Electra Mining Africa 2026, held last month, was used as a platform to launch the newly developed iC7-Automation variable-speed drive (VSD) enclosed range by global engineering company Danfoss, in collaboration with official Danfoss DrivePro service partner for South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa BMG.

The introduction of the range forms part of BMG’s ongoing strategy of introducing advanced automation technologies that improve productivity, energy efficiency and operational reliability in Africa, says BMG key account manager Sean McCree.

Visitors to the stand embraced the opportunity to see the new equipment firsthand and discuss with technical specialists the product’s design capabilities, including “intelligent, versatile, future-proof and reliable features” that distinguish it from other VSDs.

As part of this launch, BMG made a significant investment in local stock, with 400 V IP20 iC7-Automation models of up to 710 kW available.

“This strategic stockholding will enable faster delivery, improved project support and reduced lead times for customers in diverse industrial sectors,” McCree adds.

The iC7 is unique in that it measures not only the three output phase voltages and currents, but also the three supply phase voltages and currents.

The benefit of the additional measurement equipment included in the hardware design is that the VSD is able to better respond to supply disruptions, which enhances protection and motor control.

The VSD can display and communicate harmonic distortion levels at the drive terminals, says McCree.

As system data acquisition is becoming more important in the modern industrial environment, having this information available from the VSD ensures future-proofing is embedded in the product going forward.

From an operational perspective, this enables customers to read the harmonic distortion levels anywhere a VSD is installed directly through a cybersecure communication port. This built-in feature provides valuable electrical network intelligence and enables plants to measure harmonic distortion without buying extra equipment.

Further, the core design of the iC7 that was on display focuses on maximum reliability and ease of maintenance, ensuring that, in the rare event of a failure, the system is “quick and easy” to restart, negating downtime.

BMG and Danfoss demonstrated how easy it is to access and swap the power modules and cooling fans on the 315 kW low harmonic enclosed drive.

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The Danfoss iC7-Automation series has been developed as a VSD platform for “demanding industrial applications where performance, uptime and ease of integration are essential”, says Danfoss Drives business development manager Thorsten Gehler.

He tells Engineering News & Mining Weekly the new range has been designed to simplify commissioning, optimise machine performance and provide greater operational flexibility throughout the equipment’s life cycle.

“The iC7 drives are designed to mimic older models, so you can upgrade your hardware without changing your existing programmable logic controller (PLC) code.”

Instead of forcing a rewrite of the client’s PLC programmes to support new architecture, the iC7 drive emulates a legacy drive to communicate “seamlessly” with the controller.

Gehler says a client can swap an older frequency drive for a new iC7 and configure the new unit to “act like the old one”, adding that “the PLC will continue talking to it without missing a beat”.

This eliminates the need to buy new PLC communication modules and software licences or run new cables.

“By adapting directly to your existing infrastructure, the iC7 saves significant engineering time and eliminates the risk of programming errors during a retrofit,” he concludes.