MotorMaster: It Was Time for a Change (Updated)

Yesterday, Motors@Work announced our version 4.0 release. An update to the previous blog, “MotorMaster: It Was Time for a Change was in order to highlight Motors@Work’s new and enhanced commercially available capabilities.

A little history to start: In the early ‘90s, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) took a leadership role in funding and supporting software tools to support motor efficiency management. MotorMaster+, developed in collaboration with Washington State University Extension Energy Program (WSU) achieved the highest commercial and industrial industry acceptance of any DOE tool. However the DOE discontinued funding support of MotorMaster+ in 2012 and later discontinued technical support of the tool.

Recognizing the gap in the market, Motors@Work commenced developing the next generation of motor management tools, building upon MotorMaster+’s functionality. Now, with our release of v 4.0, Motors@Work greatly exceeds MotorMaster+ capabilities.

 Let’s Compare: MotorMaster+ Versus Motors@Work v 4.0

Leveraging our customers’ IT investments, Motors@Work v 4.0 enables interdependent data aggregation, providing the operating intelligence needed to optimize our customers’ motor-driven systems’ operating performance. Our analytics and operating intelligence enhance visibility of your motor-driven systems’ performance from the asset management, reliability management, and energy management perspectives.

Motors@Work puts the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) into practice to increase enterprise efficiency and deliver business value. Whether your data is collected from handheld devices, captured in CMMS, or gathered automatically from SCADA, sensors, and sub-meters, Motors@Work’s analyses enhance and improve your asset and energy management decisions. Release 4.0 provides systematic life-cycle analytics so companies can act on the enhanced intelligence at the right time, with the right resources, to optimize their asset performance and return-on-assets.

The following table, albeit not exhaustive, illustrates the many incremental features and value-added proposition Motors@Work v 4.0 provides compared to MotorMaster+ (2012):

Implementation
  MOTORMASTER+ MOTORS@WORK
Software location –  Locally installed MS Access database –  Integrated, cloud-based, software-as-a-service
Party responsible for updates –  User must install any updates & transfer data to new version –  Motors@Work updates its cloud-based application regularly, with pain-free client roll-outs
User facilities –  141-page User Guide (PDF) –  Ever-expanding library of online help resources, including how-to videos, quick-start guides, wiki-format help library, & blog
Asset intelligence
  MOTORMASTER+ MOTORS@WORK
Relationship to system of record –  Locally installed MS Access database maintains records independent of system of record –  Our SQL database integrates with your EAM/CMMS/system of record to keep records up-to-date
Asset types –  Manages ac induction motors only –  Manages multiple motor types (dc, ac synchronous [permanent magnet] & ac induction] and full motor-driven system; i.e., motor + pump (with compressors & fans coming soon!)
Motor catalog –  Includes nameplate data and limited performance specifications on more than 17,000 motors from 14 manufacturers –  Includes nameplate, performance specifications, drawings, & pricing data on more than 46,000 motors from 24 manufacturers
Economic evaluations –  Uses total lifecycle costing to evaluate alternatives –  Uses total lifecycle costing, work order history, original purchase price, depreciation method, current book value, and operating costs to evaluate alternatives against user’s own financial criteria (e.g., IRR, payback thresholds)
Capital planning –  Batch process of replacement analyses, sorted by payback period –  Replacement analyses updated with each measurement to reflect most current operating conditions & health, with user notified when replacement meets established financial criteria

–  Motor health & performance used to forecast motor replacement budget out 10 years in future

Purchase order initiation –  (No comparable functionality) –  When integrated with EAM/CMMS, can initiate purchase order or capital requisition based on motor evaluation results or replacement recommendations
Reliability intelligence
  MOTORMASTER+ MOTORS@WORK
Field data –  Field measurements manually entered at local desktop station –  Manual as well as near-real-time bi-directional integrations with EAM, SCADA, sensors, submeters, MAHI, & IBM Watson IoT to collect near-real-time data
Analytics –  Field measurements used to calculate motor load & operating efficiency only –  More than 40 comparative, quantitative, physics-based analytics performed on each measurement to determine motor load & operating efficiency, assess power quality, evaluate motor health & reliability, and predict
Alerts –  Alerts user to inefficient & oversized equipment –  Alerts user to inefficient & oversized equipment as well as 13 (& growing) other attributes of motor health and performance
Work order initiation –  (No comparable functionality) –  Generates work orders with prescriptive recommendations for corrective action based on issues identified from measurements
Energy intelligence
  MOTORMASTER+ MOTORS@WORK
Utility bill analyses –  Basic tracking / trending of utility bills –  Performs more than 20 analyses on each utility bill entered to identify trends & alert user to potential billing issues
Utility rates considered –  Assumes average cost per kWh based on user’s utility bills –  Applies your utility’s rate schedule, including time-of-use and tiered pricing

–  Application includes more than 48,000 rate schedules from utilities in all 50 states plus the ability to add custom rates

Pump schedule optimization –  (No comparable functionality) –  Recommends scheduling for multi-source pumping operations considering multi-day pumping demand forecasts; weather forecast; asset performance, health, load, & efficiency; and utility rate schedule


The Bottom Line

Motors@Work takes MotorMaster+ to the next level, by providing sustainable, systematic, asset, reliability, and energy intelligence on your motor-driven systems. As our case study shows, Motors@Work’s intelligence saves energy, reduces maintenance costs, and improves asset performance.

 

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