Frequency inverters from NORD Drivesystems can react flexibly in case of disrupted communication with a central control system. The on-board, pre-programmed PLC can take control, initiate a defined state for halting operations, or keep the application running. In process plants this can help avoid costs, for instance by preventing spoiled batches. In manufacturing facilities, material flow can be maintained. As NORD intelligent drives feature various interfaces and are able to evaluate sensor and actuator data, optimal integration in the application is ensured. Autonomous control capability obviously has other uses beyond fallback scenarios. In some instances, users may wish to deliberately switch the smart drive over to local control. For set-up, testing, or maintenance, the distributed frequency inverter can additionally be equipped with switches for manual drive direction and speed control. The integrated PLC functions are programmed using IEC 61131-3 "Structured Text" or "Instruction List" text-based languages. For straightforward, user-friendly application development, NORD CON software is provided without any charge or license fees.

NORD Drivesystems develops, produces and sells drive technologies with around 3.200 employees, and is one of the international leaders in the industry. In addition to standard drives, NORD supplies application-specific concepts and solutions, even for special applications, for example with energy-saving drives or explosion-protected systems. Gross sales amounted to approx. EUR 540 mn in the 2015 business year. The company founded in 1965 now has over 36 subsidiaries worldwide. The closely meshed sales and service network ensures optimum availability for short delivery times and customer-oriented services. NORD produces a wide variety of drive units for torques from 10 to 200,000 Nm, electric motors with powers from 0.12 kW to 1,000 kW as well as the necessary power electronics in the form of frequency inverters and servo controllers. Inverter solutions are available for classical installations in the switch cabinet and for decentralised and fully integrated drive units.