Inside an Electric Motor Plant

CEO William Rankin and employees of UQM Technologies give Susan McGinnis a tour of their assembly plant in Longmont, CO. Rankin shows Susan the assembly line where the motors are made. He points out a rotor, the spinning part inside the motor, which is mounted in a water-cooled housing. Parts for the motors are sourced worldwide and after the motors are assembled, they are shipped to customers. Total employment of the company is currently 78, most of whom are engineers. Rankin says all of the company's positions are considered "green jobs." The line is capable of producing a motor every six minutes, 80 per day, 20,000 per year. Susan interviews a worker who is assembling a component and sealing it so it will be watertight. Another worker shows Susan a shaft and rotor assembly. He is applying a fiberglass band with an epoxy resin that keeps the magnets in the rotor from coming loose. Afterward, the assembly will be baked to create a strong bond. It's one of the early parts of the assembly process. The employee is an engineer who develops the company's assembly processes and helps design the equipment that operators will eventually use to make the motors in mass assembly. He says he came to UQM from the aerospace and defense industry. He believes the "green industry" of electric motor manufacturing has a better future for him. Another worker tells Susan her history with the company as we watch two other workers assembling circuit boards. Susan interviews a worker who shows her how he tests a motor to make sure there are no loose fasteners. A robot shakes the motor to make sure there are no loose parts inside. He tells Susan that he has had several previous jobs in other industries, but this is the first one that can be considered green. Rankin shows Susan a bin with another completed product, a box with power electronics, switches and circuit boards that control the flow of energy to the electric motor so it can propel the vehicle. Yet another worker shows Susan the gasket that goes outside the ...