Lack of motor management awareness costing UK industry dearly09 November 2010

Industrial automation giant ABB has launched a major campaign to improve motor management across the process industries.

Research by the company reveals that UK industry is failing to manage its motor inventory efficiently, so incurring millions of pounds of unnecessary downtime, repair and energy costs.

According to ABB's Steve Ruddell, its new scheme (dubbed MotorAdvantage) will help industrial users to uncover the true cost of running electric motors.

He explains that it involves a three stage approach that includes a site visit by a motor engineer who, after assessing the installed motor base of the plant, identifies up to five motor-driven applications offering the best potential for further analysis.

ABB can then assess the user's current policy in the event of a motor failure and its financial impact; identify improvements around policy and stockholding; and determine the energy use of the current installation.

"No one should be making inferior motors today," says Ruddell. "The technology and materials used by today's motors gives them an expected life span in excess of 20 years. They should be durable and highly reliable."

But he says that many repairers have motors less than five years old on their benches for rewind alongside older motors having had multiple rewinds. "It is analogous to the car industry. Today you rarely see a rusty car and very rarely see cars breaking down. Technology has improved the reliability and life span of cars and the same is true for low voltage motors," he explains.

Ruddell believes the reason for so many rewinds and premature failures is a lack of awareness among users of the value of a motor management plan. "It appears much easier when a motor fails to have someone collect it, rewind it and reinstall it. But what if this is a critical, continuous process application? Taking it off line could cost hundreds of pounds per hour," insists Ruddell.

With MotorAdvantage, he says, users will see the likely time to a motor failure and the impact on production. It also gives a realistic view of only having a repair policy, compared with a replacement policy.

The scheme also aims to show the value of holding critical spares and/or using a third party to hold replacement motors within close proximity to the site, to minimise inventory.

"MotorAdvantage aims to elevate motors from being a hidden asset, with an out of sight, out of mind maintenance approach, to an asset that can earn you real financial rewards immediately. Our job is to re-educate the market into the enormous savings that they could be making from this asset," says Ruddell.

Brian Tinham

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