Evaluation Services trains with noted motor guy

Dr. Howard Penrose, Ph.D, President of SUCCESS by DESIGN, located in Old Saybrook, CT, described as “one of the top motor and reliability guys in the country,” was in Humboldt last week, conducting electrical motor diagnostics training with the employees of Geoff Mickelson’s Evaluation Services, Inc., of Humboldt.

Dr. Penrose is a predictive maintenance and reliability trainer and consultant, working for such companies as General Motors, Cargill, Morton Salt, US Steel, the U.S. Navy, and U.S. Coast Guard. He also serves, internationally, as the founding Executive Director of the Institute of Electrical Motor Diagnostics (IEMD), a not-for-profit organization for the development of technology certification, best practices and standards.

“He’s the top guy in the nation and we’ve worked with him many times since starting Evaluation Services in 2001. We’ve gone to Connecticut for training, but we’re glad to have brought him out here to God’s country,” Mickelson said.

Evaluation Services uses multiple technologies on electric motors to do predictive maintenance, troubleshooting and reliability testing. They use such advanced diagnostic technologies as infrared thermography, vibration analysis, ultrasonics, motor circuit analysis, and electrical signature analysis to get to the root cause of problems with rotating machines and electrical distribution problems with the machines running or turned off.

“From 70 to over 90 percent of any industrial company’s electricity is consumed by their electric motors and what they drive, such as pumps, fans, compressors and conveyors. Rotating machines are vital to our economy, and helped accelerate the industrial revolution from the late 1800’s to now,” Dr. Penrose said.

He said companies, such as Evaluation Services, are keeping up on the latest technologies, which can reduce a company’s down time and pinpoint problems before they happen. With drastic changes to the skilled workforce, increased complexity and demands on production equipment and advanced motor diagnostic technologies, these companies are outsourced to keep our economy running with minimal shutdowns.

The availability of manufacturing to operate on demand and at peak rates, and the knowledge

that it can do so, is vital to the United States competing internationally while preserving our natural resources.

“This is something new in rural Iowa, which is attracting a lot of high tech industries, such as ethanol and bio-diesel plants. Our services become more valuable as these industries grow,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson said the idea behind forming Evaluation Services was to have a company that could evaluate and identify problems before they occur, a process called condition-based maintenance. Sister company, R & G Electric, is available to make the necessary corrections, when they are identified.

“That’s why we have a motor shop, and a machine shop. Not only can we determine the problems, we can correct them,” Mickelson said.

Evaluation Services has four employees certified and trained in the field of predictive maintenance. Last week’s training involved nearly all of the staff.

“Many of the skills for motor maintenance are leaving through retirement. The demand for highly trained people, such as at Evaluation Services, is growing. To be able to quickly evaluate rotating machines and come up with recommendations to optimize equipment life, while reducing maintenance cost, is vital to a business’ ability to compete and provide employment,” Dr. Penrose said.

“We’re pleased to be able to train with someone who is such an expert and known throughout the world,” Mickelson said.