Recent AEM & AEF Happenings

I had the opportunity to attend two major events in March that involved both AEF and AEM participation.  The first event in New Orleans was a joint AEF Plugfest at the same venue and overlapping with the Commodity Classic show which is partially sponsored by AEM.  A little over a week later was another event sponsored by AEM:  Ag on the Mall.

2021: A Year in Review

If 2020 was the year that COVID-19 hit us like a tsunami wave, 2021 seems like it was the year we all tried to figure out how to respond to it. In the news, companies would roll out back-to-office plans only to have them postponed or modified. In-person events would get scheduled and then change to virtual or be cancelled, or in some cases, held in person but with restrictions or mitigations. If nothing else, the COVID-19 pandemic has at least improved our knowledge of the Greek alphabet.

DISTek Participates in COMVEC 2021

I had the opportunity once again this year to attend COMVEC 2021 with fellow DISTekians Nick Elliott and Benjamin Jefferson. COMVEC, (Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress), is a conference sponsored by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). It is dedicated to discussing the latest and future trends pertinent to commercial vehicles in the on-highway, agricultural, construction, industrial, military and mining sectors. The theme of this year’s conference was “Energy, Sustainability, and the Future of Commercial Vehicle Transportation”.

COMVEC 2021 – Back in Person

You would have to be living under a pretty big rock to not realize that the in-person-conference scenario has changed quite a bit in the last 18 months.  I know of a few in-person events that have happened since most everything shut down in March 2020, but they are few and far between.  So,  needless to say, I am looking forward to a chance to get back together with some fellow industry professionals at SAE COMVEC in mid-September.  Of course, I expect there to be some differences from the last time we did in-person COMVEC, but as engineers, we live in a constant state of change anyway.

DISTek Presents at 2021 AETC

This year marked the 25th year of occurrence for the Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference (AETC). This year looked a little different, as it was hosted exclusively virtual on Open Water, a Zoom based platform. Attendees gathered from February 8-10 to attend the AETC, which is hosted by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. ASABE serves as an educational and scientific organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems.

2020: A Year in Review

I just scrolled through old blog posts and realized I have been writing a Year in Review post since at least 2014. If I did not know better, I might think I was being typecast for this role. Either way, if 2020 is the last time I do a Year in Review, then it certainly is one that provided a lot of differences to highlight.

DISTek Participates in 2020 Virtual SAE COMVEC

Each year in September, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) holds a Commercial Vehicle Congress (COMVEC). At this event, engineers and technologists come together to collaborate on technologies for commercial trucks, defense vehicles, and off-highway equipment. DISTek has been a participant and exhibitor at COMVEC for many years. It is a perfect fit for our industry focus, and many of the technologies discussed are wholly, or partially, driven by electronics and software.

MathWorks Automotive Conference 2020

I had the opportunity to attend the Mathworks Automotive Conference this year. The conference was held remotely and the presentations were streamed live using the Webex platform. I watched three of the presentations on the first day, which included the Farm of the Future, Ford Automated System Simulation Toolkit, and a presentation from Cooper Tire and Rubber Company.

Attending the SAE WCX Conference – COVID-19 Edition

I have been a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) for a number of years and have attended several different SAE events over the last decade. In 2018, I started attending the SAE WCX, a show focused on passenger car technologies, formerly known as the World Congress. Insights into the technologies of today and tomorrow in passenger cars are definitely informative as DISTek seeks to be ready for new technology applications in the Off-Highway industry where we focus. Of course, not everything is directly applicable, but much of it is to varying degrees.