Page 14 - MetalForming July 2009

Wind and Solar Energy
Where are the Opportunities for Metalformers?
pretty hard. Is the alter- native-energy industry still an attractive target?
McCabe: It’s true that some large projects have been put on hold, but growth of the alternative- energy space has been and will continue to be very strong. In the wind and solar industries, lead- ers predict that 2010 will be a record year. Increas- ingly favorable federal policies, a wealth of new incentives, and volatile, rising energy costs make most watchers of this industry quite bullish.
MF: What are some of the emerging alternative-energy prod- ucts and segments that auto-parts manufacturers/metalforming compa-
nies should be looking at?
McCabe: As oil prices reach $70-
plus per barrel again, the drive to improve vehicle fuel efficiency only gets stronger. Drive-train electrification and further light-weighting will continue to gather steam. We expect to see a growing innovation premium for prod- ucts and processes that achieve weight reductions without sacrificing per- formance.
Energy efficiency in industrial appli- cations means more energy-efficient pumps, compressors, waste-heat recov- ery equipment, and the like. Part of the beauty—and the challenge—of the energy-efficiency market is that it com- prises a multitude of companies and products—energy-efficient materials, lighting, HVAC, controls, etc.
MetalForming interviews Loch McCabe, president of Shepherd Advisors, a specialty management-consulting firm in Ann Arbor, M I, whose mission is to “foster economic wealth and planetary health through the robust commercialization and deployment of clean technologies.” Learn more at www.shepherdadvisors.com.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
Shepherd Advisors was formed in 2000 to help private-company clients increase sales, margins and market share in clean-technology indus- tries. Its team helps companies enter the clean-tech markets; find partners to increase access to distribution, manu- facturing and suppliers; and to locate funding for research and development.
We recently asked Shepherd Advisors’ president Loch McCabe to share his views on the opportunities that metalformers —particularly those with close ties to the automotive industry—have to link into the supply chain for the wind-energy and concentrated-solar-power industries.
MF: We know that the recession, particularly the drying up of credit, has hit the alternative-energy industry
(Mr. McCabe wishes to thank Bharath Iyengar for helping to answer some of the questions posed here.)
12
METALFORMING / SPECIAL ONLINE-ONLY ISSUE 2009
www.metalformingmagazine.com