The SMMA Spring Mangement Conference will include two SMMA members speaking during the event. Ron Bullock, chairman, Bison Gear & Engineering Corp., will reflect on a lifelong career in manufacturing and the electric motor industry, the ebbs and flow of this wealth creating sector, its effect on the economy and a plan for building its share of GDP from 11.6 percent currently to over 15 percent by 2025. A past SMMA president, Bullock is looking for an open dialogue during the Conference breakout session to promote advocacy of common sense policies that will get America back on a more aggressive growth path, benefit future generations and provide meaningful career paths in manufacturing. Electric machines, both motors and generators, have seen a lot of design creativity and manufacturing development over the last 10-15 years. Keith W. Klontz, Ph.D, PE, president and CEO, Advanced MotorTech LLC, will present his view of the most important technology shifts now taking place in the electric machine market, and some new technology that is now starting to become visible on the horizon. To a significant degree, these have been driven by application-specific machines, namely the large quantity of low cost machines needed for HEVs and EVs of various kinds. Additional key influencing factors have been the large kW capacity of new wind energy systems, the ever-increasing demand for battery-operated power tools, the broader, more stringent efficiency requirements of the US Dept. of Energy, and significant advances in Computer-Aided Engineering tools. To address the potential impact of new technologies, Klontz will present what he considers likely effects on the electric machine design process, the prototype and design validation activity, the manufacturing trade-offs, and even the ability to recycle. The result is an increasing ability to produce high value machines cost effectively, with wider variety and in lower volumes, with shorter product development cycles, and with more confidence in tested performance meeting specifications. Other topics at the SMMA Spring Management Conference include a global market update on servo and stepper systems, critical materials, reshoring/offshoring, and an economic forecast from Alan Beaulieu, Institute for Trend Research.