Pump suppliers will experience rising sales resulting in just under $59 billion in revenue by 2019, according to the Pumps World Market report published by McIlvaine Company.
The early pump companies were foundries, and competitive edge and greater revenue were based around manufacturing skills. Today the pump industry is much more focused on providing solutions for customers. This can include purchased components and software. These auxiliaries are reflected in the revenues reported by the companies.
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A significant part of the growth is due to the "smart pump" offerings. Smart pumps can be integrated directly into plant distributed control systems. They reduce maintenance and improve performance.
For an example, the Grundfos smart DDA pump comes as a package with:
- Flow Control with selective fault diagnosis
- Pressure monitoring
- Flow measurement
- Intuitive and self-explanatory menu
- Click wheel (turn-and-push knob)
- Big graphical LCD with four color "traffic light" concept
- More than 25 languages
It has the ability to improve the dosing function for pH control, disinfection, or cleaning-in-place.
Pump company "smart" revenues can extend to retrofits on competitors pumps.
PumpSmart®from ITT is an intelligent flow system that works with any pump, utilizing smart VFD controller and proprietary control software to provide advanced process control, enhanced reliability through failure prevention, reduced life cycle costs and lower energy costs.
ITT also offers ProSmart®which is a multi-patented, low cost, wireless predictive condition monitoring system that provides continuous online monitoring, alerting operators to alarm conditions via email or telephone.
Six years ago Colfax Corporation developed an intelligent concept pump with the ability to monitor its performance, adjust to changing conditions and order its own replacement parts — all without human supervision. The TX2020 can operate by itself at a remote pumping location or be connected to a network of pumps managed at a central office.
TX2020 pump software includes a preventive maintenance calendar and, based on foreseen needs or detected problems, the ability to determine which parts need replacement and issue a purchase order for them. For marine applications, the TX2020 can even provide a pre-programmed list of the service stations closest to the vessel, with full coordinates and contact details. The software also maintains precise records in the form of an electronic log book operators can use to track performance trends over time.
These examples are part of a trend among pump suppliers to supply the "smart" auxiliaries.
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