Stay ahead of compliance, avoid costly downtime, and maximise operational efficiency.
As South African industries face rising pressure to automate, reduce costs, and meet regulatory demands, plant managers are turning to motor protection as a critical lever for risk reduction and performance improvement.
With the global motor protection market projected to reach $2.96 billion by 2025, leading operations are already seeing the benefits. Research shows that predictive maintenance can reduce downtime by up to 50% and extend asset life by over 20%, while unplanned stoppages can cost manufacturers more than R2 million per hour.
At the same time, new local regulations, including mandatory Energy Performance Certificates for large buildings by December 2025, are raising the bar for energy efficiency and safety compliance.
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Five Industry Shifts You Can’t Ignore in 2025
- Industry 4.0 Integration
IoT, cloud-based analytics, and real-time diagnostics are no longer emerging, they’re essential. The use of smart monitoring systems in South Africa is growing by over 14% annually, enabling better remote oversight, faster fault detection, and improved decision-making at the plant level.
- Predictive Maintenance as Standard
Traditional maintenance models are being replaced with event-triggered strategies. Using NewElec’s smart relays, companies are achieving measurable results: fewer emergency repairs, reduced asset wear, and clearer servicing schedules, ultimately lowering operating costs and extending equipment life.
- Energy Efficiency and Compliance
Energy performance regulations are tightening, and facilities without compliant systems risk falling behind. NewElec’s relay solutions are optimised for low-energy operations, helping teams reduce consumption while meeting ISO standards and national compliance benchmarks.
- Built-In Safety and Fault Diagnostics
From arc flash to overload to phase imbalance, today’s protection relays must go beyond simple tripping. With advanced logging, fail-safe triggers, and early warning indicators, NewElec devices help engineers maintain safer environments across sectors, including manufacturing, mining, and healthcare.
- Seamless Retrofits and Upgrades
As budget-conscious plants seek fast modernisation, retrofit-friendly protectors have become the fastest-growing segment. NewElec’s relays allow you to upgrade 0.5kW-250kW and beyond motors across pumps, conveyors, compressors, and fans, without major rewiring or control panel changes.
Why it matters to plant managers in 2025
While these shifts represent a technological evolution, the operational impact is strategic. For many plants, the move to smart relays isn’t just about avoiding failure — it’s about creating a more stable, predictable environment where costs can be planned and performance optimised.
Reliable motor protection translates into real operational wins: fewer night call-outs, fewer losses from downed equipment, and more time for engineers to focus on improvements rather than repairs.
Where this is already happening
Across South Africa, leading operations in cement, mining, water treatment, and manufacturing are implementing smart relays from NewElec. In one instance, a water utility reduced its motor failure rate by 42% in under 12 months simply by switching to the NewCode Series relays with integrated fault logging.
Similarly, a manufacturing facility in Gauteng reported that its plant-wide upgrade to NewElec’s Modbus-enabled relays helped them prepare for their energy compliance audit with zero findings and identified overload risks they hadn’t previously detected.
Why NewElec?
45+ years of trusted support across South Africa’s mining, manufacturing, renewable energy, and water sectors.
Locally engineered solutions designed for reliability, with 20–30 year service life.
On-site technical consultation and local expertise when and where it’s needed.
Smart relay systems tailored for plant-wide integration, from substation to motor starter.
Ready to Transform Your Operation?
Explore NewElec’s range of smart motor protection relays and discover how we’re helping plant engineers lead with confidence in a rapidly changing landscape.
