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

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

Machine condition monitoring in 2025: MRFR says $1.49 billion, FMI says $3.2 billion

Machine condition monitoring in 2025: MRFR says $1.49 billion, FMI says $3.2 billion

IndexBox expects machine health monitoring to spread from power generation and heavy process industries into mid-sized manufacturing, fleets and rail by 2035. Market Research Future values the market at $1.49 billion in 2025, while Future Market Insights puts it at $3.2 billion. MRFR gives hardware 47.2% of 2025 revenue and forecasts software to grow 11.8% a year through 2035.

  • 01Hardware is about half or more of spending (46% to over 55%), and vibration leads where reported (34.2% to 36.1%), while one forecast puts software growth at 11.8% a year. That mix is a better budgeting benchmark than any total.
  • 02Analysts are urging vendors toward pricing tied to downtime avoided instead of sensor count, which would make the downtime baseline, and who measures it, the clause that matters most in a monitoring contract.

Nov 4, 2026

Schneider Electric's TeSys Tera puts failure warnings inside old motor control cabinets

Schneider Electric's TeSys Tera puts failure warnings inside old motor control cabinets

Schneider Electric's TeSys Tera adds fault protection and pre-failure alarms. Its quoted 30–50% downtime cut is a general benchmark, so each plant's own hourly downtime cost decides the payback.

  • 01Predictive maintenance on legacy motors can now arrive as a starter swap: TeSys Tera fits existing control cabinets and intelligent motor control center buckets instead of requiring a rebuild.
  • 02The hourly downtime cost a plant plugs in could decide the business case before the hardware does.
  • 03The 30–50% downtime reduction attached to the launch is a McKinsey benchmark for predictive versus reactive maintenance in general, so the useful proof will be measured results from retrofitted plants.

Nov 3, 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