Motor fair attendees view product demonstrations conducted by the Oriental staff.

The question is whether or not a customer can save time and money using a step motor. It’s followed by another on the differences between a brush and brushless motor. The discussion continues with topics on tachogenerators, permanent magnets, inertia calculations and torque motors. What resembles a high school science fair at first glance is actually an informative and productive way to spend a day discussing the motor industry.

The 2008 Oriental Motor Fair and Seminar recently took place in the Chicago area in an effort to underline Oriental products and put them to the test using real world applications. The seminar allows engineers, maintenance personnel and purchasing managers to get together to talk shop and learn some additional concepts specifically for these applications.

With 125 years of experience, Oriental Motor knows firsthand how important quality, delivery, service and support are to its customers. Instead of boasting this experience in an advertising campaign, Oriental takes its mechanical and sales engineers on the road to show how its products work and why they’re beneficial.

“Customers can come and see all of our products and participate in our seminars to better understand the product line and gain an understanding of the global support Oriental Motor brings to motion control,” says Rob Cheatham, senior sales engineer at Oriental Motor USA.

The motor fair kicks off with an introduction highlighting the 30 years the international company has served customers in the United States and Canada. Oriental Motor was originally founded in 1885 in Japan, but made its U.S. debut in 1978 with a variety of fractional HP products for position control, velocity control and temperature control.

The eight-hour, technical presentation lets attendees see how specific motors are chosen for certain applications and why these choices are made. At the Chicago seminar, guests were treated to a PowerPoint presentation on motors in a bottling application. Engineers took attendees step-by-step through the various motors used in bottle removal, cooling, inspection, filling, capping, label placement and packaging. These steps were supplemented with DVD demonstrations and motor-sizing options. A soundtrack provided songs with themes that complemented the product demonstrations.

Each section began with the engineers analyzing the various criteria needed for the application. In the bottle diverter section, for example, a list of needs was presented for the diverter, and these needs were addressed with motor sizing options.

If attendees wanted to see these specific applications, the product room next door provided motion control demonstrations and hands-on examples. Engineers were available at each station to answer questions and discuss the various applications on display.

“Having all of our products available for the attendees to see, brings us one step closer to finding a solution to their applications,” Cheatham says. “Everyone likes to touch and feel products versus just looking at it in a catalog or on a website.”

The bulk of the one-day event, however, took place in the meeting room where Oriental engineers breezed through eight sections of motor options for the bottling application. Attendees were given a printed copy of the PowerPoint presentation and could jot down notes during the event. If an engineer did not have an answer for a particular question, there was always a colleague in the back of the room ready to provide additional information.

Oriental did an excellent job of distributing information to a wide audience. Some attendees had an extensive background in motor applications while others had minimal exposure. The company was able to bring a diverse group together and provide information that everyone could benefit from.

In an effort to continually push the seminar forward, Oriental always takes feedback into consideration for future presentations. The company recently reformatted the seminar based on information provided by previous attendees. At the end of the program, guests were asked to fill out a brief questionnaire and turn it in with comments and suggestions.

The seminar was educational and far more informative than just a sales pitch. Attendees received an extensive demonstration of the product line via industry examples. Engineers explained why some motors worked better in certain conditions. They also discussed the longevity and accuracy of the motors in question.

For more information on the Oriental Motor Fair and Seminar, visit www.orientalmotor.com or call (800) 418-7903.