Michael R. Olson, ABB Inc., New Berlin, Wis.

Motors and Drives: Repair or replace?

View the full story , including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition There are usually two reasons why we think about replacing motors: either our existing motors are humming along just fine but we want better energy efficiency, or they fail. And when they fail, we have to determine whether it makes better sense to repair them or buy new. First, let's consider energy savings. According to the U.S.