Motor Starting Relays

Vektron Electronic Controls was founded in 1992 with a singular focus: manufacturing reliable single phase motor starting relays for the South African industrial market. At the time, the relays available locally were notoriously unreliable, and that gap in the market is what led directly to the development of our first product, the VK1.

The VK1 was designed for smaller single phase induction motors and quickly built a reputation for accuracy and durability. As demand grew, particularly from operators running larger equipment, we extended the range with the VK2 — a higher power variant covering the 1.5 Kw to 2.2 Kw band — to serve farming, poultry, and industrial applications where the VK1 was undersized.

In 2001 we made the move from electro-mechanical to solid state with the development of the VK4. The VK4 was put through extensive testing at the Femco Motor Manufacturing Laboratory, where engineers certified it as suitable for the complete range of Femco single phase motors across local and export markets. With no moving parts, automatic cut-out sensing and a wide 0.5–2.2 Kw power band, the VK4 became the workhorse of the Vektron lineup.

A terminal version, the VK4-T, was later introduced to dramatically reduce wiring complexity in applications like industrial polishers and scrubbers, where space and assembly time matter. Today, Vektron is the leading manufacturer of electronic motor relays in Africa, supplying the farming and poultry industries and continuing to test every single unit individually before it leaves the factory in Jeffreys Bay.