“The MMM market is probably the most underestimated and misunderstood market in the United States,” Greg Magdanz, Director of Schneider Electric’s U.S. Mining, Met - als, and Minerals Segment (Schneider-electric.com)

1. the ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR
tED
www.tEDmag.com Feb.15
+C U R R E N T
SOUTH CENTRAL
REGION OUTLOOK
B U S I N E S S
IS BECOMING
AN ESOP RIGHT
FOR YOU?
S P E C I A L R E P O R T
TRAIN THEM—
OR LOSE THEM
the best job candidates
H O W
T O
A T T R A C T

2. 50 the ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR • Feb. 15 www.tEDmag.com
selling
►ABB offers new online tool
ABB has developed an enclosed starter
product configurator for low-voltage
applications. The tool enables specifiers
to source and configure ABB enclosed
starters more efficiently and guides
specifiers through a few easy steps to
configure made-to-order enclosed
starters. Find it at abb.com.
►Hubbell Lighting awarded
Hubbell Lighting’s Architectural Area
Lighting KicK and Beacon Products’s
Ceileo have been recognized as “2014
Record Products” by Architectural
Record magazine.
►IDEAL connectors awarded
IDEAL Industries’s Wire-Nut 73B wire
connector line has received the UL2043
Air Handling Safety Rating, which en-
ables their use on Class 2 or low-voltage
connections inside plenums, ducts, and
other spaces used for environmental air
handling without enclosing the connec-
tion within an electrical box.
►Klein Tools earns awards
Klein Tools was recently named as a
preferred brand in a Tools of the Trade
2014 survey of 731 tradespeople. Out
of six common tools, Klein was the pre-
ferred brand for two screwdrivers and
lineman’s pliers. The company was also
named “Best Hand Tool Brand” for 2014
by Tools in Action readers and editors.
►MaxLite earns placement
MaxLite’s LED Puck Lamp is the indus-
try’s first GU24-base light source rated
for use in fully enclosed luminaires to
earn placement on the Energy Star-
Certified Subcomponent Database.
INDUSTRY NEWS
For up-to-date industry news and
information, go to tEDmag.com.
The metals and mining industry #$$#$ #
$!$ !$!$##$ #$#$!$!# $$!
#$#$$$#$ !$# $!#$!$!$!$$ #
!$!# !$!$!$#!#$$#$!$
!#!#$!# $#$$# $ #$!$##$#$ #$$!
##$ $ #$ #$!$!$ #!$ #$#
$# #$$!$##$
$!#$ # ##

3. $!
# $ #$$!# $##$ $!!#

4. $ $
!$ #$ #$#$!$#$! #$$$ $ !#$$
!$ #!$$#$!##$$ #$!$##
! #!$# ##$$#
#!# $##!$!$ $$ #$#$$!$#$$
#!#$$$# $$ $! #$ !#$$!
!$ #$!$ #$# !$## $! #

5. $
Though Greg Magdanz, director of
Schneider Electric’s U.S. Mining, Met-
als, and Minerals Segment (schneider-
electric.com) believes that most distribu-
tors likely have several metals, mining,
and minerals (MMM) customers in their
geographic market, “The MMM market
is probably the most underestimated
and misunderstood market in the
United States,” he said.
“Contrary to popular belief, the in-
dustry isn’t just about steel mills and
underground mines, but also includes
cement plants, aggregate, gypsum,
glass, sand, and other commodity mar-
kets that are in constant demand,” he
explained. “These raw materials support
the manufacture of everything from
automotive steel to toothpaste, and
these commodities are also the key
ingredients behind such other markets
as oil and gas (e.g., pipes and sand),
construction (cement and glass), auto-
motive (steel and iron ore), and global
energy demand (coal).”
According to Mark Nowak, market
development manager at Thomas
Betts (tnb.com), “It’s costly when equip-
ment is down, so mine operators are
always looking for products that can
help their electrical systems last longer
and be more efficient; as a result, sus-
tainability, safety, reliability, and pro-
ductivity are all key drivers in this mar-
ket. In open-pit mining and smelting,
corrosion protection systems and prod-
ucts are also important.”
Magdanz agreed. “Downtime can
cost MMM customers millions of dol-
lars, both in production losses and in
environmental impacts and fines,” he
said. “These customers are looking for
ways to reduce their energy costs as well
as improve safety and production effi-
ciencies, so manufacturers and distribu-
tors that can help them by providing
technical expertise, quick response
times, and value-added solutions to
meet these critical needs will be more in
demand than a parts supplier.”
Additionally, based on the industry’s
harsh operating environments that
drastically shorten the life of most elec-
trical equipment, Magdanz said that
MMM customers look to distributors
that possess strong customer service
and inventory management capabilities.
David Durocher, global industry
manager for mining, metals, and miner-
als at Eaton (eaton.com), said that de-
clining ore grades are putting pressure
on every aspect of mining operations
today and are resulting in a greater need
for owners, operators, and management
teams to closely manage capital and
improve cost per ton. “This is driving
decisions to optimize at the facility
level,” he said.
Additionally, Durocher noted that
there’s a greater focus on safety and
environmental impact than ever before.
“The Mine Safety and Health Adminis-
tration is looking more closely at injuries
and advancing compliance with electri-
cal safety standards such as the National
Fire Protection Association’s 70E stan-
dard for electrical safety in the work-
place,” he said. “We’re also seeing a
shift from capital expenditures to opera-
tional expenditures, which pushes mine

6. 52 the ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR • Feb. 15 www.tEDmag.com
selling
operators and their distributors and
manufacturers toward a facility-based
focus to optimize existing production.
And among large facilities, there’s also a
trend toward establishing MRO agree-
ments with a single distributor for all
electrical equipment and support.”
PRODUCTS IN PRACTICE
Magdanz noted that in a market defined
by skill shortages, safety measures, reg-
ulations, water shortages, energy vari-
ability, and other market uncertainties,
“MMM companies are relying more on
technologies that require less human
interaction and enable greater visibility
and control of their overall operations.”
Nowak agreed. “The metals and min-
ing market is an attractive one for dis-
tributors and manufacturers,” he said.
“Although an increasing number of
supervisory control and data acquisition
systems are being replaced, updated, or
both, not that much is new inside the
mines and they’re still using the same
heavy-duty NEMA motors, starters,
drives, etc. In these harsh operating en-
vironments, keeping dust out of equip-
ment is crucial, which leads to higher
NEMA ratings on enclosures, and light-
ing is a necessity in underground opera-
tions along with a multitude of safety
products, as hazardous elements play a
key part in underground mines.”
Borchers added that many sites
are looking to optimize their existing
facilities, so solutions that improve
cost, energy efficiency, and reliability are
critical.
“LED lighting solutions applied in
harsh and hazardous environments save
energy, dramatically reduce operating
costs, and, more importantly, last longer
than other luminaire technologies, de-
livering the lowest cost-per-life-cycle
lighting alternative in mining applica-
tions,” said Borchers. “As sites are often
faced with hard-to-access locations,
LED lighting helps maintenance and
operations personnel avoid the risk of
injury on ladders and in truck booms, a
common issue experienced during fre-
quent changeouts of halogen and other
traditional luminaires.”
Additionally, medium- and low-
voltage adjustable-frequency drives
are helping mine operators better con-
trol processes while realizing energy
savings from 10% to 50% by provid-
ing precise control for variable-speed
applications.
With improvements to the reliability
of existing operations becoming crucial
as facilities seek to optimize production,
products like online partial discharge
relays offer predictive diagnostics for
more effective maintenance, provid-
ing operators with advance warning
of insulation failure for switchgear,
transformers, motors, and generators.
And in support of improved work-
place safety within mining applications,
“Arc-resistant switchgear has been
engineered to enhance operator safety
and protect personnel from dangerous
arcing faults by redirecting or channel-
ing the arc energy out the top of the
gear,” Durocher said.
TIPS FOR THE TRADE
Magdanz believes that distributors need
to thoroughly understand MMM cus-
tomers’ processes and operations if
they target this market.
“For example, miners like to talk to
people who are knowledgeable about
the mining process, and the same holds
true for workers in the steel, cement,
aggregate, and glass industries,” he said.
He advises distributors to provide quick
service and solutions that help overall
operations meet their key performance
indicators and improve production
while reducing costs.
Nowak agreed that specialized prod-
uct and industry knowledge are key to
a distributor’s success in this field.
“Each mine is different and each
one’s needs are therefore different,”
said Nowak. “Successful distributors in
MMM are the ones that are devoted to
this market, from the standpoint of both
sales support and the inventory to back
it up. They also benefit from aligning
themselves with manufacturers that tar-
get the MMM market.”
“Challenges in the MMM market
include supporting remote locations and
harsh environments with just-in-time
service. But the rewards will be loyalty
to those who provide the best service
and support,” Magdanz concluded. ■

7. Summit Electric Supply, Albuquerque, N.M., has served the
metals and mining market in Arizona and New Mexico since its
inception, explained Brian Curtis, an automation engineer at the
37-year-old distributor. Summit operates 27 service centers in
five states (Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and
Texas) and services the mining industry through the efforts of
Summit’s Automation Group, which includes key members Jack
Escobar, customer service representative, and Jeff Norris,
automation manager.
Based on Curtis’s more than 20 years of experience sup-
porting the mining industry, “The key drivers for this sector are
service, support, and cutting-edge product technology that is
focused on the delivery of robust design for sustainability and
reliability,” he said. “Mining customers are looking for a distribu-
tor that can support them through the design phase, product
selection, procurement of equipment, implementation, commis-
sioning, and maintenance of products and systems.”
According to Curtis, “The challenges of working with these
customers include the location (which is generally very remote),
the 24/7/365 environment, and the planning and safety re-
quirements. The rewards, however, are great relationships and
loyalty that benefit both the distributor and customer and the
great feeling of achieving success.” —S.B.