Editorial Message
I’m writing this Editorial Message just after returning from the recent Transformers Magazine Industry Navigator conference on Investments, Artificial Intelligence, and Sustainability, held in the vibrant city of Madrid from June 11-13, 2024.
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the July 2024 edition of Transformers Magazine!
I’m writing this Editorial Message just after returning from the recent Transformers Magazine Industry Navigator conference on Investments, Artificial Intelligence, and Sustainability, held in the vibrant city of Madrid from June 11-13, 2024. This landmark event brought together the leading voices in our industry to provide guidelines for the future through discussions on investments, artificial intelligence, and sustainability, tackling pressing issues of the industry, in particular skilled labour shortage, availability of transformers and materials, and price volatility.
Over the course of three dynamic days, our conference welcomed around 300 in-person and online delegates from 160 companies and 58 countries, creating a truly global dialogue. The event featured 27 high-quality presentations, two focused workshops on sustainability and AI, and numerous engaging Q&A sessions. Special acknowledgment goes to the WiPE (Women in Power Engineering) meeting, which highlighted the critical role of women in our industry and underscored our commitment to attracting young talent to the industry.
The conference kicked off with my opening address, underscoring the main industry’s current challenges and the pivotal role of people for the energy transition and related investments in power grids and transformers, all based on the in-depth research findings.
One of the highlights of the opening day was the Award Ceremony where I had the honor of presenting the Transformers Magazine awards to industry leaders whose contributions have been exemplary:
Excellence Dedication Award: Oscar Picó, Hitachi Energy
Best Article Award: Uğur Yayan and Osman Yılmaz
Best Author Award: Dr. Bhaba Das, Hitachi Energy
Industry Champion Awards: Giuseppe Luca Petrelli, Hitachi Energy; Marcel Hilgers, thyssenkrupp; and Juan Acosta, Ergon
Exciting announcements included the launch of our new sister publication, Switchgear Magazine, introduced by Douglas Maly and Puneet Harminder Singh. This publication will leverage the rich expertise and extensive network of Transformers Magazine to provide invaluable insights into the switchgear sector.
Additionally, my colleague Maja Butorac unveiled a refreshed and harmonized visual identity for Merit Media entire brand portfolio, including Transformers Magazine, Transformers Academy, Transformers Forum, WiPE, Switchgear Magazine, and Industry Navigator.
The Industry Navigator conference underscored our industry’s readiness to embrace the future through collaboration on disruptive projects, innovation, and a commitment to sustainability.
As we move forward, the insights and connections forged in Madrid will undoubtedly serve as a catalyst for growth and transformation. In order to support spreading the key messages from the conference, we bring a detailed post-event report with key extracts from presentations and workshops, as well as a think tank report with unique and highly precious opinions.
This edition brings also detailed articles on some of the presentations as well as a number of other valuable articles, interviews and columns.
I hope this edition of Transformers Magazine provides you with valuable knowledge and inspiration. Together, let’s continue to lead and innovate in the ever-evolving world of transformers and power grids.
Warm regards,
Dr. Mladen Banovic
Editor-in-Chief
Transformers Magazine