WEG will showcase high-efficiency motors and drive technologies at Hillhead 2026, targeting quarrying, construction, recycling, and heavy-duty materials-handling applications.
The company will exhibit at stand PB24 during the event, which takes place at Hillhead Quarry in Buxton from 23–25 June. Its display will include the W22 Prime, W23 Sync+, W23 Sync+ explosion-proof IP65 version, W80 AXgen axial flux motor, and WG20 geared motors.
Hillhead is held every two years in a working Derbyshire quarry, giving equipment suppliers a more demanding setting than a conventional exhibition hall. Products are shown against dust, vibration, high loads, harsh duty cycles, and the operational conditions of aggregate production.
WEG’s W22 Prime sits at the centre of its Hillhead motor line-up. The motor has been designed to deliver IE4 and IE5 efficiency levels without requiring an inverter, combining induction motor robustness with improved energy performance. It can run direct-on-line while remaining compatible with variable speed drive operation where speed control or further optimisation is required.
Marek Lukaszczyk, marketing manager for WEG UK and Middle East, said: “Quarrying and aggregates operations are major energy users, so even incremental efficiency gains can make a significant difference to operating costs and emissions. At Hillhead, we want to show that improving efficiency does not have to mean adding unnecessary complexity. The W22 Prime allows users to upgrade to IE4 and IE5 efficiency while retaining the reliability expected from a WEG induction motor.”
The W23 Sync+ combines permanent magnet and synchronous reluctance technologies to deliver high efficiency across the speed range. WEG will also show an explosion-proof W23 Sync+ IP65 variant for environments with greater safety and ingress-protection requirements. The W80 AXgen axial flux motor will be presented as a compact option for OEMs and systems integrators seeking to reduce machine footprint while maintaining power density.
WEG’s Hillhead display will also include WG20 geared motors and information on the WG50 platform for severe industrial environments. The company will discuss Technidrive’s automatic jaw crusher unblock system, which uses a WEGmotion Drives package to reduce manual intervention when clearing crusher blockages.
Lukaszczyk added: “Reliability, uptime and efficiency are central priorities for quarry operators. By bringing together products such as the W23 Sync+, W80 AXgen, WG20 geared motors and information on the WG50, WEG is demonstrating how motor technology can support the industry’s energy efficiency goals without compromising on durability.”
Motors remain one of the clearest targets for industrial energy reduction because they sit throughout quarrying and materials-handling operations. Conveyors, crushers, pumps, fans, mixers, screens, feeders, and compressors all depend on electric motor performance. In heavy industries with punishing duty cycles, the electrical load is substantial and equipment access can be difficult once production is running.
Energy efficiency and reliability therefore have to be treated together. A motor that saves energy but adds control complexity, maintenance uncertainty, or reliability risk will struggle in a quarry environment. A robust motor that cuts losses while fitting existing control architectures presents a more practical upgrade route, especially where operators do not want to change more of the system than necessary.
The direct-on-line capability of W22 Prime is useful in that context. Variable speed drives are valuable where load profiles justify them, but not every application needs or wants drive control. Some fixed-speed systems can benefit from higher-efficiency motors without redesigning the control architecture, while VSD compatibility leaves scope for later optimisation.
Quarrying and recycling operations are also under pressure from energy costs, carbon reporting, equipment availability, and safety expectations. Systems that reduce manual intervention during blockages, improve monitoring, or lower maintenance demands can deliver operational value alongside efficiency gains.
Motor, drive, sensor, and monitoring technologies are increasingly being treated as connected elements of plant performance rather than separate product purchases. The same pattern is appearing across water, wastewater, mining, manufacturing, and process industries, where energy consumption, predictive maintenance, and lifecycle cost are shaping procurement decisions more heavily than purchase price alone.
Hillhead will provide a practical test of those claims. Quarry operators tend to value equipment that can prove itself in difficult conditions, with limited patience for efficiency claims that come at the expense of downtime or service complexity. WEG’s strongest case will be where energy savings, durability, safety, and maintenance simplicity all point in the same direction.
