Key Highlights
- The most read articles published by Power & Motion in 2025 offer insight into the technology and trends of importance to the fluid power industry.
- Technology developments and design-related topics dominated the list of top articles.
- Tariffs, new market opportunities and engineering careers were also areas of interest for many readers in 2025.
As we approach the end of 2025, I thought it would be nice to look back at some of the top pieces of content which resonated with Power & Motion readers in 2025. I know there is a top 10 list for everything these days, but it can be nice to look back on the year that was to understand what technologies and trends have influenced the hydraulics and pneumatics industry as well as what could be in store in the year to come.
We’ve focused this list specifically on our longer form article content, as that is what tends to be our audience’s preferred type, published in 2025 and relied on web traffic analytics to help compile the list.
Have technologies, trends, news or other highlights from 2025 you think helped shape the year or suggestions for topics we can cover in 2026? Reach out to me at [email protected] or take our brief poll to offer your thoughts.
I hope you enjoy this look back at some of our top articles from 2025 and looking forward to seeing what topics will be trending in 2026.
1. 4 Trends Shaping the Future of Hydraulic Fluids
Hydraulic fluid is a critical component of any hydraulic system, enabling power to be transmitted to other systems within a machine or vehicle. And like any other component, there are a number of industry trends impacting the design and use of hydraulic fluids.
In this piece, Chevron’s Max Cundiff outlines the top four trends he sees influencing hydraulic fluids in the years ahead. These include increasing efforts to improve sustainability and the efficiency of hydraulic systems as well as the continued push toward electrification.
Cundiff’s insight demonstrates just how impactful evolving industry trends can be on every aspect of a hydraulic system, no matter how large or small a component may be, and therefore the importance of monitoring and understanding their potential impact.
2. Hydraulics and Pneumatics Play Important Role in Data Center Cooling
It was difficult to get through 2025 without hearing or talking about data centers in some capacity. The buildup of these facilities is on the rise to meet growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and other applications requiring a high level of data processing.
This growth is bringing a number of opportunities to various markets, including the hydraulics and pneumatics sector. While fluid power systems are used in many of the construction and other machinery building data centers, they also play an important role in the facilities themselves as this piece discusses.
Cooling systems are critical to the operation of data centers, and here is where several hydraulic and pneumatic components are being utilized such as hoses, fittings, pumps and more. These components are being used to move cooling liquids throughout facilities, ensuring the semiconductor chips completing data processing do not overheat.
3. Proportional Valves Are Evolving to Adapt to More Demanding Applications
As Parker Hannifin’s Thomas Endres and Taylor Berry explain in this article, use of proportional valves is increasing to provide the precision and connectivity desired in many machine systems.
And as these systems become more advanced, so too are the proportional valves being utilized within them. The addition of sensors and micro controllers are bringing these hydraulic valves into the digital age, enabling a number of performance enhancements to help machine owners and operators be as productive as possible.
Through this piece we get a demonstration of how much the fluid power industry is evolving and how components as small as a valve are now being equipped with electronics to improve the capabilities they can provide. Doing so is helping meet larger industry trends of automation, digitalization and others aimed at increasing productivity and efficiency for machine owners.
4. Understanding the Full Value of Inverters in Hybrid and Fully Electric Applications
Electrification continues to grow in heavy-duty vehicle and machinery applications as a means of improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions. As such, inverters have become an important technology in electric vehicle designs.
Inverters are used to convert direct current (DC) power into alternating current (AC). In applications that continue to rely on hydraulics, as many electric vehicles still do, authors Jonah Leason and Tim Dobbin from Parker Hannifin note that inverters play an important role in controlling hydraulic flow on demand to increase efficiency — critical in electric-powered vehicles and equipment to reduce power draw from batteries.
Because hydraulics and pneumatics will remain critical to the functionality of many applications even as they become more electrified, it is important for the fluid industry to understand the various technologies, like inverters, being employed. Learning how they work, are used in various applications and what impacts they may have on fluid power systems ensures all components will work together as desired to meet application requirements.
5. Trump Tariffs Causing Uncertainty for Fluid Power Industry
Tariffs were one of the other major topics it was difficult to ignore in 2025. Their specifics changed on an almost daily basis throughout much of the year, creating a high level of uncertainty for many.
Members of the fluid power industry we spoke to for this article said the continually changing nature of the tariffs presented challenges in terms of pricing, supply chains and several others. Business planning in general was made more difficult. And while this piece was written early in 2025 when tariffs were first put in place, the situation did not improve as the year progressed.
Tariff rates and what they would be applied to changed multiple times throughout 2025, causing continued uncertainty and challenging market conditions for the fluid power industry as well as its various customer markets.
Watch our video discussion below with other editors from Power & Motion's parent company EndeavorB2B to learn how tariffs have impacted the electronic design and manufacturing industries.
6. Women in Fluid Power: What Drew Them to a Career in Hydraulics and Pneumatics
To celebrate Women’s History Month in March and International Women’s Day on March 8, we spoke with several women working in the fluid power industry to learn what they like about the industry, the technologies they find most exciting and more.
In this first installment of our three-part series, we spoke with respondents about what drew them to a career in hydraulics and pneumatics and the aspects they enjoy about working with fluid power technologies. As fluid power is not always the first route an engineer may consider, it’s always interesting to hear what attracted people to this career path and keeps them motivated to stay in it.
7. Making Hydraulics Cool Again to Attract the Next Generation of Engineers
As noted with the previous piece, a career in fluid power is not necessarily one engineering students have familiarity with or have considered. This piece offers a look at what one company in the industry is doing to help attract the next generation.
Through its internship program, Parker Hannifin is trying to help students see the interesting work that is actually going on in the sector and just how cool fluid power can be. One of the ways it is doing this is by providing students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience by applying their expertise in modern technology to various projects.
By helping students see how their skills can be applied to fluid power, Parker Hannifin and other companies employing similar programs are hoping to bring a new generation of engineers into the industry. Fluid power, like many sectors, is facing a skills gap. Those with years of industry knowledge are retiring, requiring younger engineers to enter the industry to ensure its continued longevity.
8. New Development Kit Aims to Ease Hydraulic System Design
Everyone wants to get their products into the market as quickly as possible, and to help the hydraulics industry with this engineering services company DavisNicols has developed a development kit called Mako Hydraulics.
Comprised of an electronic hydraulic circuit controller and a set of manifold blocks, the development kit features several built-in controls and features. This reduces the amount of time that would otherwise be spent on writing code and prototyping, allowing design teams to iterate faster and lower overall development time.
With the built-in controls, it also makes it easier for engineers of all skill levels to more easily test, validate and deploy hydraulic motion control circuits, which is critical as new engineers start entering the fluid power industry while at the same time the rising integration of electronics is requiring expertise that not all design teams have access to.
9. Analyzing Challenges and Innovations in Electrohydraulic Pressure Control
In this article, author Michael Kriegsmann looks at some of the challenges that currently exist with electro-proportional pressure control (EPPC) valve technology as well as potential areas for improvement.
He notes in the piece that as advances in digital electronics spur electronification and automation in mobile applications, electrohydraulic components like EPPC valves will need to improve.
There are a lot of industry trends and technological advancements influencing the design of machines and their various systems. By understanding what challenges exist with current technology, it can be easier to determine how, if at all, further improvements can be made to ensure hydraulics remain a technology of choice.
10. 5 Signs Compressed Air Piping Needs to be Replaced
Maintenance is a key topic area for many of Power & Motion’s readers, and a necessary consideration when developing or selecting technologies because of its important role in ensuring machine uptime — and thus the productivity and efficiency of machine owners.
This piece offers a look at a critical part of compressed air systems, the piping which moves compressed air throughout a facility. As the article discusses, air piping is just as susceptible to wear and tear as any other component. Being able to recognize when componentry like piping may need repair is critical; if not addressed in a timely manner it can lead to unplanned downtime which can be costly to an operation.
Understanding what to look for, such as the five signs outlined in this article, can help a manufacturing or processing facility stay on top of potential maintenance issues before they create larger problems.
About the Author
Sara Jensen
Executive Editor, Power & Motion
Sara Jensen is executive editor of Power & Motion, directing expanded coverage into the modern fluid power space, as well as mechatronic and smart technologies. She has over 15 years of publishing experience. Prior to Power & Motion she spent 11 years with a trade publication for engineers of heavy-duty equipment, the last 3 of which were as the editor and brand lead. Over the course of her time in the B2B industry, Sara has gained an extensive knowledge of various heavy-duty equipment industries — including construction, agriculture, mining and on-road trucks —along with the systems and market trends which impact them such as fluid power and electronic motion control technologies.
You can follow Sara and Power & Motion via the following social media handles:
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