EA July 2026
Sales and Service
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IN THIS ISSUE ---
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JULY 2026
Electric Avenue
20 Utility company and EV charging alliances
New strategic partnerships will expand charging infrastructure, manage grid loads, and support reliable electrification
By Maura Keller, EA Contributing Writer
Energy
23 Spring cleaning
U.S. clean energy manufacturing is ramping up, focusing on new projects and national security
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
Reader Profile
24 Deeds, not words
How Scott Wilshire bridges engineering expertise and entrepreneurial execution
By Colin Gregory-Moores, EA Contributing Writer
Business Management
27 Profit-driven sales
Creating a culture in which margin, not sales volume, forms the foundation of a winning strategy
By Michael Mitten, EA Contributing Writer
Power Transmission & Distribution
31 The rise of MV vacuum interrupters
How the technology has evolved in modern medium-voltage circuit breakers, motor starters, contactors, and reclosers
By David Bredhold, EA Contributing Writer
Finance & The Workplace
36 EBITDA: not just for accountants anymore
A boom in middle-market M&A activity has brought a specialized financial metric to the fore
By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Finance Editor
Electrical Manager
40 Win-win winner take all
The idea that each party to a negotiation necessarily comes out ahead may be misguided
By Bill O Leary, EA Contributing Writer T
Training & Education
42 Braze the roof
Plan to register your employees for brazing training this fall
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
Pump It Up
43 Gazing into a pump’s future
Recent research shows how data-driven models, statistical failure analysis, and remote monitoring can help prevent costly breakdowns
By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JULY 2026
Departments
04 The editor's comment
Hot topics to welcome summer
05 Let's solve your problem
Answers to questions about motor application and repair
06 Business
Electrical manufacturers see strength despite headwinds
08 Associations
How a trans-Atlantic partnership maintains customer confidence
10 Know your industry
How EERA represents independent manufacturers’ reps
14 Plant happenings
Plant openings, closures, expansions, and a lawsuit
16 Speaking of . . .
A record-size merger
18 Calendar
Upcoming events on engineering, manufacturing, and energy
26 Names & Faces
Personnel changes at Essex Brownell, NRG Energy, and Ford
26 Deaths
Charles ‘Chuck’ McGough, CAM Innovation president
38 Product Showcase
What’s new in tools and supplies for electromechanical service
45 Utilities
How utilities cooperate during hurricane season
47 Classified advertising
Your monthly marketplace for equipment, businesses, and more
47 Cy's Super Service
The electrical service industry’s most prominent curmudgeon
49 EA puzzle
A world search puzzle based on “Profit-driven sales” (page 27)
51 Moe, Genny & friends
The surreal world of an anthropomorphized motor and generator
52 Direct & current
Safety award for a steel plant, and a semiconductor innovation
56 Advertising index
Who’s who—and who’s where—in this issue of Electrical Apparatus