fleet that are facing obsolescence issues,” Contreras notes. The company creates modern solutions that extend the life of existing transit infrastructure while developing new converter technologies for nextgeneration fleets. Karina Doracio, President and Founder, emphasizes their unique market position: “We are a minorityowned, woman-owned business, and we comply with Buy America requirements, which is important for transit authorities.”This compliance gives AmePower a competitive edge when bidding on federallyfunded infrastructure projects, which increasingly require domestic manufacturing. Despite competing with industry giants like ABB, Alstom, and Siemens, AmePower has developed collaborative relationships with these larger firms. “In some cases, we work with competitors to maintain obsolete technology,” Contreras says.This cooperative approach demonstrates the value specialized expertise brings to the market, allowing AmePower to thrive in a highly technical sector traditionally dominated by multinational corporations. FROM TRAINS TO RENEWABLE ENERGY AND BEYOND While AmePower’s roots are firmly planted in railroad applications, its technology branches into numerous sectors where power conversion is essential. “The area where we work is really specific,” Contreras explains. “However, these converters aren’t only used for train traction, they’re applicable for any type of heavy machinery, military applications, solar farms, wind turbines, energy storage, even hydrogen production.” This versatility positions AmePower at the center of multiple growth markets. The global power electronics market is projected to reach $51.9 billion by 2027, driven largely by electrification trends across transportation and energy sectors. The company’s railroad expertise includes modernizing both passenger transit and freight applications. “We’re starting to work on hybrid conversions of diesel-electric freight locomotives,” Contreras notes.These massive engines traditionally use diesel generators to produce electricity for traction motors.“What we’ve been doing is offering those fleets the opportunity to convert diesel-electric trains into battery trains or use both diesel-electric and batteries together, and they are proving to be highly efficient – even surpassing industry standards by 49%.” Such hybrid conversions deliver substantial environmental and economic benefits.“We’ve been able to reduce emissions significantly, and for train operators, it creates massive savings because most of their cost is from diesel fuel,” Contreras adds. With 105 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 04 AMEPOWER
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