Drive technology and industrial automation specialist SEW-EURODRIVE has officially launched its 17 000 m² Service and Repair Centre to close a product and equipment lifecycle loop.

Moving beyond the manufacture and assembly of new equipment to a full lifecycle support system, the R385-million Service and Repair Centre, adjacent to the company’s Aeroton headquarters, in Gauteng, has been purpose-built for complete drivetrain inspection, repair, overhaul, refurbishment, remanufacturing and testing.

A complete drivetrain may include a gearbox, motor, couplings and associated mechanical and electrical components, which, historically, were often repaired by different third-party suppliers.

The establishment of the Service and Repair Centre brings these capabilities in-house and provides SEW-EURODRIVE complete control over every step of the repair and refurbishment process.

“Our investment is not simply about building machines or capacity. It is about ensuring that . . . SEW-EURODRIVE can support clients with more capability, more capacity, more expertise and a greater independence . . . throughout the life cycle of the equipment,” said SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa MD Raymond Obermeyer.

This enables the company to increasingly support a project from feasibility, engineering and design, product selection and supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance, repairs and refurbishment.

“Our investment in this facility is also an investment in continuity and sustainability. It means we can respond faster. We can develop more local capabilities. We can support equipment for longer. We can reduce dependency on external suppliers and resources, and ultimately, we can provide our customers with a more complete solution.”

SEW-EURODRIVE national operations manager and compliance officer Greg Perry said that the facility closes the loop for the company: being able to repair its products.

“The work that was previously outsourced is now being done internally,” he said, highlighting that the facility is equipped with an extensive range of advanced engineering technologies including 3D scanners, computer numerical control machining equipment, motor winding machines, steel-bending equipment and sand-blasting and priming facilities.

Incoming gearboxes are cleaned, extensively inspected, scanned where necessary, disassembled, stripped and assessed.

Components can be machined or remanufactured, motors repaired, couplings refurbished and the complete drivetrain tested before being returned to the customer.

For older equipment, digital reverse engineering has become an increasingly important capability.

A handheld laser scanner generates a point cloud that accurately captures the geometry of worn or obsolete components. Engineers use this dimensional data to manufacture replacement gearsets and other components even when original drawings are no longer available.

The capability also extends beyond SEW-EURODRIVE equipment to include the repair and refurbishment of equipment manufactured by other original-equipment manufacturers.

“The main goal is to provide better service to our customers.”

By bringing the control of some of the outsourced products in-house, the company can control the quality and the delivery.

The new facility also enabled the expansion of SEW-EURODRIVE’s in-house DriveAcademy, which was established in 2011.

The academy, which occupies 1 000 m² of the centre, provides immersive hands-on specialised training across mechanical, electronic and digital disciplines, as well as information technology and soft skills.

SEW-EURODRIVE training manager Zander Claassens said that while the company has extensive after-sales support, and is ready to respond to any client requirements, the DriveAcademy enables clients to learn how to service and maintain their own equipment.

The hands-on training provides customers the capabilities to better prevent equipment from getting to the point of failure and having to replace it on a short-notice basis, which can be costly.

As customers are increasingly investing in maintaining their equipment to last longer, the DriveAcademy aims to provide them the required education and knowledge, which ultimately contributes toward a better turnaround for the customer and a better uplift for the industry.

“We have amazing products, but like anything in life, nothing lasts forever. As such, we have to think of the longer-term goals of our customers, their needs and how to sustain the industry.”