For the time being, this right to repair only applies to individual appliance classes for which EU documents already exist in which repairability is required. These include smartphones, washing machines, dishwashers and welding equipment. However, these appliance classes do not use electric motors with IEC standard dimensions, such as those available from MOLL-MOTOR. So is this law irrelevant for owners of other machines and appliances? No, because the current decision provides for a simplified procedure for adding new equipment classes by means of a so-called “delegated act”. It is therefore possible that the right to repair will be extended in the short term to include drives for agricultural machinery, pumps, compressors, concrete mixers and screw conveyors for wood chip and pellet boilers. Repairable motors and gearboxes from MOLL-MOTOR can often be installed in these products.
The machine manufacturer as a contact partner
The machine manufacturer is the first point of contact for the end customer when it comes to the right to repair. However, machine manufacturers only build the electric motors for their machines themselves in exceptional cases. They are usually purchased from suppliers. Most of these suppliers only produce new motors to order. They have no capacity to offer repairs and do not keep any parts in stock. The situation is particularly problematic for mechanical engineering companies that purchase motors from a supplier based outside the EU. These manufacturers are then not obliged to provide important documents such as the winding diagram of the motor if a customer decides to have it repaired. MOLL-MOTOR is an exception here. Repair has been the oldest line of business here since 1948; the business with new motors was only built up on the basis of this expertise and experience in the 1960s. Tools and materials for professional repairs have therefore been available for decades.
Our spare parts philosophy
In addition, MOLL-MOTOR has many standard motors in stock and frequently modifies them to quickly fulfill customer requests. In order to be able to adapt finished engines to customer-specific requirements, we make sure that all components are easily accessible. In addition, many machined spare parts are available from stock, such as replacement fan covers, terminal boxes, flange end shields or motor feet. If any of these parts are damaged on the customer’s premises, the motor can no longer be operated in accordance with general safety regulations. If the manufacturer has opted for a design in which the motor feet and terminal box are an integral part of the motor housing, the entire motor must be replaced. With MOLL-MOTOR products, however, modular spare parts are available for most products even years later and can extend the life of the motor by many years.
Where a spare part is not sufficient, e.g. because the motor shaft has been subjected to an impact and needs to be rebalanced, a professional repair can easily be carried out in-house. For end customers, it is therefore currently irrelevant whether there is an EU-wide entitlement to a repair, as it is already available.
Machine manufacturers, on the other hand, have to think much more about the effects of the right to repair. Do they want to continue purchasing motors from suppliers without repair capacities, or are they considering switching to MOLL-MOTOR as a supplier in order to be permanently protected in the event of repair requests? Our experience tells us that the extension of the right to repair to other product classes is only a matter of time.
