Drives & Controls March 2022

NEWS n 5 LV motor prices soared by 14% in 2021 – and could rise by 8.5% more in 2022 THEAVERAGE GLOBAL price of low-voltage ACmotors soared by 14% during 2021, compared to 2020, and could rise by a further 8.5% this year, according to research by Interact Analysis. Blake Griffin, a senior analyst at Interact, attributes the price rises to a combination of factors but points out that price hikes in the ACmotor market“far exceed the increases we’ve seen in many other markets we cover. For example, variable-frequency drive prices increased on average by less than 5% globally.” The higher motor prices helped to drive a 21.5% growth in revenues for motor vendors during 2021, taking the value of the global market to $14.6bn. The number of motors sold rose by a muchmore modest 6.6%. Motor prices are closely tied to the cost of the rawmaterials – especially copper, aluminium andmagnetic steel. Each of these experienced dramatic price increases during 2021. Supply chain shortages and delays were another factor in the price rises. A further important element, according to Griffin, was the cost of energy, especially in China which produces much of the world’s supply of steel. China took dramatic actions to protect its coal supplies, including limiting output in its energy- intensive industries such as steel production. In late July of 2021, steel prices soared andmotor vendors were forced to raise prices. Since then, steel prices have come down – due, in part, to the lifting of Trump-era tariffs on steel imported into the US – however steel still costs more than it did in 2020. An important factor now is how severe this winter will be in Europe. If it is colder than average, Europe will have to import more liquified natural gas, constraining global LNG supplies and leading to increased coal substitution. If this occurs, China’s already challenged supply will face even greater demand and could result in China again putting production caps on steel and other raw materials, leading to further price rises for steel – and for motors. Interact Analysis is now predicting that the average global selling price of LV motors will climb by a further 8.5% during 2022, partly as a result of increases in late 2021 that have rolled into 2022. Griffin reports that the motor market was“undoubtedly stressed”by the price rises during 2021. The growth in motor shipments fell slightly below the rate for manufacturing production as a whole, indicating that the higher prices were having a negative affected on demand for motors. However, the lower shipments and higher prices could benefit motor vendors if their margins remain strong.“If so,”Griffin concludes,“higher prices could be on the horizon once again.” Interact reports that ABB and Siemens continue to lead the global LV AC motor market, although Chinese manufacturers includingWolong Electric andWanan Motors have entered the top ten of global suppliers. The analyst expectsWolong to become the largest supplier in the Asia-Pacific region during 2022 – the first time a Chinese supplier has achieved this. Although there has been considerable publicity for super high efficiency IE4 and IE5 motors, this is not yet translating into major sales, according to Griffin.“There is a lot of hype surrounding them, but the market has shown that it will generally not adopt them unless forced to by legislation,”he reports.“Currently, the IE4 and IE5 motor market is in its infancy with a market size of $134m in 2020.”This is less than 1% of the global LV motors market. But Griffin expects substantial growth in sales of these machines in the EU which is mandating IE4 minimum levels. www.interactanalysis.com “The higher motor prices helped to drive a 21.5% growth in revenues for motor vendors during 2021, taking the value of the global market to $14.6bn.” www.drivesncontrols.com March 2022 THE ITALIAN automation supplier Comau has developed and commissioned an automated end-to-end assembly line to produce electric motors, gearboxes and inverters for the Chinese car-maker Geely. The flexible line will assemble permanent magnet motor rotors, gearboxes and electronic drives, as well as performing automated quality control and testing of up to of 120,000 drivetrains a year. The automated line, at Geely’s Veremt plant in Ningbo, uses multiple robots to install the motor rotors. It also includes 3D vision positioning and guidance, automated high-speed installation of the motor magnets, automated injection of rotor cores, and the automated dual- position dynamic balance correction and magnetisation. It includes stations for: n assembling the motor stator casings and thermal sleeves; n dynamic and static testing of the motors; n feeding and pressing bearings; n feeding and tightening bolts; and n automatically selecting and measuring gaskets. The installation has raised the Veremt plant’s level of automation from around 40% to 80%, while delivering a full-scale production capacity. Comau allocated 20 engineers to the design phase of the project, which they completed in four months. The line was delivered in just over a year, despite the challenges of Covid-19 and product optimisation changes. Comau is a member of the Stellantis group which incorporates Fiat, the PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler. Integrated line will produce 120,000 EV drivetrains a year Predicted year-on-year growth in the average selling price (ASP) of LV AC motors over the period 2020-2025 Source: Interact Analysis