The retrofit numbers match what I'm seeing. We did a servo retrofit on a 1998 Minster 250T last year — $115K all-in including the Siemens S120 drive, torque motor, new encoder, and controls integration. That press now outperforms our 2015 mechanical on cycle flexibility.
But here's the thing nobody talks about: the retrofit market is creating a two-tier used press market. A used mechanical with a good frame and gibs is now worth MORE than it was 5 years ago because it's a retrofit candidate. We bought a 2001 Komatsu OBS 150T for $35K specifically to retrofit it. After $95K in servo conversion, we have a press that would cost $320K new. The math works if the frame is solid.
On the EV side — we're stamping bus bar connectors and the precision requirements are pushing us toward servo whether we like it or not. The copper thickness tolerance on bus bars is ±0.02mm and the contact surface flatness spec is 0.01mm. You simply cannot hold that on a mechanical press running at production speed. The programmable BDC and force control on servo is what makes it possible.
One trend I'd add: the Chinese servo press manufacturers (Xuduan, JIER) are getting serious about export. Their prices are 40-50% below Japanese/German equivalents. Quality is catching up fast — we evaluated a Xuduan at FABTECH last year and the build quality was genuinely impressive. That's going to shake up the market in the next 2-3 years.