ABB launches embedded ESA technology in drives, turning modernization into a digital catalyst

• 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.

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.1 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 analyzed 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 behavior, 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 labor and maximizing uptime, for operational resilience.

Initially, the ESA modernization service2 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.”

ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide. ABB’s shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB). 

ABB Motion, a global leader in motors and drives, is at the core of accelerating a more productive and sustainable future. We innovate and push the boundaries of technology to contribute to energy efficient, decarbonizing and circular solutions for customers, industries and societies. With our digitally enabled drives, motors and services we support our customers and partners to achieve better performance, safety and reliability. To help the world’s industries outrun – leaner and cleaner, we deliver motor-driven solutions for a wide range of applications in all industrial segments. Building on over 140 years of domain expertise in electric powertrains, our more than 23,000 employees across 100 countries learn and improve every day.

Samotics was founded in 2015 in the Netherlands and is the global leader in smart monitoring technology using Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA). Our mission is to make industrial companies more sustainable. We help bring unprecedented visibility to every critical industrial asset by analyzing electrical signals - the heartbeat of industrial equipment - using existing hardware or simple sensors, in combination with our own AI-driven platform. By enabling companies to continuously monitor asset health, performance, and efficiency, we help them significantly reduce unplanned downtime and energy waste, as well as improve their operations.