Drive engineering company SEW-Eurodrive plans to increase its market share in the South African drives sector and better service its customers through recent expansions at its Nelspruit, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Johannesburg facilities.

The company increased the Nelspruit branch’s capability late last year to handle larger units of up to 500 kNm, up from 165 kNm.

It has also established a facility near the decommissioned Durban International Airport to manage KZN’s after-sales and service requirements.

SEW-Eurodrive sales and engineering GM Conrad Pilger says the airport site is earmarked to become a new container terminal.

“The location of our new facility suits us perfectly – from a stock receiving and African exports point of view. KZN has a concentration of diverse industries, such as ports, mining, automotive, food and beverage and logistics. This expansion will enable us to service our existing customers better and increase our market share,” he says.

Further, he reveals that the company’s Cape Town branch is set to become its drive electronics hub in South Africa and offers servomotor repairs.

SEW-Eurodrive has invested in the establishment of an assembly cell at the branch for its energy efficient mechatronic drive system Movigear, which can reduce energy consumption by up to 65%.

Pilger says the company has been on a major growth drive during the last five years, employing skilled staff and offering tailor-made solutions to the industry, while constantly expanding its product range.

The company launched its complete drive maintenance service (CDS) in September last year at Electra Mining Africa 2012 and plans to change its after-sales concept from reactive to proactive.

Through the CDS, the company offers customers a 24-hour service hotline, training, repair and retrofit services, inspection, maintenance and installation advice services, as well as spare parts services.

SEW-Eurodrive hopes the CDS will strengthen its partnership with end-users to ensure less downtime and reduced maintenance.

Training Academy
To further provide customers and staff with professional products and drive engineering training, SEW-Eurodrive established the Drive Academy, which offers training on the repair and maintenance of the company’s products.

The academy was opened in 2011, in Johannesburg.

Training is based on the same principles, learning materials and international standards specified by the company’s head office in Germany.

Pilger says the training ensures that companies and individuals maintain high-quality skills and facilities.

Further, he notes that technology is becoming increasingly complex and states that training is required to stay abreast of the latest developments.

“The training also helps customers get the most out of the product. We concen- trate on troubleshooting, repairs and operation. If maintenance staff have the necessary knowledge, they are able to prevent a breakdown before it happens and fix problems on their own, without the additional wait or fees of a call-out,” he says.

Market Solutions
Meanwhile, Pilger believes that growth in the South African drives sector is dependent on educating and supporting original- equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on new and advanced technology, so that local OEMs can become players in the global market.

Pilger says, owing to South Africa’s robust regulatory environment and local OEMs’ experience in difficult and complex industry applications, OEMs should be able to offer better solutions to the African continent, compared with international OEMs.

Improving skills and increasing local knowledge and capabilities should allow the market to become more self-sufficient in offering and delivering on the require- ments of the South African and African markets.

Pilger states that the local drives market is commercially competitive and environmentally challenging. He advises product suppliers to provide customer with the correct cost-effective solution, offer train- ing and work harder, as customers’ investments in new equipment is becoming less frequent.