Episode 14 of The Downtime was published on July 24, 2025, and explores safety challenges on plant floors during seasonal changes, along with a Throwback Thursday twist featuring Schneider Electric’s offerings for packaging lines, including an energy-efficient motor contactor and secure I/O connectivity.
Co-hosts Sarah Wynn and Sheri Kasprzak also dive into worker safety during summer heat and absorption chillers from Plant Engineering.
Schneider Electric’s solutions for packaging and manufacturing
Earlier this year at ProMat in Chicago, Wynn spoke with Schneider Electric’s Tiffany Moore, director of product management – load management, about the TeSys Deca Advanced motor contactor, for use in packaging. She also interviewed Grant Van Hermert, senior offer manager, about the Modicon Edge I/O NTS.
Energy-efficient motor contactor designed for packaging lines
Aimed at reducing energy on packaging lines, Schneider Electric’s TeSys Deca Advanced is an upgrade of its existing TeSys Deca motor contactor. The company says the new model helps cut operational costs.
“We are able to draw in less current for the contactor as well as the amount of current needed to keep the contactor engaged. That compounded is about an 80% efficiency gain alone,” said Moore in March 2025, regarding the energy efficiency gains achieved with the new design.
The new model features a compact design, streamlined wiring system, advanced digital capabilities, and wide-band coil technology. It offers machine builders flexibility for their designs while supporting sustainability efforts and easy installation with one-click technology.
Designed using eco-friendly materials, it can replace or retrofit older models or commercial references with a single part, offering a future-proof solution for packaging lines.
“That really helps with spare parts and stocking,” said Alan Freeman, Schneider Electric’s product owner – IEC transactional motor management and load management. “If the end user or customer can have one piece on the shelf that can replace or retrofit seven or eight different old commercial references, it’s a lot easier to have the right product at the right time and reduces downtime.”
Read more about the TeSys Deca Advanced here.
Modicon Edge I/O NTS expands secure connectivity options for machine builders
Launched in early 2025, Schneider Electric’s Modicon Edge I/O NTS is a distributed I/O platform that works for a variety of applications, including packaging. It’s designed to connect sensors, motors, and safety systems to machine or line controllers.
It also supports common industrial protocols, including Modbus TCP, Ethernet/IP, and Sercos III.
“We were able to design this around the toughest cybersecurity laws in the world,” said Van Hermert.
Designed with longevity in mind, the company said it worked closely with suppliers to secure the availability of key components for the next 10 to 20 years.
“We have also worked with our system suppliers and a lot of these chips, and a lot of the components are also new to the market, so we have locked down the scope of supply for the next 10 to 20 years,” said Van Hermert. “We call that future ready.”
Click here for more coverage on Schneider Electric from Control Engineering.
Managing summer hazards in manufacturing
Kasprzak also explores how summer heat affects worker safety and industrial equipment by highlighting cooling strategies, wearable sensors, and air quality in reducing downtime.
Additionally, she brings back a Throwback Thursday story from Plant Engineering on absorption chillers and their role in cutting summer energy costs by using thermal energy instead of electricity.
Show lineup for The Downtime Podcast | Episode 14: Taking a Bite Out of Manufacturing
00:15 – The co-hosts introduce the episode
01:00 – Shark Week chat between the dynamic duo
01:30 – Kasprzak talks about how the summer heat impacts manufacturing
02:15 – A piece on air quality’s impact on manufacturing equipment from Matthew Diener is discussed
03:40 – The Downtime celebrates its 3-month birthday
05:10 – The co-hosts introduce Throwback Thursday
05:40 – Wynn brings it back to ProMat 2025, including two interviews from Schneider Electric on the TeSys Deca Advanced energy-efficient motor contactor and Modicon Edge I/O NTS
06:35 – Wynn’s interview with Tiffany Moore, director of product management – load management for Schneider Electric. Moore highlights the TeSys Deca Advanced’s eco-friendly features and wide-band coil technology
08:55 – Grant Van Hermert, Schneider Electric’s senior offer manager, talks with Wynn about the Modicon Edge I/O NTS
14:35 – Kasprzak highlights the importance of absorption chillers in the summer
16:35 – The dynamic duo play a game of summer trivia
23:25 – The podcast co-hosts sign out
Check out The Downtime’s archive
Episode 1: Packaging + Robots + Tariffs, Oh, My!
Episode 5: Thinking Inside the Box
Episode 6: Conveyance, Copilots & College Grads
Episode 7: Running on AI and Coffee
Episode 10: Manufacturing Fun!
Episode 12: Digital Transformation
About The Downtime podcast and co-hosts
The Downtime is a weekly manufacturing podcast from WTWH Media that features insights from its automation and controls publications. It’s co-hosted by Wynn, who serves as the senior editor (digital) for Packaging OEM, and Kasprzak, who is the managing editor for Plant Engineering, Control Engineering, and Consulting-Specifying Engineer.
New episodes drop every Thursday and are available on this website, along with streaming platforms like SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube.
