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Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo Named in Trade Show Executive’s Top 100 List of Fastest Growing Shows of 2024
February 27, 2025 | IPCEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
IPC/WHMA and Baird Center announce that for the second consecutive year, Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo (EWPTE) has been recognized as a top 100 fastest growing show in the United States for net square footage and number of exhibiting companies by Trade Show Executive.
EWPTE, the cable and wire harness industry’s exclusive trade show, drew 213 exhibitors in 2024 (up from 185 in 2023) who showcased their products and services over 50,100 net square feet of show floor space (up from 43,400 in 2023). EWPTE 2024 grew by 15 percent in both number of exhibiting companies and net square footage of show floor space.
“EWPTE’s growth demonstrates its increasing value to the wire harness manufacturing industry,” said Alicia Balonek, IPC senior director of trade shows and events. “This recognition confirms the show’s status as a must-attend event for cable and wire harness industry professionals.”
“The long-awaited Baird Center modernization and expansion opened in May of 2024, which now brings our exposition hall to 300,000 contiguous square feet,” said Megan Seppmann, vice president of sales at the Wisconsin Center District. “Milwaukee and the region are an ideal hub of manufacturing innovation, and now the expanded Baird Center ensures that the programming and experience for EWPTE clients and guests will continue to expand. The growth of EWPTE in this area has only begun and we can’t wait to welcome everyone through our doors in May.”
EWPTE 2025, to be held May 6-8, 2025, in Milwaukee, Wis., will feature a show floor hosting the industry’s leading suppliers and product innovators, a range of professional development courses, and technical conference sessions presented by engineers, researchers, academics, technical experts, and industry leaders will provide new technical data and significant results from experiments and case studies and share new techniques and trends of interest.
Brian Schneider, an engineering manager for routed systems at Harley-Davidson Motor Company, will present this year’s keynote address, “Modern Technology Meets Legacy: Harley Davidson’s Wire Harness Integration,” on Wednesday, May 7. Schneider will provide insight into the technology advancements of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the impacts of wire harness construction, and how Harley-Davidson integrates advanced wire harness technology to meet modern customer demands while preserving the iconic look, sound, and feel that define the brand.
For more information, visit www.electricalwireshow.com.
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The Missing Connection: Wire Harness Quoting Joins the Digital Age
05/01/2026 | Joanne Harris, Tech-2marketingWalk the floor of a modern wire harness manufacturing facility, and the investment in technology is hard to miss. Automated wire cutting and stripping machines process thousands of cuts an hour with sub-millimeter precision. Computerized crimping presses deliver consistent, validated terminations that a hand tool never could. Laser wire markers, automated test benches, and vision-guided assembly stations represent hundreds of thousands of dollars of capital investment, all in service of building a better harness faster and more reliably than the competition.
Mexico’s Wire Harness Pivot Point
04/22/2026 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineMexico is a major producer of wire harnesses, but recent U.S. economic policies and Mexico’s domestic issues have had a ripple effect on the industry. Jesus Duarte, vice president of Mexico Assembly Wire Technology and president of Expo Wire Tech, explains the issue in greater depth and how the wire harness industry should respond on its own, rather than just reflect what Tier 1s are doing.
Breaking the Manual Quoting Bottleneck in Wire Harness
04/15/2026 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineArik Vrobel has spent more than 35 years in wire harness manufacturing—starting in EL-Com, his father's shop, building it into a nationally recognized contract manufacturer, and ultimately selling to Aptiv/Winchester in 2021. But retirement didn't last long. Within months, Arik was back, not as a manufacturer this time, but as a technologist. His new company, Cableteque, is building the quoting and data automation platform he always wished existed.
Wire Harness Taking a Step in the Right Direction
04/08/2026 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineTo fully understand the modernization of wire harness design and assembly, we met with members of the Innovation Advisory Team for the Wire Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA) to outline the current challenges facing wire harnesses and the specific steps to implement a digital data flow from OEM to manufacturer and back. In some ways, the wire harness industry is moving from 19th-century to 21st-century technology. But in the meantime, the real challenge isn’t building the harness—manufacturers are very good at that.
From Panels to Post-its
04/07/2026 | Lorena Villanueva, Global Electronics Association MexicoLast January, I attended the Global Leadership Summit of the Wire Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA) in Las Vegas, and there was a subtle shift in one of the events that everyone could feel. We still had the traditional conference rhythm: strong keynote, well-prepared panels, and smart people in the room. There were also, sometimes, some careful answers—useful, but not always candid. So, I was curious when WHMA introduced a new peer-to-peer format for one session.