APEC 2006 Moves to Dallas; Premier Global Power Electronics Conference & Exhibit to Be Held Week of March 19-23, 2006; Hurricane Aftermath Forces Move from New Orleans; 2006 Dallas Event Promises to Be Bigger and Better Than Ever

WASHINGTON--Oct. 2, 20055, 2005--The Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC), the premier global event in power electronics(TM), has been rescheduled to the week of March 19-23, 2006, and relocated to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dallas. The conference is jointly sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Power Electronics Society (PELS), the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) and the Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA).

"The devastating effect of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans has made it necessary for the APEC executive steering committee to secure an alternate venue for next year's conference and exhibition," said Kevin Parmenter, publicity chairman for APEC 2006.

"We are truly saddened by the hurricane's devastating impact on New Orleans and the whole gulf coast region. At the same time, we're grateful for the support that the city of Dallas and the Hyatt Regency Dallas have shown in accommodating our conference needs on such short notice," Parmenter added.

"The region's many leading producers, consumers, designers and distributors of power electronic products and components make the Dallas/Ft. Worth area an ideal venue. As in previous shows, this year's event in Austin saw conference participation climb, with 328 peer-reviewed papers presented by speakers from 28 countries, a growth trend we fully expect to meet and exceed next year in Dallas," he said.

Now in its 21st year, APEC's continuing popularity is due in large measure to its unique combination of high-quality technical presentations and the collegial, informative atmosphere in which a broad spectrum of manufacturers can exhibit their latest product innovations. Popular with conference attendees, lively "rap sessions" feature panelists and audience members engaging in lively exchanges about emerging technologies and often controversial subjects. Another increasingly popular event is APEC's famous annual "Micro Mouse" team competition to design the winning robot that will successfully negotiate the contest maze in the shortest elapsed time.

APEC 2006 conference topics slated for presentation in Dallas will include:

-- AC-DC power supplies -- single-phase and multiphase AC-DC power supplies, power factor correction, multi-level active front end conversion

-- DC-DC converters -- low-voltage-to-low-voltage conversion, high voltage, high power (kW to MW), microprocessor power (VRMs)

-- DC-AC inverters -- DC-to-single phase, DC-to-multiphase, multilevel inverters

-- Motor drives for induction machines, permanent magnet machines, switched reluctance machines

-- Power semiconductors, energy storage components, and sensors

-- Energy storage components, including magnetics, capacitors, batteries, and chargers

-- Mechanical components, including connectors, bus bars, substrates, thermal management

-- Physical design and packaging topics, including thermal management, integration of design tools, physical design, packaging, EMI, and EMC

-- Modeling, simulation and control of power supplies, electric machines and drives, power systems

-- Business issues such as marketing, manufacturing, quality, test, power electronics business issues, DFx, standards, and regulations

For more information, editors are invited to contact:

Kevin Parmenter, APEC 2006 Publicity Chair
Fairchild Semiconductor
480-633-5678
Kevin.parmenter@fairchildsemi.com

Greg Evans, President
WelComm, Inc.
858-430-3013
greg@welcomm.com

For additional information about APEC 2006, contact:

Pam Wagner, APEC 2006 
c/o Courtesy Associates
2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036 USA
202-973-8664
pwagner@courtesyassoc.com