A Partnership Experiences Evolution

ESV is an acronym created by Evolution Motion Solutions during a recent rebrand to uniquely position itself as an engineering partner – a consultant – more than a product supplier.

ESV stands for Engineering Partner, Systems Integration, and Value-Added Distributor. But it represents so much more for the company seeking to maximize customer value, according to Brian Draus, VP of Industrial Sales.

“Customers often want to put you in the role of supplying parts or being the middleman,” Draus said. “We can do that, but we are much more than that. Customers need technical help, not just a line card.”

Evolution’s approach centers on providing concept engineering and application expertise at the earliest stages of a project. Instead of pushing preconfigured engineering kits, the company works with customers to understand their challenges and recommend exactly what the application requires.

“We want to be an engineering partner first,” Draus said. “We understand both the engineering and application sides, so we bring something different.”

It is an approach that has helped to set Evolution apart from the competition.

“Once we supply the initial engineering services, a lot of times, what happens is the customer wants us to be the integrator. This takes a customer from buying components to being a true partner. Now that they understand what we can do, we have a customer for decades,” Draus said.

The ESV strategy has paid off, leading to significant growth for Evolution, Draus said.

“If we didn't provide value-added services, our business would be down 25% this year,” he said. “Instead, we are up 30% year over year. It’s because of the engineering and value-added things we offer.”

Evolution works with several manufacturers, but only ten provide the level of technical support and collaboration required to be considered true engineering partners. Yaskawa is one of them.

Evolution served as a Yaskawa distributor throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, before market challenges led to a hiatus in the partnership – until now. 

When an opportunity to work together again arose, Draus reached out to a longtime contact at Yaskawa to gauge interest in reconnecting. Conversations progressed well, and the companies rekindled their relationship in 2025.

“Yaskawa opens up different opportunities for us,” Draus said. “Diversifying. It’s an overused term, but it’s important to bring stability to a business. Yaskawa brings that through their products. It is also equated with high quality. Their people are trustworthy. We get great support. Yaskawa is top-notch in every area. We want to be with market leaders. Yaskawa is at the top of the list.”

Draus added that the renewed Yaskawa relationship opens new application opportunities that Evolution had not previously focused on.

“For example, in the past, with a conveyor line, we would just fill the spec provided,” Draus said. “But now we have the ability to proactively meet that application with a drive we can recommend. Our customers can find cheaper drives, but it’s about what comes with the package. Our line includes drives with product reliability and the flexibility to meet what the market needs.”

Draus said Evolution and Yaskawa are similar in many ways.

“This company is very much like us. They’re not selling on price. There’s an investment required. The way to get those premiums is to be different,” Draus said.

“We rep some of the top manufacturers in the world that help us offer premium value. There’s nothing better than Yaskawa support, technical expertise, service, and the many other things that make them different. I use them as a reference for how our other suppliers can be better.”

Draus applied some of what he sees in Yaskawa into Evolution’s business approach.

“After I visited Yaskawa recently, I asked how we can make our company more like Yaskawa,” he said. “They are a first-class brand company. I want to model some of the things we do based on them. It all comes back to understanding the customers’ needs. Yaskawa gets that. There’s nothing better.”