Future Development Trends of the Variable Frequency Converter

2022-11-22

After years of rapid development, the domestic automation industry has made significant progress in both product performance and appearance in the frequency converter industry, and many manufacturers have emerged. With the impact of the Sino-US trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic, we can see that the core customers who are large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises are gradually accepting the concept of localization, and domestic manufacturers will face a relatively large market opportunity. Recently, the impact of rising bulk material prices and power shortages has also caused the frequency converter market to enter a period of integration, and market orders are gradually concentrating on head enterprises. The development of frequency converters in terms of product technology is reflected in the following aspects:

While the universal market of the frequency converter continues to maintain, industry-specific models based on scenarios are rapidly developing

The traditional practice of the universal frequency converter covering all industries has gradually been replaced by precise design based on industry scenarios. More domestic frequency converter manufacturers are developing customized solutions around specific industries, specific customers, and specific equipment to better cater to customer applications, solve customer pain points, and enhance product competitiveness, which has become the mainstream strategy in the OEM market. Of course, this approach requires frequency converter manufacturers to have strong technical strength and rapid market responsiveness, as well as industry process accumulation, which is also a key point for the future differentiation of the frequency converter industry market!

Changing from the development of the traditional frequency converter bodies to the integration of industrial automation capabilities

Making proprietary models for industries is no longer limited to the frequency converter bodies. Instead, it requires the integration of the entire automation capability into a complete solution, including servo, HMI, PLC, and even visual, pneumatic, and other capabilities. Only by integrating all of these capabilities into one can a truly competitive solution be achieved, and this capability is also a key variable in the future differentiation of the automation market!

The construction of frequency converter based on data access capabilities

Industry 4.0 has become the standard for future manufacturing. For frequency converter manufacturers, how to seamlessly connect their equipment to the Industry 4.0 network is an urgent issue to consider. Products are no longer just drivers at a single point, but become edge terminals of on-site equipment. They not only realize the functions of single devices but more importantly, become an interface for on-site equipment to access the Industry 4.0 network, including on-site equipment maintenance, diagnosis, information calculation, and even an on-site equipment management terminal with edge computing capabilities.

In the future, the frequency converter will no longer be a native product but more of a platform

Based on different industries, different frequency converter manufacturers provide complete solutions, and no automation manufacturer can cover them all. Therefore, in the future, we need to shift from a single native driver to an open automation platform. All types of users can realize their own understanding of industry KNOW HOW through platform-based configuration and integration, and ultimately form their own unique intellectual property rights!

All changes in the frequency converter are based on changes in the industrial automation industry. With the continuous deepening of large-scale customization demands, we need more changes. Whether frequency converters, as a single category, will disappear with the integration of overall industrial automation technology, this still needs time to verify. However, it can be imagined that the integration and development of multiple products will become mainstream in the future!