Strengthen LTSA Buying Rules for Bearings, Connectivity and EV Depots

What happened

ABB explains that variable-speed drives (VSDs) can induce common-mode shaft voltages that shorten motor bearing life and recommends using shaft-grounding devices or insulated bearings as mitigations. The piece notes practical installation guidance—for larger motors an insulated bearing on the opposite end is advised—making the risk operationally real for plant motors with VSDs. Watch whether buyers start requiring preinstalled grounding options and adjust spares lists accordingly

Why the category manager should care

Treat VSD-induced shaft currents as a procurement spec item: require grounding or insulated-bearing options and include spare-bearing rules in LTSA scopes

Key facts

• Guidance: add shaft-grounding devices or insulated bearings to mitigate VSD shaft currents
• Context: most industrial motors power pumps, fans and compressors where VSDs are common
• Installation note: insulated bearing recommended on the opposite end for larger motors

What happened

A Process Online roundup highlights new industrial 5G gateways, managed VPN/remote-access devices and security certifications (for example EtherCAT certified to IEC 62443). The product push is creating more supplier-managed connectivity options that can carry recurring fees or diagnostic services. Watch for suppliers to bundle diagnostics and managed access into LTSAs and require buyers to accept recurring OPEX unless RFx pricing is disaggregated

Why the category manager should care

Map managed and remote-access devices into LTSA SOWs and assign update/access ownership explicitly to buyer or supplier

Key facts

• Advantech ICR-1745 industrial 5G gateway announced
• Belden demonstrated an industrial 5G switch in partnership with Qualcomm
• EtherCAT certified to IEC 62443 Security Level 2 (security certification noted)

What happened

New Energy Transport closed initial funding to deploy a commercial rapid-deployment project for electric heavy-freight and mobile ultra-fast chargers across NSW freight corridors. The planned fleet and charger rollout is aimed at generating operational data and commercial service patterns, making depot charging and mobile-charge support an operational procurement concern. Watch whether depot operators and OEMs start contracting for charger uptime, depot maintenance and mobile-charger servicing

Why the category manager should care

Treat electric prime movers and mobile chargers as new asset classes when scoping depot maintenance and LTSA uptime commitments

Key facts

• Initial equity raise closed to accelerate commercial rollout
• Rapid Deployment Project intends to operate electric prime movers with mobile ultra-fast char
• Deployment targeted across major NSW freight corridors to generate commercial performance data

What happened

An instrumentation article uses an Age-of-Empires analogy to argue that skipping measurement and diagnostic maturity causes failures in process control and operator trust. The practical point is to progress instrumentation in stages with verified diagnostics rather than assume new devices are production-ready. Use the piece to justify pilots and verification plans; its guidance is conceptual and should be validated in representative production conditions

Why the category manager should care

Require performance verification and staged acceptance for new instrumentation and analytics before including them in long-term service guarantees

Key facts

• Analogy: progress from manual sampling to integrated DCS and real-time analytics (instrumenta
• Risk: measurement devices without verification can produce misleading data and erode operator
• Recommendation: staged progression with verified diagnostics before scaling into operations