Duisburg, Germany – June 2027 – Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, one of the world’s largest steel producers, has announced an 18% reduction in motor energy consumption and 75% fewer unplanned motor failures after deploying the ABB UFC760BE1041 3BHE004573R1041 motor control solution at its Duisburg plant. The upgrade, completed in Q2 2027, targeted the plant’s aging rolling mill motors—where inefficient speed control and reactive maintenance were costing the company €3.2 million annually in energy waste and downtime.
The Challenge: High Energy Use and Costly Motor Failures
Prior to adopting the ABB UFC760BE1041, Thyssenkrupp’s Duisburg plant faced three critical motor-related pain points:
- Inefficient Energy Consumption: Legacy motor starters operated at fixed speeds, even during low-load periods (e.g., when rolling thinner steel sheets). Motors accounted for 40% of the plant’s total electricity use, with 22% of that energy wasted as heat.
- Unplanned Downtime: Rolling mill motors (150kW–500kW) suffered 1–2 catastrophic failures monthly, each causing 8–12 hours of production downtime. Root causes (e.g., bearing wear, voltage imbalances) were only detected after failures occurred.
- Reactive Maintenance: Technicians relied on manual motor inspections (conducted quarterly), missing early warning signs of issues. Each unplanned repair cost €45,000 in parts, labor, and lost production.
“Steel production is energy-intensive, and our motors were a major drain on both costs and sustainability goals,” said Frank Schmidt, Thyssenkrupp’s Plant Operations Director. “We needed a motor control solution that could optimize energy use while preventing failures before they halted production.”
ABB UFC760BE1041: The Smart Motor Control Solution for Heavy Industry
After evaluating competitors from Siemens and Danfoss, Thyssenkrupp selected the ABB UFC760BE1041 3BHE004573R1041 for its industrial-grade durability, AI-driven insights, and seamless integration with existing plant systems:
- Variable Speed Drive (VSD) Integration: Adjusts motor speed in real time based on load demand (e.g., reducing speed from 1,500 RPM to 900 RPM during low-load periods), cutting energy waste by matching output to requirements.
- AI-Powered Predictive Maintenance: Embedded sensors monitor motor temperature, vibration, and current draw, feeding data to ABB Ability™ Condition Monitoring. The system detects anomalies (e.g., 10% increase in bearing vibration) and alerts technicians 3–4 weeks before potential failure.
- Rugged Industrial Design: Operates in temperatures ranging from -25°C to +70°C, with IP65 protection against dust and water ingress—critical for the harsh, high-heat environment of steel rolling mills.
- Seamless PLC Integration: Connects to Thyssenkrupp’s existing Siemens S7-1500 PLCs via Profinet, requiring no custom software development. The solution’s intuitive HMI allows operators to adjust motor parameters without specialized training.
- Overload & Voltage Protection: Built-in safeguards prevent motor damage from voltage spikes (up to 6kV) and overloads, extending motor lifespan by 30%.
Results: Energy Savings and Reliability Gains
Four months post-deployment, Thyssenkrupp’s Duisburg plant achieved transformative results:
| Metric |
Before ABB UFC760BE1041 |
After ABB UFC760BE1041 |
Improvement |
| Motor Energy Consumption |
18.2 GWh/Month |
14.9 GWh/Month |
18% Reduction |
| Unplanned Motor Failures |
18/Year |
4/Year |
75% Reduction |
| Maintenance Costs |
€540,000/Year |
€421,200/Year |
22% Reduction |
| Motor Lifespan |
8 Years |
10.4 Years |
30% Extension |
“The UFC760BE1041 has redefined how we manage our motors,” Schmidt said. “We’re not just saving energy—we’re avoiding costly downtime that used to derail production schedules. The predictive maintenance feature alone has paid for the solution twice over.”
Andreas Müller, ABB’s Global Product Manager for Industrial Motor Control, emphasized the solution’s role in heavy industry decarbonization: “Steel plants face immense pressure to reduce emissions, and motors are a low-hanging fruit. The UFC760BE1041 delivers energy efficiency without compromising performance—critical for high-demand applications like rolling mills.”
Thyssenkrupp plans to deploy the ABB UFC760BE1041 across three additional steel plants in Germany and Poland by 2028, targeting a group-wide 15% reduction in motor energy use and 60% fewer unplanned failures.
