A Product Bonanza

July 1, 2006
If you like products as much as I do, you'll love this issue. It's bursting at the seams with loads of new product listings. Our product coverage begins on page 18, with the announcement of the 2006 Product of the Year winner. I won't ruin the surprise, but the manufacturer of the winning product did some thinking when designing this nifty device. The culmination of this prestigious annual event yields

If you like products as much as I do, you'll love this issue. It's bursting at the seams with loads of new product listings. Our product coverage begins on page 18, with the announcement of the 2006 Product of the Year winner. I won't ruin the surprise, but the manufacturer of the winning product did some “inside-the-box” thinking when designing this nifty device. The culmination of this prestigious annual event yields the top three products introduced in 2005, as decided by a panel of industry experts and EC&M readers. Thanks to those of you who cast your vote in this year's competition.

We continue our special product coverage on page 20 by featuring my Web site Product of The Week selections from the past year. I like these products so much I thought we should share them with you in print as well. This group of products includes all types of items such as drives, software, cables, monitors, gloves, lights, and safety systems — a little something for everyone.

But we didn't stop there. I also thought you might like to see what's happening in the lighting product world. Starting on page 46, we feature the category winners from this year's Lightfair International New Product Showcase competition, including the Technical Innovation, Design Excellence, and Best New Product of the Year selections. Many of the products in this grouping are not only practical but also aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

After you've finished reviewing all of these exciting new products, I'm sure you're going to want to get your hands on some of them. But don't worry about the need to personally track down manufacturer or supplier contact information. We've already done this tedious task for you. Just turn to page 56 and review the most comprehensive printed Manufacturer and Supplier Directory offered to the industry. This Who's Who list of more than 1,100 leading industry suppliers can save you hours of search time. If you prefer the computer screen over the printed page, then head to the EC&M Web site and click on the “Buyers Guide” tab at the top of the page. This will not only link you to the same great wealth of company contact data shown in this printed guide, but will also provide you with direct links to each and every one of these company's Web sites.

Found any interesting new products lately? If so, how about sharing them with me? I'd love to pass them on to the rest of our readers.

About the Author

Michael Eby

Mike received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering in 1986 and an M.S. degree in engineering management in 1994 from the University of South Florida. He is currently a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), and American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Prior to joining EC&M as Editor-in-Chief in September 1999, Mike served as the Executive Editor of Transmission & Distribution World magazine for five years. He currently serves as the Senior Director of Content - Buildings Group in the Infrastructure & Intelligence Division at Informa. Before joining Informa, Mike held various engineering titles within the Substation and Transmission Engineering Groups at Florida Power & Light Co., Juno Beach, FL.

Mike was awarded the Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE) Excellence in Engineering Award in 1993 and has received numerous regional and national editorial awards for his reporting and writing work in the electrical market.

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