The widespread adoption of electric motors transformed daily life more than a hundred years ago. Electric motors brought new levels of efficiency and safety to both industrial and domestic settings. Today, advances in electrification and digital technologies are paving the way for innovation in motor control for improved motor performance, durability, and maintenance. Thanks to the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), digital control solutions also mean a smarter, cleaner, and more dependable energy future.
In fact, the term motor management is evolving into load management to better capture the comprehensive approach of managing all electrical loads (not just motors) for enhanced energy efficiency, system reliability, and safety. This change highlights the importance of optimizing the performance of the entire electrical system to minimize energy use and operational costs, all the while keeping safety at the forefront.
The most innovative offerings, such as Schneider Electric™ TeSys™ motor control solutions, enable not just load management but smart load management, source management, and preventive maintenance. TeSys epitomizes that motor control has come a long way over the past century and has been transformed again by digitalization. In this new era of smart load management, these advancements give machine-builders and operators greater flexibility than ever for both system operations and energy sourcing. As an OEM, you ultimately can lower the total cost of ownership for your end users because of increased efficiency (both operational and energy), more accurate control, and streamline maintenance.
The evolution of smart load management in the digital world
Indeed, the evolution of electric motor control is fascinating. But where do you, as a machine builder, stand in terms of adopting smart load management? Do you find that integrating the latest, digitized motor control solutions with legacy systems is your biggest challenge to adopting smart load management? If so, you are not alone. According to a global Omdia survey of 150 of your peers, conducted in January 2025, about 1/3 indicated that “integration with legacy equipment” is their top barrier to transitioning to smart load management technology. What’s more, about a quarter of respondents said that they lack the in-house expertise needed to integrate digital controls, IoT, and AI into motor management solutions.
The adoption of smart load technology matters more than ever, however. As reported in Motor Management that Powers the Next Generation of Industrial Operations, the survey findings revealed the main benefits of smart load management technology: enhanced operational efficiency and reduced downtime.
Breaking down the barriers to enable these primary benefits of smart load management can accelerate your journey to being a leader in designing, building, and delivering digitized machine solutions.
How can smart load management solutions elevate your status as an OEM?
Navigating this journey to smart load management is imperative for three reasons:
- Customer requirements are evolving. As you know, your customers are demanding energy efficiency, operational reliability, and data-driven decision-making. As industrial automation and digitalization accelerate, manufacturers are shifting from traditional motor control systems to smart, interconnected solutions that provide real-time insights and automation capabilities. By adopting advanced load management capabilities, you can stand out as an OEM who can meet what are fast becoming non-negotiable end-user requirements.
- The rise of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing. This fundamental transformation of industrial automation opens a world of data, in turn powering analytics and AI models that enhance productivity, reduce downtime, and enable predictive maintenance capabilities through actionable data insights. By delivering smart load management capabilities, you can play a pragmatic role in ensuring your customers can take an AI-forward approach to manufacturing.
- Sustainability imperatives and regulations. With sustainability as a driver, energy-efficient motor solutions are seeing increased adoption, especially in industries with high energy consumption such as manufacturing, logistics, and infrastructure. By integrating digital load management solutions into your machines, you can empower your customers to meet their corporate sustainability goals and regulatory compliance targets.
Smart load management that meets your clients’ most pressing needs
Why are end users seeking digital controls, IoT, and AI into motor management solutions? The number one reason is enhanced operational efficiency, according to 43% of OEMs who took part in the Omdia survey. Reduced downtime, improved safety, and energy savings were the other imperatives, as noted below.
But how do you overcome the barriers of legacy system issues and lack of in-house expertise to address these requirements? In other words, how can you integrate smart load management technologies into your machines? The Motor Management that Powers the Next Generation of Industrial Operations white paper elaborates on how Schneider Electric is working with OEMs to meet these demands with the TeSys™motor control solutions, which are a single-source provider of motor controls. TeSys solutions allow OEMs to increase machine efficiency while meeting imperatives for greater machine productivity, reduced machine downtime, and improved maintenance decision-making.
The TeSys product range includes contactors, circuit breakers, relays, and switches as well as TeSys island, a digital multifunctional load management solution, designed to switch, protect, and manage motors and other electrical loads. You can think of TeSys island as the brain behind smart load management.
Since client use cases and industries can vary greatly, the TeSys load management solution is designed for a range of applications—but it uses plug-and-play-architecture and comes with technical support. Accordingly, you can surmount integration challenges and fill any gaps in your in-house expertise with TeSys to give your customers a safe, reliable solution that delivers flexible functionality and compatibility with international standards.
In one case study of a U.S.-based wastewater facility, for instance, remote maintenance was the critical need for more advanced motor management. Schneider and the OEM worked together to ensure the connectivity and remote-control functions were met. The facility’s previous solution used water-level floats to turn the pumps on and off. There was no connectivity or the ability to monitor the solution remotely. Aging infrastructure also led to failing pumps. Additionally, because of the site location, connectivity outage to the remote pump controllers would frequently occur.
To provide greater control and a more modern motor management solution, the customer installed 22 TeSys island pump control panels with circuit breaker protection for each pump motor and an M580 programmable logic controller (PLC). Now, the management system tells operators the health and running performance of the pump, delivers runtime data, and provides advanced motor protection and alarming (overcurrent, undercurrent, jam) capabilities, enabling preventive maintenance and operational efficiency. This example illustrates the advancement from motor management to smart load management.
The second case study featured in the white paper focuses on an Asia-based pharmaceutical manufacturer that lacked data monitoring. The inability of the equipment to communicate was affecting the productivity and reliability of operations. You can read how the OEM, partnership with Schneider Electric, addressed this challenge with the TeSys load management solution, in Motor Management that Powers the Next Generation of Industrial Operations.
Embark on the digital transformation of motor control with smart load management
With the increase in electrification across sectors such as transportation, industrial processes, and residential buildings, it is crucial that all electrical loads are managed efficiently. The adoption of smart load management ensures that end users can meet the growing demand for electricity without compromising system reliability.
Digital transformation in motor management has evolved beyond basic automation to a fully connected, intelligent ecosystem where digital controls, IoT, and AI work in tandem to optimize performance. OEMs like you, who adopt smart load management solutions, can integrate real-time condition monitoring, adaptive control algorithms, and predictive maintenance to ensure maximum efficiency and reliability of your machines.
Discover in Motor Management that Powers the Next Generation of Industrial Operations how you can mature your motor management capabilities so you can continue to lead the Industry 4.0 revolution—and prepare for the next wave of AI-forward industry.
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