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Currently, the share of medium and high voltage inverters in the total inverter sales has increased to more than 15 %. Do you think this means that the overall sales peak season for medium and high voltage inverters will arrive soon? Siemens: According to the newly released census results, the data in 2004 showed that the energy consumption for every 10,000 yuan of GDP was 1.23 tons of standard coal, which is quite different from that of developed countries. The overall situation in China is that energy consumption is too high and resource utilization efficiency is low. China 's adjusted GDP in 2004 accounted for only 4.4 % of the world's total, while the crude oil, raw coal, iron ore, steel, alumina and cement consumed by China in that year accounted for 7.4 %, 31 %, 30 %, 27 %, 25 % and 40 % of the world's total consumption respectively. China's industrial electricity consumption accounts for 74 % of electricity consumption . According to the current economic scale, our installed power generation capacity should be sufficient. Japan has an installed capacity of 280 million kilowatts, but has created a much higher GDP than us. This fully shows that China's energy-saving potential is huge. This is also the business opportunity for medium-voltage inverters. In fact, in the past three years, the growth rate of the market capacity of medium-voltage inverters has been higher than that of general-purpose inverters. ABB : First of all, we need to clarify the definition. All inverters with voltages above 1KV and below 35KV are called medium-voltage inverters. Therefore, there are only medium-voltage inverters on the market, and there is no distinction between medium-voltage inverters and high-voltage inverters. The energy problem is a major issue facing economic development and has been highly valued by the country and various industries. Medium-voltage inverters are generally used in occasions with relatively large motor power, so energy saving is more significant. Practice has proved that the application of medium-voltage inverters not only improves the process and product quality, but also saves energy. Users benefit greatly from it. Therefore, the overall sales of medium-voltage inverters will steadily increase in the next few years.
Leader & Harvest: I think the golden age of domestic medium and high voltage inverters has arrived. In fact, compared with the foreign market, China's high voltage inverter industry started late. Before 2000 , it can be said that foreign brands almost dominated the domestic market. But the situation has been changing in recent years. The application of high voltage inverters is reflecting the broad market demand and development prospects. It can not only meet the process speed regulation, but also save energy and reduce consumption. High voltage inverters are showing their irreplaceable application value in many industries. A product without market prospects cannot be developed rapidly, which is also the driving force for the development of enterprises. By the end of February 2006 , Leader & Harvest will usher in a celebration of the cumulative performance of 500 units. Our development is also a microcosm of China's domestic high voltage inverters.
Hiconics: The medium and high voltage inverters will show a rapid growth trend in recent years, but it will take several years to reach the popularity of low voltage inverters, after all, the base is still relatively low. Oriental Hitachi: The country vigorously advocates the creation of a conservation-oriented society. At present, industrial electricity accounts for nearly 80% of the entire national economy , and civil electricity accounts for less than 20% . Large motors account for a large proportion of the entire industrial electricity load, and the energy-saving effect is also the most significant. From the trend of social development, the energy-saving demand for large motors will increase rapidly, whether actively or passively. From the recent trend, the overall sales peak season will be faster than expected in the past.
IGBT Technology A large portion of medium and high voltage inverters use low voltage IGBT power units in series. What do you think are the best features of this type of inverter? What is its future development? Siemens: For medium voltage inverter applications below 10~15MW , voltage source inverter has become the mainstream. One of the biggest advantages of medium and high voltage inverters using low voltage IGBT power unit series is that it is friendly to both the input side grid and the output side motor, with less harmonic pollution to the grid. At the same time, due to the small common mode voltage, the electrical stress on the motor is small, and no special insulation design of the inverter motor is required. Therefore, it is widely used in new or modified projects of wind turbines and pump loads, especially in offshore platform electric submersible pump (ESP) drive applications and marine power drives. Medium voltage inverters with three-level voltage source type as the topology structure are the leader in high performance application fields such as metallurgical rolling mills, coiling machines, and mine hoists with their unique simple structure, high performance, convenient four-quadrant control, and flexible layout. In natural gas pipeline transmission and LNG compression applications, ultra-high power inverters are mainly LCI inverters, which are also widely used in the soft start of ultra-large synchronous motors. From the current level of technological development, the medium voltage inverters mentioned above have their advantageous application areas in specific occasions. ABB : The biggest advantage of this type of inverter is low harmonic content and low price. Due to the complex structure and large number of components, the reliability and technical performance are limited. This type of inverter will be replaced by inverters using new technologies. Inverters using new technologies should have simple structures, a small number of components, no special requirements for motors, and low harmonic pollution to the power grid.
Lidehuafu: The unit series multi-level inverter uses multiple low-voltage power units in series to achieve high voltage. The step-down transformer on the input side adopts a phase-shifting method, which can effectively eliminate harmonic pollution to the power grid. The output side adopts multi-level sinusoidal PWM technology, which can be applied to ordinary motors of any voltage. In addition, when a power unit fails, it can automatically exit the system, while the remaining power units can continue to keep the motor running, reducing the loss caused by downtime. The system adopts a modular design, and the faulty module can be quickly replaced. It can be seen that the market competitiveness of the unit series multi-level inverter is very obvious. For the unit series multi-level inverter, the main disadvantages are complex conversion links, a large number of power components (but a relatively small number of auxiliary components), and a slightly larger volume. However, in the case that other methods cannot meet the needs of domestic applications and the reliability of high-voltage device applications is not too high, its competitive advantage may still be irreplaceable in the near future. At present, the unit series multi-level inverter accounts for the majority of general-purpose high-voltage inverters, about 70 % or more. With the advancement of technology, this type of high-voltage inverter will not only continue to expand in the existing market, but will also further expand its application areas. For many loads, the problems of the inverter's engineering application need to be solved.
Hekang Yisheng: The best feature is that it reduces dependence on power devices. The output voltage of the inverter is not limited by the device's withstand voltage and is easy to modularize. It will have a good development prospect for a long time. Oriental Hitachi: This type of inverter is called a unit series multi-level structure inverter. Our company has done a lot of investigation and feasibility research in the product project development stage, and has also consulted relevant experts to the greatest extent possible. The final conclusion is that the unit series multi-level structure inverter is currently the most suitable inverter technology for China's 6kV and 10kV grid levels, and is suitable for fan pump speed regulation applications. Therefore, after the joint venture, the company also focuses on the introduction and digestion of the technology of the unit series multi-level structure inverter. Engineers from both China and Japan believe that the unit series multi-level structure inverter is currently the most suitable inverter for China 's 6kV and 10kV grid levels. The biggest feature of the unit series multi-level structure inverter is: extremely low input and output harmonic content, multiple output levels ( small dV/dt ), high output voltage level, good waveform, and is suitable for fan pump speed regulation applications. Regarding the applicability of the unit series multi-level structure inverter, domestic peers have reached a certain consensus. At present, most of the domestic peers use the unit series multi-level technology, which illustrates the problem. Therefore, we can boldly predict that the inverter with unit series multi-level structure will gradually become the mainstream choice for frequency conversion transformation of domestic fans and pumps. Industry Applications my country has great advantages in the development of AC-AC inverters, and its application in the metallurgical industry has been unanimously recognized by users. Do you think it will be applied to other industries? Siemens: The application of AC-AC inverter is mainly in the primary rolling mill and hot rolling mill in the metallurgical industry, and it is very limited when used in high-performance cold rolling mills. Another application of it is mine hoists. Due to the price advantage, the AC-AC inverter independently developed by my country has a certain scale in quantity, and its application in the metallurgical industry has been recognized by users, which should be celebrated. However, due to the large harmonics, poor performance and power factor of AC-AC inverter compared with three-level voltage source inverter, it is increasingly replaced by three-level voltage source inverter in foreign countries. However, in my country, due to its good performance-price ratio and more adaptability to national conditions, it will still have a certain market space for a period of time. ABB : AC-AC frequency conversion technology is an outdated technology and has been phased out in Europe. The AC-AC frequency converter has limited its application scope due to its own technical characteristics. This type of frequency converter will gradually be replaced by other types of frequency converters. For example, ABB has replaced this type of product with ACS6000 ; Siemens has also transferred the production of this product to China. Leader Harvest: AC-AC frequency conversion is suitable for speed regulation of low-speed loads. In addition to its application in the metallurgical industry, it may also be applied to loads such as mine hoists.
Hekang Yisheng: Of course, but if our company's vector-controlled high-voltage inverter is used, the control accuracy exceeds that of AC-AC inverter, and it does not produce harmonic pollution to the power grid. It has a wide speed regulation range from 0 to 50Hz , and the advantages are more obvious. Oriental Hitachi: This type of inverter has a small application range because its maximum output frequency is only 50% of the input frequency and its speed control range is narrow. It is difficult to promote it in the large-scale speed regulation field for energy saving of fans and pumps. Domestic high voltage At present, many enterprises are optimistic about the domestic high-voltage inverter market and are ready to make a move. Some small enterprises are also making high-voltage inverters under very simple conditions and equipment, and the quality and reliability cannot be guaranteed. What do you think of this situation? Some newly listed small high-voltage inverter enterprises, in order to get involved in the high-voltage inverter market and pursue their own performance, rush to bid for projects, and try their best to lower the price, even at a loss. Are you deeply worried about this marketing tactic? Siemens: The high-voltage inverter market is indeed very attractive, but it is more technically difficult than low-voltage inverters. Since the motor power of the control object of high-voltage inverters is relatively large, it is often an important part of the factory production process. Therefore, the availability of equipment operation is extremely high. High availability means high reliability and maintainability. Research results show that the factors affecting reliability include : the length of time ( experience ) of the manufacturer's production of inverters , the experience of quality control and management, the reliability of the main application components in the equipment, whether there is a high-quality, high-level, and stable R&D team, etc. The factors affecting maintainability include: the structural design of the equipment; human-machine interface communication, service organizations and facilities; service concepts, etc. Every company will say that its product quality is reliable and the service is thoughtful when it goes to the user. If there is a big gap in the above factors, what can you guarantee? Reliable quality and thoughtful service will become empty words. At present, in order to reduce costs and improve competitiveness, some well-known medium-voltage inverter manufacturers in the world have merged, such as the merger of GE in the United States , Mitsubishi in Japan, and Toshiba, as well as Siemens in Germany and Robincon in the United States. Some manufacturers are being sold. It should be said that the reduction in the number of manufacturers is a trend. In fact, there are only a few well-known manufacturers in the world. On the contrary, in China, there is a big contrast, which is worth our deep consideration. Regarding lowering prices, I think that enterprises must make profits. Lowering prices or even selling at a loss is definitely a short-term tactical behavior. If it is a long-term strategy, it is almost impossible to make the enterprise bigger and stronger. In addition, as mentioned above, to ensure that the product has a high utilization rate when used by users, a lot of investment must be made in the links of R&D design , production process , quality control , logistics , sales , and service system. According to the investment and payback period of each link and its annual sales volume, the reasonable market price can be calculated. If the price is too low, it must be that the investment in some links is not guaranteed. The final loss is still the end customer. Once the end customer loses confidence in the product and the current status of the industry, the market that has been cultivated for many years may eventually be lost. In fact, from a long-term perspective, we sincerely hope that everyone can work together to make the medium-voltage inverter cake bigger, and then everyone can have their own cake. From another perspective, we should cultivate a group of mature customers as soon as possible. When mature customers choose large-scale transmission, according to specific applications, they will use the best cost of the equipment throughout its service life as the main basis for evaluation, and the purchase price is not the only factor. The principle of selecting large-scale transmission equipment should be based on the following main factors: such as reliability, after-sales service, problem-solving ability, engineering process experience, grid harmonics, corporate reputation, price, performance, efficiency, power factor, delivery period, size, spare parts, torque pulsation, etc. In this way, market competition will be more orderly and rational. ABB : The medium-voltage inverters produced by domestic enterprises basically adopt the power unit series form of low-voltage IGBT . The product technology comes from various channels and there will not be too much risk. Many factors such as high reliability, high utilization rate and high mean time between failures determine whether the inverter can exist in the market for a long time. However, such companies have single products and insufficient technical stamina. Once new technologies that replace such inverters appear, such companies will also be eliminated. Various marketing tactics are means of market competition, which is understandable. In fact, what is worrying is the value orientation of the purchaser: high performance / high cost performance / low price. The purchaser who blindly pursues cheap products may suffer losses. The inverter is a high-tech industrial product. The market needs mature and reliable products, and only companies with a virtuous cycle can survive in the market for a long time. Therefore, companies need to develop virtuously.
Lide Huafu: Due to different scales and strengths, some domestic enterprises have different investment capabilities. Technology, process, and design capabilities depend on the investment of enterprises, which directly determines the quality of products. If you are unable to increase investment just to get orders in a short period of time to make profits, this short-sighted approach is tantamount to chronic suicide. Many manufacturers are optimistic about the domestic high-voltage frequency conversion market, which is a promotion for the development of domestic brands. However, if they are eager for quick success and blindly start the business regardless of their own enterprise scale, they will not only fail to get a share, but will also destroy the entire market rules. I am quite worried about the practice of commercial competition in the form of price wars. Enterprises compete to lower prices. This seems to benefit users, but in fact, they are the victims in the end. While prices are lowered, enterprises must significantly reduce R&D, materials, after-sales, etc. in order to pursue profits. High-voltage frequency converter products are mostly used for speed regulation of key equipment used in the production of national backbone and key large-scale enterprises. If there are problems with the products during use, it will affect the production of these enterprises. Therefore, for high-voltage products, after-sales service is particularly important. High-voltage inverter products have a high technical threshold, and those who produce and provide such products are all high-tech enterprises. For this reason, domestic suppliers once grew slowly. However, we at Leader & Harvest have the ability to make continuous investments, such as power circuit testing and inspection, tooling design, etc. Out of consideration for product quality, Leader & Harvest is willing to invest and has the ability to invest.
Hiconics: For the high-voltage inverter industry, product quality and reliability are the lifeblood of an enterprise. Regardless of the size of an enterprise, it is impossible to gain a foothold in this industry if the quality of its products is not guaranteed. Strictly speaking, it cannot be considered unfair competition if it is not sold below cost, but a continuous low-price competition strategy is not something that ordinary enterprises can bear for a long time. As a group of integrated superior enterprises gradually emerge in this industry, the practice of simply grabbing the market with low prices will face increasing risks.
Dongfang Hitachi: We are very worried about this situation. High-voltage and high-power inverters are products with very high technical content. They belong to high-voltage equipment and are used in key areas. The larger the capacity, the greater the responsibility. There are very high requirements for the research and development, design, manufacturing, process, testing and after-sales service of the manufacturer. However, my country lacks a basic review and access system for this industry. Regardless of whether an enterprise has the conditions for production and research and development, it can produce and sell high-voltage and high-power inverters. For users, although quality and reliability are issues they care about, the final price often becomes the focus of attention. Quality and reliability issues are often exposed only after the project is implemented. At the same time, the decision-making of such enterprises is often rash, and their survival ability is also a problem. The Aux car manufacturing incident some time ago is a more representative example. Rash decision-making and rash abandonment when problems arise. In the long run, the entire domestic inverter industry will be harmed, and users will conclude that domestic inverters are not good. This will cause serious damage to the entire high-voltage and high-power inverter industry in my country. Among the current domestic high-voltage inverter industry competitors, there is fierce competition between foreign brands, between foreign brands and domestic brands, and between domestic brands. As a small company that has just gone public, we can fully understand the strategy of low-price competition. They still have a relatively large gap compared with the current major competing companies in terms of technology, quality, management, experience, brand, capital, etc., and in order to gain a foothold in this industry, it is very important to have good application performance. Since the use of medium and high voltage inverters requires high reliability of equipment, only high-reliability products can truly bring benefits to users. In the long run, blindly competing at low prices is actually a harm to users. Now the price of medium and high voltage inverters is falling rapidly, and equipment manufacturers have meager profits. Without sufficient funds for technology development, the technology gap with foreign companies cannot be narrowed, and there is even a risk of widening the gap, which is very unfavorable to the development of the entire industry.
Brand creation High-voltage inverters, like other products, also have a brand effect. Foreign products are very brand-conscious. What do you think about how to create a domestic brand for high-voltage inverters? Siemens: Siemens attaches great importance to brand awareness. Let me clarify here that in today's globalized economy, Siemens has three factories in China that produce large, medium and small transmissions and small and medium motors. We cannot simply attribute them to foreign products. We think of ourselves as domestic products. To be more precise, they are international products. The production and quality management standards of our factories around the world are unified. Chinese users can get faster and more localized services. ABB : For industrial products such as medium-voltage inverters, the brand effect is not created by advertising packaging, but depends on a combination of factors such as product technology, quality, service and corporate reputation. Lidhuafu: Domestic high-voltage inverters, like other products, are facing competition with foreign brands. The reason why domestic user companies have a special liking for imported brands is also due to their brand effect. Behind this effect is their high-quality products and services. So I think that if domestic high-voltage inverters want to create their own brands, they must first grasp the product quality. Lidhuafu's products have undergone strict technical certification and product testing, the purpose is to ensure product quality to meet user requirements. High-voltage frequency conversion products are made on order and need to meet the different needs of different users. In order to achieve this, Lidhuafu was the first to implement ISO9000 certification, and this certification is serious, not superficial, but real implementation. We have always regarded quality control as the life of the enterprise. Lidhuafu provides domestic products with independent intellectual property rights, with high technical content, and the current market performance has broken the monopoly of foreign brands. Surviving and growing in the narrow gap, being able to compete with well-known foreign brands, and now even growing to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with them, has also increased the national pride of our employees and stimulated the fighting spirit of the company and employees.
Hekang Yisheng: The creation of excellent brands is a comprehensive and continuous process. Domestic brands will occupy a considerable share in the future high-voltage inverter market. As long as companies attach great importance to product and service quality and expand the market scale through their own rapid development and industrial integration, there will be a number of domestic high-voltage inverter brands that are highly recognized by users. Dongfang Hitachi: To establish a domestic high-voltage and high-power inverter brand, we must first make good products down to earth, and the brand must be based on quality. Our company has introduced Hitachi's advanced technology, process, and management through a joint venture with Hitachi. At present, the product has made a qualitative leap in terms of technological advancement and reliability. At the same time, the establishment of a brand is closely related to the service level of the product. Therefore, building a service team with strong technology and timely response has always been the company's long-term purpose. We need to establish the idea of long-term service for users and focus on the long-term development of the industry, rather than doing whatever makes money and entering whatever industry is prosperous. The national policy orientation is also completely consistent with our ideas. In 2004 , the National Development and Reform Commission included high-voltage and high-power inverters in the main business of Dongfang Electric Group. Its purpose is also to administratively guarantee that there are leading enterprises with long-term sustainable development in the high-voltage and high-power inverter industry, thereby ensuring the healthy development of the industry. Development characteristics Medium and high voltage frequency converters have obvious energy-saving effects on fan and pump loads in thermal power plants, water industry, chemical industry, mining, etc. What do you think will be the development characteristics of medium and high voltage frequency converters in the field of energy conservation in 2006 ? Siemens: In terms of quantity, there is still a lot of room for growth. In addition, more and more high-voltage inverters are adding functions suitable for specific applications, such as in mining and electricity. ABB : Overall sales will increase steadily. Leader & Harvest: I think first of all, in terms of development speed, the high-voltage inverter market will continue to maintain rapid growth. Under the current energy situation, the country has a series of energy-saving incentives. High-voltage inverters are one of the most significant means of energy saving. Coupled with the deepening of user awareness, the prospects of this market are very good. Secondly, the application field will continue to expand. With the deepening of promotion, more energy-saving equipment will be discovered and recognized. In addition, with the development of domestic equipment, its advantages in service will be increasingly recognized by users. At present, domestic equipment accounts for the vast majority of small and medium-power products. In 2006 , high-power domestic products will also be popular. Leader & Harvest's recent performance has already proved this point.
Hekang Yisheng: First, the demand has increased significantly, second, the application area has become more extensive, and third, the performance of domestic products has improved significantly. Dongfang Hitachi: As the basic core part of this technology has been mastered by many domestic manufacturers, excellent domestic manufacturers will continue to launch products with high reliability and moderate performance-price ratio. In addition, the application areas will be expanded to compressors, belt conveyors, and wind power generation. Policy Impact
As an energy-saving, green and environmentally friendly product, high-power inverters have received attention and support from the government and various industry departments in recent years. Various national ministries have successively provided various preferential policies in terms of policies, funds, and industrial development directions. What impact do you think this will have on the future development of medium and high voltage inverters?
Siemens: Building a conservation-oriented society and promoting sustainable development has become our national policy, which undoubtedly brings new opportunities to all energy-saving products including high-voltage inverter products. There will be a better tomorrow. On the occasion of the New Year, I would like to extend my sincere greetings to all customers and friends from all walks of life who have cared for, supported and trusted Siemens large-scale transmission for many years through the magazine "Control & Drive". I wish you good health, prosperous career, happy family and all the best. ABB : This policy stems from the fact that enterprises do not have enough awareness of investing in energy conservation. With such a policy, it will encourage enterprises to increase investment in energy conservation transformation and will also further increase the market capacity of medium-voltage inverters. Lide Huafu: High-voltage inverters have a significant power-saving effect. The production of such products not only benefits enterprises and employees, but also creates value for society. At present, the country is short of energy, and energy is an important factor restricting economic development. Providing a high-voltage inverter product to the society is equivalent to providing a pocket-sized power plant. It complies with the national industrial policy and meets social needs. Enterprises and employees have a sense of responsibility and contribution, reflecting the social value of enterprises and employees. This is not just a product concept, but the product has been spiritually sublimated. In China , there are still many industries and fields that have a large market space for high-voltage inverters. The main reason why they have not been developed is that the awareness is not enough. The value of high-voltage inverter products is reflected in energy saving and consumption reduction through intelligent speed regulation of motors. Generally speaking, the life of a high-voltage inverter is more than 15 years, but the investment can be recovered in less than 2 years after purchasing the equipment . Although the one-time investment is large, it can create such considerable economic benefits. If there is an obstacle, it is still caused by insufficient awareness. Now, energy and environmental protection issues have received national attention. Although they are still superficial at the moment, with the tilt of national policies and the popularization of high-voltage inverter technical knowledge, its energy-saving advantages will gradually be recognized. Therefore, I believe that the market prospects for high-voltage inverters will become broader and broader.
Hiconics: Generally speaking, the policy support will be very limited, and the development of enterprises still depends on their own operation and management. However, the increase in users' energy-saving awareness does have a catalytic effect on the rapid growth of the entire industry. Dongfang Hitachi: At present, the national policy is still at the level of a concept or a guide. At present, it is only a tilt in public opinion guidance. Specific preferential policies in terms of funds or taxes have not yet been introduced.
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