2026 Electric Motor Budget Planning: Annual Purchasing and Spare Motor Stock

In many plants, the motor line in the budget template that reaches the maintenance manager in October is either left blank or filled with last year's figure. Then a conveyor motor burns out in February, purchasing opens an urgent order, and the item turns into unplanned spending. This article shows step by step how to build your 2026 electric motor budget from the plant inventory, which motors deserve a spare on the shelf, and when bulk buying makes sense. The example calculation uses real list prices from the DRG Motor online store.

Page one of the budget: counting the motors in the plant

Before writing any figures you need an up-to-date motor list. In many companies this list either does not exist or was made years ago without recording later replacements. Count line by line and put the following for each motor in a single table:

• Machine and line where it is installed
• Power (kW) and speed (rpm) — read from the nameplate, not guessed
• Frame size (IEC, e.g. 132M) and frame type (cast iron / aluminium)
• Mounting (B3 foot, B5 flange, B35, B14)
• Supply voltage and terminal connection (e.g. 400/690 V, delta)
• Date of the last failure or rewind, and any known issues

Mark motors with unreadable, painted-over or missing nameplates in a separate column; measuring them during the budget period is far easier than trying to do it on the day of a breakdown.

Criticality score: which motor needs a spare on the shelf?

Keeping a spare for every motor ties up capital and fills the warehouse. Keeping none leaves downtime risk entirely to chance. To find the balance, ask three questions about each motor and assign a class based on the answers:

Class A motors get a ready spare on the shelf; class B motors get a definition agreed in advance with the supplier — model code and technical data clarified so that an order can be placed immediately; for class C (pumps with standby units, fans whose stoppage does not affect production) a failure allowance in the budget is enough.

Protecting several motors with one spare

The most effective way to lower spare-stock cost is to reduce the number of variants. When you sort the inventory table by power, speed and frame size, you will often see the same motor repeated on different lines. If, for example, four different conveyors use a 7.5 kW 1500 rpm foot-mounted motor with a 132M frame, a single spare may be enough for all four.

When choosing a shared spare, the motor must match not only in power and speed but also exactly in shaft diameter, shaft length, foot-hole spacing and flange size. The product pages in the store give the B3 connection dimensions (A×B, D×E, K, L), so you can compare with the installed motor at your desk during the budget period. In flange applications, choosing the spare as B35 is a common way to use the same motor in both foot and flange positions; this choice must be stated in the order note.

Stock decisions by power range

Small ratings (0.25–4 kW)

These motors have a low unit price, take little shelf space and can be carried by hand. Holding a few units of the two or three most common types is usually sensible. For example, four units of the 1.5 kW 1500 rpm aluminium-frame DRG-90L-4 come to 24,843.00 TRY excl. VAT and 29,811.60 TRY incl. VAT on the list — a figure to compare with the cost of a single unplanned day of downtime.

Medium ratings (5.5–37 kW)

Most conveyor, crusher feeder, pump and fan applications fall into this range. Here, instead of stocking every type, the shared-spare logic is applied to class A motors. At these ratings the motor is moved by forklift or chain hoist, so the plan should also record where the spare is stored and how it will be lowered.

Large ratings (45 kW and above)

The price of a single spare can equal dozens of small motors. Shelf stock for large motors is therefore considered only for truly class A motors that stop the line on their own. For the rest, it is more realistic to clarify the model code, frame size and connection data in advance and show this item separately in the budget.

Example budget item: three class A spare motors

Suppose that after a criticality study in an aggregate plant, spares are approved for three motors: 7.5 kW for a belt conveyor, 22 kW for a screen drive and 75 kW for the main crusher, all 1500 rpm with cast iron frames. Their equivalents in the store list are:

Prices are taken from the DRG Motor online store list dated 24.09.2026; a 3% discount applies to bank transfer/EFT payments, shipping is not included in the price and is paid by the buyer. Please check the store page for current prices.

The budget line for these three motors is calculated as follows:

• List total, excl. VAT: 190,999.60 TRY
• List total, incl. VAT: 229,199.52 TRY
• If paid by bank transfer/EFT (-3%): 185,269.61 TRY + VAT, i.e. 222,323.53 TRY incl. VAT
• Shipping: a separate line, not included in the price; large motors are usually sent by freight carrier because of their weight
• Installation, coupling or pulley adaptation: a separate line for your own maintenance team's or contractor's labour

In a company that can deduct VAT, the budget is prepared with the excl. VAT figure and the cash plan with the incl. VAT figure. Writing both side by side in the same table prevents a later “which figure was approved?” discussion with finance.

Timing the bulk purchase

Buying the spares in one go instead of single orders spread over the year simplifies both shipping and internal approval. For timing, consider the following:

• Price date: Always write the list date of the price in the budget table. If months pass between approval and order, check the price again in the store.
• Planned shutdowns: Receiving the new motor before a holiday or annual maintenance shutdown lets you swap the old motor during that shutdown and rewind the old one into a second spare.
• Budget category: Agree with accounting from the start whether spare motors are tracked as capital expenditure or as a maintenance expense; that decision drives order timing.
• Buffer: Count last year's unplanned motor purchases and add a failure allowance for this year. Set the ratio from your own records, not by guesswork.

Keeping the spare motor ready on the shelf

If the spare on the shelf does not run on the day of a breakdown, the budgeted amount is wasted. A few simple habits prevent this: store the motor in a dry, vibration-free place, in its packaging and standing on its feet; turn the shaft a few times by hand at regular intervals; hang a card stating which machines it covers and its delivery date. Having the insulation resistance measured before commissioning a motor that has waited a long time is good practice. Also define as a procedure that a replacement order is opened in the same week a spare is used; otherwise the shelf quietly empties.

Checklist to add to the budget file

1. Inventory table (power, speed, frame, mounting, connection)
2. Criticality classes and their reasons
3. Shared-spare mapping (which spare protects which motors)
4. Model codes and list prices (excl. and incl. VAT, with price date)
5. Payment method assumption (whether the transfer discount applies)
6. Separate lines for shipping, unloading and installation
7. Failure allowance and the rule for replacing a used spare

You can use the electric motor calculators to check power or current, the Buy Electric Motors Online page to see models and prices, the payment options page for payment methods and the delivery and shipping page for dispatch terms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a spare for every motor?

No. A shelf spare is held only for motors that interrupt the line or the main product flow when they stop and cannot be replaced quickly. If there are several motors of the same type, one spare can cover them all.

Should the budget use the excl. VAT or the incl. VAT figure?

In companies that can deduct VAT, the cost budget uses the excl. VAT amount and the cash-flow plan the incl. VAT amount. Writing both together is the soundest approach.

Should the spare be aluminium or cast iron?

Choose the spare with the same frame type and connection dimensions as the motor it will replace. If you are considering a frame change, compare the dimensions using the B3 table on the product page.

What if the price I budgeted changes at the time of ordering?

List prices are dated. Write the price date in the budget table and check the current figure on the store page before ordering.

Contact us to review your 2026 spare motor list together: +90 (542) 666 11 11 · [email protected] · contact page.