How drives can unlock hidden value in your operations

Drives optimize and smooth out motor control and production processes. When exploring any investment in variable speed drives you have many factors to consider. But in the end your decision will likely come down to a simple question:

What added value and ROI (return on investment) will these new drives give your business?

To make a well-informed decision to get the best payback and ROI, it is essential to evaluate both the short-term capital expense as well as the long-term total cost of ownership. Our experience shows that there are four fundamental opportunities for drives to deliver value in processes. When you consider potential suppliers, it is important to challenge them to fully explain how these opportunities can best be utilized.

Opportunity 1: Boosting productivity

Squeezing ever more production out of existing capital assets is today something all industries face. Drives can play a key, cost-effective role in increasing your productivity at minimal investment. Optimized motor control boosts productivity by increasing process consistency and speeds, giving higher outputs and reduced production waste. Variable speed drives also allow flexibility to easily adjust speed and production volumes based on demand, helping increase your top-line while protecting profitability.

The true skills of a drives supplier are tested when they must explain exactly how they will raise your productivity. Challenge them to convince you they can do this for your specific process. Ask, as well, about key performance indicators and goals.

Opportunity 2: Maximizing availability

Uptime makes profits, and downtime kills them. Equipment chosen based on a low purchase price may end up being very expensive. Malfunctioning control equipment can shut down your process and production lines, quickly leading to both spiralling maintenance costs and lost sales revenue. Instead, you want peace of mind knowing that your processes are running smoothly, allowing you to proactively plan maintenance at times when you can afford downtime.

Of course all drive manufacturers will claim their drives are reliable: That’s a basic minimum standard. But how can you be sure the drive gives you the best possible uptime? You must look not only at a drive’s reliability but also its dependability over its life cycle. Challenge suppliers to prove you are selecting the right drive for the long term, meaning that they will support it for superior uptime over its entire lifecycle.

Opportunity 3: Reducing operating costs

Cost control to take costs out of operations is a number one priority for most managers today. You too are probably being pressed for more output with lower inputs. This is where variable speed drives add value by optimizing motor control consistently with process needs, avoiding waste in raw materials, energy and running costs. All drive manufacturers say their drives will save you money. But aside from the obvious energy reductions, what proof do they offer of further, deeper energy and raw material savings?

Likewise, many manufacturers say they have the highest-efficiency drive, which can control the highest-efficiency motor. But what about the combined drive and motor efficiency? Challenge them to discuss this, and prove how it will save you money in your specific plant and process.

Opportunity 4: Reducing maintenance costs

All is good when your process is running smoothly and efficiently. But when the unexpected happens, the cost of solving a problem can ruin an otherwise profitable operation. Having professional support nearby is critical whether you work locally or globally. Proactive maintenance may sometimes seem expensive and unnecessary, but it can save you from much higher hidden costs that come from otherwise unexpected events and their consequences.

You likely know how you want drive maintenance and services handled. It’s your choice and your future. To make the right decision, ask drive suppliers to take the guesswork out of the equation and explain in detail how they will keep your maintenance costs predictable and manageable over the entire life cycle.

Challenge us to convince you!

We know variable speed drives can unlock hidden value in your processes and operations. And we are confident our drives are the best solution to achieve that.

Want to challenge us on that? If so, contact us.

Tools

Line apparatus selection tool

for easy selection of options for your drive
DriveSize

for dimensioning drives and motors
EnergySave calculator

A user-friendly and interactive energy saving calculator
FanSave calculator

for comparing AC drive control against traditional flow control methods of fans
PumpSave calculator

for comparing AC drive control against throttling, on/off and hydraulic coupling control of pumps
Functional safety design tool

for performing functional safety modeling, design, calculations and verification for machine functional safety
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