Balancing safety, performance, efficiency and cost
UTILITY- FLEET-MANUFACTURER COLLABORATION
Driving Spec Modernization
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Balancing safety, performance, efficiency and cost
By Seth Skydel
The conversation began with the recognition that the utility industry is entering a period of unprecedented growth. Expanding energy infrastructure, increasing demand and new technologies are placing extraordinary expectations on the equipment fleets rely on every day. As a result, long-established practices and assumptions are being revisited.
At the 2026 EUFMC, that subject was explored in depth by two representatives of leading manufacturers. Moderated by Brian Johnson, fleet manager at Alabama Power Company and an EUFMC director, the discussion featured John Bistritz,
regional vice president of sales at Altec and Joe
John Bistritz, Altec
Telecom & Utility Construction | Fall 2026
Caywood, director of commercial operations at Terex Utilities.
Together, they examined how specifications have evolved, why
Joe Caywood, complexity continues to
Terex Utilities grow and how stronger collaboration can help utilities and manufacturers meet the demands of a rapidly changing industry.
Configured to order, this Terex Utilities articulated and telescopic material handling aerial device was built for a customer in the Great Lakes region.
Spectrum of Specifications
One of the central themes of the discussion was the extraordinary variation that exists across fleet specifications. Manufacturers continue to receive everything from simple specs to highly detailed requirements.
In some cases, specifications have been maintained and updated for decades, evolving through handwritten revisions and incremental changes. At the opposite end of the spectrum, fleets are beginning to use digital tools and artificial intelligence to analyze specifications and explore opportunities for improvement.
This broad range reflects differences in organizational size, history, resources and operating requirements. Some utilities maintain extensive engineering teams capable of creating detailed and comprehensive specifications. Others depend more heavily on manufacturer expertise and standard offerings. Between those extremes lies a wide range of approaches, each with its own strengths and challenges.
For manufacturers, the goal is not simply to build what is written in a specification, but to understand what the customer is trying to accomplish operationally and from a safety perspective. By focusing on the underlying objectives rather than individual requirements alone, manufacturers can often identify opportunities to simplify designs, reduce complexity and improve overall efficiency.
Complexity Accumulates A recurring theme throughout