Zest Electric Motors’ first medium voltage (MV) motor seminars, held in Johannesburg and Durban in June 2013, proved extremely popular in both centres with over 200 MV participants attending the three one-day events.
The Zest WEG Group, a subsidiary company of leading Brazilian motor and controls manufacturer WEG, is the acknowledged leader in the supply of electric motors, variable speeds drives, transformers and switchgear in Africa.
“As a high-tech supplier we’re committed to incorporating the latest global trends into our products,” Jamie Wilson, Zest WEG Group marketing manager, says. “The seminars were convened to share the latest trends in MV motor technology, design techniques and best practices with regards to long term storage and operation of MV motors with the market, as well as to showcase our MV motor range to local technical decision makers who need efficiency and reliability from the significant investment associated with MV motors.
“We constantly seek to communicate with customers, sharing information and advising them on developments that will benefit their productivity. By gathering over 200 engineering professionals to focus on MV motors, we were not only able to impart an immense amount of information but these events also helped establish open-door relationships, and a deeper level of trust, between supplier and user,” Edson Cristofolini, Zest WEG Group projects and product manager, says.
The seminar programme included presentations on international trends in MV motor technology and international trends in tests, installation and operation of MV motors and showcased the WEG MV product range. In preparation for the event, the three technical presentations were submitted to the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers for validation purposes. Zest WEG Group was duly granted CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accreditation for the seminar and participants were able to claim 1 CPD Credit as per the Engineering Council of South Africa’s CPD policy.
“The participants showed particular interest in the technology and application of MV motors, the various options available, such as synchronous, slipring or squirrel cage motors on MV drives, and which of these options is best for their specific applications,” Cristofolini says. “MV motors are among the most important elements in an application, so the choice of MV motor goes beyond pricing to the performance and life of the motor.”
WEG has been involved in the MV motor market since the 1980s and its products are well proven across African industry. WEG R&D engineering manager, Carlos Grillo, one of the senior WEG representatives who came from Brazil to deliver a presentation at the seminar, comments that the event was an ideal opportunity to show the local market that WEG has the proper depth of knowledge and experience with MV motors to be able to supply these motors as part of a fully-fledged solution.
“We understand the interface between the various products in an MV installation and we’re able to provide a single point of contact for a complete solution,” Grillo says. “What differentiates us in the marketplace is the level of technology we incorporate into our MV motors. We’re in constant touch with technology committees worldwide and the information that comes through these channels translates into genuine innovations.
“WEG also convenes its own annual technical committee tasked with bringing new ideas to our business. This committee is organised by WEG’s R&D team and hosts a group of experts from international universities. This is where a lot of our innovations derive from and they are incorporated as standard in our products.”
Glauco Cisz, WEG service manager from Brazil who also gave a presentation at the seminar, adds that the Group’s MV strategy is to supply reliable and customised products to the market and establish long term partnership with its customers
“Through Zest WEG Group we have a solid base of skilled and experienced technicians in South Africa to support our MV motors for the life of the equipment in this region and, if need be, there are ample resources available from Brazil,” Glauco says
“WEG invests a huge amount into R&D every year and we were excited to be able to share the latest research information with our African customers at these seminars. Although MV motors are a very mature product, WEG continues to develop both the manufacturing and engineering processes and the design of the motors to improve performance,” adds Cristofolini.
“Participation in these seminars is very important to WEG, because as much as we want to share the latest developments and strategies associated with this product range, it is just as important for us to interact with our local customers. Their valuable feedback is a vital part of our continuous development programme,” Grillo concludes.
