WEG’s Portuguese test lab will act as a European showcase
20 January 2026 
The Brazilian electrical equipment manufacturer, WEG, has commissioned a facility in Portugal for testing large motors and inverters, that is intended to expand its operations and influence across Europe. The laboratory will act as a showcase, with WEG customers being invited to view products in operation, and being tested.
About six years ago, WEG made a strategic decision to expand from its original Portuguese base in Maia, near Porto, after identifying a critical need to enhance its inspection processes and improve its production capacity. This led to the establishment of the new lab in Santo Tirso, co-located with a 22,680m2 factory where the company is manufacturing MV and HV drives and motors, as well as LV electrical panels. WEG has invested €23.5m in the site.
The new lab, which commenced operations in 2024, is one of WEG’s most advanced test facilities globally. It has a 410m² test area, as well as 82m² of testing and development offices. The lab also has 560m² of “technical areas” dedicated to medium- and low-voltage automation and control, and 525m² to electrical machinery.
The facility can test motors weighing up to 43 tonnes. In future, this could be expanded up to 63 tonnes. The site can test the performance of both low- and high-voltage equipment up to 15kV, and perform direct load tests on motors and inverters up to 7.5MW.
The facility can also perform string tests on complete drivetrains including transformers, inverters and motors, as well as special tests such as high-voltage and sound-level testing of larger machines.
The lab is equipped for advanced vibration testing and analysis to ensure compliance with international standards. It can also assess water-cooled systems and lubrication systems.
Around 80% of the investment in the new facility has been supplied from within the WEG group – the MV equipment, UPSs, PLCs and control systems were mostly procured internally.
The laboratory has been designed with future expansion in mind, including space for new test platforms. For example, WEG is developing a new dual-frequency testing method, and is preparing to address emerging areas such as testing battery storage systems and EV chargers. It is also preparing to assess next-generation motor technologies.
WEG: LinkedIn
