I like cord drops. That's all there is to it.
First of all, anything that gets the wiring out of the way gets my vote. I've seen way too much damage from trips, getting bumped into, etc.
Even when the machine is never going to be moved, is absolutely without vibration, etc... quite often covers are removed, raw material is transported, etc. A cord has some "give," and a plug will come out before damage occurs (usually). Much preferablt to having a poor forklift maneuver result in sparking, non-continuous pipe.
There is also the issue that pipe that drops down from a 20 ft ceiling is in no way properly supported- not in my book. And my supplier is fresh out of skyhooks. I'd rather see a properly strain-relieved length of S drop directly to the machine.
