Electric and combustion motors are the heartbeat of industrial operations. From compressors and conveyors to pumps and fans, they power the processes that keep factories running.
However, motors also account for a significant portion of global energy consumption—around 65% of industrial electricity use—and this makes them both a vital asset and a major cost center. When motors become inefficient, even slightly, the consequences ripple across energy bills, carbon footprints, and maintenance budgets.
The energy cost of motors in industry
Motor inefficiency often creeps in unnoticed. Misalignments, bearing degradation, lubrication breakdowns, and mechanical looseness gradually reduce performance, increasing friction and heat. These subtle issues may only cost a few percentage points in performance, but over time, that translates into thousands of euros in wasted energy and premature wear. For instance, a single 100 hp electric motor operating 24/7 can consume over €110,000 worth of electricity annually. Improving that motor’s efficiency by just 5% can yield savings of over €5,000–€15,000 each year. Multiply that across a site with dozens or hundreds of motors, and the numbers become impossible to ignore.
The overlooked factor in efficiency
Traditional maintenance strategies, such as reactive or scheduled preventive maintenance, fall short in addressing these challenges. Waiting for a motor to fail before intervening is costly, not only in repair expenses but also in unplanned downtime. Scheduled maintenance, while better, often results in unnecessary interventions or missed problems that occur between intervals. What’s needed is a smarter approach: predictive maintenance based on condition monitoring, especially using advanced technologies like ultrasound and vibration analysis.
Ultrasound stands out for its ability to detect high-frequency signals generated by friction, impacting, and turbulence, signals that often precede vibration and thermal anomalies. It is particularly effective for identifying bearing faults, lubrication problems, and mechanical instability, all of which directly impact motor performance and energy efficiency. When combined with vibration monitoring, ultrasound provides a powerful toolkit for early fault detection.
The key role of the Vigilant
Vigilant is a fully integrated, real-time monitoring system designed for continuous condition assessment of rotating assets like motors. It uses a combination of ultrasound and vibration technologies to capture a full picture of motor health. The system includes eight dynamic channels for high-frequency acoustic and vibration data, along with four static channels for additional sensors such as temperature, tachometers, or process indicators. Vigilant’s embedded software analyzes and trends these signals, providing early warnings for conditions that could lead to energy inefficiency or catastrophic failure.
By installing Vigilant, factories can identify problems such as increasing friction in bearings due to lubrication breakdown, minor shaft misalignments that raise vibration and energy draw, or resonance conditions that may lead to fatigue. These issues are often invisible to the naked eye or even to basic monitoring tools, but they manifest clearly in the ultrasonic and vibration signatures that Vigilant captures and interprets. More importantly, Vigilant operates autonomously, continuously collecting data and integrating with existing SCADA, CMMS, and digital platforms via open protocols like OPC and HTTP.
Bridging the gap between reliability and sustainability
Beyond reliability, there is a strong environmental and sustainability case for adopting this kind of smart maintenance approach. As governments and industries pursue carbon reduction goals, energy optimization becomes a critical pathway. A reduction of even 5% in motor energy use contributes directly to a facility’s carbon footprint reduction and ESG commitments. Predictive maintenance also reduces waste: fewer emergency repairs, fewer unnecessary part replacements, and longer-lasting equipment mean less material usage and disposal. These factors align directly with initiatives like the European Green Deal and ISO 50001 energy management standards.
Vigilant empowers maintenance teams to make better decisions faster. For example, if a motor begins showing signs of early bearing wear or load imbalance, the system alerts the team before efficiency drops significantly or failure occurs. Maintenance can then be scheduled proactively, minimizing impact on production. Over time, data from multiple assets can even be used to optimize lubrication schedules, balance workloads, or detect systemic issues across entire facilities.
A smart investment with measurable ROI
The return on investment is compelling. In one documented case, predictive maintenance with ultrasound reduced bearing replacement by 20%, and in another, it cut unplanned motor breakdowns by 80%. Combined with the energy savings, extended asset life, and improved reliability, it’s clear that systems like Vigilant aren’t just monitoring tools, they are strategic assets.
At a time where uptime, energy costs, and sustainability all matter more than ever, condition-based maintenance powered by ultrasound and vibration is not just a “nice to have.” It’s an essential part of operating smarter and greener. With Vigilant, SDT delivers a solution that empowers industries to meet their efficiency goals without compromising on performance or reliability.
