G eneral-purpose inverters, when combined with industrial motors (three-phase induction motors), become energy-saving components. Meanwhile, industrial motors are used as a power source of various industrial equipment, including air conditioning equipment in buildings and factories, transportation equipment, machine tools, manufacturing equipment, construction machines, and elevators. According to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, about 100 million industrial motors are used in Japan, accounting for about 55 percent of the total power consumption.

The demand for industrial motors in Japan alone amounts to about 10 million units per year. Based on the data of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, by application, industrial motors are used in pumps, which account for 38 percent; compressors, which account for 23 percent; air blowers, which account for 13 percent; power transmission systems, which account for 9 percent; metal machine tools, which account for 7 percent; agricultural machinery and implements, which account for 4 percent; and transporting machines and industrial robots, which account for 3 percent.