bilities, the fuse market is poised for continued .... crease market share, and better serve .... or visit epicor.com/Pr
P R O D U C T S / ELECTRICAL
FOCUS ON FUSES
Safety, space considerations, and an increase in renewable energy projects are all driving the market for fuses. by Susan Bloom
ITH AN ESTIMATED MARprograms driving all of these—the ket size of more than fuse market is poised to see signifi$1 billion, fuses are thercant growth,” said Ledum Nordee, mally responsive devices medium-voltage product manager at designed to protect against harmful Mersen (mersen.com). overcurrents (short circuits and over“Over the next five years, Littelloads) within an electrical system. fuse [littelfuse.com] projects modest Available in a wide growth in the fuse variety of sizes and industry, with some Replacing a physical configuramarkets growing fuse is much tions, fuses are used more quickly,” said quicker and in numerous applicaDave Scheuerman, less expensive than tions, from high-power technical training replacing a motor, distribution equipment manager for the comtransformer, or piece to devices consumers pany’s industrial of switchgear, so it’s use on a daily basis, business unit. Among vitally important to such as vehicles and those, “the energy help users select the appliances. storage market is proper fuse for their Evolving based on expanding rapidly, applications. the current demands driven largely by the for enhanced safety, need to store power —DAVE SCHEUERMAN, lower-profile designs, generated from reLittelfuse and the growing marnewable sources,” he ket for renewable ensaid, “while growth in ergy projects and energy storage capathe power conversion market, along bilities, the fuse market is poised for with the fuses required to protect continued strengthening. Here, manpower conversion equipment, is being ufacturers offer their insights into curdriven by a desire to utilize power as rent drivers, market trends, and sales efficiently as possible.” opportunities for distributors. Scheuerman noted that one subset of the power conversion market Product Scope that’s growing particularly rapidly is Experts confirm that the energy and EV charging stations, which will be power industries currently represent required across the transportation some of the biggest opportunities for grid as EVs become more widely acovercurrent circuit protection devices. cepted by consumers. “With the resurgence in the oil “Fuses have many applications, and gas sector as well as sustainable and as each of these evolve to supgrowth in the power industry—due in port our ever-changing environment, large part to today’s demands for circuit protective devices such as fuses greater efficiency, alternative energy will be needed to protect equipment sources such as solar and wind, and and personnel,” explained Kristine the availability of financial incentive Stoll, product line manager for Buss-
W
80
the ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR • Sep. 17
mann series products by Eaton (eaton.com). “For example, as renewable energy projects increase, so too will the need for the associated fusible solutions.” Among the industry trends driving evolution in the fuse category is the demand for lower-profile designs. “Space savings is becoming more critical as OEMs are being required to provide more components and functionality inside of their equipment while maintaining the necessary level of protection for their customers,” said Stoll. Industry responses to this need include innovations that enable more compact technology, such as a fused disconnect switch solution that requires one-third the footprint of a traditional fusible disconnect switch while still featuring a 200kA short-circuit current rating. Other innovations combine a traditional fuse block with a power distribution block, reducing the number of components required and using significantly less space than earlier designs. As DC power requirements become more prevalent and the magnitude and scale of systems continue to grow, Scheuerman said that the industry is offering expanded and enhanced high-speed fuses incorporating increased DC voltage and interrupt rating capabilities.
Technology Trends
According to Stoll, actions taken to improve availability and minimize stockouts to ensure that distributors “have the right SKUs at the right time” are key to their success. She also recommends that distributors take advantage of the many resources that manufacturers make available, from fault current calculators to hands-on training and technical support from local application engineers.
Tips for the Trade
www.tEDmag.com
Based on their front-line presence, Nordee said that distributors are particularly well positioned to help provide valuable market information back to manufacturers. “The distribution network is a critical channel for feedback on sales and end-user applications,” he said. Nordee explained that while manufacturers are often removed from such important details as where products are being sold and how they are being applied, “some distributors are practicing creative ways to anticipate market trends and where products are be-
ing used—information that can yield significant intelligence and drive subsequent strategy for both manufacturers and distributors. Where we’re able to leverage our distribution channel to unlock new markets and demand (based on distributors’ ability to gather vital market intel), we’ll all be able to develop/promote new products, increase market share, and better serve end-users.” Scheuerman confirmed that fuses offer a profitable and consistent source of revenue for electrical distributors. “When electrical systems
go down due to a short circuit or overload, it can result in significant manufacturing and production downtime,” he explained. “Replacing a fuse is much quicker and less expensive than replacing a motor, transformer, or piece of switchgear, so it’s vitally important to help users select the proper fuse for their applications.” ■ Bloom is a freelance writer/consultant who has spent more than 25 years covering the lighting and electrical products industry. She can be reached at susan.
[email protected].
SEL EC T F U S E S B Y C L AS S
12-MONTH DOLLAR SHARE ENDING JUNE 2017
40%
37.7%
30% 23.7%
18.7%
20%
10%
8.2%
7.5% 4.3%
0% RK5
CC
J
RK1
L
T
SELECT FUSES—SHARE CHANGE BY CLASS; 12-MONTH DOLLAR SHARE ENDING JUNE 2017 VS. ONE YEAR AGO RK5 .................................................................................................................................................................................................................-.6% CC .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................3% J .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................1% RK1 .................................................................................................................................................................................................................-.6% L ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................5% T ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................4% Epicor’s Industry Data Analytics tracking information is based on sales from a representative sample of full-line electrical distributors located throughout the United States. For information, call 512-278-5800, email
[email protected], or visit epicor.com/Products/Pages/Vista-Information-Services.aspx.
www.tEDmag.com
Sep. 17 • the ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR
81
