n NEWS July/August 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 A 0.2% IMPROVEMENT IN THE efficiency of large synchronous motors and generators could deliver electricity cost savings of $9.5–12bn and avoid 60–75 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over the 25-year life of the machines, according to a new report from ABB. The 21-page report, called The Industrial Efficiency Gap, argues that highefficiency industrial motors and generators could unlock one of the largest untapped opportunities to save energy, cutting costs and reducing emissions for industrial users around the world. Analysing data from more than 1,000 large synchronous motors and generators that ABB built in Sweden between 2015 and 2025, the report finds that a significant efficiency gap persists between what most users routinely specify, and what is achievable by adopting the company’s Top Industrial Efficiency (TIE) approach, which specifies the highest efficiency motors or generators using proven commercially available technologies. Motors rated above 375kW currently account for around 10.4% of global electricity demand – a figure that is expected to double by 2040. By improving efficiency levels across the global installed base of such equipment by just 0.2%, the machines’ operators would be able to save $12bn in electricity costs over 25 years, with typical paybacks of a few months to three years. “Industry has spent decades optimising what happens inside plants,” points out David Bjerhag, who manages ABB’s global high-speed synchronous machines business. “Yet large motors and generators have rarely been part of that conversation, even though they run continuously for 25 years and sometimes even more, converting more energy to motion than almost anything else on site. “The gap between a standard machine and a TIE-optimised one is not technological,” he adds. “It is a specification gap. The companies closing it fastest are the ones where the engineer who selects the motor, and the CFO or CSO responsible for energy performance, are aligned around a single metric – total cost of ownership.” Last year ABB announced that a 5MW TIEoptimised synchronous motor for a steel plant in India had achieved an efficiency of 99.13%, setting a new world record. Over its lifetime, this machine is expected to save $5.9m in electricity costs and avoid 45,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, with a payback period of just over three months. The sectors with the biggest take-up of TIE machines are air separation and chemicals, where 85% of motor orders comply with the recommendations (and where the motor users who pay the running costs tend to be the motor specifiers as well). By contrast, just 10% of order from the oil and gas sector, and 15% of those for power generation applications comply. Applying the 0.2% efficiency improvement across the global installed base of industrial motors and generators would save 4–6TWh per year – enough to power between 750,000 and 1 million homes in OECD countries. Over the 25year life of a motor, that accumulates to 100– 150TWh of electricity saved – equivalent to that needed to power the UK for five months – with CO2 emissions reduced by 60–75 million tonnes. A 0.2% motor efficiency rise could deliver $12bn savings The UK subsidiary of the industrial gearbox and drive systems manufacturer, Stober, has appointed Josh Tolley as its UK sales manager. Tolley has spent the last decade specialising in motion controls, and was most recently a team leader in Siemens’ motion control business. At Stober, Tolley will work with Martin Preece, head of the company’s UK subsidiary. Another new arrival at Stober is Adam Anders-Holmes who has been appointed applications and solutions manager. Graham Ellis has retired from his job as binder UK’s sales director, after 17 years with the company. His career began in 1975 as an apprentice at AWRE, Aldermaston. This was followed by a move to ITT Cannon and a career in the connector industry with roles at Harwin, Cinch, Molex and Amphenol. Ellis joined binder’s new UK operation in 2009 as sales manager and helped to establish the brand in the UK market, before being promoted to sales director of the Hemel Hempstead based company in 2021. ABB’s calculations on the savings potential of large motors are based on analysis of more than 1,000 machines that it built in Sweden over a ten-year period EVENTS PPMA Show 2026 22-24 September, 2016 NEC, Birmingham The UK’s largest processing and packaging machinery, robotics and industrial vision event is expected to attract more than 350 exhibitors and 1,500 brands. The show will be the first that Automate UK has organised since it launched its Apprenticeship Cluster programme designed to address skills shortages in the manufacturing and engineering sectors. The show will offer advice and support to organisations on how to bridge the skills gap. www.ppmashow.co.uk Engineering Design Show 7–8 October, 2026 Coventry Building Society Arena The organisers say that EDS has entered a new era, with a sharper identity built around the show’s three core disciplines: embedded design, electronic design and mechanical design. They add that EDS is built around the needs of UK design engineers, connecting exhibitors with an engaged audience looking for innovations. More than 200 exhibitors and 4,500 visitors are expected, and there will be more than 50 conferences and workshops. www.engineeringdesignshow.co.uk Digital Manufacturing 2Day 13 October, 2026 MTC, Coventry This event brings together manufacturers, technology providers, experts and innovators to explore how data, automation and AI are transforming operations across the sector. Built around real-world implementations rather than theory, the event focuses on the practical challenges facing manufacturers today, from connecting systems and unlocking the value of data, to scaling automation and delivering measurable business results. https://eur.cvent.me/Pqmavv MachineBuilding.Live 14 October, 2026 National Agricultural Exhibition Centre, Stoneleigh Park The event returns to this venue for a second year. It is aimed at machine-builders, systems integrators and manufacturing professionals needing industrial automation systems. It is billed as “a unique opportunity to meet faceto-face with the largest array of machine building, systems integration and industrial automation technical experts ever assembled in one place at one time in the UK”. https://machinebuilding.live Advanced Engineering 4–5 November, 2026 NEC, Birmingham More than 9,000 engineers and 400 exhibitors are expected to attend the event that will also include talks by more than 200 speakers. The organisers say it is where engineers, manufacturers, technology developers and supply chain specialists come together to understand what is changing, what is emerging and what demands their attention. For the first time it will be co-located with the UK Metals Expo. The show is doubling its Enabling Innovation zone from 10 to 20 SMEs and start-ups. www.advancedengineeringuk.com
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