The Benefits of Automation Drives and Motors for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Businesses within a specified size range regarding personnel, income, and assets are known as medium and small enterprises (commonly shortened as MSMEs). Depending on the nation and industry, the definition of MSMEs might change, but generally speaking, they are described as follows:

 Depending on the nation, there are companies with fewer than 50 employees and under a certain threshold for annual revenue or assets termed small enterprises. Small businesses are also known as micro-enterprises in some regions.

Businesses having between 50 and 250 workers and more assets or income than small firms but below a particular threshold are considered medium enterprises.

MSMEs are crucial to the economy of many nations since they frequently make up a sizable share of enterprises and provide jobs. They could also promote creativity and economic expansion. MSMEs confront various obstacles and possibilities that are distinct from those faced by bigger businesses. These difficulties can come from restricted access to financing, less negotiating leverage with suppliers and clients, higher operating expenses, and increased sensitivity to market swings. MSMEs may also benefit from increased adaptability and flexibility, decreased administrative expenses, and a stronger client connection.

MSMEs must use technology, implement best practices, and continually innovate to compete in today’s cutthroat business world. This can entail investing in software and solutions that boost output, increase customer interaction, and better supply chain management. MSMEs could gain by working together to create fresh goods, services, and business models with other companies, academic institutions, and research organizations.

Now, we will be discussing the benefits of automation drives and motors for small and medium-sized enterprises:

Improved Accuracy:

Automation drives and motors employ closed-loop control systems as one method of achieving this accuracy. The motor’s output is continually monitored and adjusted by these systems using feedback from sensors to ensure it stays within the intended range. Mathematical techniques like proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers, which can react rapidly and precisely to changes in the process, are frequently used to handle this data.

Automation drives and motors’ capacity to carry out challenging motion control tasks is another way they improve precision. Combining motors with cutting-edge motion controllers is feasible to obtain highly accurate motions and positioning down to fractions of a millimeter or even a micrometer. This degree of accuracy is crucial in many high-tech production applications, such as semiconductor fabrication or precision optics.

Reducing Carbon Footprints:

The efficiency ratings of automation drives and motors may be used to gauge their energy efficiency. A motor with an IE2 efficiency rating is 10% more efficient than one with an IE1 rating, while one with an IE3 rating is 15% more efficient. One way to determine an automated drive’s efficiency is to divide the output power by the input power. The lesser the energy use and carbon impact, the better the efficiency.

Additionally, soft start functionality on automation drives and motors lowers power consumption during startup. The soft start feature lessens the inrush current, which decreases the voltage drop and lengthens the equipment’s lifespan. Regenerative braking is a characteristic of automated drives and motors that recovers the energy generated during deceleration and feeds it back into the system, lowering energy usage.

MSMEs can also apply energy-saving techniques, such as adjusting the speed of the motors to meet the load demand using variable frequency drives (VFDs). VFDs are energy-efficient because they use less power during times of low demand. SMEs can also reduce their carbon footprint by using HVAC and lighting systems that use less energy.

Increasing Predictive Maintenance:

Using automation drives and motors in small and medium-sized businesses has improved decision-making based on real-time monitoring and analysis of machine performance. Predictive maintenance is predicting when equipment maintenance is necessary before any failures occur using data analytics and machine learning algorithms. Early problem identification is now possible thanks to incorporating sensors and machine learning algorithms into automation drives and motors, which lowers the risk of equipment failure and eliminates the need for unforeseen maintenance.

Machine failure may be predicted using mathematical formulae like Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). The data acquired from the analysis is subsequently used to produce predictive maintenance schedules. Pointing up potential areas for system improvement aids in creating better maintenance techniques that lower mistake rates. 

Improved Scalability:

MSMEs ‘ scalability can be maximized by utilizing cutting-edge automation techniques like CNN and random forest regressor technology. The application of these technologies can aid in pinpointing areas that can be enhanced and improve the production process’s overall scalability.

Let’s look at a tiny manufacturing company that makes widgets to demonstrate the significance of scalability. Due to physical labor and probable downtime, the output rate with conventional technologies may be restricted to a few widgets per hour. However, the production rate can be significantly increased by implementing automation drives and motors due to the removal of manual labor and decreased downtime. The following formula may be used to determine the production rate:

(Total production time – downtime) / the number of goods produced = the production rate.

The production rate is boosted, and downtime is decreased thanks to automation drive and motor technologies, which also increase the business’s potential to scale.

Enhanced Data Collection:

The industrial sector has transformed by adopting automated drives and motors with improved data-collecting capabilities, allowing MSMEs to optimize their operations. Regression analysis and other statistical techniques may be used to analyze the data to find the variables affecting output and production quality.

Automation drives and motors with improved data-collecting capabilities help optimize supply chain management in addition to manufacturing operations. The information gathered may be utilized to monitor delivery timelines, manage inventory levels, and spot possible manufacturing bottlenecks. The supply chain may be adjusted using this information to ensure that the appropriate goods are delivered at the right time to the right location. With their large data storage capabilities, they can process large amounts of information at a time, which is helpful for MSMEs.

The mathematical equation D = I x T may be used to depict the utilization of automation drives and motors with improved data-gathering capabilities.

Where D stands for the volume of data gathered, I for the number of sensors incorporated into the automated system, and T for the length of time the data was gathered. Small and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) may gather more data and better understand their operations by expanding the number of sensors and the length of time during which data is gathered.

Better Regulatory Compliance:

Drives and motors for automation are essential for strengthening regulatory compliance in small and medium-sized businesses. Adhering to the laws, rules, and regulations established by regulatory organizations like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is known as regulatory compliance. Non-compliance may have serious legal and financial ramifications, harming the company’s reputation.

Automation drives and motors may enhance the monitoring and management of different manufacturing processes, which can help with regulatory compliance. Automated systems, for instance, may detect pollutants, keep track of energy use, and monitor trash disposal, ensuring that the business runs within the boundaries imposed by regulatory agencies. Real-time data analytics is another feature offered by automation drives and motors, which enables companies to quickly discover and handle regulatory difficulties.

The cost of non-compliance might be quite high mathematically, leading to huge penalties and legal fees. On the other hand, spending money on drives and motors for automation may save money and the environment over time. Although implementing automated systems is relatively expensive, the money saved by avoiding fines, penalties, and the cost of non-compliance more than makes up for this.

Increased Flexibility:

The demand for flexibility has never been higher than it is in today’s quickly changing corporate climate. Small and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) frequently struggle to adjust to shifting consumer preferences and rising production needs. Automation drives and motors let MSMEs have the necessary flexibility, which is a solution to these problems.

MSMEs may modify manufacturing processes to satisfy market needs with the assistance of automation drives and motors. For instance, a motor equipped with variable speed control may change its speed to meet the volume of production needed. The incorporation of a programmable logic controller (PLC), which enables operators to modify production settings in real-time, can accomplish this degree of flexibility.

The capacity of automation drives and motors to communicate with other production line components further increases their adaptability. Modbus, Profinet, and Ethernet/IP are a few examples of industrial communication protocols that may be used to achieve this connection. Thanks to these protocols, drives, and motors may be seamlessly integrated with other devices like sensors and HMIs.

This flexibility is explained mathematically by the following equation:

Flexibility = (Variety of Products) x (Variety of Processes) x (Variety of Production Resources)

The range of operations that MSMEs can carry out, the range of goods they can create, and the range of production tools they can employ are all increased by automation drives and motors. The result is a more adaptable process that can quickly change to meet market demands and client expectations.

Enhanced Quality Control:

Automation drives and motors can improve quality control in small and medium-sized businesses by lowering human error and boosting precision. Automation systems may be trained to complete jobs accurately, removing mistakes brought on by human variables like exhaustion, distraction, and lack of focus.

For instance, in a manufacturing process, an automated system can keep track of and modify the rate of material flow to guarantee that the right amount is always delivered. Sensors that measure the amount of material being dispensed and modify the flow rate appropriately can help achieve this. This procedure’s formula is expressed as follows:

Volume/Time = Flow Rate

Additionally, an automated drive system can conduct quality control checks more frequently than a human operator, guaranteeing that any flaws or errors are immediately found and fixed. Cameras and sensors that can recognize differences in the product or packaging can be used to do this.

This procedure’s formula is expressed as follows:

Quality control is calculated as follows: (Number of flaws found / Total units produced) x 100%

The quality control capabilities of automated drive and motor systems also enable prompt detection of any deviations from expected specifications. Statistical process control (SPC) techniques like control charts and histograms can be used to achieve this. This procedure’s formula is expressed as follows:

Process capacity = (6 x Standard deviation / (Upper specification limit – Lower specification limit)

Higher Return on Investment:

Due to its potential for high returns on investment (ROI), automation drives and motors have become crucial components of small and medium-sized organizations (MSMEs). Although the initial investment in automation may seem intimidating, the long-term advantages outweigh the costs by a wide margin.

The capacity of automation drives and motors to boost production efficiency is a significant reason for the high ROI of these components. SMEs can save time and money while improving productivity by automating operations that were previously done manually. This is expressed by the equation that goes like this:

ROI = (total benefits – total costs) / total costs multiplied by 100%

Saving money may be achieved by reducing waste. By ensuring that resources are used effectively and lowering the possibility of errors that might lead to waste, automation can help minimize waste. Waste may be calculated using the following equation:

Waste is calculated as (number of faulty items / total number of products) x 100

The equation for process improvement can also help us maintain an organizational structure for the MSME, which is as follows:

Process improvement = (new process time – old process time) / old process time x 100

Overall, by cutting waste and streamlining production processes, automation drives and motors may provide small and medium-sized businesses with a significant return on investment.

Improved Customer Satisfaction:

The capacity to manufacture items of constant quality, which may assist in increasing customer satisfaction, is one of the main advantages of adopting automated drives.

The effect of automation on customer satisfaction may be measured using mathematical calculations. One popular statistic for gauging customer happiness is the Net Promoter Score (NPS). The proportion of customers who are promoters (i.e., likely to suggest a product or service) from the percentage of customers who are detractors (i.e., unlikely to advocate a product or service) is used to calculate it. Automation can result in improved NPS ratings and greater customer satisfaction by enhancing product quality and on-time delivery.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is a different mathematical formula that may be used to calculate how automation affects customer happiness. This formula accounts for the income a client produces throughout their relationship with a business. SMEs may raise CLV ratings by increasing customer loyalty and repeat business by automating improvements to product quality and delivery times.

Finally, automation drives and motors can significantly affect customer satisfaction in small and medium-sized businesses. SMEs may boost customer loyalty and lifetime value by raising product quality, cutting lead times, and enhancing on-time delivery.

This entry was posted on September 4th, 2023 and is filed under Education, Electrical, Technology. Both comments and pings are currently closed.