Beckwith Electric's Role in the Changing Power Industry
by Bob Beckwith, CEO
Originally printed in September 2001.
While we continue to grow at a double-digit rate, there has never been
a time in the history of the company with so many possibilities of even
faster growth. An excellent example domestically is California where the
well-known problems of the electric power industry have opened opportunities
for immense sales of our products for use in sub-station automation.
On the international front, the industry in Mexico is growing even faster.
We are already making important contributions there. In Brazil, the power
shortage is very real. The Brazilian market is almost 80% of the U.S..
We are in a strong position to help Brazil with our Autodaptive®
System and its direct savings in power. Even the percent or so of savings
that the system affords is a lot, given a payback period of about six
months or less. After that, benefits to the utilities continue with no
further investments.
As many of you who have visited our plant have seen, there is a diorama
on the wall behind the receptionist that illustrates my driving motto
for the company: “start small, think big.” We will always think of ourselves
as small compared to the future that we see!
As for thinking big, we are forming our strategic plans for the future
starting with our present capabilities in generator and trans-former protection.
Then add our truly hands-off automatic control of volts, watts and VArs.
Here, automation starts within distribution sub-stations and extends to
include customers along the distribution lines.
Our plans for the future include becoming leaders in wireless communications
within substations and in substation automation.
Added to this, is our expectations expressed in Commander Will Miller’s
article in this issue of Powerlines describing our ongoing effort to become
leaders in true research in very advanced leading edge possibilities.
Here we tell our readers, as well as potential supporters of the research,
“Of course we are not certain that our work will be successful. If we
were, then it would not be research!”
Life at Beckwith Electric is exciting these days with a staff of dedicated
employees always wondering “What will tomorrow bring?”
Powerlines
issue #36
Keeping Current is an editorial column by Bob Beckwith,
CEO of Beckwith Electric Co, Inc. Reproduction of the whole
or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
|
