Jerry Peerbolte
J. Peerbolte & Associates
Fort Smith, Arkansas

How do end users make repair or replace decisions for failed electric motors?  This question was explored in EASA’s 2014 end-user customer research study. It was also examined in the earlier 2003 and 2008 research projects providing the opportunity to determine if attitudes and practices have changed over time.

In the most recent study, half of the end users surveyed reported a policy of automatically replacing motors un­der a specified horsepower rating. The specific rating ranged from as low as 1 hp to over 200 hp, with the median rating of 10 hp.  

Other criteria important to end us­ers is included in Chart 1.

Reviewing these replies, it is clear that most end-users chose to make their repair/replace decisions con­sidering the individual circumstances surrounding that particular motor, as well as the cost of repair, the motor’s age, and the recommendation from their EASA service center.

As to the cost of repair, nearly two-thirds of the end users reported that they do have a general “rule-of-thumb” as far as how much they are willing to pay for a repair compared to the price of a new replacement motor. On aver­age, end-users are willing to spend up to 56% of the cost of a new motor for repair of the failed one. If the repair cost exceeds that amount, then they may be more inclined to replace. Comparing this percentage to earlier EASA research studies, end-users reported 61% in 2003 and 53% in 2008, suggesting a slight trend away from repair.  

Finally, end users generally do not make use of a formal motor repair specification, with less than 30% re­porting use of one. See Chart 2. 

This suggests that EASAns could strengthen their end-user relation­ships by assisting customers with the development of an appropriate speci­fication (e.g., ANSI/EASA AR100). This process would allow EASAns the opportunity to illustrate the value of a quality motor repair.