Leading the way forward

Published:  09 November, 2013

During the event, which took place at the industrial motion giant’s headquarters in Bruchsal, Germany, the Group highlighted how it has set itself the goal of becoming the global market-leader in industrial gearboxes within ten years. It currently lies in second place behind Siemens/Flender and expects to double its existing market share to capture pole position.

Revealing this goal in Germany recently, Helmut Holz, manager of SEW’s heavy industrial solutions business, said that the company wants to position itself as “the first choice” for heavy industrial gearboxes and to be recognised as “the premium supplier” of industrial gear systems.

SEW believes that it can become number one by growing organically. It is not planning to make any acquisitions.

During the visit, SEW allowed PWE access to its Industrial Gear Plant (GGW), which started production in 2009 and has been ramping up output and efficiency ever since. The plant covers a total area of 60,000m2 and now employs more than 300 people producing bevel and helical gears as well as shafts and housings.

SEW said that the Bruchsal site was built to be one of the most modern factories for industrial gear units, with short delivery times for industrial gear units, and realisation of an in-house-production for industrial gear parts.

SEW also has gear manufacturing plants in China, Brazil, Finland, and the Czech Republic, and assembly centres in nine other countries.

The company believes that this global presence and worldwide service network, coupled with its strong brand and “best in class” delivery performance and reliability, will also be important factors in achieving its goal of global leadership in industrial gears.

It plans to target specific industries including: mining, minerals and materials handling; metal production; sugar and alcohol; the food industry; and energy and environmental applications, such as cooling towers.

Robust products

The event illustrated why the company says it can reach the number one position by highlighting some of its key products relevant to PWE readers, including the robust helical and bevel-helical gear units that are part of the X Series of industrial gear units cover a torque range of 6.8 to 475 kNm. The intelligent, comprehensive gear unit concept features finely graduated size, variable installation and a wide variety of modular options that are sure to impress users.

SEW produces the robust X Series industrial gear units on an independent platform. With their finely graduated size, they cover a torque range of up to 475 kNm. Recently, the Bruchsal-based drive automation specialist rounded off the lower power range of this series and is now also offering the proven gear units for the torque range of 6.8 to 45 kNm. The extremely large gear ratio of 6.3 to 450 is evidence that with its X Series, SEW has met all the requirements for a complete, comprehensive range of industrial gear units.

When it comes to helical and bevel-helical gear units, nearly any mounting position or shaft arrangement can be implemented. The X Series’ finely graduated size and high power density results in savings in terms of both weight and cost. The large amount of pre-defined accessory equipment creates flexibility in terms of adjusting the unit to each respective application. This includes a wide range of modular options such as motor adapters and mounting flanges, backstops and cooling systems as well as sealing systems for the most varied environmental conditions.

One main area of application for SEW industrial gear units is conveyor systems in a wide variety of industries. In this context, the gear units perform reliable service in driving conveyor belts and bucket elevators for the horizontal and vertical transport of bulk material and packages. They also run the travel and hoist drive on cranes or serve as a drive with reinforced bearings for mixers and agitators. Moreover, X Series industrial gear units will also be used in industries such as the chemicals, food and environmental industries, as well as the wood, paper, plastic and steel industries.

For further information please visit: www.sew-eurodrive.co.uk