The development is rooted in the long-term strategic partnership ABB established in 2022 with Samotics, the leading provider of condition monitoring technology based on Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA).
• Global launch at ADIPEC 2025 marks a new era in digital powertrain monitoring, enabling legacy drives to be upgraded to unlock advanced analytics — quickly, seamlessly and cost-effectively.
• Integrating ESA technology in high power drives turns modernization into a digital transformation catalyst for industrial assets. These include motors, pumps, fans, mixers and conveyors operating in hot, toxic or hard-to-access environments, previously regarded as unmonitorable.
• ESA technology and vibration analysis complement each other to deliver the most complete view of powertrain health - early fault detection, quick service support and higher reliability, for enhanced uptime.
Credit: ABB
ABB is raising the bar regarding the modernization of variable speed drives (VSDs), transforming them into a gateway for predictive maintenance of the entire powertrain. The service, launched today at ADIPEC 2025 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, embeds Samotics-powered Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA) technology into legacy drives. This enables industrial players to collect performance-related data, which can then be analysed to provide maintenance teams with actionable, real-time insights on the condition of their assets.
Embedding ESA technology unlocks advanced condition monitoring - directly from the drive - providing insight into the health of the powertrain across assets such as motors, pumps, fans, mixers, and conveyors. Drives will now be able to monitor and identify changes in operating behaviour, such as bearing wear or damage, coupling or gear misalignment or pump cavitation. This means that remedial action can be taken well before a costly failure and/or long downtime can occur.
“This leap forward in the modernization of legacy drives promises to be a catalyst for the digital transformation of industry,” says Oswald Deuchar, Global Head of Modernization Program, ABB Motion Services. “It enables quick, seamless and cost-efficient adoption of ESA technology for enhanced uptime, and immediate access to ABB’s support and services. Should an issue be detected, our customers can rely on the full support of ABB’s global expert network, including targeted actions to keep operations running consistently and reliably.”
“Because ESA is embedded in the drive, it can monitor assets where other technologies struggle, such as submerged pumps or equipment in hot and toxic areas,” adds Simon Jagers, Founder & co-CEO of Samotics. “This is a key step toward autonomous, self-optimizing operations that are at the heart of the factory of the future.”
The ESA-enabled drives gather electrical data directly from the powertrain. Powered by Samotics’ analytics and supplied to industrial players by ABB’s global expert network, the data are translated into real-time insights on asset conditions. This establishes a solid platform for actionable recommendations and a clear path forward, freeing up skilled labour and maximizing uptime, for operational resilience.
Initially, the ESA modernization service will focus on two ranges of ABB’s low-voltage (LV) VSDs — the cabinet-built drives ACS600 and ACS800. In recognition of evolving industry requirements, the modernized drives also benefit from ABB’s TÜV-certified cyber security measures.
As part of the ABB Ability™ Condition Monitoring suite of digital solutions and services, Samotics’ ESA complements ABB’s well-established vibration analysis capabilities to provide the most complete view of powertrain health. From simple low-speed assets to complex, high-speed systems, these two solutions ensure early fault detection, clearer service actions and maximized reliability.
“By embedding ESA directly into the modernized drives, we unlock predictive insights across the entire powertrain. This transforms drives into intelligent sensors that can detect changes in operating behavior, enabling maintenance teams to anticipate potential faults before they can impact performance,” concludes Deuchar. “This is one way we help industries to outrun – leaner, cleaner, and smarter.”