Menzel's replacement motor ends downtime within three days at Cambridge plant

In November 2015 electric motor manufacturer Menzel Elektromotoren from Berlin ended a serious production interruption at a cement plant in Cambridge. After three days following the failure of both the mill drive and the existing reserve motor, the plant operators suddenly faced a full-scale production shutdown.

On a Friday night, they turned to German motor manufacturer Menzel with a request for the construction and delivery of a replacement motor – and by Monday, a new identical motor with customised modifications had left the workshop of Menzel Berlin. A prolonged and very costly production downtime was thus averted in record time.

Menzel attributed the fast response to its "comprehensive stock of over 20,000 motors in a power range up to 15,000kW." A suitable slip ring motor with 2300 kW, 11,000 V nominal voltage and a speed of 992/min that matched the original motor's features – namely constantly running brushes, roller bearings for grease lubrication, and two free shaft ends – was therefore readily available. The availability of in-house load test fields at Menzel also contributed substantially to the very fast delivery time, the equipment supplier added.