What is quality? Quality is the ability of a product to do its job. No more, no less. Frequently, we don’t appreciate quality, even when it stares us in the face. But we notice it when it’s not there. A motor breakdown can cost €10,000 per hour in downtime costs if it happens in a papermill or another continuous process. It is in situations like those that you wish that quality had been a bit higher up in the order of priorities. What is the true cost of motors?
A 55 kW motor costs in the region of €3,000. If it’s a low quality motor, it will cost a bit less. In a continuous process, the high quality motor will use up its own cost in electricity during the first 30 days. The low quality motor will use a bit more. Having been built from lesser quality materials, it is less able to convert electricity to mechanical energy and will instead produce more heat. Not only does it cost you more to run, the heat will eventually start to break down the insulation materials inside the motor. In the end, you may have a motor failure, with the ensuing downtime costs as well as the costs for a new or rewound motor. Meanwhile, the high quality motor keeps on running……
What is the true cost of quality motors?
The purchase cost of a motor is only a very small part of its total lifecycle cost. By compromising on motor quality, other costs which are far greater may become many times higher than they need be. Because a very large part of the price of a motor goes towards materials, it is not possible to make significant cuts in cost without sacrificing quality.
ABB’s process performance motors use the best materials and manufacturing practices to minimise energy consumption and are designed to achieve a possible service life of up to 30 years.
If you want to find out how this is possible, or learn how to challenge your existing motor manufacturer, order your copy of the ABB Motor Quality Guide by emailing [email protected] quoting Voltimum in the subject line and stating your name, company, address and position, and we will dispatch your motor guide immediately.
If you would like to know more about our range of high quality, high efficiency motors and how ABB can help improve your motor reliability whilst lowering your costs, please contact John Conboy here in ABB on +353-1-4057345 and we’ll put you in contact with your local ABB approved Motor Service Partner (MSP)