Here are our picks for the most interesting and important stories and articles from around the pump industry for the week of January 25-31, 2016:
1. The Pump Industry is Facing Strong Headwinds
Catching heat from the sales managers in your life? You’re not alone. Going into 2016, the pump and valve industries are under pressure. Manufacturing is down and employment is flat.
2. Next on the DOE’s To-Do List? Circulator Pump Efficiency
Now that the DOE has issued final rules on testing and efficiency of commercial and industrial pumps, they’ve turned their attention back to a subset of pumps that was previously excluded from the rules: circulator pumps. To keep in-the-know head to DC on March 3 or sign up to e-attend via webinar if you can’t make the trip.
3. “The days of component efficiency are over. Focus on the system.”
That’s according to Bill Livoti of Weg Electric. This piece from Pumps & Systems retreads familiar territory for pump industry professionals: the well-known benefits of focusing on system efficiency over component efficiency. However, there is one interesting tidbit buried in the piece that is worth spending some time investigating: variable speed motors based on digital variable reluctance technology. These motors are only available up to 5 HP today, but that limitation won’t always be in place.
4. Resources for the Pump System Engineer in Your Life
If you’re a pump guy (or gal), you have undoubtedly had several conversations with consulting engineers about the importance of properly supporting and restraining suction and discharge piping. Bookmark these two articles for added firepower the next time you get pushback from an engineer who wants some technical detail to back up your request.
5. Basic Vibration, Alignment & Balancing Training Videos
Ludeca has launched a microsite with a variety of free videos that cover the basics of alignment, vibration analysis, and balancing. A lot of these videos cover details that are specific to Ludeca products, but there’s also a lot of very good general knowledge contained in the videos making this a great free training resource for service techs and salespeople.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll find at Ludeca’s microsite: