Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy technology, has introduced the TeSys Tera — its next‑generation intelligent motor management system — to the South African market, with an official unveiling at the company’s Midrand head office in Gauteng.

Built on a century of motor management expertise, TeSys Tera unifies protection, control and monitoring to reduce equipment failures, lower energy costs and extend asset life across multiple industries.

With the rise of industrial automation, It is estimated there are 500 million motors in operation globally. Of these, up to an estimated 15% fail due to poor protection which translates into to tens of millions of motor replacements worldwide, each year.

To that end, the TeSys Tera has been designed to intelligently combine motorprotection, monitoring and control with advanced diagnostics, analytics and connectivity. 

It is also this value proposition that makes it particularly relevant to South Africa’s high-stakes mining, minerals and metals (MMM) sector, where motors are fundamental to processes ranging from material handling and crushing to pumping, ventilation and other critical operations.

Traditional motor protection typically focuses on responding to electrical faults whereas the TeSys Tera continuously collects and analyses information from the motor and its operating environment, therefore, providing greater visibility into motor performance.

This, in turn, providers operators’ earlier insight into potential issues, allowing for fault prevention that mitigates costly process interruptions.

“Mining operations depend on motors to keep critical processes running - a motor fault can have consequences far beyond the individual asset,” said Christophe Begat, Vice President for, Industry and Segment for Sub-Saharan Africa at Schneider Electric,

“With the TeSys Tera operators can rest assured that they will greater visibility in motor performance and importantly earlier insight into potential problems.” 

The TeSys Tera’s value proposition include:

• Protection of critical motors - advanced motor protection helps safeguard the equipment that keeps mining and processing operations moving, protecting against overloads, stalled or locked rotors, phase imbalance and other electrical conditions that can lead to equipment damage and operational disruption.
• Future insight - pre-trip alarms, diagnostics and real-time operating data provide earlier visibility of developing issues, giving maintenance and operations teams an opportunity to intervene before a motor fault becomes an unplanned production stoppage.
• Turns motor data into operational intelligence – by combining motor protection, monitoring, control and connectivity, industrial operators have actionable insight into equipment performance, energy use and operating conditions, moving from reactive motor management towards more informed, data-driven operation

The TeSys Tera technical highlights include:

• Motor coverage: Manages single‑ or three‑phase AC induction motors up to 100 A (integral sensor) and up to 810 A (external CTs).
• Scalable loads: Supports applications from standard motors to large, critical process assets.
• Modular design: Expandable via digital/analogue I/O modules; compact form optimised for in‑drawer installations.
• Flexible deployment: Suitable for new projects or modernising existing motor control setups.
• Performance monitoring: Tracks current, voltage, power, energy, power factor, frequency, temperature, and THD.
• Advanced protection: Covers thermal overload, locked/stalled rotor, phase imbalance/loss, ground fault, over/undercurrent, over/undervoltage, over/underpower, plus other conditions.
• Event logging: Records trips, alarms, and operating statistics (running hours, start/stop counts, motor start characteristics).
• Connected intelligence: Links motor‑level data into automation systems (Modbus RTU, PROFIBUS DP, Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP).
• Control options: Local HMI, PLC, or DCS integration for monitoring and control.
• Digital architecture: Enables shift from isolated protection to connected and visible operations.
• Software support: Configurable and monitored via SoMove software; backed by Schneider Electric’s tested, validated, documented architectures.