Drives, motors and switchgear

Doble is globally recognised as the leading manufacturer of motor test systems. It claims more systems supplied worldwide than all other manufacturers combined. With its engineering expertise and in-house manufacturing capabilities Doble can deliver fully customised solutions for the most specialised motor testing requirements.

ABB’s UniGear Digital switchgear offers a new level of reliability in medium-voltage switchgear, combining ABB’s globally trusted UniGear platform with digital sensing, advanced protection relays and full IEC compliance. With real-time monitoring, improved accuracy, and built-in self-supervision, UniGear Digital helps utilities and industry reduce outages, enhance safety and meet international performance standards.

South African industries facing rising energy costs, constrained capital budgets and increasing pressure to improve uptime can rethink how large motors are started, controlled and protected. Adrian van Wyk, CEO of Referro Systems, says a new approach to medium-voltage motor control allows several high-power motors to be managed using a single medium-voltage variable speed drive. This delivers significant reductions in capital expenditure, footprint and system complexity, without compromising reliability.

As industries intensify their efforts to cut downtime, reduce maintenance costs and operate with greater energy efficiency, the ability to anticipate equipment issues before they occur has become essential. Predictive maintenance is now a core requirement for modern operations and SEW-EURODRIVE’s DriveRadar® IoT Suite is part of this evolution.

In South Africa, the new Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for electric motors that came into effect in mid-2025 require all low voltage IE1 and IE2 electric motors, which are widely used across industries – in heavy-duty cranes, pumps, conveyor belts, air conditioning and more – to be replaced by the more energy-efficient IE3 motors.