What does it take to lead a global authority on engineering safety? For over a decade, AMC’s own Michael Nicholls hasn’t just been ensuring our Servo Drives meet compliance; he’s been at the helm of the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society (PSES), shaping the standards that the entire electronics industry lives by. From partnering with Purdue University to navigating the "Wild West" of AI regulation, Mike’s global influence has ensured that AMC remains at the absolute cutting edge of reliability.
Michael Nicholls: Shaping the Future of Global Engineering
While Mike Nicholls is a familiar face in the AMC halls, his professional footprint extends across the globe.
As a Senior and Life Member of the IEEE and the Past President of the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society (2022–2023), Mike has spent the last several years representing the interests of safety engineers on a massive scale.
Defining the Standards for the Future
In the world of high-performance motion control, "compliance" is often a moving target. Mike’s leadership at the IEEE level gave AMC a front-row seat to the evolution of these rules. During his tenure, he navigated the transition of global safety standards, ensuring that US (UL), Canadian (CSA), and European (CE) requirements were harmonized—a massive win for OEMs looking to sell products internationally without redundant testing.
"Being President is a five-year journey," Mike explains. "From President-Elect to Past President, you are deeply involved in how the industry discusses things like the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the emerging, often scary, world of AI regulation."
Bridging the Academic Gap: The Purdue Partnership
One of Mike’s proudest global achievements wasn't a piece of hardware, but a bridge to the next generation. Recognizing that most engineering universities lack a dedicated curriculum for EMI and safety compliance, Mike spearheaded a multi-year effort to change that.
Working through the IEEE, Mike helped launch a pivotal partnership with Purdue University. This online product safety course allows engineering students to earn credit while learning the rigors of compliance—ensuring that the "silent" art of safety engineering doesn't disappear when the current generation retires.
The AMC Advantage: Global Authority in Every Drive
For AMC customers, Mike’s IEEE status is more than just a title; it’s a guarantee of foresight. Because Mike helped lead the societies that discuss upcoming regulations like Cyber Resilience years before they take effect, AMC has been able to "bake in" these protections early.
Whether it's ensuring that EtherCAT drives are secure from outside interference or managing complex over-voltage categories for medical and defense applications, Mike’s global perspective has transformed compliance from a hurdle into a competitive advantage.
A Career Built on Precision
Whether he is judging the perfect sound stage at a Car Audio World Final or voting on IEEE policy, Mike’s career has been defined by a singular focus: How do we make this better, safer, and more reliable?
As Mike prepares for retirement, he leaves AMC with a legacy that isn't just measured in the thousands of drives shipped, but in the global standards he helped establish and the students he helped inspire.
That said, we will miss having him as our bowling team captain in the Ventura Corporate Games.
