Don’t neglect to prepare and plan before ordering new CNC machines, 3D printers, and the like
By Bill O’Leary, EA Contributing Writer
Safety & Health
22 Preparing for health crises
Having the right procedures in place is crucial for any company’s plan to deal with medical emergencies
By Bill O’Leary, EA Contributing Writer
EA Reader Profile
24 Poles apart
How Michael Mitten journeyed from the Durham Coalfield to both ends of the Earth
By
Colin Gregory-Moores, EA Contributing Writer
Electric Avenue
27 EV initiatives on a global scale
How the strengths in aspects of electric vehicle development vary by nation
By
Maura Keller, EA Contributing Writer
Conventions & Trade Shows
30 Revving up for the Battery Show
What visitors can expect to see at October’s big event in Detroit
Photos by Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
Service & Sales Companies
31 Sails set for the future
Steady hands on the tiller at Kräutler Elektromotoren are guiding boat operators toward sustainability
By Colin Gregory-Moores, EA
Contributing Writer
Motors & Generators
37 NEMA adds new Design BE and CE motors
Responding to demand from users and regulators, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association has created two new motor classifications
By John Malinowski, EA Contributing Editor
Finance & The Workplace
41 Will the deal work?
How to model an internal rate of return before proceeding with plans for a business acquisition
By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor
Training & Education
47 ITAC-Toe
The U.S. Dept. of Energy’s supply chain office selects 21 new projects for training centers
By Charlie Barks, EA
Managing Editor
Pump It Up
48 A snapshot of the European pump market
A demand for higher efficiency and greater sustainability is driving vibrant growth
By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor
Energy
50 Global nuke news
What in the world is going on with nuclear energy? A look at policies and trends.
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
COVER PHOTO: By Kräutler Elektromotoren. A boat
photo by Kevin Jones
The Editor’s Comment
Around the world in 56 pages
Coming next month in Electrical Apparatus:
A visit to Wescom of Duluth; IMTS show report; wire, cable, insulation, and temperature; the Supreme Court and OSHA; complying with payroll rules
Last year, the October issue of Electrical Apparatus led o by summarizing globalization and its impact on the industrial status quo. In October 2024, this remains equally relevant but now takes a back seat to sprawling international crises. The world is grappling with two major wars. The U.S. is approaching yet another fractious election with potentially massive consequences. Supply chains, markets, and trade all feel threatened and unpredictable.
Which beckons the old adage: Control what you can control. Community colleges and technical schools still attract government grants, as you’ll see in this month’s “Training & education” column (page 47). This is where your business can nd the next generation of workers.
As Bill O’Leary says in this month’s “Electrical Manager” (page 20), “Spring ain’t the only time for cleaning.” Managers are often tasked with replacing old machinery with updated models or adding entirely new technology to their facilities, and this is typically one of the more expensive decisions they have to make. The xed, up-front costs for these assets are, shall we say, “sizable.” And proper selection, installation, and maintenance can prolong the life of those assets and make the hole you burned in your pocket a little less painful. So what are the best practices for adding large, complex, and productive resources such as 3D printers, CNC milling machines, injection molding machines, and industrial laser cutters?
Electrical Apparatus
17 N. State St., Suite 435 Chicago, Illinois 60602-3598
(312) 321-9440; fax (866) 228-7274
E-mail: EAMagazine@barks.com www.barks.com
Founded 1948 as Volt/Age
Horace B. Barks, Founding Publisher
Elsie Dickson, Founding Publisher
STAFF
Elizabeth Van Ness, Publisher
Kevin N. Jones, Senior Editor
Charlie Barks, Managing Editor
Contributing Editors
William H. Wiersema John Malinowski
Special Correspondents
Jane Powell Campbell
Christopher Wachter
Cartoonists
John D’Acunto Tim Oliphant
ElectroMechanical Bench Reference
Supplement mailed with the December issue
Elizabeth Van Ness, Editor & Publisher
ADVERTISING
Barbara Wachter, Advertising Director
CIRCULATION
Circulation@barks.com
Read Electrical Apparatus online
The entire contents of this issue are available online. Scan the QR code below:
Also in this edition: Recent advancements in EV technology (“EV initiatives on a global scale,” by EA Contributing Writer Maura Keller, page 27). With ongoing e orts, consumers, governments, and companies are vetting alternative technology and determining its use and viability. And as vehicle manufacturers make statements concerning how soon they will be eliminating internal combustion engine technology and embracing EV technology, countries across the globe are initiating incentives and programs to get more consumers on board.
Or enter the URL directly: https://bit.ly/oct 24wide
See page 54 for links to upcoming issues that you can bookmark.
Our October cover story, By EA Contributing Writer Colin Gregory-Moores (“Sails set for the future,” page 31) is the de nition of international. Colin has lived in multiple countries abroad, including Austria, the U.K., and even Russia. He brings us a look at Kräutler Elektromotoren (Electric Motors), an Austrian company that prides itself in its “handshakequality” service and the quality of its environmentally friendly customized motors and drives. As a family-run business, it values customer relations and a familial work environment, in which everyone is motivated to contribute. Finally, its size a ords a great deal of exibility and speed regarding production and the integration of new ideas, with the aim of providing long-lasting product satisfaction for customers. Sound familiar? Di erent time zone, same philosophy.
Electrical Apparatus (ISSN 0190-1370), Vol. 77, No. 10, is published monthly by Barks Publications, Inc., 17 N. State St., Chicago, Ill. 60602; (312) 321-9440; fax (866) 2287274. www.barks.com. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, Ill., and at additional mailing o ces. Postmaster: Send address changes to Electrical Apparatus, c/o Barks Publications, Inc., 17 N. State St., Suite 435, Chicago, Ill. 60602. PM #40830553. U.S. subscriptions: 2 years—$100; 1 year— $60. Foreign airmail: 2 years—$250; 1 year—$140. Subscriptions also include an annual directory supplement, the ElectroMechanical Bench Reference. Single copies: $11 each plus postage; December issue, $30 with the supplement ElectroMechanical Bench Reference.
Copyright 2024 Barks Publications, Inc.
Reproduction of any part, by any means, including photocopy machines and computer networks, without the written permission of Barks Publications, Inc., is prohibited. Electrical Apparatus and ElectroMechanical Bench Reference are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent O ce.
Copies of articles in print or PDF format may be ordered from our Marketing Department (312) 321-9440. Prices available on request. Libraries and companies registered with Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, Mass. 01923, should send 75¢ per page copied direct to CCC.
Material also available in microform and CD-ROM from Pro Quest information service, (800) 521-0600 ext. 2888 (US) or 01734-761-4700 (International); https://www. proquest.com/.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Sustainability and electrification figured in recent financial reports
The world’s major electrical manufacturers recently wrapped up earnings season by issuing quarterly or, in some cases, interim financial reports, and two words that came up frequently in the documents they released were electrification and sustainability, perhaps providing clues to where the industry’s priorities currently lie.
The word sustainability, in this context, refers to a manufacturer’s determination to use natural resources while having as little impact on the environment as possible. Electrification, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, refers to the process of converting energy-using devices, systems, or sectors from non-electric sources of energy, such as hydrocarbon-based fuels, to electricity.
Swiss industrial giant ABB, which says it’s making itself “a sustainably well-running company,” reported in July that operational EBITA margin reached an alltime high of 19%. ABB’s CEO, Björn Rosengren, stated up front that the company achieved “good cash flow” during the recently concluded quarter. Drawing attention first to cash flow sometimes signifies that the hard financial data that follows may not be something a company cares to emphasize. And indeed, ABB’s orders for the quarter, at $8.4 billion, were down 3% from the prior quarter, while revenues, at $8.2 billion, were virtually unchanged, up 1%. Strong order growth was reported, however, for both the electrification and process automation business areas. This growth, ABB said, was offset by weakness elsewhere, primarily in the discrete automation-related Machine Automation Division and in the company’s E-mobility business. (Since the release of ABB’s most recent earnings report, the company has sold several of its service centers to Integrated Power Services; see “Direct & current,” page 56.)
At Siemens AG, “We grew profitably in the third quarter, continuing to benefit from the high demand in electrification,” said Roland Busch, president and chief executive officer. Third-quarter revenue rose 4% on an actual basis, to €18.9 billion, compared with the same quarter the year before, but comparable orders came in 15% lower. One growth driver that stood out was the company’s strong industrial software business, but the automation business, Busch said, “remains challenging.” In its Smart Infrastructure business segment, Siemens saw 11% growth on an actual basis compared with the same quarter the prior year. This growth came from all businesses but “most notably the electrification and the buildings businesses,” Siemens said.
Japanese motor manufacturer Nidec Corp., meanwhile, saw a 14% increase in net sales during the quarter ended June 30 over the same quarter the year before. “Advanced electrification for autonomous driving” figured in the company’s strategy to shift focus in response to changing market dynamics. “We are accelerating our shift to a highly profitable business portfolio, including the vertical startup of a mass-production system of water-cooling module in response to demand for water-cooling systems for AI servers, which is expanding rapidly in line with the rush to construct AI data centers,” the company said. At the same time, Nidec is
responding to a slowdown in the market for batteries for electric vehicles and “fierce price competition” in that sector. In spite of increased overall sales, the company reported an 8.7% decline in profit before income taxes compared with the same quarter the year before, to 78.6 billion yen, while comprehensive income for the period declined 12.8%.
In reporting notably higher net operating revenue for the second quarter of its current fiscal year, global motor manufacturer WEG Electric Corp. said, “We believe that our solid industrial strategy, product diversification, and global presence allow us to take advantage of opportunities in various markets where we operate, especially those related to electrification and electrical infrastructure.” Net operating revenue for the quarter was 9.3 billion Brazilian reals, or about $1.7 billion U.S. In Brazil, WEG saw revenue growth boosted in the power generation, transmission, and distribution area, while externally there was a “continued good volume of deliveries” in the transmission-and-distribution business in North America, particularly in the U.S. “We remind you,” WEG said, “that from May this quarter, we have begun consolidating the industrial motors and generators businesses of the Marathon, Rotor, and Cemp brands, acquired from Regal Rexnord, in the Industrial Electro-Electronic Equipment and Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution areas.”
Last but not least, French electrical manufacturer Schneider Electric Corp. was named No. 1 among the “world’s most sustainable companies of 2024” by Time magazine, and Schneider has made the most of the honor. (Other electrical manufacturers that made it into the Top 100 were Siemens AG, which came in at No. 11, and ABB, which was No. 51.) Schneider Electric’s top ranking is the first thing mentioned in the company’s halfyear 2024 results, released at the end of July, even before reference to a 7% growth in organic revenues — “a record for any quarter” — which included a 10% growth in revenue in the company’s energy management business. However, there was wide variation, regionally, in the company’s growth in organic revenues: up 13.3% in North America, up 3.8% in the Asia Pacific region, and down 1.2% in Western Europe. Among Schneider Electric’s “second-quarter sustainability highlights” was the launch of Villaya Flex, a self-contained clean-power system for rural electrification and off-grid uses. — Kevin Jones EA
— Illustration by Bing generative AI
Let’s Solve Your Problem
Should winding joints be brazed or soldered?
Please comment on soldering versus brazing for coil and lead connections in form-wound stators and rotors. Some users favor brazing, and some manufacturers do a lot of it, but with large, heavy connections it’s hard to avoid insulation damage with such high heat. What are the concerns?
Most soft solders (tin, lead, and antimony compositions) melt at temperatures in the range of 300°F to 400°F. Brazing alloys melt at 1100°F to 1500°F. This is not important in windings of operating machines, because either temperature range exceeds insulation capability. So the two concerns are electrical resistance and mechanical strength within the joint. Both favor brazing over soldering.
The more severe the stresses and the higher the joint current density, the less suitable the solder will be. However, in most applications, provided the joint area is sufficient and the process properly controlled, either method is acceptable.
Today, most manufacturers of industrial motors utilize brazing rather than soldering.
Test temperature specified to find losses
It seems that a number of independent testing labs test motors hot, using some procedure to simulate expected running conditions after the motor has run under load for several hours until the temperature stabilizes. Motor manufacturers, however, generally test motors cold for the sake of expediency and, I think, because cold data tends to be higher than hot data.
Is there some rule of thumb to convert cold data to hot data, and is there any
proposed standard to define how data is to be taken? It seems that this is needed to ensure consistency of data among manufacturers and to help users better evaluate their expected savings.
The test standard NEMA specifies for determining the performance of any polyphase induction motor is IEEE 112 or CSA 390. These standards give the specific reference temperatures that are “to be used for determining I2R losses at all loads.” For Class B insulated motors, for example, that reference temperature is 95°C. (If actual motor temperature at rated load is measured, then that is the temperature to be used instead.)
Whether the testing is done by a motor manufacturer or by an independent laboratory makes no difference. The procedure must be the same.
The “hot testing” procedure you describe is of little value and is not part of the industry standard, because it would apply at only one load point. A “heat run” at each of the normal six values of load could be performed, of course, but that is not part of industry standards either. Use of the single reference temperature for all loads provides the desired consistency.
Do shunt field turns really matter?
I have a question regarding the winding of d-c motor shunt fields.
Suppose a shunt field has 1,000 turns of one #20 wire with a current of 10 amps. This would be 10,000 ampere turns. If I doubled the turns to 2,000, my current would be five amps (no change in voltage). This also would be 10,000 ampere turns, but the kW would be cut in half.
Does it matter whether a shunt field has the same number of turns as the original? Don’t you still maintain the same ampere turns regardless of whether the
shunt field has more or fewer turns than the original? Wouldn’t the only change be a higher current with fewer turns and a larger coil with more turns?
This type of change is not as simple as it seems. If you could use the same size wire, the mean turn length for 2,000 turns — and therefore the total resistance — becomes significantly greater than for 1,000 turns. In a d-c circuit, for a given applied voltage, current varies only with resistance. So you would get something less than half the original current and fewer ampere turns than before.
Usually, however, to fit the same winding space, conductor size would need to be cut in half to double the turns. Mean turn length doesn’t change, but resistance becomes four times as great as before. Current is reduced 75%, and ampere turns are cut in half.
Why do generators need winding bracing?
We’ve been asked to rewind and upgrade several old form-wound alternators using Class F insulation. The existing end turns include several sets of arch binding spacers with rope ties, plus surge rings.
Why would so much support be needed since there’s no inrush current as in a motor?
Although generator windings aren’t subjected to high starting current, they must be braced to withstand the forces associated with short-circuit current when a fault occurs on the connected electrical system. This can require even more support than would be needed in a motor. Since shortcircuit effects can be determined only by the generator designer, you’ll need to use at least as much support in the new winding as is present in the existing one. — Edited by the EA staff EA
Associations
International standards for explosive atmospheres
The global market for industrial electric machines is big and getting bigger. According to Exactitude Marketing, the global electrical equipment market was estimated to be $1.3 trillion in 2020 and is projected to reach $3.3 trillion by 2029.
Some of this equipment operates in hazardous areas where there’s a risk of igniting explosive materials, so coordinating safety standards internationally is a critical mission.
This enormous task is managed through the IECEx System, an international certification plan — in British English they call it a “scheme,” a word that rings pejorative in the U.S. — that ensures equipment and services used in explosive atmospheres comply with standards of the Genevabased International Electrotechnical Commission, or IEC. The system facilitates global trade by providing a unified certification process, which reduces the need for multiple national certifications.
The IEC defines explosive atmosphere much as the National Electrical Manufacturers Association in the U.S. does: as an environment in which a mixture of
dangerous substances in the form of gas, vapor, mist, or dust with air under atmospheric conditions can ignite and spread combustion to the entire unburned mixture. Explosion protection is particularly important in such industries as coal mining, oil and gas, and chemical manufacturing.
The broader purpose of the IECEx System is to facilitate international trade while maintaining required levels of safety. It achieves this dual task by reducing testing and certification costs for manu-
facturers, shortening the time of products to market, and providing an international confidence-assessment process. The IECEx System also includes a centralized international database that lists certified Ex equipment, components, personnel, and facilities.
The IECEx System is widely regarded as beneficial to both manufacturers and regulators. For manufacturers, it eliminates or significantly reduces the costs associated with testing and certification and shortens the time to market. For regulators, it ensures comprehensive and independent third-party testing of Ex equipment, assemblies, and repair services using IECEx-approved Ex Certification Bodies and testing laboratories.
And let’s not overlook users. The centralized IECEx Online Certification System database mentioned above is designed to be fully transparent and is available to the public.
The system — it’s still difficult for this Yank to call it a “scheme” — also provides an international forum and expert technical groups that review testing requirements and apply these requirements consistently across industries around the world. More than 35 member countries participate in the Ex Management Committee and in the development and updating of the IECEx System.
Through something called the conformity assessment process, approved IECEx certifying bodies test Ex equipment to applicable IEC standards. Manufacturers that produce Ex equipment are periodically audited to ensure that they have quality management systems to replicate test samples during production. This process is referred to as the Quality Assessment Report. The final step of certification is to issue the manufacturer an IECEx Certificate of Conformity, which includes summary reports from laboratory tests.
Of course, the safety of industrial facilities depends on the competence of the people working in them. The IECEx PCCScheme offers the evaluation and certification of the competence of individuals working in hazardous locations, and certificates of competence provide independent evidence of individual knowledge and skills, which helps employers choose the right people when filling job roles.
So, how does the IECEx System mesh with the quality-conformance bodies of individual countries, particularly those in the U.S.?
In this country, Underwriters Laboratories of Northbrook, Ill., works closely with the IEC to deploy international safety
— Illustration by Bing generative AI
Underwriters Laboratories acts
as
an IECEx certification body, which means it conducts the rigorous testing and certification of equipment that the IEC prescribes
standards. UL acts as an IECEx certi cation body, which means it conducts the testing and certi cation of equipment that the IEC prescribes.
The process begins with UL assessing and auditing a manufacturer’s premises to verify that the manufacturer meets safety and quality standards. This includes evaluating the manufacturer’s quality management systems to ensure that the manufacturer can consistently produce equipment that meets IECEx requirements. Once the initial assessment is complete, UL conducts periodic surveillance audits to ensure continuous compliance.
UL is authorized to issue IECEx Certicates of Conformity, or CoCs, to manufacturers whose equipment meets IEC standards. These certi cates — publicly accessible through the IECEx online certi cate system — provide transparency and allow stakeholders to verify the certi cation status of equipment. This helps streamline the certi cation process, reducing costs and facilitating international trade.
LASER FOCUS !
AKARD COMMUTATOR of TENNESSEE has been a woman-owned business (since 1998) with Donna Akard’s majority ownership. That aspect of ACT will continue into the future as well via “CEO-in-training” Camron Nipper (Mike & Donna Akard’s granddaughter).
This isn’t a one-way street. Underwriters Laboratories also participates in the development of IEC standards by contributing to technical committees and working groups. The purpose of this involvement is to ensure that standards remain relevant and up to date with the latest technological advancements and industry practices, no matter which country they come from.
By working with the IEC in this way, UL helps harmonize U.S. standards with international standards, promoting the safety and reliability of industrial electrical equipment in sync with the numerous other similarly empowered IECEx certi cation bodies around the world. — Kevin Jones EA
has ALWAYS been an Equal Opportunity Employer while never taking the FOCUS off assembling a championship winning team of the absolute most qualified craftsmen/ craftswomen when it comes to knowledge and experience.
EVER be any other
QUALITY and the depend on being COMPLIANT!
The extreme push for “DEI hiring practices” is irrelevant when its YOUR REPUTATION and bottom line that’s at stake. YOU can ALWAYS count on
Designing & manufacturing
THE VERY BEST
ACTually CERTIFIED COMPLIANT! TM commutators & slip rings, with World’s FASTEST Service! TM through ALWAYS being OPEN around-the-clock, 24 Hours-a-day, 365 Days-a-year (times when ALL OTHERS CLOSE and knowing that CLOSED FACTORIES DON’T PRODUCE!) ALWAYS has been & ALWAYS will be ’s ONLY FOCUS!
’s women-owned business to continue to prioritize work related job skills, product knowledge, technical aptitude, understanding of physical science involved, and a solid commitment to continuous improvement in both quality & efficiency above all other aspects when considering potential employees. ’s professionally oriented hiring practices will never put YOUR REPUTATION at risk resulting from NONCOMPLIANT products adversely effecting reliability/longevity!
NOTHING ... anywhere... COMPARES to the unique real world advantages from FOCUS on RAISING THE BAR 24-7-365! ™
Since October 1993!
Donna & Mike Akard and Camron Nipper
Know Your Industry
NETA stands for safety and reliability
InterNational Electrical Testing Association
Founded: 1972
Headquarters: 3050 Old Centre Road, Suite 101, Portage, Mich. 49024
Annual dues: Not disclosed
Phone: (888) 300-6382
Website: www.netaworld.org
Reading instruction manuals is not usually highlighted as a fun pastime but more of a necessity. Putting together new furniture or testing a new tool are top reasons to pick up an instruction manual, but how often are the letters ANSI thought about when browsing the manual?
While probably not a high priority to consider when the shelving unit topples over or the new tool won’t turn on, ANSI stands for the American National Standards Institute, which was founded in 1918 by a collection of industrial organizations. Originally called the American Engineering Standards Committee, ANSI had a sta of two people in its early years, and the rst standard it developed was for screw-threading sizes on pipes.
Over time, ANSI modernized U.S. industry by creating a standards system to ensure consumer safety. The organization went through a couple of name changes and restructurings until the 1970s, when ANSI was o cially adopted. ANSI led the way as the standards
An electrical technician uses a digital multimeter to check a circuit breaker. Promoting best practices in electrical testing is the mission of the InterNational Electrical Testing Association. — Eakrin Rasadonyindee / Shutterstock photo
framework for organizations, such as the InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA), that actually develop standards.
NETA was founded to support the increased use and demand for electricity in the 1960s. More power lines meant more potential for products using electricity and common use across the nation. By the 1970s, it was acknowledged that supervision was needed to ensure quality testing, safety, and reliability. Thus, nine companies joined forces and NETA was formed, though it had yet to add Inter to its name. “The name was updated [in 1983] to re ect our members’ international geographical service areas,” said Jill Howell, NETA director of sales and marketing, noting that “the N in InterNational is always capitalized so as to connect with the acronym, NETA.” The focus on electrical testing led to the creation of the NETA Electrical Testing Technician Certi cation program, which is a core part of the organization’s mission to support the electrical technicians along with the development of standards.
Please turn to page 12
ADX
Static Motor Analyzer
The ADX offers a full range of manual, semiautomatic, and fully automatic tests to meet your motor testing needs. The software’s flexible structure accommodates your organization’s approach to data collection—focus data based on motor, customer, or job number.
Cloud-based data management via PowerDB Dashboard frees up the tester from reporting and data management functions—maximizing tester time in your operators’ hands.
Removable test leads eliminate the need to return the tester for lead-based repairs.
The Baker ADX—keep the tester testing!
There are a few ways for those interested in NETA to become involved. The rst option is to become a NETA-Accredited Company (NAC), where a qualifying company — a third-party, independent company without bias or connection to a speci c brand — goes through a rigorous program that accredits the company and certi es individual technicians associated with the company going through the process.
The second option is joining one of the four alliance programs. Designated for “professionals and organizations that align themselves with the association’s commitment to leadership, safety, and quality,” the Alliance programs include exclusive bene ts and opportunities for members.
The third way to become involved with NETA is through volunteering, which o ers individuals the chance to share their expertise and interest after they have completed the volunteer application.
“All NETA members are NETA-Accredited Companies,” explains Howell. Once a company is accredited and has achieved the qualifying number of NETA-certi ed technicians, it becomes a full NETA accredited member. Membership includes a variety of bene ts, such as discounts on standards and industry publications, networking, prospective client leads, involvement in standards development, and more.
Promotional opportunities are another component of member bene ts. They include such things as chances for NACs to keep their name in front of the industry. Currently, the international interest and services of NACs go beyond the geographical service to include fully accredited members from Australia and the Middle East. “These are fully accredited, stand-alone companies based internationally and serving international markets,” notes Bryant Phillips, NETA executive director.
The organization o ers nonmembers the opportunity to be involved through its Alliance Partnership Program, which consists of four partner
als, the International Alliance Program for international companies, the Industry Alliance Program for related industries that support the electrical testing eld, and the Corporate Alliance Partner Program, which is invitationonly to work with NETA. Each alliance program has bene ts for the partners that are distinct from each other. A few examples are technical resources, access to downloads of ANSI/NETA standards, and various discounts.
While NETA publishes a technical journal, NETA World, and hosts multiple conferences and webinars each year, one of its newest ventures is the Quali ed Electrical Equipment Maintenance Contractor and Worker Program (QEMC and QEMW). The quali cation program was created in response to ANSI-approved NFPA 70B Standard, “making proper electrical equipment maintenance mandatory and enforceable,” according to NETA. It was o cially launched in February of this year and includes an application and vetting process. The QEMW also requires an exam for qualifying applicants.
When everything is working properly and the power hasn’t gone out, the structures behind electrical systems might not be daily thoughts, but the standards developed by NETA are fundamental in the long-term goal of reliability and safety. Executive director Bryant Phillips sums it best when he explains, “NETA standards bring a recognized, respected, and proven foundation to the proper execution of this critical and complex work, and it’s getting increased global attention.”
Kristine Weller EA
If a breakdown happens out of business hours, you can rely on Bartlett Bearing Company, Inc. to provide 24/7 bearing support with seven fully stocked locations, unbeatable customer service, and an experienced, knowledgeable team. Our competitive pricing and 24/7/365 availability mean we are dedicated to being your go-to bearing distributor.
Speaking Of . . .
Politics complicate U.S. Steel sale to Nippon
The planned sale of U.S. Steel is facing headwinds and complications by the day. On Aug. 31, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States told Nippon Steel in a letter that the proposed $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel would pose a national security risk by hurting the U.S. steel industry.
Employees of United States Steel Corp. hosted a rally Sept. 4 at the U.S. Steel Tower in Pittsburgh in support of the Nippon Steel transaction. The gathering was “about displaying support for the transaction with Nippon Steel,” said U.S. Steel president and chief executive officer David B. Burritt. “We want elected leaders and other key decision makers to recognize the benefits of the deal as well as the unavoidable consequences if the deal fails.”
A 2023 economic impact study shows that U.S. Steel’s operations in Pennsylvania generated $3.6 billion in total economic impact, supported and sustained 11,417 jobs through its operations and purchases from the local supply chain, and generated $138.2 million in state and local taxes as a result of operations and capital spending. Here’s a brief timeline of events, as summarized by U.S. Steel:
> Dec. 18, 2023: Nippon Steel announced that it would acquire U.S. Steel and that together the companies would create “the best steel maker with world-leading capabilities.”
> April 12, 2024: U.S. Steel stockholders approved the transaction. More than 98% of the shares that were voted at a special meeting voted in favor of the transaction.
> May 30, 2024: Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel announced that they had received all regulatory approvals outside of the U.S. related to the proposed transaction. — Charlie Barks EA
> DC Commutators
•Largest drawing/specification database of various OEM’s
•Reverse Engineering capabilities
•True (OEM & Government approved) spin-seasoning capabilities
•New & Refilled. Various types. Up to 12 feet riser diameter
> Low, Medium and High Voltage Slip Ring Assemblies and components
> AC Rotors and rotor components
•Bars and Rings - Copper and Brass Alloys
> Copper and Brass Extrusions, Forgings, and Castings
•Amortisseur Bars, Coils, Blowout Coils, Commutator Bars, Cu Contacts
An electric arc furnace at the U.S. Steel Big River Steel Works in Osceola, Ark..
– U.S. Steel photo
Founded in 1973, by Bob Ross, Jasper Electric has provided quality motor and rotor repair by being on the cutting edge of technology and using high-quality materials, such as Ml 9 electrical steel. Handling large and small motors alike, we are the future. We have almost every tool needed to repair or rebuild your rotor and stator. Most motors we repair will run as efficiently if not better than when they were new from factory. Our personnel allow us to work smoothly while giving our customers a peace of mind.
JASPER ELECTRIC MOTORS INC.
Core Loss & 15' VPI
, 300 KVA 20 HP to 10,000 HP
• Computer printout sent with eidl .klb
, Water stripping for fmn v.ound stators
, Full rewindwith 15ftVPI available
, 1 HP to 10,000 HP
• Infrared hot spot check on each job
• Quality core loss report with each job
, Loop testing for 10,000 HP+ stator cores
Motor Load Testing
Load test up to 1500 HP A(. 925 HP
• On-site quotes and repairs
Pole pieces (laser cut)
Any size or thickness , Voltage test up to 7200 volts A(, 600 volts DC
, Run test as long as necessary, 7500 HP
, Government and utility approved
• Synchronous motor testing
, Computer print-out with efficiency rating
•Emergency pick-ups
, Emergency deliveries
, Segment or whole
• Estimate over the phone
• Stacked in your housing, spider/shaft or shipped loose
New Rotors
• All copper alloys to match conductivity
, Normal turnaround 15-24 Days
• In house aluminum and copper extrusion
, R.O.T.
Plant Happenings
Mueller, Mueller
Paul Mueller Co. broke ground in August on a new, 100,000-plus-square-foot building at its headquarters in Spring eld, Mo., investing $22 million and creating 133 new jobs. This rst phase of the company’s expansion includes the establishment of a new facility that will increase its capacity for the assembly of large production modules with applications in the food processing industry and more. Designed with energy e ciency in mind, the new facility will also include “enhanced amenities to ensure employee comfort in addition to advanced training opportunities that reinforce the company’s commitment to excellence in manufacturing.”
Arch-energies
In late August, Archaea Energy, a subsidiary of BP, celebrated the opening of its new renewable natural gas plant next to a Bethlehem, Pa., land ll. The plant is the rst of its kind in Pennsylvania, according to a press release from the company. Archaea operates 50 sites in 32 states, with six new plants started so far in 2024. According to Archaea, its partnerships with land ll and farm owners allow the company to capture methane from waste, also known as biogas, and use it to produce renewable natural gas. Sources of biogas that can be utilized include land lls, animal manure, and separated organic waste. This can be used in existing infrastructure as a low-carbon energy source. By processing the Hellertown plant’s full capability of 3,500 cubic feet of land ll gas per minute, Archaea says it can heat more than 14,000 homes every year.
Rising to new (Marye’s) heights
The U.S. Department of Veterans A airs has announced the opening of its Fredericksburg, Va., Health Care Center. The new 470,000-square-foot facility will replace three existing, smaller Fredericksburg-area clinics and provide veterans of the area with health care services. While this is not, by definition, a hospital, it will house many of the same outpatient services o ered at the main hospital in Richmond, Va. Primary services at the new facility include laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, primary care, mental health, and substance abuse disorder.
Tractor trailer
TYM North America, the Korean tractor maker with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, has announced the grand opening and expansion of its new 90,000-square-foot parts and distribution center in Bloomsburg, Pa. The new facility is aimed at “streamlining operations, improving inventory management, and expediting delivery times to meet the increasing demands of dealers and customers,” according to the company, which added, “The new facility is set to bolster TYM’s capacity to distribute high-quality tractor equipment more e ciently, ensuring that dealers have the resources they need to grow their businesses and serve their communities e ectively.” — Charlie Barks EA
Update your calendar with these upcoming trade shows, conferences, and other events.
• October 7-10, 2024 — The Battery Show North America, Huntington Place, Detroit, Mich. The Battery Show, www.the batteryshow.com/en/home.html.
• October 9-11, 2024 — IFMA World Workplace 2024, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, Tex. International Facility Management Association, https://worldworkplace.ifma.org.
• October 15-17, 2024 — Fabtech 2024, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. Fabtech Event Partners, www.fabtechexpo.com.
• October 28-30, 2024 — O shore Windpower Conference & Exhibition, Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, N.J. American Clean Power Association, https://cleanpower.org/o shore-wind power.
• November 12-14, 2024 — NEMA Annual Meeting, Kiawah Island, S.C. National Electrical Manufacturers Association, www.nema.org/about/events.
• November 12-14, 2024 — ANSI World Standards Week, National Housing Center, Washington, D.C. American National Standards Institute, www.ansi.
org/events/standards-events/world-standards-week.
• November 21, 2024 — AEMT Conference 2024, Doubletree by Hilton, Coventry, U.K. Association of Electrical & Mechanical Trades, www.theaemt.com/ ems-event-calendar/aemt-conference.html.
• January 19-24, 2025 — Hydraulic Institute Annual Conference, Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa, Rancho Mirage, Calif. The Hydraulic Institute, www.pumps.org/event/2025-annual-con ference.
• January 27-30, 2025 — 2025 Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Innovation Conference, Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown, Los Angeles, Calif. Mechanical Contractors Association of America, National Electrical Contractors Association, and Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association, https://mepconference.com.
• February 2-5, 2025 — NEMRA25 Conference, Orlando World Center Marriott, Orlando, Fla. National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association, www.nemra.org/nemra25-conference.
• February 8-12, 2025 — 2025 ASHRAE Winter Conference, the Hilton Orlando, Orlando, Fla. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, www.ashrae.org/conferences/2025winter-conference-orlando.
• February 10-12, 2025 — AHR Expo, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, www.ahrexpo. com.
• March 11-15, 2025 — PowerTest 25, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, Fla. InterNational Electrical Testing Association, https://bit.ly/PowerTest2025.
• May 19-22, 2025 — Cleanpower 2025 Conference & Exhibition, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Ariz. American Clean Power Association, https://clean power.org/expo.
• May 20-22, 2025 — NAED 2025 National Meeting, JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, Marco Island, Fla. National Association of Electrical Distributors, www. naed.org/national-meeting.
• June 11-12, 2025 — Coiltech North America 2025, Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, Mich. QUiCKFairs, www. coiltech.us.
• June 21-25, 2025 — ASHRAE 2025 Annual Conference, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown and Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Ariz. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and AirConditioning Engineers, www.ashrae.org/ conferences/2025-annual-conferencephoenix.
• July 19-22, 2025 — EASA Convention 2025, Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Nashville, Tenn. Electrical Apparatus Service Association, https://easa.com/convention/future-easaconventions.
• July 22-24, 2025 — Safety25 Conference & Expo, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. American Society of Safety Professionals, https://safety.assp. org. — Kevin Jones EA
11-14, 2023.
The latest in metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing will be everywhere evident at Febtech 2024 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 15-17. Shown here is a scene from last year’s Fabtech, which was held at Chicago’s McCormick Place Sept.
— Electrical Apparatus photo by Kevin Jones
THE EVENT FOR HVACR / FEB 10-12
Orlando
Feature | Electrical Manager
Machine shop prep
Don’t neglect to prepare and plan before ordering new CNC machines, 3D printers, and the like
By Bill O’Leary, EA Contributing Writer
Spring ain’t the only time for cleaning. Managers are often tasked with replacing old machinery with updated models or adding entirely new technology to their facilities, and these are typically some of the more expensive decisions they have to make. The fixed, up-front costs for these assets is, shall we say, “sizable.” And proper selection, installation, and maintenance can prolong the life of those assets and make the hole you burned in your pocket a little less painful.
So what are the best practices for adding large, complex, and productive resources such as 3D printers, CNC milling machines, injection molding machines, and industrial laser cutters?
Evaluate needs
The first step is solidifying the need for the machine. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As managers, we’d love to add all of the innovative bells and whistles if they help our team, but it’s that if which is important. Speak with your team and other managers in a similar position to see if installing a machine like a 3D printer would be beneficial to the team’s goals.
Would it help us to meet and exceed our production targets? Would it resolve bottlenecks in our process? Would it, over time, lead to economies of scale, making back the large sum of money needed to purchase the machine and more? These are questions that could guide your decision-making. Do outside research as well, evaluating what options are currently on the market and reading technical documents, articles, and commentary from experts in those fields along with leaders who have used these machines.
They might be able to provide some tips and tricks along with caution signs on what to avoid. If you’re going to listen in on the pitches from sales reps from the companies that make these machines, you should balance that out with the horror stories from customers who couldn’t fully realize the potential for a whole host of reasons.
One caveat is to take any of these cautionary tales with a grain of salt. The content could be embellished or filled with half-truths or outright lies based on any number of “behind-the-curtain” agendas. Again, it’s about balancing the good and bad and
how you weigh that evidence. If you’re going to be skeptical of all of the earth-shattering benefits voiced by seller reps, then you should be equally guarded with anecdotes of challenge and failure.
Prepare for the machine
So you’ve gotten all of the answers you needed and you’re confident enough to pull the trigger and bring that machine to your work. What next? Evaluating space requirements is a must and should actually happen to a certain degree before purchase. If it doesn’t fit, then the question of whether to buy or not has been answered for you, has it not?
But even after acquisition, managers should continue to ensure that sufficient space is available for not just the dimensions of the machine but operator movement and any associated equipment. Always add length and width to the original measurements of the device to account for your people and other devices that either work in concert or need some of the space as well. Avoid the tight fit. Extra breathing room also ensures that sensitive machines are not operating up against each other exchanging heat or hitting each other with any of their automated appendages.
Also, check the floor load capacity of your site. Reinforcements to certain floors made of lighter materials or not at ground level might be needed to support the weight of your new addition. To ensure sustainable operation, managers should avoid placing devices with many sensitive moving parts near areas with increased dust, vibrations, and moisture. Controlling your facility’s temperature to match the environmental conditions suggested in the machine’s owner’s manual, as well as maintaining limited humidity, are also musts.
Evaluate electrical capacity
Large machines like 3D printers and CNCs often require more power than your typical office equipment. Before installation, managers need to evaluate the electrical capacity of their site. Such things as voltage and amperage capacities should be checked. The last thing you want is to overload your electrical infrastructure and court a blackout of your facility and connected sites nearby.
An electrician will help gauge that strength along with installing power circuits or outlets if necessary. If your newly minted machine requires the internet, confirm that you have the network connectivity available. Are ethernet cords, routers, and modems needed? Should the device be placed near existing network equipment to avoid disconnects or a weak signal? Again, placement is incredibly important, and managers should carefully consider where the new device will be most effective.
Make sure you’re dotting all of your regulatory i’s and crossing all of your legal t’s. Double-check that you have all of the necessary permits
in place and that installation and operation comply with local environmental and safety standards.
Installation and tests
The day has nally arrived. The holidays came early this year and now it’s time to unpack. Managers should prepare and have a clear plan of unpacking and assembling the device. If the machine comes with a number of complex parts that require a certain level of time and know-how, consider hiring a professional or a manufacturer’s tech to ensure correct set-up and calibration.
Before that installer leaves, run tests to make sure everything is working properly. Try to simulate your everyday operation as much as possible for accuracy. If you do this after the technician has left and the machine stops running, you may have an even longer period of downtime as you schedule a return visit as opposed to troubleshooting immediately.
You may have noticed a theme across this column. I’ll refer to it as the Two P’s: Prepare and Plan. The Two P’s should be implemented
across every step of this process from research to site preparation to installation to early operation. If you prepare and plan, you’ll avoid the numerous pitfalls that come with new machinery and seamlessly take your business to the next level. EA
Production engineers adjust a CNC machine in the factory prior to the machine’s shipment to the customer. Such care in calibration is necessary not only before a machine is shipped but also after it has been delivered — and before the technician setting up the machine has left the customer’s premises. — Shutterstock / benixs photo
Preparing for health crises
Having the right procedures in place is crucial for any company’s plan to deal with medical emergencies
By Bill O’Leary, EA Contributing Writer
On May 16, four employee-owners from a Fargo, N.D., branch of electrical equipment distributor Border States applied CPR to one of their fellow employees who had experienced a heart attack. This was a life-saving intervention that was a result of CPR training held by the company for its employees. Duane Jannson, warehouse associate; Dustin Fabre, inventory control coordinator; Tyler Pich, account manager; and Jon Becker, branch manager were honored with Citizens Lifesaving Awards by Sanford Ambulance.
An employee safety training program isn’t just an administrative requirement that can be viewed as time-consuming or optional to attend. Safety training programs save lives. The Border States CPR training session is a testament to that.
Companies can prepare employees for emergency safety events on the job through a number of training programs and by providing easy access to lifesaving equipment such first-aid kits, automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, EpiPens, and more. And the effectiveness of these programs is a result of diligence, strong planning, and attention to quality instruction.
General workplace emergency safety training covers a wide range of situations for employees to prepare and properly respond to the many various emergencies that can occur in the workplace, especially those in the electromechanical sector, which encompass physically intensive duties around large machinery in excessive temperatures. As such, there are a number of different training courses under this banner that you should be mindful of implementing.
Training for emergencies
An emergency preparedness overview gives employees a broad understanding of the potential emergencies and how to respond. This course essentially is Safety 101 and should be a requirement for any workplace. It should be scheduled for all new hires, with quarterly refresher courses for current employees. It often includes definitions of different medical emergencies, steps to increase emergency preparedness in these situations, and an overview of the company’s emergency action plan, or EAP.
Emergency Action Plans outline specific steps that employees should take during various types of emergencies. Those employees can refer to an EAP throughout their working days to keep proper emergency response at the top-of-mind. It’s a document that functions as the company “planting its flag” to show how important emergency safety is. EAPs are effective because they are reference materials that can be posted around the shop floor, sent to employees through email, and used as the subject of meetings. It’s digestible information that sustains emergency response knowledge more than the port-in-the-storm, isolated training events on the same subjects.
EAPs should include communication protocols such as how to report an emergency like dialing 9-11 and using other internal communication systems specific to their location. It also identifies and outlines important roles during an emergency, such as floor wardens, employees who are near the event, first-aid responders, and crisis management teams. EAPs also provide information on where medical equipment such as AEDs, EpiPens, and CPR face shields can be found at your site and how to use them.
This is not to discount the importance of employee safety training events. High-focus programs that provide an in-depth understanding of relevant safety protocols and best practices are still very effective and often serve as a precursor for the EAP roll-out. A first-aid and medical emergency response course is a must for any workplace. It provides basic first-
Four employees of the Border States branch in Fargo, N.D., sprang into action last May to aid a coworker who had suffered a heart attack on the job. The four lifesavers were subsequently honored with Citizens Lifesaving Awards by Sanford Ambulance.
photo
aid skills such as how to treat common injuries like sprains, cuts, and burns.
CPR training is also included through the use of lifelike mannequins that light up and show increased blood ow to the head. This external signal reinforces proper check compression technique through force, the depth of the pressing, and the timing of the compressions. E ective CPR training also includes hands-on instruction of automated external de brillators - where and how each pad should be applied to the body, how to apply an electrical charge when prompted by the device, and when to continue with chest compressions.
Beyond taking action, these courses also should provide an overview of Good Samaritan laws and clari cation on how to assess an emergency situation, instructing others to assist (“call 9-11”, “get the AED”), and clearing the area before performing an emergency medical intervention. In addition to surface injuries and CPR, these programs should include instruction on responding to choking, allergic reactions, and heart attacks. A module on responding to strokes should include recognizing signs such as facial drooping and arm weakness, and how to use the FAST method (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) before calling for emergency help. A diabetic emergencies module should include how to identify symptoms of hypo- or hyperglycemia, and when to provide a low-blood-sugar snack.
How to implement training
Breaking up the program into multi-day modules that focus on each of these areas should help with information retention and reduce the possibility of attendees’ minds wandering to other things. Packing everything into one monumental session might be convenient from a
time-management standpoint, but will workers remember all of the life-saving content when it comes in one large info-dump? Will they be able to quickly recall the most relevant bit of instruction when in a high-adrenaline, life-threatening situation? Give this material some breathing room.
Training should be customized to the speci c workplace and certi ed instructors should be used to provide vital lectures, resources, and hands-on practice. First-aid kits and other emergency equipment should undergo periodic stocks and quality checks, and strategic placement throughout the work site should be assessed and re-assessed over time.
Along with EAPs, outcomes of these programs should include records of who completed the training and on what dates along with a database that documents past emergencies at the workplace, including descriptions of the events, the responses, and any key takeaways or learnings. This information can be used to provide further customization of future training courses for increased relevance and engagement. Resource documents that cover the steps of the various interventions should be provided to attendees in paper and digital formats for easy reference. These best practices should not be considered aspirational but iron-clad requirements. After all, proper employee safety training programs are literally a matter of life and death. EA
Poles apart
How Michael Mitten journeyed from the Durham Coalfield to both ends of the Earth
By Colin Gregory-Moores, EA Contributing Writer
The family of Michael Mitten - entrepreneur, investor, adventurer, keynote speaker, and former CEO of Houghton International – hails from the Durham Coalfield, a mining region in the northeast of England. The hands of generations were ingrained with hard graft, family and community values were fostered at kitchen hearths, and a gritted trade-union determination to improve the lot of working-class people persevered on the cobbled streets. The values of the coalface, of his grandparents and parents, passed down from generation to generation, would form the bedrock of Michael’s business career and success.
He describes his parents, Ron and Christine Mitten, who founded Houghton International in Houghton-le-Spring in County Durham, U.K., in 1984, as being incredibly hardworking people. Besides a very strong work ethic, they instilled in their three children a sense of selfless service to Houghton’s employees and the community at large. When he took over the family company – an electromechanical repair and coil manufacturer – he jotted down a list of his family’s values.
Over time, these evolved to form the value board of the company. It was hung on every wall, from every toilet cubicle to the boardroom. A central value was integrity. Every year, a survey was conducted to assess whether these values were being lived well and upheld. The feedback was honest and, sometimes, harsh. Michael comments, “Great values lived well and consistently attract and retain great people.” While the key to running any business is, as he says, profit, he firmly believes that Houghton International’s long-term success and returns were ultimately driven by value-based decisions and the excellence in performance these create.
Work and education
Surprisingly, Michael’s interest as a teenager was to entirely get away from his parents’ company. In 1994, at the age of 15, he was “drafted in,” as he wryly puts
Michael Mitten (left) at Houghton International with former apprentice, now assistant manager, Chris Lawson, with a d-c traction motor in the right foreground. — Michael Mitten photo
it, to start working there as an apprentice. During his apprenticeship he did a college day release course and attended evening school so that he was able to enroll in university to study economics and journalism.
That was in 1996. In his nal year, his mother, who did the company’s books, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Michael had done some accountancy at university and was only too happy to be there for his parents in their time of need. It was absolutely not what he wanted to do with his life, though.
It was June 2000, and he thought he would stay on for a maximum of two years. On Aug. 19, 2005, on his twenty-seventh birthday, he was appointed CEO. He remained in that position until he sold the company in May 2024 to Integrated Power Services (IPS) of Greenville, S.C., based on the common values and global vision that John Zuleger (CEO) and Jason Martin (CFO) of IPS and he shared. He had been at Houghton International for 24 years.
Michael describes himself as probably being “quite ill-equipped” at the time to run the company. One thing he knew, however, was that he did not want to compromise his own personal values and those of his family. He wanted to be di erent from the others, and he saw integrity as the number one thing with which also to create a sustainable competitive advantage.
“In business in general, and in our industry, in particular, people were sharks,” he says. Ultimately, it was Michael and the employees of Houghton International who won through. By the time he sold the company in 2024, they had pulled out of near bankruptcy twice to quadruple sales, tripled the number of employees, expanded into Europe and the Middle East, as well as consolidated and integrated company operations into a 124,000-square-foot facility, known as the Ronnie Mitten Works service center.
About six months after Michael took over the business, his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. Twelve months later, he died. Throughout this period, his father was supported by Macmillan Cancer Support, which ensured that he was able to live longer and die with dignity at home surrounded by his family.
Ron and Christine Mitten holding a carving presented to them following Ron’s departure from the Nigerian repair shop PER, which he set up and turned into West Africa’s largest repair business.
— Michael Mitten photo
In his desire to give this “priceless gift of time” to other families, Michael decided to walk to the North Pole in memory of his father and in support of the charity. In a spontaneous phone call with Doug Stoup, a Polar explorer and guide, he was told, “Just get tter than you have ever been in your life, and I’ll be in touch when I get back from the
South Pole.” He had nine months to prepare; he set about it as a professional athlete.
The business at that time was, however, on its knees, and he had to raise money from external sources for the expedition. It was of fundamental importance to him to do it for his father and the greater community. Ultimately, it also proved to be a game changer for himself and the company.
Venturing into a white void
More menacing than the threat of polar bear attacks, falling through the ice, temperatures between -40 and -50 degrees Celsius, was the physical and mental isolation. Like his forefathers, leaving the cage behind them to enter the darkness, he trekked through the white void for 10 to 12 hours each day, laboriously putting one step and one pole in front of the other, pulling behind a sled weighing 176 lbs. in a Sisyphean act of great personal integrity and will power. Michael kept his Please turn to next page
negative thoughts at bay by generating endless lists of gratitude. Besides raising £40,000 for Macmillan, he had also empowered and motivated Houghton employees to get on with things without him. “Before I left, I had to delegate everything as if I was going to die. That March [2009] when I was gone was our best month ever,” he recalls. It proved to be the catalyst for unprecedented company growth. Once back, Michael found he had the headroom for expanding the company as well as the confidence and the self-belief that come with doing something that fewer than two hundred people had ever done.
After the North Pole, Michael was determined to honor his mother’s struggles with multiple sclerosis by trekking to the South Pole. He held this vision in his head for a decade, during which he got married and started a family. The trek had to be postponed four times: twice, the business was in jeopardy; once, he was injured; and his wife became pregnant with their second son. In May 2016, his mother suddenly died. Finally, on Dec. 4, 2019, he set out for the South Pole in the best of health. Halfway through the expedition, though, he
collapsed from a lack of oxygen. Fortunately, he quickly recovered and was able to return to his family for Christmas. He recalls explorer Capt. Robert Falcon Scott’s diary entry of Jan. 17, 1912, “The Pole. Yes, but under very different circumstances from those expected. . . .” Reaching the South Pole was bittersweet, because he got there on a snowmobile, leaving, as he says, unfinished business behind.
Michael takes much away from these two expeditions, some of which he uses for his keynote talks on business. In a surprising twist, though, he adds, “Running a business through to the ultimate success – however you choose to define that - is the harder thing to do. . . . A Polar expedition is a relatively short and finite period of time, whereas running a business is not . . . and that makes it really, really hard to stay with it, particularly when the chips are down.”
On his 24-year trek with Houghton International, Michael has experienced his fair share of tragedy, knocks, and setbacks. What have always stood him in good stead and set him, perhaps, poles apart from many others are his family’s values rooted in the Durham Coalfield. EA
Michael Mitten embracing the ceremonial South Pole in December 2019. — Michael Mitten photo
EV initiatives on a global scale
How the strengths in aspects of electric vehicle development vary by nation
By Maura Keller, EA Contributing Writer
In recent years, advancements in EV technology have taken the global transportation industry by storm. With ongoing e orts, consumers, governments, and companies are vetting this alternative technology and determining its use and viability. And as vehicle manufacturers make statements concerning how soon they will be eliminating internal combustion engine technology and embracing EV technology, countries across the globe are initiating incentives and programs to get more consumers on board.
Laolu Adeola, founder and principal of Leke Services, is a management consultant and venture investor with experience in mobility technology across automotive, energy storage, charging infrastructure, aerospace, batteries, and manufacturing.
In the area of EV batteries across the globe, Adeola says di erent regions have varying approaches to EV adoption that are projected to make up over 90% of battery demand by 2030.
“One way to look at this is according to the relative wealth and development of the nation,” Adeola says. For example, industrialized countries, such as EU countries, the U.S., Canada, China, and Korea, have taken ambitious steps to drive the adoption of EVs as the preferred means of transport via various incentives, including grants and subsidies, to both customers and businesses.
“These countries are focused on high-value battery manufacturing, such as battery materials and cell manufacturing, but have supply chain issues due to scarcity of raw materials,” Adeola says. “Countries in emerging markets are mostly adopting EVs as a more e cient alternative to transportation.”
For example, electric two-wheelers in Southeast Asia have become the predominant mode of transport based on their versatility and ease of maintenance. As Adeola explains, this adoption has been driven by the ease of battery swapability (switching out or exchanging batteries), which eliminates downtime for charging and maximizes e ciency. This is a challenge that four-wheeled vehicles are yet to mitigate at a comparable scale.
In Africa, the electric two-wheeler model is also gaining momentum, and the continent has also seen broader adoption of EVs for mass transit.
“China leads with extensive subsidies, quotas, and infrastructure investments. The EU o ers purchase incentives and tax bene ts, with countries like Norway achieving signi cant EV market share. And emerging markets like Kenya and Nigeria are introducing tax incentives and developing national EV policies. And the U.S. provides tax credits through the In ation Reduction Act, but with domestic manufacturing requirements,” Adeola says. “Overall, global policies are shifting from direct-purchase subsidies to broader supply chain and infrastructure support. The U.S. approach focuses more on domestic manufacturing and innovation compared to other countries with consumer-oriented incentives.”
Many countries are setting ambitious targets for phasing out internal combustion engines. For example, the U.K. plans to ban new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030. Heavy-duty vehicles are increasingly included in EV policies, with countries like Canada o ering incentives up to CAD $200,000 for zero-emission trucks.
“Several nations are also focusing on electric bus deployment, particularly in emerging markets,” Adeola says. There’s also a growing emphasis
Consultant and investor
Laolu Adeola of Leke Services
on developing domestic battery production capabilities and securing critical mineral supply chains. Some countries are also exploring vehicle-to-grid technologies and integrating EVs into smart grid systems.
Batteries and supply chains
Enrique Glotzer, managing director of the power, renewables, and energy transition practice at FTI Consulting, points out that several countries are heavily investing in battery technology and supply chains, which are crucial for establishing a domestic EV industry.
“China has secured a dominant position by investing hundreds of billions over the last decade, including subsidies and mandates for EV adoption,” Glotzer says. “It leads in battery manufacturing and innovation, particularly in scaling low-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and recently commercializing sodium-ion batteries, which offer lower costs but with lesser energy density.”
The European Union is focused on reducing dependence on non-European sources through the European Battery Alliance (EBA), with significant investments in gigafactories and R&D, particularly in Germany, Sweden, and France.
And in the U.S., the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are driving substantial investments in domestic battery production and advanced research to improve battery performance. “However, surpassing China’s leadership in battery manufacturing will require a multi-decade, multi-billion dollar effort with sustained policy support in both the U.S. and EU,” Glotzer says.
like Australia, rich in lithium resources, are investing in downstream mineral processing capabilities to move up the value chain.”
Global challenges
Not surprisingly, there are a myriad of challenges facing various countries within the EV sector – including ensuring sustainable battery material supply chains, expanding charging infrastructure, and managing increased grid demand.
According to Adeola, battery recycling and disposal remain significant concerns, with countries like China leading in establishing recycling facilities. The complex design and varying chemistries of EV batteries make recycling complicated and costly.
“Geographical differences in recycling infrastructure further complicate the process. Without strong economic incentives or regulations, the industry struggles to improve sustainable battery disposal and reuse,” Adeola says. “However, companies are developing innovative solutions, such as repurposing EV batteries for energy storage systems.”
The future of EV technology on a global scale looks promising, with several key trends emerging
He adds that countries worldwide are employing a mix of incentives, mandates, and infrastructure investments to accelerate EV adoption. In Europe, several countries have set ambitious deadlines for phasing out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, supported by substantial consumer incentives like tax breaks, subsidies, and exemptions from tolls and parking fees, making EVs an attractive option.
“China’s dual-credit policy mandates that automakers produce a certain percentage of EVs, penalizing those that fall short, which has been highly effective in driving production and sales,” Glotzer says. “Although China recently ended many consumer EV incentives, the government continues to make direct investments in key companies across the EV supply chain, to support industry growth and maintain its leadership position.”
In contrast, the U.S. approach is more decentralized, with policies varying at the state level. Several states, such as California and New York, have also instituted ICE bans by 2035. Federal initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act provide broad incentives, including tax credits of up to $7,500 for EV buyers, as well as grants and loan guarantees to support the battery and EV supply chain. The U.S. is also heavily focused on expanding EV charging infrastructure, which is crucial for widespread adoption.
In the EU, countries such as Germany and the Netherlands are investing heavily in public charging networks, while also exploring vehicle-togrid (V2G) technologies to enhance grid resilience.
“Lithium battery production and recycling are also receiving attention globally. The EU’s new battery regulation aims to ensure sustainable battery production, mandating that batteries sold in the EU meet strict environmental and social standards,” Glotzer says. “Additionally, countries
Glotzer agrees that the global EV industry faces several significant challenges. The higher costs of developing and manufacturing EV components, coupled with intense competition from low-cost Chinese manufacturers, are putting pressure on U.S. OEMs to maintain market share while staying competitive. High demand for critical raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel can lead to increased costs and production delays, especially when supply chains are disrupted or geopolitical tensions arise. Environmental and ethical concerns related to these materials add to the complexity.
EV adoption has been slower than expected due to factors like range anxiety, insufficient charging infrastructure, and the high cost of ownership, particularly the lack of affordable models.
“Another key issue is the lifecycle management of EV batteries,” Glotzer says. While EVs are more sustainable during their operational life, the disposal and recycling of batteries remain challenging.
“China leads in battery recycling volumes with robust regulations and investments, while Europe is advancing through initiatives like the European Battery Alliance and the forthcoming EU Battery Regulation,” Glotzer says. “The U.S. is also supporting companies with incentives for new recycling capacity. However, many developing nations lack the infrastructure and regulations needed to handle battery waste effectively.”
What the future holds
The future of EV technology on a global scale looks promising, with several key trends emerging. On a
global scale, China is expected to maintain its dominant position in EV production and adoption, leveraging its strong manufacturing base and government support. Norway will likely continue leading in terms of EV market share. And the U.S. is positioning itself as a leader in domestic manufacturing and battery technology innovation, driven by policies like the Inflation Reduction Act.
“South Korea is emerging as a key player in battery production and technology and Japan remains strong in hybrid technology and is investing heavily in solidstate batteries,” Adeola says.
Adeola says solid-state batteries could offer higher energy density, faster charging, and improved safety. Vehicle-to-grid technology may integrate EVs into smart grid systems for energy storage and load balancing. And the convergence of electric and autonomous technologies could reshape urban mobility.
Of course, says Steve Christensen, executive director at Responsible Battery Coalition, incentivizing recycled content in EV batteries would be a welcome development both in the U.S. and globally.
“It costs less to make a battery from mined materials than from recycled materials. Using more recycled content will lower the cost of EV batteries while providing more emissions savings associated with the battery’s lifecycle,” Christensen says. “Moreover, the greater use of recycled content is imperative to the economics and security of the battery value-chain.”
Looking ahead, Adeola says diversification of EV types beyond passenger cars to buses, trucks, and other vehicle categories is likely across the globe. Efforts to produce more affordable EVs are underway, with companies like Tesla announcing plans for more compact, lower-cost models. Advancements in battery recycling and second-life applications are also expected to improve overall sustainability.
Glotzer adds that the future of EV technology is poised to be one of rapid advancement and widespread adoption. Key areas of innovation include the development of next-generation battery technologies that promise to significantly enhance the performance, safety, and cost-effectiveness of EVs.
“One such emerging technology is the silicon anode, which has the potential to increase energy density and reduce charging times compared to traditional graphite anodes. This could lead to longer-range EVs and quicker recharging, making them more convenient for consumers,” Glotzer says. “Sodium-ion batteries are another promising technology, offering the potential for lower costs due to the abundance and lower cost of sodium compared to lithium. Although sodium-ion batteries generally have lower energy density, ongoing research aims to close this gap, making them a viable option for lower-cost EVs and large-scale energy storage.”
Solid-state batteries are also a major focus, as they promise to eliminate the flammability risks associated with liquid electrolytes in traditional lithium-ion batteries, while also offering higher energy densities and faster charging times.
Lithium-air batteries, which use oxygen from the air as a reactant, promise the greatest possible energy density for lithium batteries, potentially enabling EVs to travel much longer distances on a single charge and expanding the battery use cases, including airplanes and shipping. However, this technology is still in the research phase, with challenges related to stability and efficiency needing to be overcome before commercialization.
“These technologies, along with advancements in AI-driven energy management systems and autonomous driving capabilities, are set to redefine the EV landscape,” Glotzer says. “As these innovations mature, they will help to lower costs, improve vehicle performance, and expand the appeal of EVs to a broader range of consumers, accelerating global adoption.” EA
In New Delhi, India, electric two-wheelers such as these, photographed in 2022, have become the dominant mode of transportation. — Bianzip / Shutterstock photo
Revving up for the Battery Show
What visitors can expect to see at October’s big event in Detroit
Photos by Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
The annual Battery Show is making the jump this year from suburban Detroit to the big time in Motor City itself. The event, scheduled to be held Oct. 7-10 at Detroit’s Huntington Place, was previewed in last month’s EA (“Motown moves,” September EA, page 29). For first-time visitors or the just plain curious, here’s a peek at what you can expect to see this month at this high-powered event. The photos you see here were taken at last year’s show, which was held Sept. 27-29, 2023, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich.
Live demonstrations like this one at the Eaton booth drew large crowds.
A DEWESoft e-mobility demonstration featured a classic radio-controlled car.
For the first time, lunch break at The Battery Show 2023 featured food trucks.
Electric motors and batteries in joint applications.
This Baker Electric classic model provided an interesting montage when blended with modern technology in its display case.
— Electrical Apparatus
photos by Charlie Barks
Feature | Service & Sales Companies
Sails set for the future
Steady hands on the tiller at Kräutler Elektromotoren are guiding boat operators toward sustainability
By Colin Gregory-Moores, EA Contributing Writer
Lustenau, Austria —Kräutler Elektromotoren (Electric Motors) is situated in one of the most dynamic economic regions of Europe, the Lake Constance four-country area (Austria, Germany, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland), in the affluent and eco-responsible federal state of Vorarlberg (population 409,951) in the far west corner of Austria (population 9,159, 993), in the town of Lustenau (population 24,000).
“We were born and raised here,” says Harald Kräutler, CEO and CFO. “We’ve never given it a second thought whether business is better here or somewhere else.” He gives an honest and modest smile. “And actually, we’re quite happy where we are.”
Kräutler currently employs 18 people working in three areas: industrial motors, boat motors, and repairs. Industrial motors, accounting for 40% of production, comprise the sale of mainly asynchronous three-phase motors. The focus is on the customized individual and small series manufacture of motors in the shortest possible times.
Boat motors, accounting for 60% of production, comprise mainly the sale of a broad but individual
standard range of motors and ready-to-install drive units for motor and sailing boats. These are distributed via a well-developed dealer network. The manufacture of industrial and boat motors benefits from a common synergy. All motors and drives are developed, designed, and produced according to International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards. Repairs consist of preventive service work, diagnostics, and classic repairs.
The company prides itself on its “handshake quality” service and the high standard of its environmentally friendly motors and drives. As a family-run business, it values customer relations and a familial work environment, in which everyone is motivated to contribute. Finally, its size affords a great deal of flexibility and speed regarding production and the integration of new ideas, with the aim of providing long-lasting product satisfaction for customers.
The History of Kräutler Elektromotoren
1950s: Just making do. Oswald Kräutler, the founder of Kräutler, was born in 1932. He was only 13 when the Second World War ended, and Vorarlberg and the upper floor of the Kräutler family’s house were occupied by French troops. Five years later, in 1950, his father Oskar
Kräutler Elektromotoren specializes in the manufacture of industrial motors and boat motors and drives.
— Colin Gregory-Moores photo
SAILING FOR THE FUTURE continued from previous page
Kräutler founded Kral Pumpen in Lustenau. The company now has 258 employees and is a global supplier of screw pumps and flow measurement technology.
At the age of 16, Oswald went to work for his father; Oswald’s brother Erich started working at their father’s company three years later. While supporting his father at work, producing pumps and motors, Oswald completed vocational technical school and helped to sow and harvest potatoes. People had little, were resourceful, and just made do with what they had. Harald tells the story of how his father as a teenager put together his own racing bike by soldering together pieces he had found in scrap yards. As time went by, and motors appeared on the market, Oskar Kräutler bought them to sell with the pumps. At
that point, Oswald, who was an electrical engineer by trade, no longer saw a place for himself at his father’s company and left.
1970s: Motors for embroidery machines. In 1971, he started his own company, Oswald Kräutler Elektromaschinenbau, with his wife Gerda. They worked all hours. Even after the births of their two sons, Gerda would still run errands in the mornings to the bank and post office before doing administrative work; then she would go home to make lunch before returning to work in the afternoons. Sometimes, she could even be seen in the repair shop with her sleeves rolled up, rewinding motors.
From the very outset, Kräutler also sold electric motors as well as doing repairs. Until the mid-to-late 1970s, the embroidery industry in Vorarlberg, dating back to 1753, was the leading industry, generating 70% of the region’s value added. In the 1970s and 1980s, Austrian Lace made in Vorarlberg was in great demand in Nigeria, which was going through an economic upturn because of the oil boom. The center of that industry was and still is Lustenau.
“In the 1970s, every third house in Lustenau had a sewing machine, and our father made motors to enable the embroidery machines to run faster. Around that time, he started making the first pole changing induction motors,” Harald proudly, yet matter-offactly, states. Then in 1977, the market collapsed when Nigeria introduced an import ban on textiles. Nowadays, Vorarlberg still exports embroidered textiles to Africa, although sales only account for just 8% of the region’s value added. Over the next decades, the demand for motors decreased as more and more textile companies closed.
1980s-2000: motors for ventilation systems. In the mid-1980s, the company started producing pole changing motors for ventilation systems. The main customer was Walter Bösch GmbH & Co. KG, which was founded as a one-man operation in 1932 in Lustenau. After World War II, Bösch rebuilt his company around the production of heating and ventilation systems for residential and commercial properties. All these ventilation systems, of course, required motors that drove fan blades to create the necessary airflow for the exchange of indoor and outdoor air. Kräutler’s industrial motor business boomed at first, but then price margins slowly increased. At the end of the 1990s, the company found that it was no longer able to compete against the price levels of the mass-produced Brazilian and Chinese motors that had flooded the Vorarlberg market.
2000: Revival of the industrial motors business. In 2006, Kräutler purchased an industrial motor company to revitalize and strengthen its own production and sale of industrial motors. The newly acquired customers were happy that they had found a reliable
Oswald Kräutler, founder of Kräutler Elektromotoren, came of age under the discipline of making do with what one had. — Kräutler Elektromotoren photo
Fifty-three years since its founding, Kräutler Elektromotoren still maintains the tradition of high-quality craftsmanship. — Colin Gregory-Moores photo
Harald (left) and Andreas Kräutler are carrying on the business of their father, Oswald, with each shouldering multiple responsibilities at the firm. — Kräutler Elektromotoren photo
view of the current
Ele-
plant in Lustenau, Austria, and the facility’s roof-top solar panels. Lustenau is situated in Vorarlberg, Austria’s westernmost state, in the lower Vorarlberg Rhine Valley. It is located four kilometers south of Lake Constance and on the eastern bank of the Alpine Rhine, which in the west serves as Austria’s border with Switzerland. — Kräutler Elektromotoren photo
Aerial
Kräutler
ktromotoren
SAILING FOR THE FUTURE continued from page 32
partner in Kräutler, which continued to supply them with quality customized electric motors. Sales increased. At peak times, Kräutler employed 25 people. Eventually, the industrial motor business stabilized, while the sale of boat motors and drives continued to grow. Harald explains, “At the beginning of the 2000s, we decided to focus more on the sale of boat motors and drives. We are also very active promoting our boat motors at trade shows.”
1994: The launch of boat motors and drives. In his fifties, Oswald Kräutler became interested in sailing. At one point, he was unable to find an inboard electric motor for his yacht that met all his expectations. Since he was a born tinkerer, craftsman, and inventor, he started to experiment and build one for himself. Just as he had put his racing bike together as a teenager. He sailed with this motor for ten years.
Once he retired in 1993 and was no longer involved in the day-today running of the company, Oswald devoted himself to developing
his boat motor further and coming up with more models. Every day, he would come to the company early, make technical drawings, and work at the lathe. Harald adds, “In the 1990s, we didn’t have perfect production contracts. That came about with the company acquisition back in 2006. Of course, we had them, but now and again a worker would look at the drawings and say, for example, ‘Let’s make two shafts’ or whatever.” He smiles. As the product range increased, Oswald started showing others what to do.
Oswald took his electric motors to trade shows. Sometimes his wife accompanied him. The boat motor business quickly got wind in its sails, although the waters were choppy in the beginning. Harald can remember going to the Interboot trade show in Friedrichshafen (Lake Constance, Germany) and being laughed at: “In the mid-1990s, people just didn’t believe that an electric motor could do the job.” They looked at the large diesel motors weighing some 200 kilos and then back at the electric motors weighing 25-30 kilos in disbelief. Harald incredulously jokes, “That’s just like looking under the bonnet of an old Chevy and an electric car.” Half the conversation was spent on convincing potential buyers that the electric motor would work. In contrast, at Lake Neusiedl, the whole conversation from the outset revolved around products and prices.
This has something to do with the fact that energy emissions standards for boats on lakes in Austria, and in Germany too, differ depending on the region. For example, for the past forty years, Lake Neusiedl in eastern Austria, whose shores are shared by Austria (80%) and Hungary (20%), has only permitted the use of electrically driven boat motors. On the other hand, Lake Constance in the far west, whose
Kräutler Elektromotoren has carved out a niche as a manufacturer of high-quality custom-built industrial motors and standard-built boat motors and drives.
— Kräutler Elektromotoren photo
As a family-run business, Kräutler Elektromotoren values a familial work environment, in which everyone is motivated to contribute. — Colin Gregory-Moores photo
shores are shared with Germany (62%) and Switzerland (27%), allows internal combustion boat motors. Kräutler therefore focused its sales efforts on those lakes which limited or prohibited their use.
Now, at the age of 92, Oswald, a medal-winning yachtsman, still participates in single-handed regattas on Lake Constance, and drives himself every day to the company, where he has his own office. Harald proudly laughs, “If we didn’t have him, we’d have to employ two others to do his work. He’s one of those who doesn’t have to look up a part in a catalogue and order it, he just goes over to the workbench and makes it.”
Kräutler Elektromotoren today
On January 1, 1994, Oswald Kräutler handed over the company to his two sons, Harald and Andreas Kräutler, under the name Andreas und Harald Kräutler Gesellschaft mit bürgerlichem Recht (“civil law partnership”). Fifty percent of the company remains in Oswald’s hands and 25% in the hands of each of his two sons.
Harald Kräutler (born 1964) graduated from a vocational school for electrical engineering before joining the company in 1982; he is responsible for purchasing, sales, and accounts. His brother Andreas Kräutler (born 1967) attended commercial school and did an apprenticeship in electrical machine engineering under his father, before later becoming a skilled
worker and then a master. He joined the company in 1984 and is responsible for manufacturing and technology. As CEOs, both brothers steer the helm of the company. Since Kräutler is a small business, both Harald and Andreas must carry out various functions and roles. Harald jokes, “You have to be salesperson, purchaser, and accountant all rolled into one.”
Sustainability
Kräutler has lived and breathed sustainability long before it became mainstream. Harald says, “There are some companies that scrap materials that have been in storage for a few years. We’d never do a thing like that.” Sustainability considerations shaped successive additions and changes to the original building.
The original building (300 square meters; built in 1971) and the first addition (1981) had an oil-fired central heating system. “Our father even helped install it.” Harald smiles in acknowledgment. “Those were different times.” In 2000, offices and a warehouse using floor heating were built on. A gas heater, a hot water storage tank, and solar panels on the south side of the building were installed. In 2016, a further production space was added (total 1,500 square meters)
As part of that, Kräutler made the whole complex green by doing away with the use of fossil fuels, switching to heat pumps for heating and cooling the building, and installing solar panels on the roof. With its photovoltaic system, Kräutler is largely self-sufficient regarding electricity consumption and is able to sell electricity back to the grid on weekends. The last two building additions are made almost exclusively from wood.
In 2019, Kräutler was awarded the Lustenau Environmental Protection Prize for both its environmentally friendly building and motors.
Kräutler Elektromotoren’s clean and environmentally friendly plant is electrically self-sufficient, even selling surplus electricity back to the grid on weekends.
— Kräutler Elektromotoren photo
Synergy between industrial motors and boat motors
Kräutler mainly supplies asynchronous three-phase motors as special mechanical and electrical solutions for system providers, machine manufacturers, and production companies: water-cooled motors, synchronous reluctance motors, torque and coiling motors, motors for hoisting gears, as well as electric drives for the automotive industry.
It has an integrated production line for its industrial and boat motors. Both profit from the synergy of a similar workflow and production system. The main differences are twofold. First, the industrial motors are custom built; second, they are synchronized with the motor control unit by the customers themselves, which are mostly large industrial companies.
Boat motors and drives
Kräutler has established itself as a premium manufacturer of high-quality electric boat motors in standard solutions for private customers or special custom solutions for commercial shipping: underwater drives, flange-mounted motors with a fix pitched propeller / folding propeller, outboard and submersible motors, underwater pod motors, sail drives, and shaft drives. With a power range from 0.5 kW to 120 kW, Kräutler has one of the largest ranges in the field of electric boat drives.
The complete program of boat motors and drives is listed in a price catalogue. The only exceptions are customized hybrid motors. “During meetings with merchants and at shows, we get to know what customers want and then we, perhaps, add a new motor to the price catalogue,” Harald says. Kräutler is constantly developing its boat motors and drive systems, and it has often ridden the crest of waves with its new ideas and changes.
For example, in 1994, it was the first to provide permanent-magnet d-c motors. It was also one of the first to offer electric rudder propellers for small boats. A major innovation in mid-2000 was the change from d-c motors to variable-speed threephase motors, resulting in maintenance-free drives. This was only made possible by the appearance of control units on the market that were able to convert d-c to three-phase a-c. Currently, more and more customers are requesting more powerful motors in 48 V. At the end of the 1990s, the most powerful motor built by Kräutler was 4-5 kW in 48 V; now it is 20 kW in 48 V.
The boat motors are supplied as complete, easily mountable systems with a variable-frequency control unit and propeller. Harald adds, “It’s important for us that the boat’s performance is in line with our motor.”
Besides a few large boat yards, the boat motor and drive customers are mostly small firms that offer services ranging from draining and repainting boats, repairs and sales, to the fitting of new motors. Harald comments, “Lake Neusiedl is 700 kilometers away from us. We can’t drive there quick enough if a customer calls to say that their motor is not working. But our network of 41 merchants and 27 in-house trained service centers can.”
Die Zukunft braucht neuen Antrieb
Kräutler’s company logo is Die Zukunft braucht neuen Antrieb, “The future needs a new impetus and drives.” Without ever tooting its own horn, the company has always steered steadily towards a sustainable future. The vision and innovations of Oswald Kräutler set a new course for the company, which his two sons Andreas and Harald Kräutler have continued to sail by producing quality electric boat motors and drives. “When I’m on a yacht,” says Harald, who is also a yachtsman, “it makes a world of difference as far as the smell and sound is concerned if I switch on an electric or a diesel motor. Not to mention the impact on the environment.” Harald is optimistic, and the future looks bright for Kräutler. Developments in the EU suggest that publicly and politically the tides are increasingly turning towards a future consisting exclusively of electric boat motors. EA
Sailing is not only a passion that Oswald Kräutler passed along to his son Harald but also a source of a good portion of their company’s revenue.
Feature | Motors & Generators
NEMA adds new Design BE and CE motors
Responding to demand from users and regulators, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association has created two new motor classifications
By John Malinowski, EA Contributing Editor
In 2001, the NEMA Premium Efficiency levels (IEC IE3) were established and have become the required efficiency level for three-phase 1–500 horsepower motors in North America. Since then, motor manufacturers have been asked to develop higher-efficiency motors.
Much development has been made on various synchronous technologies that require a drive for operation to achieve higher efficiencies. Recently several European motor manufacturers have developed higher efficiency three-phase induction motors to meet IEC IE4 levels soon to be required by efficiency regulations in the European Union.
Since most of these manufacturers also sell in the U.S., versions were developed for the NEMA market. These motors have been assigned NEMA Super Premium Efficiency levels (IEC IE4). Since the IEC efficiency values are for enclosed motors, NEMA needed to develop values for open designs. Some OEMs and end users are seeking energy savings with a simple drop-in replacement. These new Super Premium motors are in the same frame groups as their Premium efficiency counterparts.
If these new motor designs have high locked-rotor currents, they can be called NEMA Design BE and CE, like the IEC designations of NE and HE, which also have higher locked-rotor current than regular Designs N or H.
How the new classifications came about
NEMA formed a small working group to address how these new Designs would be determined. (See table at right.) The group suggested the BE and CE levels so they could be associated with NEMA Design B and C motors and use the “E” from the equivalent IEC NE and HE motors with high locked-rotor current. The values for each rating were studied and basically harmonized with IEC values. The proposal went to ballot and was incorporated into the MG 00001-2024 that was being revised and later was sent for public ballot and comment.
Table 12-1E
Maximum Locked-Rotor Current (and Maximum Locked-Rotor kVA Code) for 60 Hz Design BE and CE Motors at 230 V
* The maximum value of locked-rotor current permitted for motors designed for voltages other than 230 volts shall be inversely proportional to the voltages.
The new BE and CE designs have the same torque requirements as NEMA Design B and C motors but allow for a higher locked-rotor current. NEMA members decided to add these new designs rather than use the existing NEMA Design A, which has no designated maximum locked-rotor current. By having a maximum value for Designs BE and CE, users can easily select the properly sized motor protection, improving electrical safety. In many cases, these new BE and CE designs will
need larger protection devices than equivalently rated Design B and C motors.
To address the higher locked-rotor currents of Super Premium motors, a new maximum locked-rotor current table needed to be added to the NEMA MG 00001-2024. This table is shown on the facing page.
Many Super Premium (IE4) line start motors will become NEMA Design BE with the higher lockedrotor currents shown in the table. Care should be taken in selecting the protective equipment for Design BE and CE motors due to this higher lockedrotor (inrush) current. Some manufacturers have been able to redesign their motors to Super Premium using new laminations so that the motors will remain as Design B and have the lower locked-rotor current. As motor designs evolve, manufacturers continue to seek new ways to reduce motor losses and increase efficiency. These involve new low-loss lamination material, different ways to wind motors to reduce losses, lower friction and windage, better cooling, etc. As many of these practices are proprietary, it is difficult to discuss them in detail.
When Design C motors were required to become Premium efficiency, in most cases their locked-rotor current exceeded the table for maximum lockedrotor current. Most manufacturers were forced to identify these motors as “Design A with Design C torques.” The new Design CE will allow these Premium Design C motors to be marked as Design CE.
Shown here is a Design B NEMA Super Premium IE4 motor. Many line-start motors in this class will become NEMA Design BE with higher locked-rotor currents.
— ABB Motors and Mechanical, Inc., photo
Like the motor pictured at the top of this page, this one is a NEMA Super Premium IE4 machine but it’s a Design BE — one of the new motor design classifications recently defined by NEMA. — WEG Electric Corp. photo
NEW NEMA DESIGNS continued from previous page
Tables 12-1A, 12-1B, and 12-1E are reprinted by permission of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).
Refining the original plan
To raise motor efficiency, either starting torque needs to decrease, or locked-rotor current needs to increase (with starting torque remaining the same). When most motors reached Premium Efficiency levels, locked-rotor currents slowly began to increase. NEMA members first decided to place a +15% limit on the original Table 12-1 for maximum locked-rotor current for NEMA Design B and C motors.
Later review of this change showed a couple of problems. Table 12-1 was used by UL and NEC for Fire Pump Motors protective sizing. Plus, adding a tolerance to a maximum value wasn’t a proper practice. To resolve this, Table 12-1A was created for Fire Pump Motors (and
Please turn to next page
Table 12-1A
Maximum Locked-Rotor Current (and Maximum Locked-Rotor kVA Code) for 60 Hz Design B Motors at 230 V—Applicable to Fire Pump Motors
The major NEMA motor design types
Prior to the recent introduction of the Design BE and CE motor classifications described in the accompanying article, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association had established four major motor design types for a-c induction motors: Designs A, B, C, and D. Each design type has unique characteristics that make it suitable for certain applications. Here, with special thanks to engineeringtoolbox. com, is a brief summary of each class:
NEMA Design A
Slip: Maximum 5%
Starting current: High to medium
Locked-rotor torque: Normal
Breakdown torque: Normal
Applications: Thanks to their ability to handle varying loads without significant performance problems, these motors are suitable for a wide range of uses, including fans and pumps. Their design allows for efficient operation in diverse environments, making them a popular choice for general-purpose use.
NEMA Design B
Slip: Maximum 5%
Starting current: Low
Locked-rotor torque: High
Breakdown torque: Normal
C, D M 2 50
C, D L 3 64
* The maximum value of locked-rotor current permitted for motors designed for voltages other than 230 volts shall be inversely proportional to the voltages.
Applications: NEMA Design B motors are the most widely used induction motors. They’re known for their high efficiency and low starting current. Their characteristics make them ideal for HVAC/R applications such as fans, blowers, and pumps. The design of these motors ensures reliable performance and energy efficiency, making them a popular choice for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications.
NEMA Design C
Slip: Maximum 5%
Starting current: Low
Locked-rotor torque: High
Breakdown torque: Normal
Applications: NEMA Design C motors are suitable for applications that require high starting torque. That means they’re ideal for equipment with high inertia and heavy starting loads, such as positive displacement pumps and conveyors. The robust design of these motors ensures that they can handle demanding applications efficiently.
NEMA Design D
Slip: 5%-13%
Starting current: Low
Locked-rotor torque: Very high
Breakdown torque: High
Applications: These motors are designed for applications requiring very high starting torque. Their characteristics make them ideal for heavy-duty applications with high inertia starts, such as cranes and hoists. Like Design C motors, their robust design ensures that they can handle demanding tasks efficiently, providing the necessary torque for the most challenging startup conditions. — Kevin Jones
Table 12-1B
Maximum Locked-Rotor Current (and Maximum Locked-Rotor kVA Code) for 60 Hz Design B, C, and D Motors at 230 V Excluding Fire Pump Motors
C, D G 75 1184 B, C, D G 100 1578
Energy Efficient IE2 motors) at the original values without the tolerance. Also, a new Table 12-1B was created such that the locked-rotor amps did not exceed the computed value based on the locked-rotor kVA code letter or the maximum allowable amps for a NEMA motor starter for the rated motor horsepower, whichever is lower for motors other than Fire Pump Motors (at Premium Efficient level per Table 12-12). See the tables on this and on the preceding page. Maximum locked-rotor current (inrush current) values in Table 12-1B for Premium Efficiency NEMA Design B motors may be as high as 800% of full load amps. The new values for Designs BE and CE in Table 12-1E (see table on first page of this article) may be as high as 1200% of full-load amps. These new values are a significant change and should be noted when selecting protective equipment and wiring. Due to these changes, there is much ongoing discussion with the National Electrical Code on the impact of these higher values as NEMA seeks to have these tables added to NEC.
The only other new NEMA Design that is under discussion may be one assigned to the inverter-only motors from Part 31, which is under revision, along with Part 30. The working group has not decided on what this will be called. These changes will not be in the new MG 00001-2024.
C, D G
C, D G 125 1973
C, D G
* The maximum value of locked-rotor current permitted for motors designed for voltages other than 230 volts shall be inversely proportional to the voltages.
† The values in the “Locked-Rotor Current, Amperes” column are the lesser of the following two values:
i) The value that results when the locked-rotor kVA per horsepower is the maximum allowable value for the applicable locked-rotor kVA code letter.
ii) The value that results when the locked-rotor kVA per horsepower is determined in accordance with voltage, current, and horsepower values specified in NEMA ICS 2-2000 (R2005, R2020) and the following instructions provided in (1) through (3):
(1) Determine the kVA at each value of voltage and corresponding locked-rotor current in Tables 2-4-1 and 2-4-3 of NEMA ICS 2-2000 (R2005, R2020) for the appropriately sized three-phase, single speed, full voltage magnetic controller.
(2) Divide each value of kVA in (1) by the applicable horsepower in Table 12-1B and determine the minimum kVA/Hp.
(3) Locked-rotor amps =
�Minimum value determined in (2)� X (1000) X (applicable horsepower from Table 12.1B) √3 X 230
The NEMA Motors and Generators section is presently submitting the changes adding NEMA Design BE and CE and Table 12-1E for the next National Electrical Code review. The new tables will be in the new MG 00001-2024, due late in the third quarter of this year. EA
Striving for global harmony
IEC and NEMA use differing testing methods to determine motor efficiency. IEC standards are based on the IEC 60034-30-1 standard, while NEMA standards are based on NEMA MG 1. As for voltage and frequency, IEC motors are typically designed for 50 Hz operation, while NEMA motors are designed for 60 Hz — a difference that can affect the efficiency and performance of the motors. The IEC 6003430-1 standard aims to harmonize energy efficiency classes globally, making it easier to compare motors from different regions. While the two systems of classification have their differences, they both have the same general purpose: to promote energy efficiency and standardization.
There are several benefits to the global compatibility such standardization might bring about. Harmonized standards ensure that motors manufactured according to these standards can be used across regions around the world without compatibility problems. Aligning efficiency standards helps promote energy-efficient motors, reducing energy use and operational costs. And standardized testing methods and design criteria make it easier for manufacturers to export their products to other markets, fostering international trade. — Kevin Jones
Feature | Finance & The Workplace
Will the deal work?
How to model an internal rate of return before proceeding with plans for a business acquisition
By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor
Acquiring a business takes money, time, and emotion. Resources should not be wasted pursuing deals that cannot be done. Evaluating earnings potential helps to narrow down the options.
An Internal Rate of Return (IRR) model can serve as a preliminary litmus test in the process by helping potential buyers assess whether the financial returns of a business acquisition align with their investment goals before committing to a Letter of Intent (LOI).
An IRR model can be used to quickly screen multiple potential acquisitions. If the IRR falls below the buyer’s threshold, it could signal that the current asking price is too high, giving the buyer leverage to negotiate better terms or decide not to proceed. The deal can be discarded early on, saving time and resources that would otherwise be spent on due diligence and negotiations. On the other hand, if the initial IRR calculation is promising, the buyer can move forward with greater confidence in negotiating an LOI.
Buy low, sell high
Adjusted earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or EBITDA, is the most common metric used in evaluating middle-market companies. Middle-market businesses are typically valued at a multiple of their adjusted EBITDA, with prices ranging from three to ten times. In the sidebar example (next page), a company with an adjusted EBITDA of $2 million is purchased at a five-times multiple, or $10 million. A 1.25% factor burdens for legal, due diligence, and other transaction expenses.
IRR helps determine the profitability of the investment by estimating the rate at which the net present value of the acquisition’s cash flows equals zero. In other words, the IRR represents the discount rate that makes the present value of expected future cash flows equal to the initial investment cost. IRR allows for easy comparison between different investment opportunities, making it useful in deciding between multiple potential acquisitions.
Assuming the business’s EBITDA remains constant over five years and sells for the same multiple, the net proceeds after accounting for a 2.5% transaction cost and sell-side broker fees amount to
$9,250,000. This translates to a 16% IRR for the hold period. Considering the risks associated with acquiring smaller companies, this compensation to investors is relatively modest.
However, IRR can be much higher depending on the exit strategy. Many investors adopt a roll-up approach, wherein smaller businesses, characterized by higher risk due to limited resources, market volatility, and less established track records, are acquired at lower multiples. Higher multiples apply to larger companies that boast diversified revenue streams, established customer bases, and greater stability.
The gap presents an opportunity for buyers to benefit from roll-ups, achieving “multiple arbitrage” by increasing a company’s value without making operational improvements. Continuing the sidebar example, if the business is sold at a seven-times multiple, the net proceeds at exit escalate to $13,650,000, resulting in a 24% IRR, 50% higher than the base case of 16%. At that level, the deal looks considerably more attractive!
Alongside multiple arbitrage, operating synergies considerably impact EBITDA growth when companies acquire other businesses. These synergies can lead to increased sales, reduced costs from combined operations, better purchase discounts, and decreased administration
— Illustration by Bing generative AI
and technology expenses through employee consolidation. Ultimately, these synergies contribute to EBITDA growth and to the overall value of the company.
Project cash flows
Cash flows start with the equity needed, not the purchase price. The “equity needed” is the amount of money to be invested in the business. In this example, the equity is $4,680,000, calculated as the $10,125,000 acquisition cost plus $55,000 financing cost, less the $5,500,000 debt.
IRR considers both the equity required and the projected net cash at exit. In this example, the net cash at exit is a nominal negative of $27,000, after taking into account five years’ EBITDA of $10,000,000, maintenance capital expenditures of $2,500,000, debt payoff of $5,500,000, interest expense of $1,375,000, and income taxes of $652,000.
The EBITDA of $10,000,000 is simply $2,000,000 multiplied by five years, assuming no growth. The company incurs maintenance capital expenditures of $500,000 annually to sustain existing operations. Interest expense is calculated at a 10% rate on the debt with a ratable paydown of the outstanding balance over the five-year hold period.
The income tax computation assumes an asset purchase and applies a 35% rate to cover federal and state income taxes. Taxable income starts with EBITDA and then subtracts interest, computed depreciation, and amortization. The model takes a simplified approach by assuming that acquired property and equipment are fully written off during the five-year hold period.
Although machinery, tooling, equipment, computers, and office items are depreciated for income taxes over three to seven years, bonus depreciation has enabled an immediate 100% deduction. While the deduction began to phase out by 20% per year starting in 2023, another op-
tion for capital expenditures is the Internal Revenue Code section 179 small business expensing rules, which allow businesses to expense up to $1,220,000 for 2024 and future years (adjusted for inflation), provided their annual spending is below $3,050,000.
Amortization is calculated as financing costs plus one-third of computed goodwill and intangibles. Goodwill is the purchase price plus transaction costs minus net working capital and fixed assets acquired. In this example, goodwill equals $5,125,000. Onethird represents five of the fifteen-year amortization period under tax law.
The model does not reflect the limitation on interest expense to 30% of income tax-basis earnings before interest and taxes. Small businesses averaging under $27 million gross receipts for the prior three years are exempt from it.
Evaluate IRR
In the illustration, multiple arbitrage elevates IRR from 16% to 24%. The model allows for further sensitivity analysis by adjusting key assumptions. Other factors influencing IRR include EBITDA growth and leverage. Assuming an exit at the original five multiple, purchasing all in cash would reduce IRR from 16% to 10%. That level is not of interest to investors. From this perspective, while debt involves risk, having more of it can enhance IRR.
Hold Period
While leverage helps, bank debt must be within the guidelines established by lenders. One such guideline is that interest-bearing debt should not exceed two to three times a company’s EBITDA. This means that if you are buying at a multiple on EBITDA of above three, you can expect to make up the difference in alternative financing, such as mezzanine, or equity capital at closing.
Other guidelines include a ratio of total debt (including accounts payable) to tangible net worth of no more than a range of from 2:1 to 4:1, and a ratio of EBITDA divided by interest and repayment of longterm debt of less than a range of 1.1:1 to 1.5:1. Banks apply the low and the high end of each of the ranges based on risk; for example, smaller deals might be limited to 2:1 Debt: EBITDA; 2:1 Total debt: Net worth; and 1.5: 1 EBITDA: Debt Service.
Regarding EBITDA growth over the hold period, investors often conservatively overlook it. Oftentimes, as in roll-ups, a growth assumption is warranted as smaller companies combine to achieve synergies. Synergies take time to ramp up.
Ultimately, growth has less impact than multiple arbitrage. From a base 16% IRR assuming zero growth, 3% EBITDA growth starting in year two raises it to 19%, and 5% growth to 21%. The 5% growth yields less than the 24% with multiple arbitrage, but when combined with it, the IRR approaches 30%.
Now that’s a deal that works! EA SIDEBAR: : RETURN ON BUSINESS ACQUISITION, EXAMPLE
Names & Faces
Prominent automaker Stellantis announced in August that Tim Fallon, who led EV manufacturing operations at Rivian and had spent 16 years in production roles before that at Nissan, will take over as the company’s head of manufacturing in North America.
“Tim brings his relentless pursuit of operational excellence and strong track record of manufacturing experience, including electric vehicle production, to Stellantis as we enter this critical stage of our transformation,” said Carlos Zarlenga, chief operating ocer for Stellantis in North America. “With this year marking the start of our electric vehicle o ensive, I have full con dence that Tim’s passion and collaborative spirit will lead the team to deliver the highest quality vehicles for our customers.”
Pittsburgh Electrical Insulation of Munhall, Pa., since 1947 a manufacturer, converter, and distributor of electrical insulation materials, recently announced enhancements to its management team.
Lance Crow has accepted the promotion to president of PEI. “Lance has been managing director for seven years, and this is a natural and welcome progression for him and the company,” said T.H. Paul, CEO and owner of PEI. Also promoted were Rachel Guarnieri, to materials manager and Q.A. team leader, and Melissa Carnegie, to customer service supervisor.
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College has welcomed Adam Pfost as the vice president of nance and administration. Pfost comes from the University of Utah to serve as NWTC’s chief nancial o cer, a role in which he will provide strategic leadership and oversight of the college’s nancial and operational resources.
“I am excited to join NWTC, a college renowned for its commitment to student success and its promising future under [NWTC president Dr. Kristen Raney’s] leadership,” Pfost said. “I look forward to engaging with the people, places, and community that make NWTC such a special place.”
Founded in 1912, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is a nationally recognized, two-year public college serving nearly 23,000 individuals annually. NWTC’s curriculum o ers programs of study in elds such as agriculture, architecture, construction, energy, public safety, manufacturing, the STEM elds, transportation, distribution, and logistics. More than 6,800 incumbent workers and 617 businesses received training through NWTC’s Corporate Training and Economic Development department in the 2022 academic year. — Charlie Barks EA
This #@&% Impulse Tester is not putting out the voltage. Call PJ and order a Real Surge Tester !
PJ Electronics (since 1969) has been manufacturing an exclusive High Frequency Surge Tester that is the best for testing the integrity of insulation in all electric motors, generators and all types of windings. We offer Bench, Portable & Console models. All 65 Models (6KV to 60KV output) are capable of testing fully assembled motors without rotating the rotor.
Visit www.pjelectronics.com to learn why we are the only choice for all of your Surge Testing needs!
575 Davidson Road Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15239
Toll Free Phone: 1-877-4PJ TEST
Adam Pfost
Tim Fallon
Lance Crow
Melissa Carnegie
Rachel Guarnieri
Product Showcase
The newest and best in tools and equipment for the plant and shop
Straight edge inserts for high-feed milling
Pittsburgh tooling and industrial supplier Kennametal has released a new product that works together with its 7792VX series, designed for high-feed milling applications. New straightedge inserts for the 7792VX are designed to t existing pockets, and the product features IC 06, 09, 12, 16 inserts with straight cutting edges for consistent chip thickness for all depth-of-cut applications. Also featured are Flat Top Geometry (-M) with the strongest cutting edge for longer tool life and Positive Rake Face (-M41) with chip control for better chip clearance.
3D visual interiors for electric vehicles
Stratasys Ltd. has announced that global automotive manufacturer Peugeot has integrated Stratasys innovative 3DFashion technology into the interior of its new Inception concept car. The car incorporates an interior design described by the company as “revolutionary.” It features advanced materials produced exclusively using Stratasys J850 TechStyle 3D printers. Integral to the set-up are immersive seats covered with a velvet-like material made from 100% recycled polyester. The velvet extends onto the oor and features 3D patterns created with Stratasys 3D printing technology.
Monoblock structure for machining materials
FZU22 is the latest addition to the Zimmermann family of machining solutions, specialized for working with aluminum, plastics, and wood, as well as the nishing of carbon ber and composite parts. The top-moving gantry can provide high precision in the production of models and molded parts, according to the company. The standard version includes the tool changer for 12 tools and a control of the latest generation (Siemens or Heidenhain). In machining workpiece locations with di cult accessibility, the geometry of the specially developed ve-axis milling head with 15 kW spindle is a tting solution for the job.
New technology for GE wind turbines
Moog Technology has integrated its next-generation slip ring with a ber-optic rotary joint, or FORJ, as a replacement for the carbon-brush slip rings that control the blade pitch on 2.5 MW GE turbines and above. Moog ber brushes consist of a proprietary blend of high-end metals to ensure reliable transmission of power and data. The latest integrated version, model WP72865N, incorporates a smaller footprint and weighs less than competing designs. Additionally, the integrated FORJ, model FO286, transfers data at higher rates via ber optic output versus Ethernet.
New additions to Okuma robotics series
Three new ORL series products are designed to seamlessly load and unload workpieces from both new and pre-existing Okuma machines to increase productivity and aid operators’ efciency. Okuma Robot Loader Drawer (ORL-D) is a drawer-style workpiece storage unit with a standard template that holds up to 92 workpieces. An optional template can be purchased that holds up to 180 smaller workpieces. Okuma Robot Loader Rotary (ORL-R), a disc-style workpiece storage unit with a variety of template options that can hold up to 166 workpieces. Lastly, the Okuma Robot Loader Machining Center (ORL-MC), is a workholding and workpiece storage unit for up to 288 workpieces.
Easy-to-use solution for OTDR testing
Platinum Tools has launched its new PT-OTDR-100 mini OTDR tester, a tool that’s applicable for optical ber construction, maintenance, and monitoring. This unit will perform OTDR tests, OPM, VFL, and laser source functionality for ber optic cable and will also perform continuity testing and TDR for category cable, according to the manufacturer. The new tool analyzes the measuring curve of optical bers, providing insights into uniformity, defects, fractures, joint couplings, and other properties. It measures optical ber attenuation, connector attenuation, and faults and displays loss distribution along the ber length. PT-OTDR-100 includes a 5.5 inch OLED touch screen for easy viewing of cable. — Chelsea Fisher EA
Europe reaches an energy milestone as many demand more electricity use
For the first time ever, more than half of the European Union’s electricity is being produced from renewable sources such as wind, hydro, solar, and biomass — a dramatic shift that has been driven by a decline in the production of fuels based on hydrocarbons.
Despite this achievement, which was reached earlier this year, the pace of development is insufficient to attain long-term goals, according to Eurelectric, an association headquartered in Brussels that represents the interests of the electric power industry in Europe as well as those of affiliates and associates on several other continents.
In an article published last July in Energy Watch, Savannah Altvater, head of Eurelectric’s distribution and market facilitation team, said that wind energy from the North Sea contributed significantly to reaching this year’s 50% mark, with electricity produced by onshore wind turbines alone increasing 15% from 2022 to 2023.
During the same period, natural gas and coal production decreased 19% and 30% respectively. Nuclear power, meanwhile, accounted for 24% of total production of the EU’s electricity (see graph). “Eurelectric calls for the EU to set electrification goals, aiming for 35% by 2030,” Altvater declared, emphasizing the need for a large-scale electrification plan with interim targets.
Eurelectric calls itself “the voice of the electricity industry in Europe,” but it’s a voice that doesn’t always speak in unison with others. Some believe the progress that’s been made so far, praiseworthy as it may be, isn’t enough. Ironically, the key to expanding renewable energy may be to use more electricity, not less, at least in the short term. Greater electricity demand will spur faster development of renewable energy, the thinking goes.
Green Power Denmark, a non-commercial business organization consisting of about 1,500 members from across the “green energy value chain,” says that electricity use in the EU should reach 4,500 TWh by 2030, which would be a 3,080 TWh over today’s rate. Denmark’s minister for climate, energy, and utilities, Lars Aagaard, said, “Electrification is not a goal; it’s a means to achieve our CO2 displacement goal.”
Green Power Denmark says that electricity use must significantly increase for Denmark and the EU to meet climate goals and “Power-to-X” ambitions. (Power-to-X is a term that applies to technologies that turn electricity into carbon-neutral synthetic fuels.) The organization says that the EU must establish targets that are binding.
Kristian Jensen, CEO of Green Power Denmark, was quoted in Energy Watch as saying, “Electrification is underway, but right now we’re chugging along on a moped when we should be sitting in the fastest electric car with the accelerator all the way down.” He stressed the need to “press the big power button” to eliminate CO2 in heating, industry, and transportation, thus ensuring independence from fossil fuels.
Green Power Denmark proposes that the European Commission formulate an action plan for electrification. The plan should include binding targets for electricity’s share in total energy use by 2030 and 2040. The organization also recommends that Denmark set an end date for new natural gas boiler sales in 2025, close the gas grid by 2035, and double the pool of heat pumps.
To accelerate industrial electrification, Green Power Denmark further recommends offering tax deductions to companies that establish fully
Ironically, the key to expanding renewable energy may be to use more electricity, not less, at least in the short term
electrified production. “There’s no doubt that many households and businesses want to electrify,” Jensen said, “but many hesitate to take the step as it can be a major financial investment here and now. Therefore, politicians should help and encourage households and businesses to make the green and electric choice.”
In April 2021, the European Union adopted a regulation, commonly known as the European Climate Law, that codifies the EU’s goal of becoming “climateneutral” by 2050 and reducing its “net greenhouse gas emissions” by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. Despite the enactment of this law, Denmark’s electricity use has increased by only one terawatt-hour, representing just 2% of the necessary electrification towards 2030. Over the past four years, the EU’s total electricity use has decreased. (Again, paradoxically, greater electricity use is seen as a requirement to reduce CO2 emissions long term.)
Green Power Denmark has determined that green power for heating and industry is lagging. The Danish Energy Agency estimates that by 2035, 140,000 households will still be using natural gas boilers. Meanwhile, in industry, the share of electricity in total energy use has barely budged since 2020, increasing only from 38.2% to 38.6%. The potential for electrification in Danish industry is 98% of energy consumption.
“This development is in no way aligned with our climate ambitions and the security situation we find ourselves in,” Jensen said, alluding to the EU’s desire to free itself from dependence on oil from outside sources, particularly Russia. “We need a clear signal from politicians that we need to stop burning fossil fuels.”
Although there is no target for 100% electrification, increased electrification is seen as crucial for meeting the 70% target by 2030 and achieving a climate-neutral society by 2050. Low electricity use threatens the attainment of this objective. “We need to get production and consumption to race,” Jensen said. “Otherwise, we’ll be far too late in meeting our climate goals, and other countries will run away with the green investments.” — Kevin Jones EA
Earlier this year, for the first time ever, more than half of the electricity used by member nations of the European Union was derived from renewable sources. — Eurelectric graph
ITAC-Toe
The U.S. Dept. of Energy’s supply chain office selects 21 new projects for training centers
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
The U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) has announced the selection of 21 projects to expand the Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITAC) program. The ITAC program provides hands-on job training for clean energy careers while helping small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) save energy, improve performance, and reduce emissions. These programs, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, help small businesses save money and expand opportunities for disadvantaged communities to save energy and pursue high-quality clean energy careers.
The expanded ITAC program will train more than 4,000 students, apprentices, and incumbent manufacturing workers for quality careers that do not necessarily require a four-year college degree. The selections both establish new ITACs and provide planning grants to selectees to plan for creating future ITACs. All told, MESC funds over 200 projects ranging from advanced manufacturing deployment, workforce deployment, SMM manufacturing efficiency, batteries and battery components, heat pumps and clean HVAC, as well as critical minerals and materials.
The ITAC program has a long history of success, having provided more than 21,000 assessments at SMMs, which comprise more than 90% of the nation’s manufacturing entities, over more than four decades. The expanded program will reach even more SMMs in states and communities across the country.
The selected projects include labor unions, community and technical colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeship readiness providers. An estimated 50% of the funding for the announced selections will go to organizations that serve disadvantaged communities, according to the Dept. of Energy. The selections also include seven institutions federally recognized as serving an especially high percentage of students
from minority groups (also known as minority-serving institutions, or MSIs).
The expansion of the ITAC program is part of MESC’s broader portfolio of investments in clean energy and manufacturing. MESC is investing over $20 billion in funding to communities and industries across the nation.
Selectees included a number of universities and community colleges nationwide. Some of the largest grants went to the following: Western States Council of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation (known as SMART, which received $5,700,000 for Sacramento and various other locations in California and Arizona); four University of WisconsinMilwaukee locations in four different states for another $5,700,000; the International Training Institute for the Sheet Metal Industry (Falls Church, Va.; Atlanta; Las Vegas, for a total of $3,461,590); $3 million apiece to Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, the Illinois Community College Board, and Bridge Valley Community & Technical College (West Virginia); and $2 million each to Sinclair CC (Dayton, Ohio); Mississippi Gulf Coast CC; Atlanta Technical College; Arizona Western College; Lorain County (OH) CC; and Bucks County (Pa.) CC. The United Auto Workers Region 6 (Oakland, Calif.) also received $2 million. The full list of recent selectees can be found on the Dept. of Energy’s website.
MESC launched the Office of the Under Secretary for Infrastructure in February 2022 in order to secure and strengthen critical manufacturing and energy supply chains. It has since launched a range of investments in America’s energy manufacturing sector. MESC aims to “recognize the important role America’s historic energy communities have in driving American energy sector innovation and leadership.”
Today, MESC has selected 71 projects across 38 states. EA
A snapshot of the European pump market
A demand for higher efficiency and greater sustainability is driving vibrant growth
By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor
“Pump It Up” usually confines itself to examinations of the pump market in North America. From time to time, though, it’s instructive to look beyond our own shores to gain a sense of what’s going on, pump-wise, elsewhere in the world. This month we’ll take a look at what’s happening in Europe.
The European market for industrial and commercial pumps, pump components, and pumping systems is a significant and growing sector. It’s driven by various industries, such as water and wastewater treatment, oil and gas, chemicals, and power generation. Government mandates and customer demand for higher efficiency and sustainability are contributing to a demand for particular classes of pumps.
Europe is seeing strong demand for centrifugal pumps, positive displacement pumps, and specialty pumps, each of the latter designed for a particular use. The market is supported by a manufacturing base characterized as “robust” as well as by a nearly continent-wide commitment to innovation.
The European pump market was valued at approximately €7.93 billion in 2023 (about $8.83 billion U.S.) and is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 2.6% from 2024 to 2032, reaching around €10 billion (about $11 billion) by 2032, according to Expert Market Research of Sheridan, Wyo.
The European market for industrial and commercial pumps, pump components, and pumping systems, according to the industry association Europump, is expected to continue its growth trajectory, driven by technological advancements, regulatory requirements, and an increasing demand for efficient and reliable pumps and pumping systems.
A widely varied industry
As robust as the pump sector in Europe may when taken as a whole, a closer looks reveals that different industries — and thus different types of pumps — are more dominant in some countries than in others. The nations of Europe may be united, but there’s still significant variety among their industrial profiles.
Certainly one of Europe’s largest markets for industrial and commercial pumps is Germany, where demand for pumps is being driven by the country’s strong industrial base and its dedication to efficiency. The German market is supported by significant investments the country has made in recent years in infrastructure and manufacturing.
The U.K. market, meanwhile, is characterized by high demand for pumps in the water and wastewater treatment sector. A concentration
on sustainability and energy-efficiency is driving growth in the U.K. as well.
France’s market for pumps is strong, particularly in the chemical and power generation sectors. Among major drivers of growth there are government initiatives intended to promote energy efficiency and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
Then there’s Italy, a nation long known for embracing innovation. The ready adoption of advanced technologies and automation in Italy is contributing to growth of pump sales in the oil-and-gas and chemical industries.
Such is the situation in a few of the major Western European markets. Countries in Eastern Europe, meanwhile, such as Poland and Hungary, are emerging as significant growth areas as these nations play catch-up with their Western European counterparts. Strong demand for pumps is being seen primarily in industrialization and infrastructure development. Pump sales in Eastern Europe are expected to grow at
— Illustration by Adobe Firefly generative AI
a faster rate than in Western Europe, even if the total amount of money spent there isn’t as great.
Pump types and trends
These concentrations on certain industries, along with the priority being placed on greater efficiency and sustainability, are bringing about a dominance of certain types of pumps in European industry:
> Centrifugal pumps are the most widely used type of pumps in Europe, accounting for a significant share of the market. They’re used in various applications, including water supply, wastewater treatment, and industrial processes.
> Positive displacement pumps, essential for applications requiring precise flow control and high pressure, are seeing strong demand in the chemical, oil and gas, and food and beverage industries.
> Specialty pumps, such as diaphragm pumps and peristaltic pumps, are being used in niche applications that require precise performance. These pumps are gaining in popularity in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors throughout Europe.
A review of the European pump industry reveals several broad trends currently shaping the market:
> Energy efficiency. The focus on energy-efficient machines and components is a major driver for the European pump market. Regulations such as the Ecodesign Directive — a framework for setting mandatory ecological requirements for energy-related products sold in all 27 EU member states — are pushing manufacturers to develop more efficient products.
> Technological advancements. The integration of the Internet of Things and smart technologies in pumps is enhancing pump performance and reliability. Predictive maintenance and remote monitoring are becoming standard features of pumps sold in Europe.
> Sustainability. The emphasis on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and promoting sustainable practices is playing a major role in the European pump market’s development. The adoption of “green” technologies and renewable energy sources is on the rise across the continent, pressed by the ecologically minded government in Brussels.
The ‘voice of the industry’
Tying all of this together is Europump of Brussels, which, like Eurelectric (mentioned in this month’s “Utilities,” page 46), calls itself the “voice” of its industry in Europe.
Europump says its mission is “to create awareness of the importance of the pump industry, to encourage dialogue between all stakeholders, to create and identify what is important for the European pump industry, to work with its members to ensure their interests are well represented on relevant regulatory and standardization issues at EU and international levels,” and “to ensure we are the global reference body for European pump-related issues.”
The association carries out numerous activities in pursuit of these lofty goals, among them an annual meeting that brings together some of the top players in the European pump industry.
The most recent annual meeting, held last May 22-24, drew more than 80 delegates to the posh De Vere Beaumont Estate in Windsor, U.K., under the auspices of the British Pump Manufacturers Association and with the support of global electrical manufacturer WEG Electric Corp.. Attendees heard updates on a number of regulatory and standardsrelated topics, including the circular economy, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, several European product regulations, and greenhouse gas emissions.
There were also keynote sessions on digital product passports, the use of artificial intelligence in pumps, and the sustainability of motors and drives. Delegates were given an overview of the political landscape in the U.K., particularly as it relates to manufacturing, and heard a presentation about Oxford Economics’ World Pumps Report.
Europump’s annual meeting is truly a moveable feast, having convened in recent years in Italy, France, Sweden, and, in 2020 and 2021, virtually. Next year’s meeting is to be held May 21-23, 2025, in Prague, with the Czech Pump Manufacturers Association acting as host. Energy efficiency and the circular economy appear likely to be high on the agenda. Also to be addressed, according to Europump, are regulations governing data sharing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
These annual meetings, though they may bring together fewer than 100 delegates, are probably worth paying attention to, because they’re likely to indicate not only where the European pump market is now but where it’s likely to be headed in the future. EA
A few of the major European pump suppliers
Here are four of the major European suppliers of pumps for industrial and commercial applications, along with a summary of the types of pumps each is best known for:
Grundfos Group (Denmark)
Circulator pumps: Known for their high efficiency and low maintenance; used in heating, cooling, and hot water recirculation.
Booster sets: Used in high-rise buildings, hospitals, and irrigation systems to maintain constant pressure.
Dosing pumps: Known for their accuracy and reliability in industrial processing and water treatment.
Sulzer Ltd. (Switzerland)
Centrifugal pumps: Widely used in oil and gas, power generation, and water treatment.
Axial flow pumps: Ideal for high-flow, low-head applications such as flood control and irrigation.
KSB SE & Co. KGaA (Germany)
Submersible pumps: Used for dewatering, sewage, and wastewater treatment.
Multistage pumps: Suitable for high-pressure applications in water supply and boiler feeds.
WILO SE (Germany)
Circulating pumps: Efficient and reliable for heating and cooling systems.
Submersible pumps: Used in water management and wastewater treatment.
Flowserve Corp. (Headquartered in the U.S., with significant operations in Europe)
Centrifugal pumps: Used in chemical processing, oil and gas, and power generation.
Positive displacement pumps: Ideal for handling viscous fluids in various industrial applications. — KJ
Global nuke news
What in the world is going on with nuclear energy? A look at policies and trends.
By Charlie Barks, EA Managing Editor
Perhaps more than any other energy source, nuclear power goes through phases when it’s seen either as a threat to public safety or the solution to the world’s energy woes. Where do we stand now? What’s the view of nuclear energy globally?
There has been no steady increase in the world’s nuclear energy generation over the past two decades. In fact, the share of nuclear power in global electricity generation hit its lowest value since the beginning of the century in 2023. However, nuclear energy capacity has grown by over 20 gigawatts since the 2000s.
Only two countries in the world generate most of their electricity from nuclear sources: France and Slovakia, both located in Europe. The other leading actors on the nuclear energy landscape, namely the U.S. and China, produced less than 20% and 5% of power from nuclear energy respectively, despite having the largest nuclear energy production capacity in the world. (For a closer look at Europe’s sources of electric power, see “Utilities,” page 46.)
As of May 2024, there were 440 nuclear power reactors in operation across 32 countries. Around 20% of them were in the U.S., the largest nuclear power-generating country in the world, followed by China, France, and Russia. France relies heavily on
nuclear energy, but stress corrosion issues in some components of the country’s nuclear fleet have resulted in a series of planned outages of nuclear reactors for revision since 2022.
The temporary shutdowns were projected to continue until 2025 and contributed to a decrease in the country’s nuclear energy production. Meanwhile, motivated by its low emission rate for electricity production, the share of nuclear energy in the Chinese electricity mix has more than doubled in the past decade. In 2023, China had the largest number of nuclear reactor projects and was expected to become the largest nuclear power producer within 10 years.
Global nuclear policy
After the 2011 nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant, concerns about the safety of nuclear plants regained the spotlight and several world countries producing nuclear power vowed to accelerate the shutdown of existing plants and stop investment in new ones.
The first country to put this plan into practice was Germany, which phased out nuclear energy in early 2023. Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan planned to emulate Germany, but Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden reversed their nuclear policy following the global energy crisis in 2022 and extended the lifetime of their nuclear reactors or planned the construction of new units.
Nuclear energy is one of the main low-carbon electricity sources in the world, and it was included among the energy sources for a green transition in major economies such as the U.S. and the European Union. For this reason, the global nuclear power capacity is expected to continue growing in coming years, especially in Asia, where most of the nuclear reactors under construction and planned as of 2024 were located.
Going nano
NANO Nuclear Energy is a company that is designing two small-scale nuclear fission reactors or so-called microreactors. These are still in the design phase, and commercial products are not likely to emerge this decade.
Other business lines are likely to appear sooner, but the economics are difficult to assess, so it’s hard from an investor point of view to formulate projections given the lack of hard data. This is more for specialists who can assess the viability of the company’s reactor designs.
Given the significant amount of private finance the company receives, there seem to be plenty of such people, which should provide a modicum of confidence. The company has four key business lines:
Bohunice Nuclear Power plant in Slovakia, one of two countries using nuclear power as its primary energy source. (The other is France.)
Bohunice Nuclear Power photo
> Micro nuclear reactor business: Is developing next-generation portable nuclear microreactors known as the Zeus and the Odin.
> Fuel fabrication business: Is developing a domestic high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel fabrication facility.
> Fuel transportation business: Scheduled for 2026.
> Nuclear consultation services: Either through acquisition or internal development.
Microreactors
The market for small modular reactors, or SMRs — modules up to 300 MWe capacity per unit — has players like NuScale (SMR), which already has a certified design. Its power module is designed to generate 77 MWe per module and can be deployed in configurations of 4, 6, or 12 modules. The SMR market is actually quite lively as there are several players with plans in this space.
SMRs are under construction or in the licensing stage in various countries, including Japan, Canada, China, Russia, the U.K., and the U.S. More than 80 commercial SMR designs worldwide target diverse outputs and applications, including electricity, hybrid energy systems, heating, water desalination, and industrial steam.
One should keep in mind that most of these pertain to the SMR market, while Nano operates in a segment of this, the microreactors (up to 10 MWe), which are much smaller still and basically a replacement for diesel generators. Much of the SMR market offers much larger modules compared to Nano, so these can’t be considered real competition.
Nano plans to operate on the scale of microreactors that generate between 1 MW and 10 MW (or, according to some sources, 20 MW) of thermal energy that is used directly as heat or converted to electric power. Applications for Nano include such situations as district heating, water desalination, and hydrogen fuel production.
They’re also useful in emergencies, such as power outages or natural disasters, as microreactors are portable. They can be rapidly deployed and are easily scalable, so they’re adaptable to many situations. Microreactors can supplement microgrids and are integratable with renewable energies. Microreactors can operate for up to 15 years.
In fact, what Nano tries to do (hence its name) is to build even smaller reactors that provide between 1 MW and 2 MW of electricity; the company is actually designing two of these, the Zeus and the Odin.
Expected to redefine the future of nuclear power with an unprecedented approach, the company has combined existing nuclear technology with recent innovations in drilling.
Deep Fission has developed a design for a modular nuclear microreactor (15 Megawatts-electric) that can be placed at a depth of 1 mile in a 30-inch borehole. This is a new concept that has not been done before and could prove the right solution to our clean, reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy needs, according to Deep Fission.
Based on the technology of the pressurized water reactor (PWR), the design uses the same fuel as standard PWRs, even the same fuel assemblies, and the same methods to control the power (control rods and boron in the coolant fluid).
The innovative design can operate at the same pressure (160 atmospheres) and core temperatures (approximately 315°C, equivalent to 600°F) as a conventional reactor. EA
Don’t be dropped!
The U.S. Post Office requires that we mail EA to active subscribers only. If it’s been a while since you’ve renewed your subscription, we need to hear from you now!
To renew online, go to http://earenew.com or log on with this QR code:
To renew by mail or fax, send us the mailing label on the front cover of this issue, along with a signed note saying that you want to continue to receive the magazine. Fax to 866-228-7274, or mail to:
Electrical Apparatus
Barks Publications, Inc. 17 N State St Ste 435 Chicago, IL 60602-3598
A NANO Nuclear “micro reactor,” one of the company’s flagship products. — NANO photo
Classified
RATES AND INFORMATION
Regular classified ads - straight lineage, 1 column w, with optional logo - $14.00/line counting blank spacing lines. $70.00. minimum. $6 confidential box number system. Logos and limited formatting may be added for additional charges.
Classified Display ads - 1” to 3” advertiser’s own art with no category limitations:
$150 per column inch; minimum 12 inches in 12 months. Maximum ad size per issue - 3 inches. For more information, contact Barbara Wachter, Advertising Director
E-mail: barbara@barks.com Phone: (312) 626-2316
All ads subject to Publisher’s acceptance
Business for Sale
MOTOR AND PUMP REPAIR SHOP IN WESTERN MARYLAND
We are a small shop that has been in business for over 75 years in a suburb of Baltimore and Washington DC. We are serving a loyal customer base that includes commercial, light industrial and municipal customers. We have a nice mix of new motor and pump sales, repair, rewind and field services. Our in-house repair and rewind services are capable of around 500hp.
Please send all inquires to box 10, barbara@barks.com
Business for Sale
EASTERN ONTARIO SMALL SHOP
Owner considering retirement.
Well established, well equipped shop with environmental permit in place. Good mix of industrial sales, repairs, and outside service, with long serving experienced technicians. Building and property are owned by the corporation, will consider sale of real-estate if buyer interested.
Owner willing to stay on for a negotiated transition period. Sale to properly qualified and financed individuals/corporations only.
Contact:
avinvestmentsandholdings@gmail.com
Business for Sale
BUSINESS FOR SALE
St Louis area
5000 square foot building
All equipment and inventory
Rewind and repair to 500 horsepower
Will sell or lease building
Jerry Mathys 636 225 6650
Business for Sale
MIDWEST SHOP FOR SALE
Seven employees including the owner. $2+ million in revenue in 2023. Profitable for the last 20 years under the current owner. Contact 785-221-8299.
TWO
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Our facility repairs AC, DC, Synchronous, Horizontal, Vertical, etc. electric motors from fractional through 5,000+ HP, from 230v through 7,000v AC.
Electric
Motor Mechanic
Our electric motor mechanic is responsible for the disassembly, inspection, assembly, and testing of electric motors.
Electric Motor Winder
Our electric motor winder is responsible for primarily winding and occasionally the disassembly, inspection, assembly, testing of electric motors.
Please apply on www.hobgoodelectric.com Or contact us at (803) 754-8700
EXPERIENCED SHOP FOREMAN
North End Electric in Wilkes Barre Pa, Shop overseeing all repair, field diagnosis, rewind and machine work progress. Must be experienced with AC/DC electric motors, gearboxes and other various rotating equipment. Contact cody.hendricks@ northendelectric.com to inquire.
EASA SEEKS MOTOR ENGINEER
Join EASA’s world-renowned technical support team! EASA seeks an engineer with at least 5 years of experience in repair, service, maintenance and/or redesign of ac and dc motors. Must understand motor theory as well as application and be able to communicate e ectively in a fast-paced consulting role. Some travel required. For more info, see easa.com/careers.
Equipment for Sale
For more information please email info@sidewindersllc.com or call Erin 385-900-9266 or Martin 385-900-9070
Help Wanted
COMPETITIVE PAY, BENEFITS & OT!!
Competitive salary; excellent benefits; team environment. Remote work option for the right candidate.
This is an exciting role with variety that impacts the entire indsutry. Send cover note and résumé to Linda Raynes; lraynes@easa.com.
Prime Electric in Gorham, ME is looking for an experienced Electric Motor Technician. Relocation compensation, training program & advancement opportunities. Safe, friendly environment. Call 207-591-7800 or email résumés to dan@PrimeElectricMotor.com. Visit us at PrimeElectricMotor.com.
The EA word search
A tale of persistence
In the grid at left, nd and circle the words listed below, taken from this month’s “EA reader pro le” about Michael Mitten (page 24). The remaining letters, arranged in order, will say something about Michael’s persistence and long-term planning. The solution may be found online at http://barks.com/puzzles, or call (312) 321-9440. Happy hunting!
ELECTRIC MOTOR WINDER
Best Repair Company in Norfolk VA is looking for qualified candidates for:
• Quality Manager
• Motor Winders
• Pump Mechanics
• Manual Machinist
• Shop Helpers
BRC o ers a competitive salary, health insurance & 401K plan. Visit our Web Site at www.Bestrepair.net or contact gary.phelps@bestrepair.net if interested.
Help Wanted
Electric Motor Shop in Wake Forest, NC, is looking for candidates for:
• Field Service Techs
• Manual Machinists
• Motor Mechanics
• Outside Sales Reps
• Field Service Manager
• Pump Mechanics
• Switchgear Specialist
• Winders
Electric Motor Shop o ers competitive pay and benefits, including 401k. For employment consideration, please contact Kristine Larsen at 919-556-3229 or by email at Kristine.Larsen@emsnc.com
The City of Los Angeles is looking for applicants to specialize in motor rewinding, high-voltage generator and transformer repairs and other utility related duties.
This is an entry-level 4-year training position, but experienced applicants are also encouraged to apply.
Current Salary range is $43.25 - $61.78/hr. Excellent Benefits. Health, Dental, Vision, PTO, Pension and promotional opportunities. Scan QR code for more information and click subscribe to be notified when application period opens.
DIGITAL COPIES!
Bookmark these links to access digital flipbooks OCTOBER (this issue)
https://bit.ly/oct24wide NOVEMBER
https://bit.ly/nov24push DECEMBER
https://bit.ly/dec24time
MOTOR & GENERATOR MECHANICS
MIDWEST SERVICE CENTER —HOBART, IN
Our Electrical division is seeking qualified candidates for the following positions:
• Motor Mechanic
• Machinist
• Electrical Motor Winder
We o er:
Competitive Wages, Comprehensive Benefits Package, Relocation Assistance, as well as 10 Paid Holidays per year.
Send résumé to: hrdepartment@msc-hobart.com
Learn more at: https://www.midwestservicecenter.com/ about/working-at-msc/
Classified Display
Motor Rewinder needed for expanding business in beautiful Hawaii. Candidate must have mechanic knowledge as secondary skill and experience rewinding electric motors up to 4160 volts. Send résumé to mark@sakoelectric.net
ELECTRIC MOTOR WINDER
Savannah Apparatus Repair in the “Hostess City of the South” Savannah, GA for over 45 years is searching for an experienced motor winder. Rewind various 3 phase AC/ DC, random wound, form coil, stators, rotors, and armatures. Electrical experience and Baker testing up to 4160V required. Start to finish- strip and recording data to brazing and soldering connections etc. Competitive wages and benefits (medical, dental, vision, vacation). Relocation assistance provided for the right candidate. Send résumé to ChrisB@savannahapparatus.com or call (912)925-8700
Classified Display
MOTOR REWINDER
ADVERTISING INDEX
Aaki Corp. 7 Advanced Rotors, Inc.
9 BAE Wire & Insulation, Inc.
Bartlett Bearing Company, Inc. . . 13 The Battery Show 17 Dreisilker Electric Motors, Inc. 43
Electric Coil Service, Inc. 25
Electric Materials Company . . . . 14
Electrical Apparatus & Machine . . 45
Electrical Apparatus Service Association
ESR Motor Systems LLC
HD Hyundai Electric America Corp.
Helwig Carbon Products, Inc. .
Hoto Instruments .
23
29
5
27
55
Jasper Electric Motors, Inc. 15
Lafert North America IFC
Megger Baker Instruments 11
Mitchell Electronics, Inc. .
24
Mod-Tronic Instruments Ltd. . . . . 12
OTS Wire & Insulation, Inc. 55
Overly Hautz 18
Pittsburgh Electrical Insulation 16
PJ Electronics.
S&W Wire Company
43
26
Spring Point Solutions 21
Techtop Motors 8
Toshiba International Corporation 3
WEG Electric Corp.
BC
WorldWide Electric Corporation . . IBC
Learn more about the products and services featured in this issue! Use the QR code or go to https://shout.com/s/AmvUg59u to request information from advertisers.
Direct & Current
CLEAN
CLAIMS. The latest American Clean Power report provided the most recent available figures on the renewable energy industry. According to the association, “Between August 2022 and July 2024, the U.S. clean energy industry announced $500 billion in new investments, spurring the American economy and creating tens of thousands of new jobs.” American Clean Power’s 2024 edition of its Clean Energy Investing in America report finds that the industry is leading “a domestic manufacturing renaissance,” citing plans to build or expand more than 160 domestic manufacturing facilities.
ACQUIRED TASTES.
Integrated Power Services finalized the acquisition of ABB’s Industrial Services business Sept. 4. With locations in Arizona, Indiana, North Carolina, Alberta, and Ontario, ABB Industrial Services provides repair and field service for electric motors up to 50,000 hp and low- and medium-voltage switchgear from 480 V to 15 kV. These service centers also perform rotating equipment repair of pumps, compressors, blowers, bearings, gearboxes, and OHV mining drivetrains. (We look at ABB’s most recent financial report in this month’s “Business,” page 6.)
SAFETY FIRST. Swedish automaker Volvo adjusted its margin and revenue projections for a second time in a year on Sept. 5, a day after it abandoned its EV-only target by 2030, citing the impact of tariffs and a decrease in demand for electric vehicles. Decreased EV sales, consumer struggles with affordability, and tariffs from the U.S., Canada, and the EU have all been cited as reasons behind various automakers recalibrating their original targets. The average electric Volvo costs roughly $50,000.
TALL ORDER. Amazon sued a U.S. labor board Sept. 5, accusing it of illegally interfering in a union election at a New York City warehouse and claiming the agency’s structure violates the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit filed in a San Antonio federal court seeks to block the National Labor Relations Board from deciding a case that could force Amazon to bargain with the union, which won a 2022 election at a warehouse in Staten Island.
X: IT’S STRATEGY. A five-member panel of Brazil’s supreme court upheld a ban on social media platform X nationwide in early September. The unanimous vote came after court justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the ban over X’s failure to name a local legal representative as required by law. X will remain blocked in the largest South American country until it complies and pays more than $3M in outstanding fines. Brazil is the world’s sixth-largest market for X, with roughly 21 million users; the U.S. has 108 million.
— Charlie Barks
Have the digital “Direct & Current” delivered each week, at no charge, to your e-mail in-box. Scan the code at right or sign up now at http://eepurl.com/dEkrB9.
An ABB service
-Variable Frequency Drives -Soft Starters
-Across the Line Starters
- Pre-configured/Customizable Cabinets and Panels
- Remote Operation, Pilot Devices, Safety Switches, Contactors & Relays
