Schneider Electric Mitigates Motor Downtime in Aging Facilities
November 3, 2026
RS offers Schneider Electric’s new TeSys Tera intelligent motor management system. Engineered to modernize aging plant infrastructure, TeSys Tera form-fits into standalone control cabinets and intelligent motor control center (iMCC) panel buckets — adding digital intelligence to legacy pumps, fans, and motor drives and enabling a seamless transition from reactive troubleshooting to predictive maintenance.
Unexpected motor failures and rising power costs create significant challenges for industrial operators, and especially those with aging facilities. The average cost of downtime across all manufacturing sectors is currently $260,000 per hour, electric motor systems account for 36–86% of all electricity consumed across industries, and more than half of U.S. industrial plants are 30–60 years old. The new TeSys Tera intelligent motor management system addresses these pressures by replacing hardwired electromechanical starters with connected, intelligent control nodes. This continuous digital visibility empowers industrial operators to reduce unplanned downtime by 30–50% and cut power consumption by up to 20%.
Designed to safeguard critical motor-driven assets, TeSys Tera delivers real-time digital protection, continuous health monitoring, and predictive analytics for AC induction motors up to 810A. Key technical capabilities and operational advantages include:
- · Comprehensive motor protection and diagnostics: Tracks real-time voltage, current, power factor, and thermal capacity while providing advanced protection against ground faults, phase loss, and stalled or locked rotors
- · Predictive pre-trip alarming: Uses intelligent algorithms to detect subtle operational anomalies days or weeks before failures occur, reducing the likelihood of unplanned downtime and enabling maintenance teams to resolve issues during planned service windows
- · Process continuity: Automatically restores equipment operation after power interruptions and trims non-essential motor usage during peak demand periods to protect power quality and reduce energy costs
- · Modular, retrofit-ready design: Features a compact, modular architecture that physically isolates power and control functions, simplifies installation and maintenance in existing systems, and adds digital intelligence without full infrastructure replacements
- · Seamless cross-platform connectivity: Replaces proprietary vendor lock-in with native EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP/IP and Modbus Serial, PROFIBUS, and PROFINET support, paired with free Schneider Electric SoMove software for open PLC integration
“Conventional motor control setups act as simple switches that offer virtually no visibility into what’s occurring inside the motor during operation,” said George Nellikunnel, Offer Manager at Schneider Electric. “TeSys Tera functions as a smart translation layer between physical equipment and digital software ecosystems. It turns raw electrical currents into actionable edge diagnostics that empower overburdened maintenance teams to verify conditions remotely, streamline technician dispatch, and eliminate unnecessary service calls.”
TeSys Tera is ideal for new continuous process facilities, iMCC retrofits, and demanding heavy-duty applications across the oil and gas, mining, chemical, pharmaceutical, water and wastewater, packaging, and discrete manufacturing industries.
