Expanding access to drive technology

Drive technology and drive automation specialist SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa says that it is expanding its presence in Africa, while developing local expertise and rolling out its latest technology.

“It just makes sense for our customers to have direct access to the original-equipment manufacturer (OEM),” says SEW-EURODRIVE national sales and marketing manager Jonathan McKey. “This is particularly relevant in Africa, where distances to sites can be lengthy and the infrastructure is often limited.”

He points out that SEW-EURODRIVE in South Africa is already serving large multinational corporations around Africa who have global agreements with the company at head office level. These customers are active in industries such as food and beverage, automotive, mining and specialised machinery.

“Big international customers want to know that all their subsidiaries around the world can receive the same high quality of service for their SEW-EURODRIVE equipment,” he says. “The same applies for any size of customer; Africa is now demanding higher levels of technical support, especially in those countries experiencing economic growth and technological advancement.”

He notes that governments are also encouraging the global private sector to have a local presence in African countries. The company already has staff in Kenya and Zambia and is planning to establish a presence in three more African countries during 2023.

“Our research and development cover a wide range of fields that can benefit customers – from gearing topography to specialised gearbox oils,” adds McKey. “With more sophisticated tools to analyse our own products, we have been able to offer customers even higher reliability as well as improvements in aspects such as torque demand.”

Highlighting that the company’s progress has been enhanced by a strong digital offering, SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa MD Raymond Obermeyer says that Africa is generally well advanced in digital communication.

“Access to the cellular network makes everything possible, from selecting and buying gearboxes to monitoring and analysing their performance remotely,” says Obermeyer, adding that the range of SEW-EURODRIVE equipment has been designed to use multiple communication methods, and to communicate to every device from SCADA systems to computers and mobile phones. Systems such as DriveRadar can therefore be installed on a product and monitored from anywhere in the world where there is a data signal.

McKey emphasises that direct contact with customers is preferable and that the company upskills its own employees and customer staff, to fully understand both the operation and the potential of its technology.  This applies to the company’s modular ranges as well as to its purpose-built products – such as the air-cooled condenser solutions.

“We have invested in our in-house Drive Academy for precisely this purpose which can provide skills development in-person at our Johannesburg facility or remotely,” he says.

Obermeyer points out that the most advanced SEW-EURODRIVE products are already found all over Africa, showing how the continent has embraced technology.