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Fueling Global Demand for Interface Solutions

Increasing demand for quality, accurate and reliable sensor technologies is global.  Interface products are used on every continent and across all types of industries. As manufacturers and product innovators make advances in what they build and test, there is a direct correlation to the growth in precision test and measurement tool requirements we supply.

The overall sensor market in 2022 is expected to continue its fast past growth, estimated between 8-12% across all types of sensors. In force measurement, this pace is consistent with the experience in the global markets we serve in Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, Middle East, South and North America.

Represented by hundreds of sensors experts around the world, Interface distributors continue to experience growth in market share and Interface product users.  In fact, Interface’s fastest growing markets are represented in our global network.  Solutions that utilize our precision load cells, torque transducers, multi-axis load cells and instrumentation are all experiencing high growth worldwide.

What is impacting the greatest international growth for all types of sensors technologies?  According to market analysis and based on Interface’s experience, it’s being fed by:

  1. Miniaturization of Products and Sensors Used in Testing and OEMs
  2. Industrial Automation and Robotics
  3. Innovation in Aerospace and Automotive
  4. IoT – Internet of Things

Our direct experience in demand for Interface solutions outside of the US is related to these areas and specifically new products and expanding use cases. First, we recently launched our Global G Series products to meet this demand. This specialty product is sold exclusively outside the US. These products are designed and manufactured in the International System of Units (SI), with the same precision and accuracy of all Interface products.

The Global G Series is a global standard product line that is designed for applications that require miniature load cells and for OEM solutions used for automation of machines and components.  The markets that are experiencing the highest growth internationally include:

For example, innovative markets like electric vehicles and hydro-electric energy are growing rapidly domestically and in international markets. These industries rely on force testing to optimize these new technologies.

The Asia-Pacific market is currently our fastest growing market. Interface provides products for this market across all industries including automotive, aerospace, test and measurement and more. As mentioned above, the alternative energy, aerospace and electric vehicle market is a big area for Interface and the Asia-Pacific plays a big role in these areas.

Electric vehicle design and manufacturing requires a precise level of accuracy to improve energy efficiency, minimize weight and maximize vehicle range. For instance, battery technology is a major global focus; therefore, maximizing power output using force testing is the key to improving vehicle design. To achieve this, test and measurement solutions need to be as accurate as possible. Interface also provides high accuracy torque transducers, load cells, load washers and more for two areas of electric vehicle testing: laboratory testing to optimize system performance and production testing to ensure product quality.

Another application for force measurement in Europe is force testing on off-shore hydro-electric power plants. This is a great fit for Interface because we have developed an entire lineup of load cells and other products that are submersible. For this project specifically, we provided submersible WMC load cells. This is one example of an innovative application for renewable energies, and this is another market that is growing rapidly both domestically and internationally.

One of the consistent top selling products in both regions and industries are wireless load cells. In our 2022 Test and Measurement Industry Trends blog, detailed some of this growing demand for wireless force measurement solutions. Wireless systems are helping manufacturers simplify the integration process and create a cleaner safer test environment with far less wiring. It is especially helpful in industries like aerospace or automotive, where large factories want to transmit data across the facility without needing a mess of wires getting in the way.

For wireless needs, Interface supplies its Wireless Telemetry System (WTS) which offers sensor transmitters, receivers, and displays. High accuracy, high quality measurement is interfaced with simple yet powerful configuration and monitoring software and gives sensor manufacturers and integrators the complete flexibility to build their own sensor modules around it. The system easily replaces wired systems, reducing installation and maintenance costs.

One area that Interface is also investing in internally is recalibration services to serve all customers across the world. Many of our customers are becoming more aware of and utilizing these services, as we are continuing to grow this capability amongst international customers who are utilizing Interface products for the first time.

Interface’s presence in the international market is growing quickly. Interface is looking forward to seeing where and how we can supply the best in force measurement solutions to enable innovation around the world.

Source: Tyler Pettit, Application Engineer International Markets

Faces of Interface Featuring Ginny Bradley

In today’s Faces of Interface, we’re introducing you to Ginny Bradley. As International Application Engineer, Ginny is responsible for supporting our Global Sales Network of distributors outside of the U.S. This includes distributors on every continent, from Asia to South America, and expanding in operations due to continued growth and demands for Interface products worldwide.

Ginny’s journey into the engineering and manufacturing world is quite different than her husband’s, Jay Bradley, who was featured in a previous ForceLeaders post. Now we are sharing the story of his equally brilliant wife of 33 years, and we’re excited to tell her story.

Ginny grew up as a military brat moving up and down the east coast of the United States, after living in Japan as a young child. Her father was a flight deck officer on an aircraft carrier, and due to her exposure to the world of aerospace, Ginny was always extremely interested in science, math, and technology. This led Ginny to pursue a degree in computer science, which eventually became her minor, and she graduated with a degree in accounting and business administration from the University of Central Florida.

After college, Ginny went to work for the nonprofit organization, Foundation for Senior Living. She began as a staff accountant and eventually was promoted to head of HR and accounting. Ginny spent 24 years with the Foundation for Senior Living and really enjoyed her time there. However, she was on call 24/7 due to the fast-paced nature and small staff typical of nonprofits, and eventually she felt it was time for a change.

Ginny took on contract accounting jobs for a few years and then began talking to her husband about Interface. She was always intrigued about his work at Interface because of her interest in math and science, so she decided to give it a shot when a position on our front desk opened 10 years ago.

Ginny’s propensity for learning had her right in the thick of the Interface world not too long after she started. She quickly moved into an accounting and sales role, followed by a data entry and sales role. Ginny picked up on the ins and outs of Interface and its customers, and soon she was asked to become an international application engineer.

In this role, Ginny is responsible for ensuring products and solutions are aligned with customer needs. Her math and science background, along with her interest in and exposure to the aerospace and defense industries, helped her quickly grasp the various Interface product lines and provide valuable advice to customers. She also has the special benefit of being able to lean on her husband, who is an experienced engineer, when she needs a little more technical detail. In addition, she can apply her accounting background to process large POs, help customers align pricing with their needs, and more.

As international application engineer, Ginny’s day is always engaging as she works with people from all over the world from Europe to APAC, including distributors in Germany, China, Canada, India, United Kingdom, Australia, and many others around the globe.

“My favorite thing about working at Interface is the ability to work with these customers directly and help them solve real-world challenges,” Ginny Bradley, International Application Engineer

In her free time, Ginny likes to spend time with Jay and their three children. She enjoys being hands on with various projects around the house including arts and crafts. She and Jay are currently renovating their home. Her absolute favorite pastime is adventuring around Northern and Southern Arizona with her best friend and going on wine tours. Their most recent big trip was a wine tour back East in the Finger Lakes area near where Jay grew up, and Jay accompanied them.

Now you know a little bit more about the Bradleys, our Interface dynamic duo! If you want to learn more about our outstanding team, check back in every month for a new entry about our ForceLeaders in our Faces of Interface Series.

To locate and contact any of our International Distributors, go here.