Jacob Voorhies
Technical Education Committee Member
Mid Kansas Winding

For those of us who have stumbled into the unique niche of the electromechanical repair industry, we troubleshoot and diagnose issues with AC and DC electric motors all the time. Yet, almost daily since I have had the privilege of joining the ranks of our industry, I run into everyday decision makers who simply don’t understand that every motor is not the same. I’ve worked hard in my professional life to always try and put myself in my customers’ shoes. I think those of us in the electromechanical repair industry must be able to switch gears and educate our customers and colleagues. We need to stop and really look at what we do from the outside looking in.

Recently, I had a customer at a major refinery call me and say they needed a quote for a 1,000 hp motor. Like any good vendor, I tried to ask a battery of questions and understand their needs. The customer said, “Oh, just quote me any 1,000 hp.” He needed some budget numbers, and I needed to stop cringing at that idea. The customer said he was placed in charge of getting critical equipment spare motors, but he struggled with voltage, number of poles and frame sizing to name a few things. This motor was just the first item at the top of a long equipment list. I share this story not to make fun of this individual but to help everyone reading this article adopt, at least temporarily, the perspective of someone outside of our industry. Generally, many of our customers don’t know what they don’t know.

As electromechanical professionals, we must be able to break things down for a variety of educational backgrounds and skill sets. This includes the process of obtaining adequate information to deliver preliminary pricing to a potential customer. Ultimately, we hope to get the repair in the door. To help make my job easier, I routinely keep copies of EASA’s Electrical Engineering Pocket Handbook and the ANSI/ EASA Standard AR100-2020: Recommended Practice for the Repair of Rotating Electrical Apparatus close at hand. Some things are as simple as being able to talk through the needed preliminaries. Other times we help the customer understand the diversity of electric motors. What it takes to repair one motor does not accurately explain all repairs for all motors from a customer’s facility.

The onsite technician can understand the basics of wiring a motor up if there is a connection data plate provided by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). When there is not a connection data plate provided is an opportunity for an electromechanical professional to guide the customer through the use of the Electrical Engineering Pocket Handbook to get the customer’s motor up and running. This is another reason I always have copies on hand for my customers to take back to their facilities. For some, they understand the intricacies of an electric motor. That end user understands that there are different RPMs to contend with.

Even fewer end users understand that there is a standardized frame system that is utilized. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) assigns electrical motor frame sizes based on enclosures, horsepower and speed. NEMA is predominantly used in the North American markets. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) assigns electrical motor frame sizes based largely on shaft height. IEC is the metric standard worldwide for electric motors. As a vendor, we must sometimes help our customers understand that some of their equipment manufactured overseas does not always have a readily available off-the-shelf option in the United States.

Something as simple as knowing the parts and pieces of the electric motor itself goes a long way toward helping many customers. What is standard nomenclature within the electromechanical repair industry might be hieroglyphics to the team member at your biggest customer’s purchasing table. Knowing the parts of an electric motor AND being able to concisely explain what those parts are and what they each do helps with the education of the customers we serve. Even necessary power transmission items can become a sticking point for getting the job done, delivered and invoiced. When a customer says he/she needs a new coupler to go with the electric motor repair, we as electromechanical professionals must take some time to educate the customer so that he/she understands the application.

We have the ability to provide our customers links to several educational tools thanks to easa.com. Through EASA, we have access to printed educational resources that will help us educate our customers. I’ve helped several customers by giving them a copy of these educational materials. As a vendor, I am trying every day to put myself in my customer’s shoes, help them complete a project with the help of EASA’s educational resources and hopefully build my business as an additional benefit.