The broad topic of Energy Efficiency touches our lives and our industry in many ways. Cost savings and stewardship of our planet’s natural resources are but a couple of the many drivers of the actions being taken across the manufacturing sector to address this topic. More than half of all electricity consumed in the manufacturing sector is used for powering motors. At Sko-Die, the Motor, Generator and Transformer markets are at the heart of those industries that we are proud to serve. We remain steadfast in our efforts to assist our customers in achieving improvements in the area of efficiency.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has established new and has updated existing standards in both the Electric Motor and Transformer industries that take effect in 2016. This is not necessarily new activity but rather a continued ratcheting up of the efficiency standards applied to products in these sectors. These new standards are driving innovations in motor, generator and transformer design as well as in the development of improved grades of electrical steels used in these applications.
The electrical steel producers continue to invest in research and development of improved grades of electrical steels that are required to meet the increasing efficiency standards established by the DOE. These improved materials are being utilized in the industrial motor and generator sectors as well as the distribution and power transformer sector. Much of this innovation is being accomplished within existing device footprints and utilizing improved materials to achieve significantly improved device efficiency. The cost savings from these innovations are in the billions of dollars, not to mention the positive effect on our natural resources.
Closer to the consumer end of the market, applications such as the expanding Electric Vehicle market (HEV, EV, Plug-In, etc.) are also driving significant innovations in electrical steels.
It is expected that as many as 15 new Plug-In-Vehicle models will be introduced to the market in 2015, proving that this innovation is here to stay and will likely continue to gain momentum in the coming years and decades.
Sko-Die is proud of the innovative work that our material suppliers have achieved and that we can now offer to the market. We are equally proud of the advancements and innovations that our customers have driven and achieved towards the overall goal of increasing energy efficiency. As you review your current Motor, Transformer and Generator designs and develop new designs, please contact us to discuss ways that we can assist you in this process. We are committed to bringing our expertise and experience to bear in developing those bridges between the increased demand for efficiency and cost savings and the need to achieve these goals in a sustainable manner.
At Sko-Die, we remain..
