Drives specialist SEW-Eurodrive has gone from strength to strength in the last few years. Motion Control spoke to MD, Ute Schoeman, to find out how this was achieved.
Motion Control: How have you seen SEW-Eurodrive change and grow in the three years that you have been MD?
Schoeman: We have done a lot of homework. This has been a very difficult period for industry and we have used the time to take stock, get new systems in place and focus on quality. We have taken the opportunity to implement an efficiency drive and we are now doing things better than ever. We have upped our training and sent more engineers to Germany. Our products are of a high quality and our people are operating at a higher level.
Motion Control: What have the challenges been this year and how have you dealt with them?
Schoeman: This has been a tough year from the market point of view as mining is a huge part of our turnover. However, we are lucky to have a presence in 80 to 90% of all industries in this country and have done very well in our other market sectors
The metal strike was a big challenge. We have five assembly plants in South Africa and during the strike we moved production to our different assembly locations in South Africa. Customers had to be a bit more patient with deliveries but we managed to be fully operational in all other areas. Although this was a setback, we are very happy with the outcome and have caught up the losses.
Motion Control: What are your key target markets
Schoeman: Our major targets are mining, logistics, and food and beverage. South Africa has the biggest coal export terminal in the world and we have now been awarded supplier status – something we have been working on for seven years. We are also a leader in the automotive industry. VW, Toyota and Ford have all standardised on SEW products. Ports and harbours are also huge markets for us, examples being in the automation of stacker reclaimers and cranes. All our products complement each other and they have really great energy-saving functionality. Some of our products even come with wireless technology.
Although mining was down, we are also in service and repair and this business has been fantastic. As a result of discussions, communication and open conversations with our end-users, we are moving strongly into automation technology. We operate in a heavy, labour-intensive environment but our products actually allow for extensive automation.
We also rely on OEMs to implement our technology in their applications, and this requires training to integrate our products in the automation process. So upskilling of our partners is very important. We are partnering with the OEMs to help develop technologies that can be sold locally and globally. It’s very important to develop the OEMs as they are an extension of our marketing drive.
Motion Control: What are the highlights of the past year?
Schoeman: The launch of our Maxolution business unit was definitely a highlight (see 'Materials handling goes mobile'). We have been planning this for three years and we had to train our staff to a very high level of engineering. The timing was perfect as we know from conversations with our end-users that Maxolution fits perfectly with our automation strategy.
We are also very happy with what we achieved at Electra Mining. We have had a lot of communication this year – we have realised that sometimes we must listen more than we act. As a result of conversations with our customers we have been able to realign and address their needs for the future.
We are also very proud of our design competition, the Pneudrive Challenge, which has raised our profile in the engineering world. By partnering with the universities, we can get students excited about our company and our products and attract top engineers to work for us. Another big plus is the source of new ideas; we see new innovative ways of using our products and applications. People are now clamouring to be on the judging panel and we even get requests from overseas universities to participate. We are also giving something back to education, but in the right way, as there is now a formal avenue for getting products to the universities, with a structure in place to train students and staff how to use them. This has been a really great experience and we are happy to have been able to add value to the universities.
Motion Control: How does SEW-Eurodrive SA fit into the company’s global vision and strategy?
Schoeman: SEW-Eurodrive worldwide is a driver of innovation and offers solutions, not just components. Our South African Eurodrive has the biggest assembly plant in Africa and it’s the only one that handles all product groups. In terms of food and beverage, from the technology point of view we had to invest to become competitive, especially in servo motors and mechatronic drives. We are one of only eight SEW-Eurodrive centres worldwide to offer Maxolution and we are in the top 10 countries in the world in industrial gears. We also do servicing for the entire continent, as Morocco and Cameroon don’t have the expertise. We are the company’s springboard into Africa.
We have a fantastic R&D team of approximately 300 engineers in Germany developing new products for the automotive industry, which is huge in Europe. Now we want to bring those innovative products to the local market. We are in the solutions business.
Maxolution has brought hugely innovative products to the market. It was originally aimed at the automotive industry but it is applicable to many other industries.
Motion Control: What special products have you launched this year?
Schoeman: Apart from Maxolution, we have launched great products like girth gear and Movi4R-U at Electra Mining. Movi4R-U is a very simple inverter made from recyclable material – a first in the industry – and it has already won an international innovation prize.
Motion Control: Going forward what are your plans for the next five years?
Schoeman: We are known as doers and out-of-the-box thinkers. We have set the scene for what we want to achieve and laid the groundwork, as we realised we need to be bigger and better with respect to delivery and response time. We have done the investment and homework and are continually improving and nurturing talent and investing in skills and efficiencies. New products are coming out all the time. We have used the tough times to consolidate and build on our strengths and we will be ready for the future when the market turns.
For more information contact René Rose, SEW-Eurodrive, +27 (0)11 248 7000, rrose@sew.co.za, www.sew.co.za
| Tel: | +27 11 248 7000 |
| Fax: | +27 11 248 7289 |
| Email: | jklut@sew.co.za |
| www: | www.sew-eurodrive.co.za |
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