Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesIndustrial IoT

Variable Power is Bringing Manufacturers Maximum Efficiency, with Mike Darrol of Advanced Industrial Devices

Mike Darrol of Advanced Industrial Devices explains how variable frequency drives (VFDs) can enhance manufacturing efficiency by adjusting power frequency or voltage. VFDs offer process improvements, cost savings, and operational flexibility by enabling equipment to run at optimal speeds and reducing mechanical wear-and-tear.

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Industrial IoT teams put it to work with AI Visibility (GEO).

By Industrial Iot · · Mike Darrol PodcastPromoted ContentTyler Kern Podcast
Share

Key takeaways

01

Variable frequency drives (VFDs) allow the adjustment of power frequency or voltage to improve manufacturing efficiency.

02

VFDs can save money by reducing wear-and-tear on machinery and the need for costly part replacements.

03

Using VFDs can pay off equipment costs within 18 months due to mechanical and electrical savings.

Free workspace

Turn your Industrial IoT expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

The power of a Variable Frequency Drive, or VFD, cannot be understated in all industries that thrive off of efficient manufacturing. To recap, a VFD adjusts the frequency or voltage of power by variating the frequency of what’s driving the power, i.e., the motor. This is helpful for a couple of reasons: it allows companies to run three-phase power from a single phase power supply, and it allows equipment to run at a voltage or frequency other than what a power company provides, or what’s available in a certain location.

The ability to change speed creates new possibilities in process improvement, and on today’s podcast, Mike Darrol, communications engineer and embedded application development professional at Advanced Industrial Devices, joins us to break down just how those process improvements can bring value to a manufacturing company.

At a basic level, a VFD can save money and time. It reduces the wear-and-tear on machinery by allowing equipment to warm up slowly and then adjust its speed as needed. It reduces the need for replacing costly parts like clutches and gearboxes, and even eliminates water hammering as well as wear on piping and check valves. Overall, companies find that the amount that they save on mechanical and electrical payouts can often pay for a new piece of equipment within 18 months, giving them more capital to focus on other areas within the business.

Give this podcast with Darrol a listen to hear how AID USA is aiming to make complicated applications simpler with industry-tailored, turnkey VFD products to improve manufacturing processes.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the IoT Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @IOTMKSL

Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Industrial IoT starts with a company putting its controls engineers, plant-floor specialists, and integration partners on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Plant and controls buyers research deep before contact, and your engineers get to shape that research.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

II
Industrial Iot
B2B Weekly

The week in Industrial IoT, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Industrial IoT: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Industrial IoT buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Industrial IoT expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your controls engineers, plant-floor specialists, and integration partners into the articles, video, and social content Industrial IoT buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Industrial IoT Insights

Federal agencies urge cold chain operators to lock down refrigeration controllers

Federal agencies urge cold chain operators to lock down refrigeration controllers

Federal agencies released a joint fact sheet on Nov. 5 with mitigation steps to secure industrial refrigeration and cold chain monitoring systems against cyberattacks targeting temperature controllers. The guidance cites authentication bypass, code injection and weak configurations that can cause inventory loss, equipment hazards and loss of temperature visibility across healthcare, food, agriculture and transportation sectors.

  • 01CISA, FBI, HHS, USDA and DOT urged mitigations including removing internet exposure, OT VLAN segmentation, stronger credentials and MFA, updating firmware and replacing end-of-life devices, allowlisting, tested offline backups, logging and review, and setpoint limits with alerts.
  • 02The fact sheet recommends network segmentation, stronger password practices, firmware updates and logging with regular review.

Nov 6, 2026

MVTec and BMG bring Halcon machine vision to Bosch Rexroth's ctrlX OS

MVTec and BMG bring Halcon machine vision to Bosch Rexroth's ctrlX OS

Bosch Manufacturing Solutions' Nexeed Integrated Vision app enables the use of MVTec's Halcon procedures on Bosch Rexroth's ctrlX OS. That suggests vision on ctrlX is becoming an app choice. Machine builders should compare stacks on licensing, training hardware and integration effort.

  • 01On a Bosch Rexroth controller, machine vision is becoming a software purchase: BMG's Nexeed Integrated Vision app makes MVTec Halcon procedures available on ctrlX OS.
  • 02A hardware-independent operating system makes it easier to move between controllers. It doesn't make vision apps interchangeable, so the vision stack a machine builder picks is the decision that will last longest.

Nov 5, 2026

Softline Group and Simpl Partner on Industrial Safety Tech Expansion

Softline Group and Simpl have partnered to deliver industrial safety and risk management solutions across international markets, with their first order from a UAE enterprise and plans to expand in the UAE and other GCC countries. The collaboration combines Softline's regional expertise and customer infrastructure with Simpl's HSE digital platform and e-PTW solutions.

  • 01First commercial order from a UAE industrial enterprise for the initial stage of the joint project
  • 02Partnership targets UAE and other GCC markets, building on demand for integrated digital safety and contractor management solutions
  • 03Simpl HSE platform and e-PTW solution integrate risk assessment, contractor preparation, work permits, and audits in a single environment

Nov 4, 2026

Explore More Industrial IoT Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Industrial IoT.

Browse Industrial IoT Hub

About the Expert

II
Industrial Iot

Communications Engineer and Embedded Application Development Professional at Advanced Industrial Devices

Mike Darrol is a communications engineer specializing in embedded application development at Advanced Industrial Devices. He focuses on improving manufacturing processes using variable frequency drives. Darrol brings expertise in creating industry-tailored, turnkey VFD products for efficient manufacturing.

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Industrial IoT and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512