Remanufactured Substation Transformers Offer Short Lead Time

It’s a tough time to be leading a public utility company. Your mission is to keep your community’s electrical grid up and running 24/7. However, demand for power is higher than ever, infrastructure failures caused by extreme heat and natural disasters are more common, and supply chain issues mean the lead time to acquire a new transformer is now measured in years (some manufacturers aren’t even taking new orders right now because they’re so backed up).

Remanufacturing Option

One way to overcome the choke of the supply chain is to remanufacture existing substations and mobile transformers. The process requires hauling the transformer to a special facility, disassembling it, rewinding the copper coils inside, reassembling the transformer, and returning it to its original location.

This approach offers several benefits when compared to waiting to purchase a new transformer. First, it can be completed in months rather than years. Jordan Transformer is currently quoting customers 12 months to remanufacture a substation or mobile transformer once the final scope of work is created.

Another advantage of remanufacturing is that only the components that have failed need to be replaced. Often the steel core and tank of the transformer can be reused. In fact, older tanks were designed with more steel and internal space than today’s versions and actually can offer a longer use-life compared to a brand new transformer in some situations. 

The ability to reuse the core, tank, and other accessories like the radiators and gauges, means that remanufacturing can also save a utility company significant money compared to the cost of a new transformer. 

Plus, a remanufactured transformer can be put back into service with minimal design changes. The design process alone on a new transformer can take a significant amount of time as the utility company and manufacturer discuss things like the transformers footprint and bushing locations. All of this is eliminated when you remanufacture your transformer because you know it will come back “plug and play” ready and fit right into its original location.

Save Green, Go Green 

Knowing all your substation transformers are operating well, under peak capacity, and that your mobile substations are in good working condition, is a great luxury for a power provider. Having confidence in your readiness plan ensures you’re prepared to respond to outages, natural disasters, and plan for additional capacity upgrades.

By remanufacturing any gassing or failing transformers now, you can prevent having to shell out big bucks for months (or years) on end to rent mobile substations if your grid does take a hit. Consider what it costs you to rent a mobile substation, figure in how much you can save by reusing the valuable pieces of your transformer that are still in great condition, and the ROI on remanufacturing makes a lot of sense. Plus, it’s an environmentally friendly approach to maintaining and strengthening America’s power grid.

Remanufacturing A Growing Need

Because of the threat of hurricanes, Florida leaders are keenly aware of the need for transformers. Florida Senator Marco Rubio has introduced a bill in Congress to guarantee billions of dollars in loans “for the re-equipping, expansion, or establishment of domestic energy grid product and component manufacturing facilities in the United States.”

This is an important investment to make for our country. Fortunately you don’t have to wait for this bill to pass and jumpstart efforts to address the long supply chain delays we are seeing with transformers right now. You can start a conversation with Jordan Transformer today and find out how quickly your transformers can be remanufactured and back in service for you.