The June 2024 survey collected responses from industry decision makers in the UK, US, Germany, Italy, France, Australia, UAE, Japan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Korea and India. Respondents represented a wide range of industries, such as OEM machinery, energy, food and beverage, and metal and chemical manufacturers. One of the most important findings was that according to 91 percent of businesses, energy efficiency now has a decisive influence on the choice of electric motors. Furthermore, 94 percent of businesses are currently investing or planning to invest in sustainability programs.
“This survey provides useful insight into how businesses are prioritizing energy efficiency not only to achieve sustainability goals, but also for measurable financial returns”
– said Stefan Floeck, head of the IEC Low Voltage Motors division belonging to the ABB Drives business unit.
“ABB is already playing a crucial role in this process by demonstrating how investing in state-of-the-art energy-efficient electric motors, such as our IE6 SynRM technology, can increase operational efficiency and drive sustainable growth. Because payback times are often measured in months rather than years, the result is beneficial for both the environment and the bottom line.”
The role of electric motors in improving energy efficiency
Almost all businesses (94 percent) invest or plan to invest in sustainability and especially in energy efficiency. Most people are aware of the role energy-efficient engines can play in achieving their sustainability goals, with 91 percent saying it influences their choice. Almost all businesses have also recognized that energy-efficient motors can add value to their products and business.
Throughout the report, it is clear that end-user businesses are placing greater emphasis on sustainability, often due to increased expectations from customers, which is reflected in their increasing investments in energy efficiency. This is also reflected in what these businesses prioritize with regard to energy-efficient engines: 88 percent of them consider it important that manufacturers can issue an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). ABB addresses this challenge with the EcoSolutions program, a comprehensive program designed to provide full transparency on the environmental impact of its products throughout their entire life cycle, from manufacturing to final product disposal.
Barriers to the use of energy-efficient motors
The main barriers holding businesses back from investing in more efficient engines are higher initial costs, concerns about integration into existing systems, and potential disruption of production capabilities. The higher initial costs are more of an obstacle for businesses with a larger turnover.
Due to the investments required to modernize plants and equipment, costs are both an obstacle and an incentive. However, 99 percent of businesses now see long-term savings as the main driver of return (ROI) for their energy efficiency measures.
Total cost of ownership (TCO) speaks for energy efficiency
It is important to note that most companies consider the cost projected over the entire lifetime, i.e. the total cost of ownership (TCO), to be the most significant factor when purchasing new electric motors. In fact, over its long lifespan, the cost of an energy-efficient motor is far outweighed by the cost of electricity to run it. For an IE6 SynRM motor, initial costs are about 2 percent of TCO, maintenance is 1 percent, and the remaining 97 percent is spent on electricity.
Of course, cost is not the only consideration. Quality and integrability are also key attributes that businesses expect from suppliers.
Digitization and e-commerce
Businesses are increasing their investments in innovative technologies to take advantage of digitization and e-commerce. What this investment will be used for is diverse, but the focus is on automation and AI-based solutions.
If we specifically examine the digitalization of electric motors, the clear trend is that suppliers of electric motors use the collected and analyzed data and remote monitoring in order to improve their service offering. 99 percent of businesses believe that running digitally connected electric motors provides added value, particularly due to their ability to perform predictive health monitoring to improve motor availability and safety.
With many respondents already using e-commerce, there is growing interest in using it as a business-to-business (B2B) service. Almost all businesses see some advantage in sourcing electric motors via e-commerce, with the wide range of options and easy product comparison being the most beneficial. ABB has already implemented e-commerce in twenty-one countries, the proven benefits of which include speed, flexibility of product selection, easy configuration, order confirmation and tracking.
These findings further reinforce digitization trends that provide even more reliable and accurate solutions that deliver operational value and enable business model transformation.
More information about ABB’s ultra-efficient SynRM motors is available here: https://new.abb.com/motors-generators/iec-low-voltage-motors/process-performance-motors/synchronous-reluctance-motors.
More information on ABB’s approach to sustainability is available here: https://global.abb/group/en/sustainability.
Source: www.technokrata.hu
