The Value of Third-Party Accreditation for Motor Service Centers

According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in a report published in 2021, there are more than 50 million electric motor systems greater than 1 horsepower across the U.S. commercial and industrial sectors. And over a two-year period, about 5% of those motors — 2.5 million of them — were rewound.

A concern when rewinding or repairing a motor is that it can lose efficiency, and this can be costly for a facility. Around 96% of the lifetime cost of a motor stems from its ongoing operation; expenses related to purchasing and maintenance account for only about 4%. Therefore, maintaining high motor efficiency through repair can lead to significant energy savings.

One way commercial and industrial facilities can be confident that their motors will keep their efficiency through a rewind is by using a service center with third-party accreditation, including EASA’s Accreditation Program or our Proven Efficiency Verification (PEV) program. When inspecting a service center for accreditation, these programs check for two main criteria. First, they assess whether the service center follows processes and standards, such as EASA/ANSI AR100 or NEMA MG-1, that will ensure that a repaired motor will sustain its reliability and efficiency. Second, they confirm whether the service center’s equipment is calibrated annually, indicating that it will provide consistent results.

Once accredited, service centers can see several benefits, including the following.

• Demonstrate consistency in processes and procedures that lead to quality motor repair
• Earn customer confidence that their motors will be repaired to industry best practices and standards that maintain efficiency and reliability
• Reduce warranty repairs internally and externally
• Ensure all test equipment is calibrated thanks to an annual calibration process
• Promote continual education at all levels
• Get an advantage when bringing on new staff
• Emphasize a commitment to excellence

By earning third-party accreditation from groups like EASA and Advanced Energy, repair shops unlock a significant opportunity to showcase their dedication to quality and their customers.