Customer Feedback: Finding Analogs for 12 Discontinued Siemens Motors
The procurement manager at a food-processing facility in the Greater Poznan region of Poland submitted a request to INDASTRA's technical team in October 2025 for help cross-referencing 12 discontinued Siemens motors that had reached end-of-life. The motors — from Siemens' 1LA5 and 1LA7 IE1 series, produced between 1998 and 2005 — were no longer available through any Siemens distribution channel and had been declared obsolete. The facility needed bolt-in replacements that met EU Regulation 2019/1781 IE3 requirements, could be installed without modifying the existing machine bases or coupling flanges, and were available from EU-stocked sources to avoid extended delivery delays.
This article documents the cross-reference methodology used and the outcome, to help other procurement engineers facing similar situations with obsolete motor inventories.
The Obsolete Motor Inventory
The 12 motors to be replaced fell into three specification groups:
Group A: 4 × Siemens 1LA5 090-4AA90 (1.5 kW, 4-pole, B3, 230/400V)
These were installed on filling-machine conveyor drives. The 1LA5 090 designation corresponds to IEC frame 90S. The original motors were IE1 class with an aluminium frame — an unusual variant for the 1LA5 series which was predominantly cast iron. Siemens discontinued this variant in 2018.
Group B: 5 × Siemens 1LA7 131-4AA60 (3.0 kW, 4-pole, B5 large flange, 400V)
Installed on rotary drum washers and blanchers. Frame size 1LA7 131 corresponds to IEC 132S. The B5 flange on the 1LA7 series uses the standard IEC 60072-1 flange dimensions for frame 132, which is widely reproduced across manufacturers.
Group C: 3 × Siemens 1LA5 166-4AA90 (11 kW, 4-pole, B3, 400/690V, thermistor PTC)
Installed on a refrigeration compressor pre-cooling conveyor in a cold-room environment (ambient -5°C to +10°C). This group was the most specification-sensitive: the dual-voltage winding (400V delta / 690V star) and the integral PTC thermistor in the winding were both required, and the cold-room ambient required insulation Class F minimum.
Cross-Reference Methodology
The INDASTRA analog matching process for this order followed the standard four-step methodology:
- Parameter extraction from Siemens type codes: The 1LA5 and 1LA7 type codes were decoded using Siemens' public type code documentation. Key parameters confirmed: rated power, number of poles, frame size, mounting, voltage, and special options (PTC on Group C).
- Frame dimension verification: INDASTRA pulled the Siemens dimensional drawings from the IEC 60072-1 standard reference tables and cross-checked against the manufacturers proposed for analog. No measurement of physical units was required — IEC standardisation guarantees that frame 90S, 132S and 160M shaft heights, foot hole patterns, shaft diameters and lengths are identical across all IEC-compliant manufacturers.
- Efficiency class upgrade check: The originals were IE1. All replacements had to be IE3 minimum per EU Regulation 2019/1781. For the Group C 11 kW motors, the IE3 version of the analog is physically slightly heavier (approximately 1.5 kg) and may have a marginally different overall motor length due to optimised cooling fins — the facility's maintenance engineer confirmed there was sufficient clearance in all three installations to accommodate this.
- Special options matching: Group C required dual-voltage (400V/690V) winding and PTC thermistor. Both WEG W22 and Leroy-Somer LS IE3 offer dual-voltage winding as a standard catalogue option for frame 160M. PTC thermistor is a standard catalogue option on both (suffix /PTC on WEG, /TH on Leroy-Somer ordering codes).
Selected Analogs and Result
| Group | Original | Analog Selected | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Siemens 1LA5 090-4AA90 (1.5 kW, B3) | WEG W22 090S 4P B3 IE3 | Exact frame 90S match. Available ex-stock Rotterdam. |
| B | Siemens 1LA7 131-4AA60 (3.0 kW, B5) | Leroy-Somer LS 132S 4P B5 IE3 | Exact IEC 132S B5 flange match. Available ex-stock France. |
| C | Siemens 1LA5 166-4AA90 (11 kW, B3, 400/690V, PTC) | WEG W22 160M 4P B3 IE3 400/690V/PTC | Dual voltage + PTC standard option. 5-day lead time. |
All 12 motors were delivered DDP Poznan within 8 working days. Installation was completed without modification to any machine base, coupling, or electrical panel. The Group C motors were verified by the facility's food safety electrical contractor before commissioning in the cold-room section (verification per IEC 60364-7-706 for temperature-controlled environments).
Procurement Manager Feedback
"We had spent three weeks trying to source these motors through our usual distributor channels. The 1LA5 series was simply no longer available and nobody could suggest a verified bolt-in replacement. INDASTRA gave us a confirmed analog specification with dimensional drawings within 48 hours and had all 12 units on site in under two weeks. The cross-reference documentation they provided — including the IEC frame comparison and the EU regulation compliance statement — was exactly what our quality team needed to close the change record."
— Procurement Manager, food-processing facility, Greater Poznan region, Poland
If you have discontinued or hard-to-source motors that require verified analog matches, use the INDASTRA Analog Finder or contact our technical team with the motor type code. Our team covers cross-references for all major IEC motor manufacturers including Siemens, ABB, WEG, SEW-Eurodrive, Leroy-Somer, and Gamak.