Our story

The story of VIDAR begins with a simple question: why aren’t more industrial facilities adopting energy-efficient solutions for fluid delivery systems? A VFD could dynamically vary the speed of the motor, reduce the reliance on mechanical controls and cut energy use in half. It turns out most facilities can’t adopt VFDs due to one critical problem: space.

A typical VFD for an industrial pump or fan ranges in size from a mini fridge to a full-size fridge. Beyond their size, VFDs must be installed in clean, temperature-controlled rooms to protect their sensitive electronics. A plant with maybe hundreds or thousands of pumps and fans would require a lot of extra space or new electrical buildings for VFDs.

VIDAR recognized that the solution to the space problem was to integrate the VFD into the motor housing. This created a dimensional challenge: how to integrate a power conversion solution that could meet the requirements of high-power industrial applications and still fit seamlessly into the same space as a conventional industrial motor? 

The pursuit for a solution led to the University of Nottingham in the UK, where researchers were working on a novel power conversion technology: AC-to-AC conversion, compact enough to be embedded in the motor housing. A multi-year collaboration followed, in which prototypes were iterated and technology was refined through rigorous testing, to prepare it for real-world applications.

The results are transformative. With its embedded variable-speed intelligence, VIDAR delivers dynamic speed control, huge energy savings, enhanced reliability and unparalleled operational simplicity. In doing so, VIDAR sets a new standard in motor efficiency, redefining industrial sustainability and performance.