It is our pleasure and honour to welcome you to the second edition of our joint conference, which, since September 2015, has combined two conferences with a long history: Optimization of Electrical & Electronic Equipment (OPTIM) and Aegean Conference on Electrical Machines and Power Electronics (ACEMP). This edition is hosted by Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania, between 25th - 27th of May 2017. The conference is expected to be technically co-sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) through two of its societies: Industrial Electronics (IES) and Industrial Applications (IAS). 
We should be most grateful if you can support our coming edition of this joint biannual event, the 2017 OPTIM-ACEMP conference, with the aim of creating a strong, long-lasting and prestigious international conference in Eastern Europe. Our joint conference aims to be an enjoyable opportunity for all of us (and our teams) to meet every two years, together with other professionals and a range of well-selected prestigious keynote speakers, to communicate our professional achievements in an affordable forum, backed by strong international recognition of professional bodies of high reputation, while also having a good time and making or renewing our friendships.
Past editions were attended by world calibre personalities, as keynote address speakers and/or Honorary Chairmen, such as: Prof. Thomas Lipo (USA), Prof. Joachim Holtz (Germany), Prof. Dietrich Naunin (Germany), Prof. Dierk Schr�der (Germany), Prof. Robert Lorenz (USA), Prof. Michel Poloujadoff (France), Prof. Rik de Doncker (Germany), Prof. Fred C. Lee (USA), Prof. Hirofumi Akagi (Japan), Prof. Frede Blaabjerg (Denmark), Prof. Dushan Boroyevich (USA), Prof. Kay Hameyer (Germany), Prof. Marian Kazmierkowski (Poland), Prof. Ralph Kennel (Germany), Prof. Bogdan M. Wilamowski (USA), Prof. Andreas Steimel (Germany), Prof. Kouhei Ohnishi, (Japan), Prof. Eric Monmasson (France), Prof. Remus Teodorescu (Denmark), Dr. Philip Carne Kjaer (Vestas Wind Systems, Denmark), Dr. Dan Ionel (A.O. Smith Company, USA), Dr. Michael Merkle (Robert Bosch Automotive, Germany) and other representatives of major international companies 
The conference is being held at Cheile Gradistei Holiday Complex (www.cheilegradistei.ro), situated in the splendid and vibrant mountain village of Moieciu (altitude of 900m), 7 km from Bran ("Dracula's") Castle and 30 km from Brasov city. This offers amazing sceneries in Transylvania's countryside, along with excellent conference facilities. A special acknowledgement is due to the local organising committee as well as to Mr. Garbacea, manager of the Cheile Gradistei resort, for their work towards providing a great venue, conference facilities and support. 
We gratefully praise and acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the technical committee, including many officers and volunteers of the IEEE and the co-organising universities, as well as the invaluable contribution from the invited speakers, track chairs and reviewers, who all make this conference possible. We express our gratitude for their enthusiastic, hard and excellent work. Together with the sponsor and technical co-sponsors, they welcome you to the conference with wonderful surroundings, interesting menus and well equipped rooms, to complement an interesting and attractive technical program and six plenary invited presentations from prestigious speakers. On this edition they are:

• Prof. Jose Rodriguez, Univ. Andres Bello (Chile) - Predictive Control
• Dr. Mahesh Swamy, Yaskawa (USA) - Energy Efficient Drive Systems
• Prof. Shankar Madathil, Sheffield Univ. & Rolls Royce (UK) - Power Devices
• Prof. Wlodzimierz Koczara, Warsaw Univ. (PL) - converter controlled gen. systems
• Prof. Merlyne De Souza, Sheffield University (UK) - Circuit-Device Interactions in GaN
• Prof. Bucur Novac, Loughborough Univ. (UK) - Energy Perspectives (closing session)

The medium size and duration of the Conference has traditionally sparked lively discussions and led to new professional and friendly relationships. The attendance of many PhD students is another characteristic of our conference. The cultural program in the third day, with visits to carefully preserved medieval sites such Bran Castle and the cities of Brasov, Sibiu and Sighisoara, a dedicated Organon Concert in the world's famous Black Church of Brasov, together with mountain hiking trips, add educational enjoyment for participants and their spouses. All participants will be given transportation by Minibus (3.5 hours driving) from/to the Bucharest International Airport, which may be easily reached from anywhere in the world. We should also mention that all costs related to the Conference are moderate and represent very good value for money.
We are confident that you will enjoy the conference and venue, where you will meet old friends and colleagues, find new ones and attend many high-quality technical activities as well as very enjoyable social ones. All conference committees and volunteers have been working hard and will keep doing their best to make this conference a remarkable and unforgettable event. 
Finally, many thanks for reading this message. It is clear that the success of our conference rests on the enthusiastic support and participation of committed colleagues like you. 

We look forward to welcoming you to OPTIM-ACEMP in May 2017, in the beautiful mountains of Romania. Thanks with anticipation for supporting our joint conference.