Syracuse business launches industrial smart motor

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A new company based in Syracuse is hoping to help industrial companies reduce their costs and emissions, increase equipment lifespan, and gain other benefits from its new type of “smart” motor that includes variable-speed intelligence. VIDAR, a new venture of ITT, Inc. (NYSE: ITT), has just brought this innovative technology to market and is ready to ramp things up, according to Dan Kernan, VP and general manager. “The idea really came out of Goulds Pumps in Seneca Falls,” he says. Goulds is another ITT brand that sells industrial pumps. Pumps and fans are industry’s unsung heroes, Kernan says, and they help move materials — such as fuel — that we rely on. Industry spends about $300 billion annually on pumps and fans, he adds. The vast majority of them — about 85 percent — have fixed-speed motors. The problem with that, Kernan explains, is that fixed-speed motors don’t allow for much flow control, which forces companies to use mechanical controls such as valves or dampers. Kernan likens the process to driving a car with two feet — one pressing the gas pedal to the floor and the other using the brake to control the speed. It’s inefficient and causes a lot of wear and tear leading to increased maintenance. That’s where a variable-speed motor can help, controlling the flow right at the motor and reducing the need for mechanical interventions, he says. The result? An average 50-percent reduction in energy consumption and longer equipment lifespan. To create the motor, VIDAR partnered with the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. The technology already existed in a much larger version called an AC-to-DC-AC Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) that wasn’t practical for many users, Kernan says. “We came up with a way to shrink the VFD by about 60 percent,” he says. That meant it could go directly in a motor instead of being a separate unwieldy component. The other problem with the large VFDs is that they are not suited for use everywhere, particularly in harsh industrial environments, Kernan explains. VIDAR took all those factors into consideration when creating its product, which can cost anywhere from 30 percent to 50 percent less than a traditional VFD conversion and can be used in the harshest of environments. Its motor uses less energy, increases reliability, and is even quieter. “We’re focused on that unserved market,” Kernan says. “Energy efficiency is one of the best investments out there for industrial manufacturers.” In pilot testing, VIDAR’s motor provided a return on investment in about two years. The company’s target is a ROI of one to three years. The entire development process took several years. ITT created the VIDAR venture in January 2022. In March 2023, VIDAR set up an office in Syracuse where it has 14 employees, and earlier this year, the firm finally brought the product to market. VIDAR is currently taking pre-orders with anticipated product shipment in the third quarter. VIDAR will utilize its connections through ITT and Goulds Pumps to reach out to potential customers. “We’ve done over a dozen customer pilots,” Kernan says. From those, a number of customers have already placed orders. VIDAR is also getting the word out through the trade media and recently launched both a website and a LinkedIn page.