Houghton International

The COVID-19 crisis presented companies across different sectors with unprecedented challenges, including temporary shutdowns and the necessity to postpone regular maintenance and testing. However, periodic checks are essential to keep equipment up and running. Here Mark Convery of Houghton International, discusses the importance of keeping up with regular maintenance in exceptional circumstances.

One of the most common causes of electric motor failure is bearing issues, responsible for around 51% of failures. This is followed by electrical insulation faults, which are responsible for up to 30% of failures. But, while predictive maintenance techniques, such as vibration analysis, are often used to analyse the motor’s health, in comparison little is done to detect signs of insulation deterioration and failure. Here Chris Robson, Sales Director of Houghton International, discusses the importance of static motor testing for assessing the full condition of motors.

Following its most successful year to date electro mechanical engineering specialist Houghton International is now recruiting for at least 15 new jobs to help support further growth ambitions in 2019. Having recorded 20% year on year growth for a number of years the Newcastle-based company, which improves the performance of electro mechanical assets around the world, is currently recruiting for a range of roles including mechanical fitters, administrators and sales staff.

Machine down-time is a major issue for businesses across the UK. If not prepared for, interruptions to appliances can have a significant detrimental impact on the productivity and profit margin of a company. According to a study commissioned by Oneserve, a field service management firm, and carried out in collaboration with UK manufacturers; machine downtime costs the UK approximately £18bn a year.

If the coupling and shaft in your rotating machinery is not aligned correctly, it may reduce the longevity of your machines. What’s more, misalignment may be responsible for up to 50% of all costs relating to rotating machinery failures. Why? Because of excessive vibration and temperature increases that cause the risk of premature bearing, coupling and shaft failure.

Electric motor failure is a very real and can be a common occurrence, even though we do all we can to prevent it. So when it does strike, it can be hard to know what to do. As business down-time and losses mount, it’s very easy to make a panicked decision over whether to rewind and repair or replace your motor.

  In terms of both cost and productivity, motor failure can have a huge impact, so preventing it should be top of the list priority wise. However, when the worst does happen, you’ll need to rectify the issue quickly and efficiently to minimise the impact down-time can have on your business.

Many industrial processes rely heavily on the efficient operation of electric motors. However, through extended use, motors can become worn and less efficient, driving associated costs up for businesses.