The Hydraulic Institute (HI), a trade association of U.S. pump manufacturers, recently established a national pump systems educational initiative called Pump Systems MatterTM. A primary objective of the initiative is to change the decision-making process for the purchase of pump systems. Today, owners and operators typically buy the pump system with the lowest initial costs, resulting in higher lifetime ownership costs. Pump Systems MatterTM (PSM) will promote educated decision-making based on life cycle costs, thereby accounting for energy, maintenance, and other significant costs of operating a pump system. This will be accomplished through current, new and re-branded educational materials and tools aimed at facilities owners, managers, operators, contractors, engineering consultants, manufacturers and others, and supportive outreach activities. Some of the unique characteristics of pumps and how they operate in a systems environment will also be briefly discussed for the benefit of explaining how a pump market transformation initiative must focus on the pumping system and not the pump.
Pump Systems MatterTM is unique in that it is the first market transformation effort announced and led by equipment manufacturers, and not a utility, government entity, or non-governmental organization (NGO). This paper will describe the motivating factors that convinced a large number of pump manufacturers to create this effort to transform their own markets. The paper discusses HI efforts to reach out to NGOs, utilities, users and other potential stakeholders. The paper will also explore other ways in which this initiative is unique, and ways in which it is similar to other market transformation initiatives.
