We normally think of the energy-saving efforts being aimed exclusively at using super-premium motors; variable-frequency electronic drives, which might include regenerative brakes; and operating cycle programs that include sleep or hibernate states, among others.
You know, all the cool electronic stuff.
It took a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan to remind me that there are lots of other ways to affect energy consumption.
The company's Strategic Analysis of Global Belt Drives and Chain Drives Market reports that governments, especially in Europe and North America, have mandated that industrial equipment conform to regional regulations. This, say the analysts, "has sprung belt drives and chain drives to prominence, as they are highly cost-effective and energy efficient modes of power transmission."