Trimming the fat: How integrated motor-drive systems streamline F&B production
Toni M. Niemi, Global Business Line Manager, ABB, examines how integrated motor-drive platforms address energy intensity and spatial constraints in food and beverage manufacturing. With F&B production contributing 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, these solutions offer practical pathways to reduce operational costs, meet decarbonisation targets, and enhance reliability whilst maintaining stringent food safety standards in increasingly regulated processing environments.
Toni M. Niemi
Motor systems are the hidden backbone of food and beverage (F&B) production, powering processes such as pumping, mixing, chilling, compressing, conveying, and packaging. Despite their critical role, their contribution is often overlooked, and their environmental impact even less so – the sector is one of the most energy‑ and emissions‑intensive in modern industry. With soaring energy costs, urgent decarbonisation targets, and regulatory demands, manufacturers are feeling the pressure to reduce operational inefficiencies while maintaining uncompromising standards of food safety.
Integrated motor‑drive platforms, such as ABB’s LV Titanium Variable Speed Motor, can provide a practical path forward. By unifying high‑efficiency permanent‑magnet motor technology with Variable Speed Drives in a single compact unit, these solutions address both energy intensity and spatial constraints unique to food and beverage plants.
From plant to plate
When most people sit down for a family dinner or browse the supermarket aisles, they’re unlikely to spare a thought for the motors working behind the scenes. Yet these unseen workhorses pump, chill, mix, and move the food and drink we consume every day. Even less recognised is the effect these motors have on the planet. F&B production processes are some of the world’s most energy- and resource-intensive, with 26% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from food production alone, according to Our World in Data. [1]
Like water utilities and other process industries, much of the F&B sector still runs on legacy direct-on-line (DOL) induction motors. These fixed-speed motors run at full load regardless of actual demand, with throughput controlled by mechanical throttling or dampers. It’s about as logical as driving a car with the accelerator flat to the floor and regulating speed with the brake. This issue weighs especially heavily on the F&B sector, as energy has become one of the largest cost factors across the food supply chain. Applications like pumps for beverages or dairy, mixers and agitators for dough and batter, and compressors in refrigeration and packaging lines all are highly dynamic processes with fluctuating loads.
Demand can reach hundreds of megawatt-hours monthly for a large facility. And, with electricity prices volatile, the ability to trim consumption is both an operational must-have and an environmental lever. Major food companies have set ambitious Scope 1 and 2 decarbonisation goals, while regulations like the EU Ecodesign Directive and similar standards elsewhere are steadily raising minimum motor efficiency requirements. For manufacturers, reliance on legacy DOL motors risks higher compliance costs and ultimately, the need to upgrade them further down the line anyway.
Even without the pressures of sustainability goals looming, plants are under tough operating conditions: frequent washdowns, caustic cleaning chemicals, tight equipment spaces, and layouts designed for food safety. In response, operators are crying out for reliable, compact, easy-to-maintain equipment that can deliver instant savings without the usual headaches. This is where a solution like variable speed control comes in.
Control and quality go hand in hand
Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) curb unnecessary energy use and boost productivity by adjusting motor speed to precisely what is needed in a particular process. They enable gentle ramp-up and ramp-down sequences to protect conveyors, pumps, and mixers from sudden starts and stops, reducing stress on gearboxes and bearings, and ultimately extending equipment life. The reduction in wear and tear translates directly into fewer maintenance interventions — a crucial factor in plants that run around the clock under high throughput pressures.
But more importantly for food production, the ability to match motor speed precisely to requirements supports process consistency and product quality. In dairies, smoother pump operation avoids foaming and protein denaturation. In bakeries, torque‑precise control ensures dough is mixed evenly, improving uniform texture and size across batches. In bottling lines, conveyor motors running at variable speeds allow for gentler product handling during start‑ups and changeovers, minimising spillage and breakage.
Packaging lines are among the most demanding environments in food and beverage production, with throughput continually shifting based on container size, filling rates, labelling speeds, and scheduled maintenance. These lines rarely run in the same way for long, as product changeovers and shifting pack formats create frequent fluctuations in load. Under these conditions, traditional fixed‑speed motors often run at full power regardless of demand, wasting significant amounts of energy during periods of standby or part-load operation. The surplus energy is dissipated as heat, while the motor continues to accumulate wear at the same rate as if it were running under full demand. It’s a recipe for premature equipment fatigue.
But despite being a proven technology for decades, uptake of VSDs across all industrial sectors remains below 25% worldwide. [2] The reality is that traditional standalone drives require external cabinets, cable runs, dedicated electrical rooms, and commissioning expertise. In hygiene‑critical plants where every square inch and minute of uptime counts, equipment that takes up space and puts a pause on operations while being installed is often viewed as more burden than benefit, no matter how effective it may be once up and running. This is where the Variable Speed Motor (VSM) has a part to play.
ABB’s LV Titanium Variable Speed Motor
Introducing LV Titanium
It’s clear that the F&B industry is one plagued by inefficiency. While VSDs remain central to tackling operational and energy inefficiency, ABB’s LV Titanium VSM takes a different approach. Instead of treating drive and motor as separate components, LV Titanium unifies them into a single plug-and-play platform. Pre-engineered and pre-commissioned, the VSM arrives as a single compact package, making integration straightforward. Installation can often be achieved by a single technician within hours, minimising disruption to 24/7 operations.
The LV Titanium VSM combines an IE5 Ultra-Premium efficiency permanent magnet motor with a purpose-built drive module integrated axially with the motor body. Ultra-Premium motors reduce energy losses by up to 40% compared to standard IE3 motors. When paired with speed control, the system only draws power in proportion to demand. For instance, in a 7.5 kW centrifugal pumping application — a common use in both beverage and dairy facilities — annual savings can exceed €4,000 in costs and 6,000 kg of CO₂ emissions under typical European operational profiles. For a typical 15 kW conveyor motor in a beverage facility, variable speed control can reduce energy consumption by 25-30% annually while lowering mechanical stress and extending equipment life. Across fleets of equipment, savings scale into hundreds of thousands of euros and a massive reduction in carbon footprint.
Variable speed technology also enables closer integration with wider plant automation systems. Motors can respond dynamically to product viscosity or process stage, maintaining stable output without over‑processing. This flexibility makes it easier to adapt recipes or production volumes in response to changes in market demand.
Compact and connected
In F&B production environments, practicality is as central to operations as efficiency. Equipment needs to fit into already congested layouts and support hygienic working conditions, all while operating reliably around the clock. Plus, thanks to its space‑saving design and IP67 protection rating, LV Titanium comes with protection against occasional splashes or accidental washdowns Traditional motor‑and‑drive setups, with their external cabinets and extra cabling, can be difficult to accommodate in such conditions, taking up space that could otherwise be used for process equipment or left accessible for cleaning and maintenance.
Another growing pressure point is data. Operators and plant managers are expected not only to cut energy consumption but also to prove it, with transparent ESG reporting and regulatory compliance now non-negotiable. Collecting accurate performance data at source is essential if manufacturers are to show tangible reductions in energy use and carbon intensity per unit of production.
New generations of integrated motor‑drive systems, such as LV Titanium, are emerging in direct response to these pressures. At least two frame sizes smaller than an equivalent standalone motor‑and‑drive system, and without the need for external drive cabinets, it frees up valuable floor space. For bottling halls and packaging areas, it means easier line integration and easy access for cleaning. In dairies or meat processing plants, compact sealed designs reduce the risk of moisture ingress during washdowns, ensuring hygiene compliance without having to pause operations. The VSM’s built‑in connectivity provides real‑time visibility of motor health and energy performance, enabling plant managers to link their efficiency with sustainability metrics.
Technical considerations
The LV Titanium VSM is available from 1.5 to 30 kW power ranges, supporting nominal speeds between 1,500 and 4,500 rpm. This covers a broad set of food industry applications, including centrifugal pumps, agitators, compressors, and conveyors. Its permanent magnet motor design allows for the delivery of high torque at lower speeds compared to induction motors, providing advantages in viscous or start-stop operations.
Control interfaces include standard analogue and digital I/O and a built-in micro-PLC for simple logic functions, enabling straightforward integration into wider automation systems. The integrated axial drive is factory-configured for the paired motor, removing compatibility risks common with third-party drive installations. Also eliminated is the need for commissioning specialists and lengthy project lead times. Traditional implementation challenges primarily relate to adaptation in highly customised legacy facilities. However, the VSM’s drop-in compatibility with DOL motors minimises the barriers to a smooth changeover. Scalability for large multi-line operations is supported by standardised form factors and stock availability, simplifying procurement and maintenance.
LV Titanium’s built‑in connectivity – using Modbus RTU communications, simple I/O, and optional onboard logic via a micro PLC – provides real‑time insights into energy use and motor health directly at source. This data is increasingly critical as food manufacturers face pressure to deliver transparent ESG reporting and satisfy the requirements of sustainability audits.
Further down the line
The food and beverage sector faces a unique set of challenges: high energy intensity, tightening regulatory standards, unrelenting demands for productivity, and hygiene standards that surpass those of most other sectors. Motors, as the largest single users of electricity in processing plants, represent both the scale of the problem and the potential for progress. The LV Titanium VSM is testament to how integrated motor‑drive systems can deliver measurable improvements in energy use, carbon intensity, equipment longevity, and operational resilience.
Looking forward, integration will play a growing role in enabling producers to meet Scope 1 and 2 decarbonisation targets while staying competitive. Wider adoption across fleets of pumps, conveyors, and mixers will be the key to scaling up cost savings and emissions reductions. Further research into digital integration and mapping motor data against ESG disclosures will strengthen the case even more.
Ultimately, embracing integrated motor‑drive solutions isn’t just a technology upgrade, but a decisive step toward a more sustainable future for global food production.
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