Switzerland, Oct. 9 -- October 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Low Voltage Variable Speed Drive (LV VSD), which was used in a commercial application for the first time at a sawmill in Finland, in 1975. It was developed in the 1970s by Stromberg, a predecessor to today's global motor and drives industry leader, ABB.The LV VSD addressed a long-standing limitation of the traditional squirrel-cage induction motor, which had remained fixed-speed since its invention by Nikola Tesla in 1888. Prior to the introduction of VSDs, adjusting motor performance for variable loads typically relied on mechanical throttling methods, such as dampers or valves - solutions that did little in terms of energy efficiency.The first real-world installation of...