This project started back in the quoting stage over 18 months ago, and it has definitely kept me on my toes. Anyone who works with industrial automation knows that even the best-laid plans can get tripped up by supply chains, equipment quirks, or a motor that decides today is not its day. Still—this one has thrown more curveballs than usual.
Let’s talk about the motors.
These aren’t your typical servos—they’re explosion-proof, hazardous-duty motors designed to run inside a paint booth on automated spray-gun positioners. They’re supposed to be the dependable part of the system.
But thanks to the global rare-earth magnet shortage, we waited nine months to get them. And when they finally arrived? We started uncovering manufacturing defects. Seven motors were faulty right out of the crate. Not great, but fine—send them back, get them repaired, stay on schedule.
We reinstalled the repaired units and had one day left for final testing before shipping. Naturally, that’s when another motor started acting up. We swapped it with our spare while the truck driver literally waited, got the machine loaded, and sent it on its way.
Then Tucson.
The install crew got everything mounted, aligned, wired—great work across the board. We powered up, began testing, and within minutes… more motors showing signs of the same issue. At least three more. At this point, roughly half the batch has problems.
So instead of playing whack-a-mole with individual failures, I’m shipping every remaining unrepaired motor back to the factory for full inspection and repair. It’s frustrating, but it’s the right move to avoid dragging this out even longer.
And because this project apparently likes to stack complications…
We had to ship before Thanksgiving so the equipment would land Friday. Install crew scheduled for Sunday. Everything timed perfectly. Then the truck broke down in transit. The load had to be swapped, and delivery slid to Monday afternoon. Lost a full day right there.
The team still hustled, caught up, and got everything installed. And that’s when the additional bad motors made themselves known.
It’s the kind of thing that happens in this industry, but this project has definitely tested my patience more than most. We’ll get it resolved, the motors will get repaired, and the system will run the way it’s supposed to—but I’m looking forward to having this one officially behind us.
Every long project has a few bumps.
This one just came with a full obstacle course.
One Response
Hopefully finished, completed and happy client in the end and soon.