ABB Partners With RS To Distribute Conveyor Belt Products
While announcing the partnership, ABB also took the time to highlight their extensive range of contactors and soft starters.
Published February 26, 2026
ABB’s contactors and soft starters headlined the products RS will now be distributing on their behalf.
ABB announced that they will now be selling their portfolio of conveyor systems through global service solutions provider RS. ABB’s line of thousands of conveyor components are designed for numerous manufacturing and logistics applications, including assembly, packaging, and product fulfillment lines.
At the center of this push, ABB highlighted their contactor and soft starter solutions. Both product lines are designed to tackle common challenges ABB has seen across the industry such as energy efficiency demands and maintenance costs.
First, the contactors, small industrial relays designed to interact with higher-voltage components such as motors and power distribution circuits. These components are what signal the conveyor belt to start or stop.
ABB’s line of contactors come in three- and four-pole configurations and cover virtually every electrical configuration. Chief among their advertised offerings, their AF three-pole contactors are designed to eliminate chatter, overbridge voltage drops and sags, and consume up to 80% less energy than some competing solutions.
These contactors operate on solid-state controlled coils with AC/DC compatibility and surge suppression, use a 24VDC coil that enables automated PLC control via outputs greater than 250mA, and have a holding consumption of 1.7W. Other features include mirror and mechanically linked contacts and three termination options: screw, ring tongue, and push-in spring terminals, the latter of which is designed for reliability and easy wiring in high-vibration environments such as warehouse logistics.
Soft starters, meanwhile, do as they say on the tin: gradually start and stop your conveyor belts. Instead of jerkily going from 0 to 100 like flipping a light switch, soft starters slowly ease into it. This reduces the risk of damaging the conveyor belt — or a delicate product sitting on it — with sudden starts and stops.
ABB highlighted their PSR open soft starters, a compact line designed to fill the role without too much fuss or added complexity. They're equipped with a built-in bypass designed to reduce energy loss at full speed, are rated for 3–105A, 208–600VAC operation and 24VAC/DC or 100–240VAC control supply, can handle up to 100 starts per hour, and are ideal for space-constrained, low-amperage applications.
In highlighting both products at the same time, ABB’s pitch is clear: reduce your energy costs and the risk of wear and tear by incorporating components that will more gently manage your equipment. Specifically, they target the moments of highest strain a conveyor belt will experience when it starts, stops, or changes direction.
It’s a highly specific use case, but also a near-universal one. Both contactors and soft starters are commonplace components you likely already have installed in your conveyor systems, but ABB also stands out with the sheer breadth of its product line. Its soft starters come in 200 different configurations, while its contactor line features 8,500 variants, all designed to tackle specific environmental or industry-specific challenges.
It’s also just one part of ABB’s larger line of offerings, which include manual motor starters, power supplies, PLCs, circuit protection, relays, safety switches, including emergency stop switches and rope pulls, cable protection systems, cable fastening accessories, and lighting and indication. If interested in learning more, visit RS to explore their full line of products.
