Motors are elemental in the operation of any efficient system. They provide the muscle that moves manufacturing, and yet they often get overlooked when compared with the technology that is prevalent in today’s operations.

In many ways, using the term “technology” when discussing motors seems a little overstated. The reality, of course, is that motors benefit from a wide array of new technologies and old applications that provide not just power, but efficiency as well.

An efficient motor’s value is sometimes hard to quantify. Motors generally are a cost center, and they get attention only when they don’t run at all. I prefer to see motors—and all energy sources—as potential profit centers. If their costs are fixed, then every extra bit of operational efficiency they can deliver goes right to the bottom line. Efficient motors make money—it’s as simple as that.

Squeezing efficiency from a motor isn’t that simple. As this e-book demonstrates, there are a wide variety of strategies and technologies that, when consistently applied, can make not just the motor but the entire motion system an efficient and dynamic source of power and precision.

We too often see motors at a distance—or only when they fail to operate. A fresh look at motor efficiency can uncover some operational and financial opportunities. It can point the way to a greater appreciation of a motor’s value, and a new way to calculate that value.