A Guest Post from the Members of the Automation, Controls, And Electrification Association (ACE).

The Electrification and Controls Manufacturers Association (ECMA) has rebranded as the Automation, Controls, and Electrification Association (ACE). The rebranding to ACE affirms association members’ commitment to shaping the future of automation, controls, and electrification solutions through growth, innovation, and excellence.

The new name also acknowledges the increasing expansion and integration of automation, controls, and electrification solutions in industrial automation and warehouse applications, added ACE Chair Jason Looman of Scanreco.

“ECMA’s transformation into ACE harmonizes with our journey of inclusivity, innovation, and safety as our association works to add more members,” he said. “The shift to the Automation, Controls, and Electrification Association name resonates with the increasingly comprehensive approach to automating and integrating material handling facilities.”

ACE Members’ Solutions Span Multiple Industries

ACE members are the industry’s leading suppliers of automation, electrification, controlling devices, and solutions. Their products are used across significant manufacturing and distribution sectors worldwide. Offerings include wireless remote controls, festooning systems, drives, motors, conductor bars, anti-collision devices, weighing mechanisms, brakes, resistors, and cabling solutions. As operations become increasingly automated, these systems and devices work synergistically to elevate productivity in industrial handling.

Current members include:

• Beckhoff Automation
• Bosch Rexroth
• Cattron North America
• Conductix-Wampfler
• HBC-radiomatic
• Magnetek
• Microtronics
• Mitsubishi Electric
• Murrelektronik
• NORD
• Power Electronics International
• Phoenix Contact
• Scanreco
• Siemens
• Tele Radio America
• TransTech

New Association Name Emphasizes Technological Innovation

The rebranding encapsulates ACE’s dedication to technological progress and innovation, noted Skyeler Smith, Industry Development Specialist with Murrelektronik.

“This transformation underscores our association’s unwavering commitment to pioneering controls and electrification solutions,” Smith said. “It also mirrors the collective growth and innovation within material handling sectors while strengthening ACE’s thought leadership and industry advancement.”

Steve Cunningham, Director of Sales and Marketing for Microtronics, LLC, concurred. “The ACE name succinctly captures our identity as automation, controls, and electrification companies, echoing our technological drive and brand prominence.”

ACE to Continue Standards Development, Guidelines

ACE will continue to help overhead crane owners and prospective buyers better understand their crane electrification options through three current ECMA publications. These publications will also be rebranded under the ACE name. They are:

• American National Standard (ANSI) ECMA 35: Electrification Systems for Electric Overhead Traveling Cranes. This standard details minimum requirements and guidelines for both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) electrification systems used to power overhead electric cranes, monorails, gantry traveling cranes, and workstation cranes.
• ANSI ECMA 25: AC Inverters for Use on Electric Overhead, Monorail, and Gantry Traveling Cranes. This standard applies to AC inverters for use on electric overhead, monorail, and gantry traveling cranes. AC inverters are also known as variable frequency drives, adjustable frequency drives, or variable speed drives.
• ANSI ECMA 15: Standard for Cable-less (Wireless) Controls. This standard provides the minimum requirements and guidelines for cable-less controls of electric overhead traveling cranes. The wireless control devices referenced in this standard use radio frequency signals to control the movements and actions of cranes for applications such as material handling.

Additionally, ACE offers guidelines on equipment. This includes a publication on the longevity of variable frequency drives (VFDs). The VFD Capacitor Shelf Life, Storge, and Reforming white paper explains that spare drives require maintenance, detailing both common issues and solutions.

Learn More About The Automation, Controls, and Electrification Association

To learn more about the members of the Automation, Controls, and Electrification Association — as well as the solutions and resources they offer — visit their website at mhi.org/ace.