How Utilities Really Decide: Price, Safety, or Lifetime Value | Eric Euvrard, RHM International

How Utilities Really Decide: Price, Safety, or Lifetime Value | Eric Euvrard, RHM International

by Eric Euvrard

Applied Sciences & Engineering Economics & Finance KJMVManagement of specific areasKJMV4Management of assets: real estate, property and plant
🎙 Eric Euvrard 👥 556 📅 July 7, 2026 ⏱ 11 min 👁 45 📄 interview 🧭 2026-08-16
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

dry-typebushinglead timeutilitylifetime value

Summary

In this interview at CWIEME Berlin 2026, Eric Euvrard, President and Founder of RHM International, discusses the company’s pioneering role in dry-type high-voltage products. RHM, a family-owned US company, specializes in bushings, instrument transformers, and cable accessories using proprietary technologies like HV DryShield and RAF (paperless dry-type bushing). Euvrard highlights that lead times have become a critical factor in the industry, with RHM offering 145 kV bushings in about 14 weeks and 245 kV in 17 weeks, significantly shorter than typical industry lead times. He explains the company’s strategy of focusing on total cost of ownership rather than purchase price, appealing to utilities that value safety, maintenance-free operation, and long-term reliability. The interview also covers recent innovations, including the world’s first dry-type capacitive voltage transformer and the BIT (Bushing Integrated Transformer), which integrates voltage and current transformers into a single bushing to reduce substation footprint. Euvrard discusses the complementary nature of the European component market (CWIEME) versus the utility-focused IEEE show, noting positive outcomes from their first CWIEME participation. The conversation underscores RHM’s custom design capabilities, enabling utilities to upgrade assets without modifying existing infrastructure.

185 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The video provides valuable insights into the transformer industry’s current challenges, particularly the importance of lead times and the shift towards dry-type technology. Eric Euvrard’s arguments are coherent and based on his company’s 20+ years of experience, offering a credible perspective on utility decision-making. However, the discussion is largely promotional, with limited critical analysis or comparison with competing technologies. The argumentation is solid within its scope but lacks independent data or case studies to substantiate claims about product performance and market impact.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The scientific rigor is moderate: the video is an interview with a company founder, so information is firsthand but potentially biased. No external sources are cited beyond the company’s own claims. The title accurately reflects the content, focusing on utility decision criteria. The description provides additional context but no verifiable references. The video does not include any advertising sequences. The content is not aimed at a general audience but rather at industry professionals, yet this does not affect the evaluation.

177 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the main discussion about utility decision-making criteria, though the video also covers company history and innovations.

Quality & Reliability

7/10

The video is an interview with the founder of a specialized company, providing firsthand information about their proprietary technologies and market position. Claims are specific (e.g., lead times, product innovations) but lack independent verification or detailed technical data. The content is promotional in nature, focusing on the company's advantages.

Chapters

Cited Sources

Concurring Sources

  • IEEE Power & Energy Society — The IEEE PES T&D conference mentioned in the video is a major industry event, supporting the context of utility-focused discussions.

Contribution & Novelties

The video offers an insider perspective on the transformer industry’s shift towards dry-type technology and the strategic importance of lead times. It highlights RHM’s innovations, such as the BIT and dry-type CVT, which are claimed to be world firsts. The discussion on utility decision-making between price and lifetime value provides a useful framework for understanding market dynamics.

Pour aller plus loin :

101 words

Radar Profile

The radar profile shows moderate scores across all dimensions, with slightly higher scores in information quantity and reliability, reflecting the interview's firsthand nature but limited technical depth. The low technical score indicates that the content is accessible to a general engineering audience but lacks detailed specifications.

Reliability 6/10