October 1, 2025
While AC motors dominate the conversation in many industrial settings, DC motors are indispensable in applications requiring precise speed control and high torque. However, they come with their own set of challenges. Based on HECO’s field data collected from more than 240 clients within our TracRat Equipment Management software, five recurring electrical failure modes for …
July 30, 2025
While mechanical failures often dominate conversations about motor downtime, electrical issues can be just as disruptive. At HECO, we utilize a proprietary Equipment Management software known as TracRat to track our clients’ motor inventory and collect specifications, repair history, and application and performance data for each unit to enable faster asset replacement, streamline maintenance, and …
June 25, 2025
If your motor is failing mechanically, there’s a high chance you’re dealing with a bearing issue. And while that might sound simple, the story behind those failures is anything but. HECO’s in-shop technicians have reviewed thousands of failure modes across 240+ client facilities by analyzing data from our TracRat equipment management software. When it comes to …
June 11, 2025
If you’ve ever had a motor go down unexpectedly, you know the impact can be immediate and expensive. Now, what if we told you most motor failures are preventable? At HECO, we’ve analyzed three years of electric motor failure data across 240 clients in steel, paper, chemical, power, mining, plastics, and other industrial sectors. The …
April 23, 2025
When a pump fails, it can bring operations to a standstill and lead to costly downtime. When disruptions to an industrial facility’s production are unexpected, the urge to get everything fixed and back online ASAP can lead to snap decisions. Before your next pump issue occurs, take a few minutes to consider the capabilities of …
February 12, 2025
Are you sending the electric motors and equipment that serve as your operational lifeblood out to a repair shop you haven’t evaluated? The urge to get things off our desks and off our plates can lead to short-sighted decision making. It’s easy to send equipment out to the vendor who delivers weekly donuts, but it …
November 27, 2024
Moisture and electric motors don’t mix well. That’s why motors sent in for repair will eventually go into a baking oven to ensure its components are dry, cured, and ready to run upon return. In this article, HECO will refer to baking ovens rather than higher-temperature, “burn-off” ovens that are used to remove coils in …
September 19, 2024
When you send an electric motor out for repair, what information is provided? Does your vendor send a formal, written quotation showing all the items that need repair before they start working or do you just get a repaired motor back without any documentation or knowledge of what was done to it? Once the motor …
August 21, 2024
There are many reasons to attend this year’s RPM (Reliability, Process, and Maintenance) Symposium! Each year, HECO gathers industry leaders to discuss topics of process, innovation, and the best approaches to the maintenance and reliability of industrial electric motors and other rotating and fluid processing equipment. The 2024 conference will engage attendees in discussions, learning …
February 21, 2024
Nearly every industrial facility in the United States uses vertical pumps and vertical pump motors. Also known as vertical turbines or line shaft pumps, these systems are widely used in farming applications and other operations that need to move water or other liquids from lower to higher elevations. Compared to their horizontal counterparts, vertical pump …
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