It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Prof David Walters OBE, a longstanding friend and supporter of the AEMT. All those who had the pleasure of knowing him, both personally and professionally, will mourn his passing. The AEMT and the wider rotating machinery sector has lost a strong, valuable, and committed supporter of many years. In 2019, David was presented with our very own Lifetime Contribution Award in recognition of his tremendous work around energy efficiency and electric motor design. He was pivotal in many technical developments for both industry and for the association.
At the turn of the millennium, he was influential in developing the AEMT’s joint project with our American counterparts to publish the ‘AEMT/EASA Rewind Study’ and the ‘Good Practice Guide to Maintain Motor Efficiency,’ which now forms the backbone for the new international repair standard that all service centres should be working towards.
The study was important for determining that electric motors can be repaired or rewound without losing efficiency – and we are forever indebted to him for his hard work on the project.
The diligence and time he put into raising the profile of our industry was illuminated when, in 1997, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service to energy efficiency.
He authored several papers on the topic and was instrumental in the concept, design, and manufacture of the ‘World Series Motor’ for Brook Crompton, an extremely popular range of machines which had market-leading features, gained the ‘Queen’s Award for Industry,’ and can still be found installed in all four corners of the world!
David will be sadly missed by many in our sector, and our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
In his memory, the AEMT have made a donation towards the charitable work carried out by Marie Curie.
