Drive engineering company SEW Eurodrive reports that it has now carried out its promise to install a complete assembly and service centre for Movigear to provide the local backup which it promised to customers.

“When the South African market demanded the release of the Movigear, the local assembly branches of SEW could not solely rely on the support and service of the Movigear from Germany. Being readily available and ensuring fast local service and support for all SEW users are of paramount importance to SEW as well as to the end-user. It was a unanimous decision among the shareholders to add a complete Movigear assembly and service facility in Cape Town,” says SEW Eurodrive electronics and product manager Paul Strzalkowski.

The company’s new Cape Town-based Movigear assembly and service facility gives its customers a sense of confidence and security in knowing the company’s commitment to supporting its products.

He points out that when Movigear was first imported into South Africa, on European built machines, customers became increasingly nervous about the company’s ability to service and maintain this new product. With the installation of the new facility, SEW Eurodrive addresses the matter.

The company highlights that Cape Town was a natural choice as home for the Movigear for a number of reasons. All of the local Cape Town gearbox assemblers are experienced in assembling the FA27- and FA37-size gearboxes, which have the same construction and gearing as the Movigear. Recently, Cape Town also became a complete service and repair facility for servodrives locally. The Movigear motor is a servomotor, albeit without the encoder in most cases.

“Our Movigear assembly plant has the capability to service and assemble Movigear systems for the whole of Africa. SEW Eurodrive is also able to provide any additional technical and project planning support that might be needed for the selection and design of Movigear-driven systems anywhere in Africa.

“The current grounds of the Cape Town branch are in excess of 10 000 m², with the complete store and assembly plant taking up only 2 200 m² of this. There is no shortage of space for future expansion and little chance of overcrowding,” explains Strzalkowski.

Meanwhile, SEW Eurodrive has provided Cape Town-based food company Garon Foods with the DAS Aseptic motor, which is resistant to chemicals, cleaning agents and disinfectancts, as well as high-pressure purification with clear water.

Garon Foods food technologist Ruan Brits notes that cleanliness and hygienic operating conditions are of prime importance to the supermarket chains as well as to the high standards set by Garon Foods. Keeping the working area and the materials handling systems clean and free of unwanted grime and germs requires that the area be washed down three times each working day.

“The liquid used for washing down all surfaces consists of highly aggressive and corrosive chemicals. These chemicals don’t distinguish between machinery parts and grime. As a result of exposure to these chemicals, motors in certain areas, like the chillers and pickled fish conveyors, were prone to corrosion,” he says.

SEW Eurodrive sales engineer Jason Jackson highlights that the DAS Aseptic motor has a degree of protection rated at IP69K. It also has smooth cooling fins to prevent bacteria being lodged, while the absence of fans prevents the swirling around of germs and dust. The Aseptic drive package has extensive resistance to chemicals, cleaning agents and disinfectants, as well as being amenable to high-pressure purification with clear water.

“As the conveyor in the despatch area conveys the items from the high-risk area to the despatch area, through a metal detector, the speeds need to be varied according to the size and type of product being moved. SEW Eurodrive was able to provide an off-the-shelf solution by supplying a Movitrac MC LTEB IP66 drive. This drive is mounted directly on the wall and, because of its high ingress protection rating, it is impervious to the water and cleaning chemicals that are sprayed or splashed onto it.

“The DAS series comes with a smooth surface and without fans. This provides a perfect solution for hygienic production areas and offers resistance to chemicals, cleaning agents and disinfectants, as well as cleaning with water,” he points out.

Installation of Gear Units

In other news, SEW Eurodrive has installed ten industrial gear (IG) units for maintenance and installation company Inzeno Water on the municipal water treatment plant in the Stellenbosch Winelands.

In water treatment plants, one of the initial and most critical stages of the process is to aerate large volumes of water. Aeration is the process whereby water is enriched with oxygen through a continuous rotation and churning process. This enables the release of harmful gases from the water and kills certain bacteria in the water. It also hastens the breakdown of organic matter in the water.

“In our industry, we have to ensure that we are offering our clients the best solutions at competitive prices. Over the years we have found that the pricing, quality and service offered by SEW Eurodrive, played a decisive role in our procurement for this project,” says Inenzo Water projects manager Chris Erasmus.

“The compact range of IG units is increasing in popularity in South Africa. These units have excellent configuration options, such as the extended bearing distance and drywell bearing housing we used on this project. These compact units are also relatively small for the torque they handle, which makes them easy to install and commission, cutting down on start-up costs and time,” says SEW Eurodrive Cape Town branch manager Byron Griffiths.