Know Your TCO: A Look at Medium Voltage VFDs

Medium voltage variable frequency drives (MV VFD) are high consideration, high cost assets engineers are incorporating more and more into manufacturing process. There are plenty of benefits these drives afford, such as energy efficiency and process control. However, being able to quantify these benefits between manufacturers of MV VFDs challenges engineers to identify which solution is the most affordable and reaps the greatest rewards. Drive manufacturers range wildly in price, efficiency, life cycle and reliability. In this white paper, we analyze what factors contribute to TCO (total cost of ownership) of a drive, how to calculate the NPV (net present value), explain the inverse relationship between reliability and TCO and how longevity of product and customer service and support affect TCO.

When plants are looking to upgrade assets and equipment, everything is judged from a bottom-line approach. Plant managers are challenged to find equipment which marries affordable and long-lasting, in order to meet the goals of corporate initiatives and project budgets. It is vital to your success and your company’s profitability that you know your TCO.