Electrification Growth Prompts Launch of New Engineering Conference

ZAPI GROUP—an Italy-based developer of electric drive components—sees great growth potential for electrification in a variety of industries. As such, the company is launching “The Future of Electrification” Conference which is set to take place virtually April 5-7, 2022.

Registration for the conference is free.

The company says this new event will bring together design and R&D engineers, product managers, academics and executives to learn and discuss:

• Market trends
• Emerging technologies
• Best practices
• Practical challenges
  
• Opportunities of industrial electrification

According to Lloyd Gomm, vice president of Business Development at Delta-Q Technologies, a ZAPI GROUP company, the conference will provide a thought leadership opportunity for ZAPI and the companies within its portfolio. Topics they see as most pertinent to the design and manufacture of electrification products will be covered by thought leaders in the industry.

Keynote speakers currently include:

• Saul Griffith, engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, MacArthur “genius grant” recipient and author of Electrify - An Optimist’s Playbook for our Clean Energy Future.
• Jonathan Dawley, president and CEO, KION North America Corporation
• Tom Nguyen, VP Business Development, Inventus Power
• Matt Zaremba, director, Product Strategy, TSV (EZGO)
• Dr. Nicola Tomatis, CEO, BlueBotics

Gomm says information provided during the event will go beyond products, focusing on larger topics that will benefit design engineers. These could include considerations to take into account when designing a system such as the importance of voltage selection. In-depth design discussions as well as those focused on industry trends will be held during the conference.

“We can see the electric drive industry going through a lot of changes in technology, usage and new market applications constantly bubbling up,” says Gomm, which is why an event like this can greatly benefit those working in electrification.

The conference will consist of pre-recorded and live presentations, Q&A sessions, virtual networking activities and panel discussions. This will provide attendees with various ways to become better educated on the topic of electrification while also learning about the various companies—and thus possible partners—in the space.

“I'm really excited about it. It is a great opportunity to construct a more of captive event where we can talk specifically about electric drivetrains, all the considerations in design, market trends and things we see happening in the battery world through our partners. We think it will be really valuable,” says Gomm.

Electrification is Picking up Speed

The push toward electrification, as well as other major industry trends such as automation, are bringing about big changes in various industries with the ultimate goal of improving safety—whether that be through a reduction in emissions for improved public health or a vehicle driving itself to minimize accident risks.

“Our vision for the ZAPI GROUP is an all-electric world,” says Gomm. “That’s where we are going. And we see ourselves playing a big role in partnering with OEMs to bring life to their products using electric drive.”

Watch our video interview with Lloyd Gomm for more of his insights into electrification trends. 

At a most basic level, he says the company sees the internal combustion engine disappearing as an energy source. This will not happen immediately, but gradually electric drive is likely to become a key power source for many applications.

In golf carts, for instance—an area in which Delta-Q Technologies has worked for several years—Gomm says electric drive continues to take over a greater share of the market year over year. This is due to the reduced emissions and noise levels offered, as well as many other benefits.

Material handling and last mile logistics are other areas in which the company sees continued growth for electrification. Advancements in battery and other technologies are aiding the expansion of electrification, as well as companies’ desire to be seen as sustainable.

“Every month we are looking at new applications, and it is exciting and compelling,” says Gomm. “It just seems to be picking up speed.”

He notes that in 2021, Delta-Q Technologies had its biggest year in terms of revenue. It experienced 20% growth for its products and anticipates further growth this year. Current global supply chain challenges may cause the shift to electric drive to moderate in the near term, says Gomm, but the move toward electrification is still expected to accelerate over the next several years.