digital magazine, including the topics where we would love to hear from you if you would like to contribute with your expertise, knowledge, products or services.
Dear Readers and Members of Transformer Technology Community,
This coming October, it was to be my 6th IEEE PES T&D Conference that I have attended. The first two were as an exhibitor, where I was shocked at the scope and size of the event. What I thought would be a large position on the Expo floor turned out to be dwarfed by the likes of GE, ABB, Siemens and other multinational providers and suppliers. If it had to do with transmission and distribution, it was represented.
For the second one, Bob Rasor, a dear friend and a frequent contributor to our community, and I also had a poster submission. Even though I don’t quite remember what the topic was about, I do remember that the scope and breadth of the posters was what stood out. And a lot of great information was shared at these poster sessions.
Alas, Covid has changed everything. IEEE PES T&D Conference and Expo was to be held in April and it was postponed to October. Now with a resurgence of the virus across the U.S. it is highly unlikely that we will be visiting Chicago this year. I am sure the organizing members are hard at work making critical decisions and when they do, Transformer Technology will be there to support them.
Since the first two events, and after joining IEEE and the PES and Reliability Societies, I have come to understand the value of an organization like IEEE. While I am not an electrical engineer, I believe that some of our members, like me, are also mechanical engineers or from other engineering disciplines. IEEE PES cuts a very broad swath and is arguably one of the most important standards organizations in the world.
So, what are we doing with the Fall issue now that our plans have been changed? We do what any great organization does – we adapt, we pivot, and we do something unique for Transformer Technology community.
Our Fall Campaign will feature three tracks:
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Allied Member Profiles – which will be featured video interviews with our Allied Members – companies with extensive knowledge to share, both directly related to transformers and, in some cases, related to the system the transformer operates within. Since the transformer is the heart of any electrical system, we will not drift too far from our core.
We will be developing these Profiles in partnership with the Electrical Power Reliability Alliance (EPRA). The videos will be shared on the EPRA website and in future Transformer Technology posts. These interviews will be more in depth in nature, discussing some of the key values that we at EPRA and Transformer Technology believe are important to those members who provide products or services to our industry.
Of great interest to me personally is to connect our Allied Members with the seven key fundamentals that make up the heart of Transformer Technology and EPRA:
Our Fall Campaign will feature three tracks: Bushings Design, Maintenance and Monitoring; New Technology & Design; and Allied Member Profiles
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Leadership commitment to reliability and safety. How do we align with the need to engage the marketplace into thinking that reliability and safety are closely connected? In our industry especially, we need to make sure that we work safely.
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Vision and Mission Commitment. How does the vision/mission of the Allied Member align with the vision of Transformer Technology and how does it serve the TT community?
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Quality. How do we address the need to provide quality in our products or services for all of the markets we serve?
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Continuous Improvement. How do we apply the principle of continuous improvement within our own organizations?
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Lifelong Learning & Lifelong Sharing. How do we engage our employees in continuous learning, and how committed are we to sharing new knowledge, technology or methods with the industry without regard to financial incentive?
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Generational Transition. More importantly now than ever, how do we help the future generations make the necessary leap from mere technical knowledge to true experiential knowledge? So much of our legacy knowledge will be lost if we don’t have ways to capture and share it.
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Legacy. What legacy will we leave for those future generations?
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Bushings: Design, Maintenance and Monitoring – We have been excited about presenting this issue, knowing that bushings play a tremendously important role in the life of the transformer. We have already lined up some great articles with people like Marco Tozzi of Camlin, Tony McGrail of Doble and Diego Robalino of Megger. Our Contributing Editor from Transformer Consultants, Corné Dames will also be featured. I am tremendously excited to see what these great members will contribute to the cause.
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New Technology & Design – As in every issue, we will also feature articles and interviews with a focus on “what is new and newsworthy” for the community since there is so much to offer. Articles from Helder Martins from EFACEC, Martin Robinson from IRISS, Alan Sbravati of Cargill and of course, the continuing saga from Chuck Baker of PowerPro360, will also be featured. And finally, some insightful and thought-provoking interviews with industry leaders and change agents will round out what will be a packed season.
As the TT Community grows, my role must change as well, becoming more of a Content and Community Moderator than an Editor. As the President of EPRA, I see the overlap between both organizations as we focus on the fundamentals of our respective communities. If you, the members of the Transformer Technology Community have ideas, content, feedback or simply want to drop me a line, please do so.
If we are to build true community, we must communicate well and the most important part of communication, is to listen. I promise we are doing that.
Alan M Ross,
Editor in Chief and Community Moderator at Transformer Technology
Alan M. Ross, CRL, CMRP