Technical guide, 4 November 2026, by Green Automatica engineering team · 2 min read

Schneider Electric VFD programming and commissioning in Kenya: Altivar ATV12, ATV320, ATV340, ATV600 and ATV900

Schneider Electric VFD programming and commissioning by on-site engineers in Kenya and across Africa: Altivar ATV12, ATV320, ATV340, ATV600 and ATV900. SoMove, fault finding, upgrades and full documentation.

Altivar drives are found in water, HVAC and industrial plants throughout the region. We commission Altivar drives, set up pump and fan functions, and integrate them with Modicon PLCs and SCADA.

Schneider Electric VFDs we work on

Altivar ATV12: small drives for simple machines
Altivar Machine ATV320 and ATV340: machine drives
Altivar Process ATV600 and ATV900: pump, fan and process drives
Altivar 31, 61 and 71: older drives we maintain and replace

Software: SoMove, drive keypad and built-in web server. Networks: Modbus RTU and TCP, EtherNet/IP, CANopen, PROFINET options.

Schneider Electric VFD services

Motor tuning, ramps, limits and protections
Pump cascade, PID and sleep functions on Altivar Process drives
Replacing ATV31, ATV61 and ATV71 with current models
Modbus and Ethernet integration

Our drive commissioning checklist

Motor nameplate data entered and an auto-tune or motor identification run completed
Correct control mode for the load: V/F for fans and pumps, vector control for high starting torque
Acceleration and deceleration ramps, current limits and braking set for the machine
Protections set: motor overload, phase loss, earth fault, stall and dry-run where relevant
Speed reference and start/stop from the right source: keypad, terminals, PID or fieldbus
Parameters saved to a file and a printed list left with the panel drawings

Why drive set-up matters for your energy bill

On centrifugal pumps and fans, power falls with the cube of speed. Running 20% slower uses roughly half the power (0.8³ ≈ 0.51).
A correctly tuned drive starts motors smoothly, which cuts mechanical stress, water hammer and belt wear.
Built-in PID control holds pressure or flow without throttling valves, which wastes energy.
Energy counters in the drive show exactly what each motor uses, so savings can be measured.

Tips from our engineers

Save every drive in SoMove

A SoMove file for each drive makes replacement a few minutes' work and documents the setup.

Use Altivar Process pump functions

ATV600 drives include multi-pump, anti-jam and pipe-fill functions. Using them avoids extra controllers and protects the pumps.

Frequently asked questions

Can you configure Altivar drives?

Yes. We commission ATV12, ATV320, ATV340, ATV600 and ATV900 drives with SoMove.

Can you replace an ATV71?

Yes, with an ATV900 or ATV600, transferring and checking the settings.