Henry Ford's classic assertion about the importance of purchasing equipment for which there is a commercial case is as true today for UK manufacturing as it was a century ago.
So says Steve Brambley, deputy director of GAMBICA, the Association for Instrumentation, Control, Automation and Laboratory Technology.
"Henry Ford once said that, if you need a machine and don't buy it, then you will ultimately find you have paid for it, but don't have it," says Brambley.
"In the context of the economic downturn and subsequent cuts, it seems that manufacturers are reluctant to invest in improving their machinery. However, inefficient industrial machines consume more costly energy and eat away at budgets," he continues.
Brambley uses that argument to urge plant managers to consider installing variable speed drives (VSDs) on pumps and fans – particularly those where flow control is affected by valves and dampers respectively.
"VSDs can reduce the energy bill on many applications by more than [the motor driven system's] own capital cost in a relatively short period – often less than a year," states Brambley.
"As energy prices continue to soar, the return on investment on a VSD application increases in proportion to the bill," he adds.
"Henry Ford's assertion should serve as a guiding rule for organisations in the manufacturing sector looking to send real savings straight to the bottom line. Failing to buy energy-saving equipment, such as VSDs, as part of a system that incorporates an electric motor, will cost money in the long term. And it will cost far more money than simply paying for the VSD in the first instance."
