ABB protects more motors than ever before with its range of compact and efficient soft starters

Zurich, Switzerland, November 25, 2015 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, is supplying PSTX soft starters to Xylem, a company committed to the efficient use, conservation and reuse of water. The South African branch of Xylem, supplying the mining industry with equipment to pump floodwater, sees benefits of ABB’s PSTX soft starters beyond the way they start motors, including reductions in panel size by 50 percent; installation time by 70 percent; and costs by 50 percent.

Like many owners or providers of motor applications, Xylem was looking for a motor starting system with all the functions they required built in. With ABB’s PSTX range, Xylem’s wishes have been fulfilled. With many protection features built in, the PSTX range provides a robust, compact and simple to install soft starter that has helped Xylem reduce the number of components in its panels by 80 percent.

“It is satisfying that our technology solution has supported Xylem’s productivity to the extent it has. Their panels are now roughly half their original size and can be built in about a third of the time, making installation more efficient and halving their cost,” said Giampiero Frisio, Protection and Connection BU Managing Director of ABB’s Low Voltage Products business. “With around 300 million motors installed worldwide, consuming 28 percent of the world’s electricity, there is huge potential to increase productivity and help conserve the world’s resources through greater reliability and efficiency when using soft starters. As part of its Next Level strategy, ABB is seeking to expand the deployment of its leading-edge technology to help its customers increase their flexibility, productivity and competitiveness.”

ABB's PSTX range of soft starters are easy to install and operate. They providing unique features including:

• pump cleaning, which prevents pumps from clogging and overheating
• limp mode, which enables continued pump operation even when a thyristor set has failed
• integrated dynamic motor braking, which stops a motor fast, a particularly useful feature when operating a circular saw, for example 

All these additional attributes significantly increase productivity by allowing more to be done with the application.

To find out more go to https://www.abb.com/lowvoltage/launches/pstx.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 140,000 people.

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“It is satisfying that our technology solution has supported Xylem’s productivity to the extent it has. Their panels are now roughly half their original size and can be built in about a third of the time, making installation more efficient and halving their cost,” said Giampiero Frisio, Protection and Connection BU Managing Director of ABB’s Low Voltage Products business