# ABB ACS350 drives discontinued?



## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

I'm adding a drive for a small ammonia circulation pump at the fish plant. There is an existing control cabinet designed for expansion, that already has a couple ACS-350 drives in it running motors ranging from about 1 to 5 hp. We wanted to match the existing equipment as closely as possible, so I went to our supply house and tried to order the ACS 350 but they told me the 350s had been discontinued and tried to sell me a 550 instead :001_huh:

Does anyone know if this is true? The control cabinet with the existing 350s was only installed brand new like 2 or 3 years ago.

We need to have this thing done by tomorrow because startup is on Monday, and a 550 won't physically fit in the control cabinet, so we wound up getting a 310 instead.

I haven't been keeping up on my ABB discontinuation newsletter apparently :whistling2:


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

I bought a small ABB a few months ago from Platt, I think it was a 350 if I remember right:

http://www.platt.com/platt-electric-supply/ABB/ACS350-03U-04A1-4-J404/product.aspx?zpid=663810


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Cow said:


> I bought a small ABB a few months ago from Platt, I think it was a 350 if I remember right:
> 
> http://www.platt.com/platt-electric-supply/ABB/ACS350-03U-04A1-4-J404/product.aspx?zpid=663810


That's where I tried getting it from. The website says "call for pricing" which (from experience) usually means that whatever it is, is no longer stocked but is still in their system.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

Well then, maybe I haven't been keeping up on my ABB newsletters either....:whistling2:

Do they pull from their Beaverton warehouse over there too? That's where most everything comes from for the Hermiston store.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Cow said:


> Well then, maybe I haven't been keeping up on my ABB newsletters either....:whistling2:
> 
> Do they pull from their Beaverton warehouse over there too? That's where most everything comes from for the Hermiston store.


Yeah, they have a daily delivery truck. If they don't have it in stock at our local branch, you can have it next morning by 8 AM or so. You just have to get your order in before 4 PM.

It's getting pretty ridiculous though. I used to be able to order crap for the next day, and it would show up in a box. Now they have it scatterpacked - a baggie with 2" locknuts, another baggie with EMT straps, another baggie with a breaker hold-down kit. On a bigger order I get like 50 little paper bags with individual things in them.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

I'm looking on the ABB website and I don't see 350s listed. I'm wondering if they've been replaced by the 355s.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

erics37 said:


> Yeah, they have a daily delivery truck. If they don't have it in stock at our local branch, you can have it next morning by 8 AM or so. You just have to get your order in before 4 PM.
> 
> It's getting pretty ridiculous though. I used to be able to order crap for the next day, and it would show up in a box. Now they have it scatterpacked - a baggie with 2" locknuts, another baggie with EMT straps, another baggie with a breaker hold-down kit. On a bigger order I get like 50 little paper bags with individual things in them.


Same deal here, order by 4. Ready to pick up at 6:30 the next morning.

I have to laugh at the baggies, they do the same thing here. 20 baggies in a box, all with a couple parts in each. I give them crap about it. I always go through my order with them when I pick it up, count the parts, so they watch me dump the bags out into the box and throw some of their baggies away right in front of them.:laughing: They all try to do a good job getting my parts right, so I can't fault them for that.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Cow said:


> Same deal here, order by 4. Ready to pick up at 6:30 the next morning.
> 
> I have to laugh at the baggies, they do the same thing here. 20 baggies in a box, all with a couple parts in each. I give them crap about it. I always go through my order with them when I pick it up, count the parts, so they watch me dump the bags out into the box and throw some of their baggies away right in front of them.:laughing:


:laughing: Ah, I see you've been on the receiving end of a Platt f*ck-up as well. I've gotten the wrong crap so much that I do the same thing as you - dump everything out and count it! I've found the Platt website and iPhone app very useful. If I have to order anything more complicated than a PVC coupling, I just look it up myself, and then just give them the 6-digit "Platt number" so there's zero chance I'll get the wrong thing.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

erics37 said:


> :laughing: Ah, I see you've been on the receiving end of a Platt f*ck-up as well. I've gotten the wrong crap so much that I do the same thing as you - dump everything out and count it!


Yeah, most of my work is 45 minutes away. I don't like leaving it up to the minimum wage stock picker to get the right parts and they probably get tired of re-delivering the right parts all the way out there...:laughing:


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

They turned me on to that app a few weeks ago, but I don't have a Smartphone so I can't use it. I just know which salesperson to talk to when I have more complicated orders that I need right with no screwups.


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

erics37 said:


> I'm looking on the ABB website and I don't see 350s listed. I'm wondering if they've been replaced by the 355s.


I just tossed some new 350's cleaning out my basement.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Zog said:


> I just tossed some new 350's cleaning out my basement.


:laughing::laughing:

What horsepower rating were they? We only needed a 5 hp.


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

The 350s were replaced by the 355s about 3 years ago, but they have kept on selling the 350s for replacement purposes only. They have probably finally run out of them by now. What happens in the drives business is that the power device mfrs stop making the components, so the drive mfrs are forced to change their products. But you'd be hard pressed to notice the difference between a 350 and a 355, they just added some more features and probably have a different internal component set.

The real crime here is that some a55wipe at Splatt tried to needlessly bump you up to the much more expensive 550 version by not telling you the truth about the minor change from the 350 to the 355. 


You should drop one of the "B"s... :innocent:


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

JRaef said:


> The 350s were replaced by the 355s about 3 years ago, but they have kept on selling the 350s for replacement purposes only. They have probably finally run out of them by now. What happens in the drives business is that the power device mfrs stop making the components, so the drive mfrs are forced to change their products. But you'd be hard pressed to notice the difference between a 350 and a 355, they just added some more features and probably have a different internal component set.
> 
> The real crime here is that some a55wipe at Splatt tried to needlessly bump you up to the much more expensive 550 version by not telling you the truth about the minor change from the 350 to the 355.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info, that's what I suspected! I'm not faulting the guy at Platt because they're generally idiots. He probably had no idea that the 350 series was replaced by the 355s.

Anyway, for our purposes, the 310 will suffice and it happened to be in stock, so we'll have it in time :thumbup:


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Do you have a sales rep that comes out now and again to check and see if you need help? Literature and to let you know of any changes?
The ABB distributor should be your first line of contact. How often do you see someone from the distributor?
Jeez, and to think of all the cold calling I made with guys like you around. 
You would have been on my monthly itinerary.


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

John Valdes said:


> Do you have a sales rep that comes out now and again to check and see if you need help? Literature and to let you know of any changes?
> The ABB distributor should be your first line of contact. How often do you see someone from the distributor?
> Jeez, and to think of all the cold calling I made with guys like you around.
> You would have been on my monthly itinerary.


Platt (I call them Splatt) Electric Supply is the ABB distributor in his area, that's who told him he needed to buy the ACS550...


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

John Valdes said:


> Do you have a sales rep that comes out now and again to check and see if you need help? Literature and to let you know of any changes?
> The ABB distributor should be your first line of contact. How often do you see someone from the distributor?
> Jeez, and to think of all the cold calling I made with guys like you around.
> You would have been on my monthly itinerary.





JRaef said:


> Platt (I call them Splatt) Electric Supply is the ABB distributor in his area, that's who told him he needed to buy the ACS550...


Yep, what JRaef said. We call them Splatt too. Or Plattypus. I could order a single 1/2" EMT coupling and they'd screw it up.

Most of my VFD knowledge revolves around ABB stuff because it's pretty prevalent around here, and I've taken a couple classes on them. But otherwise, it's all self-taught or stuff I've learned here on this site. Sitting on the computer reading the manuals and catalogs cover to cover is tedious but it helps.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks for the head up with ACS-350 units I haven't heard it yet over this side so far but when the time come I can shove the answer there so I can cover my base.

Merci,
Marc


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## xsryman (Dec 4, 2012)

Just like everyone else on here said, the ACS350 has been replaced by the ACS355. There is no visual difference just that they dont burn up as easily. I think ABB had some real issues with the 350 so they redesigned it and called it the 355. If you need a cheap shaft turner drive I would really consider looking at the Altivar 312 or even a Fuji Mini or Multi sreies.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

JRaef said:


> Platt (I call them Splatt) Electric Supply is the ABB distributor in his area, that's who told him he needed to buy the ACS550...


My point was that a rep calling on the customer regularly would have most likely told his customer that many of his drives were being discontinued.
If I had a customer with a plant full of these controls, they would know as soon as I did.
This might have been a non issue and Eric might have known long before he needed the drive.

This bothers me as I sold and represented this stuff for 6 years.
I had a customer base and my customers saw me at least once a month unless they did not want the courtesy call.

Seems like this distributor has it made? Only ABB distributor in the area?

I competed with at least five distributors. Must be nice to just sit and wait for an order.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

John Valdes said:


> My point was that a rep calling on the customer regularly would have most likely told his customer that many of his drives were being discontinued.
> If I had a customer with a plant full of these controls, they would know as soon as I did.
> This might have been a non issue and Eric might have known long before he needed the drive.
> 
> ...


Platt is big, they've got over 100 branches throughout the west. Pretty sure they're the main ABB supplier (for small stuff at least) in the region.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

JRaef said:


> The real crime here is that some a55wipe at Splatt tried to needlessly bump you up to the much more expensive 550 version by not telling you the truth about the minor change from the 350 to the 355.


They are an electrical supply house, it's what they do, nuff said. :laughing:


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## xsryman (Dec 4, 2012)

erics37 said:


> Platt is big, they've got over 100 branches throughout the west. Pretty sure they're the main ABB supplier (for small stuff at least) in the region.


Platt doesnt stock anything. They just have buying power. They can order whatever you want and add it to their next stock order. If you need support then good luck. Lol


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

xsryman said:


> *Platt doesnt stock anything*. They just have buying power. They can order whatever you want and add it to their next stock order. If you need support then good luck. Lol


If that's the case, then what are their distribution warehouses for?


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

Cow said:


> If that's the case, then what are their distribution warehouses for?


EMT, Romex and light bulbs. The bulk commodities of the electrical world. Years ago when I worked for a rep firm in Seattle, I was the ABB drives specialist and got them set up in that program, but they never put in inventory or lived up to their training requirements, they were just acting as brokers for everything complex like drives and controls. They claimed they could not afford to stock anything. But Splatt would buy EMT and Romex by the rail car load (from another rep firm who bragged about it) for their distribution warehouse in Beaverton, Oregon. Then they have their own fleet of green Semi trucks that move it to the branches. They sell a lot of Cutler Hammer, but that's probably because C-H has an assembly plant in Portland, so Splatt doesn't need to stock any of that either.

They get away with it because they can. Companies like ABB that are always in peril of having no distribution will knuckle under to Splatt when they refuse to live up to inventory requirements, and the Platt family knows it. But I've never understood why Cutler Hammer sucks up to them so much. It pisses off other C-H distributors because Splatt always gets the best pricing, but has the least inventory requirement enforcement.


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## xsryman (Dec 4, 2012)

JRaef said:


> EMT, Romex and light bulbs. The bulk commodities of the electrical world. Years ago when I worked for a rep firm in Seattle, I was the ABB drives specialist and got them set up in that program, but they never put in inventory or lived up to their training requirements, they were just acting as brokers for everything complex like drives and controls. They claimed they could not afford to stock anything. But Splatt would buy EMT and Romex by the rail car load (from another rep firm who bragged about it) for their distribution warehouse in Beaverton, Oregon. Then they have their own fleet of green Semi trucks that move it to the branches. They sell a lot of Cutler Hammer, but that's probably because C-H has an assembly plant in Portland, so Splatt doesn't need to stock any of that either.
> 
> They get away with it because they can. Companies like ABB that are always in peril of having no distribution will knuckle under to Splatt when they refuse to live up to inventory requirements, and the Platt family knows it. But I've never understood why Cutler Hammer sucks up to them so much. It pisses off other C-H distributors because Splatt always gets the best pricing, but has the least inventory requirement enforcement.


Exactly! Couldnt have said it better my self.


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## lukejenson (Sep 14, 2009)

ABB replaced ACS350 with ACS355 general machinery drive.


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## lukejenson (Sep 14, 2009)

Platt was bought out by Rexel.

http://www.rexel.com/en/press/press...quisition-of-platt-electric-supply.php?id=139


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

lukejenson said:


> ABB replaced ACS350 with ACS355 general machinery drive.





lukejenson said:


> Platt was bought out by Rexel.
> 
> http://www.rexel.com/en/press/press...quisition-of-platt-electric-supply.php?id=139


The force is with you, Luke.

Your clairvoyance has not only revealed to us that which we already knew, but you have also located the rebel bass!


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

erics37 said:


> Thanks for the info, that's what I suspected! I'm not faulting the guy at Platt because they're generally idiots. He probably had no idea that the 350 series was replaced by the 355s.
> 
> Anyway, for our purposes, the 310 will suffice and it happened to be in stock, so we'll have it in time :thumbup:




Platt has everything at the warehouse in Beaverton, they can get it to you tomorrow. They get their deliveries by 6am here


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

sparky970 said:


> Platt has everything at the warehouse in Beaverton, they can get it to you tomorrow. They get their deliveries by 6am here


Yeah they're usually here by 6:30 AM unless there is inclement weather.

Not that it matters. Every order is usually screwed up anyway.


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

erics37 said:


> Yep, what JRaef said. We call them Splatt too. Or Plattypus. I could order a single 1/2" EMT coupling and they'd screw it up.
> 
> Most of my VFD knowledge revolves around ABB stuff because it's pretty prevalent around here, and I've taken a couple classes on them. But otherwise, it's all self-taught or stuff I've learned here on this site. Sitting on the computer reading the manuals and catalogs cover to cover is tedious but it helps.


I'm feel lucky. The guys at our Platt store do a good job. I just don't go there often because they're 10-15% higher than North Coast


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

sparky970 said:


> I'm feel lucky. The guys at our Platt store do a good job. I just don't go there often because they're 10-15% higher than North Coast


You are lucky indeed. We've got a fairly new guy at our branch that seems competent and intelligent, I think he'll work out well. The rest are straight up 'tarded :laughing:

I like North Coast but they don't have a branch here so I can't physically go in and look at pictures and stuff.

Have you ever used Oregon Breaker? I've had to emergency replace some oddball breakers before and they almost always seem to have something suitable in stock and shipped next day.


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

erics37 said:


> You are lucky indeed. We've got a fairly new guy at our branch that seems competent and intelligent, I think he'll work out well. The rest are straight up 'tarded :laughing:
> 
> I like North Coast but they don't have a branch here so I can't physically go in and look at pictures and stuff.
> 
> Have you ever used Oregon Breaker? I've had to emergency replace some oddball breakers before and they almost always seem to have something suitable in stock and shipped next day.


The mills I work at use GE or SqD. Unfortunately none of the supply houses in town carry SqD anymore, so I have to buy out of Portland CED. GE totally sucks for HOA'S and the like. Everything is factory order and over a week out. Much like AB. I can't even get an AB 2 button start/stop off the shelf, 7-10 days minimum.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

sparky970 said:


> The mills I work at use GE or SqD. Unfortunately none of the supply houses in town carry SqD anymore, so I have to buy out of Portland CED. GE totally sucks for HOA'S and the like. Everything is factory order and over a week out. Much like AB. I can't even get an AB 2 button start/stop off the shelf, 7-10 days minimum.


Yeah isn't that a crock? Getting AB stuff out here on the coast in a timely manner is hellish. I'm often stuck resorting to Eaton crap.


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

erics37 said:


> Yeah isn't that a crock? Getting AB stuff out here on the coast in a timely manner is hellish. I'm often stuck resorting to Eaton crap.



One site only lets me use AB, so I'm stuck. Luckily, they usually don't do things last minute. Not the case with my other site.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

erics37 said:


> Yeah isn't that a crock? Getting AB stuff out here on the coast in a timely manner is hellish. I'm often stuck resorting to Eaton crap.



I hate that crap....:no:


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

> .... unless there is inclement weather


Nicely understated. :thumbsup:

For those not familiar with the Pacific NW, that was subtle sarcasm...


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