WEG Delegation Visits Wuxi Plant to Discuss Drive Technology Cooperation

A senior delegation from WEG, the Brazilian motor, transformer, generator and drive manufacturer, visited the Yolico works in Wuxi in March. The chairman led the Yolico side of the meeting throughout.

WEG was founded in 1961 and now supplies low-voltage controllers, generators, transformers, motors and complete industrial drive systems to more than 130 countries, with particular strength in medium- and high-voltage and custom motor designs. The visit focused on Yolico's drive technology and market position rather than on a single product line.

Discussion covered the voltage ranges Yolico builds for — 380 V and 660 V general-purpose work, 1140 V mining applications, and 3300 V, 6.6 kV and 10 kV industrial high-voltage duties — together with four-quadrant, marine and water-cooled drives and permanent-magnet-specific models. On the low-voltage side the conversation covered low-harmonic control with THD at or below 5 %, a supply tolerance of ±15 %, and the energy-saving algorithms used where loads vary. On the high-voltage side it covered converter topology, insulation coordination and immunity to grid fluctuation, which are the deciding factors in metallurgy, mining and power generation.

Energy recovery efficiency in four-quadrant drives was a particular point of interest, as was the question of how each company's product ranges could complement rather than overlap. The two sides agreed to continue technical exchanges with a view to deeper cooperation in industrial automation.