SEW-EURODRIVE energy audits help farmers drive down irrigation costs
Third Quarter 2025
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
SEW-EURODRIVE is expanding its support to South Africa’s agricultural sector by leveraging its world class expertise in energy audits for drive systems, helping farmers unlock cost savings and improve operational efficiencies in irrigation applications.
As part of its full-service offering to the farming community, SEW-EURODRIVE not only supplies robust and energy-efficient gearboxes and motors for centre pivot irrigation systems but also conducts in-depth energy audits to identify inefficiencies and recommend optimised drive solutions tailored to each operation.
“Electricity is one of the fastest growing input costs in agriculture, placing enormous pressure on farmers who depend on irrigation for consistent crop yields,” explains business development manager, Willem Strydom. “Our energy audits take a holistic view, assessing everything from motor and gearbox performance to how effectively power is used across the system.”
The audits typically evaluate the condition of installed equipment, the suitability of motor sizes for the application and the potential for savings by upgrading to premium efficiency IE3 motors.
SEW-EURODRIVE has already standardised on IE3-rated motors across its irrigation solutions, a step ahead of many competitors that still supply the lower efficiency IE1 motors. “By replacing outdated or oversized components our customers often achieve a noticeable reduction in energy consumption and associated costs,” says Strydom. “In many cases, the investment pays for itself within just a few irrigation seasons.”
This proactive service is particularly valuable for large-scale commercial farms and irrigation-intensive operations where even incremental gains in efficiency can translate into substantial savings. It also aligns with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s recently implemented Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), which place increasing emphasis on energy efficiency in industrial equipment.
“Our customers benefit from more than just superior products,” adds Strydom. “They gain access to our nationwide network of service teams and technical specialists. We conduct on-site inspections of drive systems, identify opportunities for optimisation and provide practical cost saving recommendations.”
SEW-EURODRIVE’s ‘closing the loop’ strategy ensures a complete drive solution for centre pivot irrigation, from supply and installation to local assembly, inspection, repair and energy optimisation. This end-to-end approach is backed by extensive local stockholding and standardised internal gearing across gearbox ranges, enabling fast turnaround times for repairs and refurbishments.
“We are proud to offer more than just components. We offer long-term value,” says Strydom. “Energy audits are just one of the many ways we are helping South African farmers become more efficient, resilient and sustainable.”
Further enhancing its support capabilities, SEW-EURODRIVE is currently constructing a dedicated service and repair centre at its headquarters in Aeroton, Johannesburg to accommodate the repair and refurbishment of geared units. This new facility will significantly reduce turnaround times and extend the lifecycle of equipment through OEM-quality repairs and maintenance, reinforcing the company’s commitment to the agricultural sector and its long-term success.
For more information contact SEW-EURODRIVE, +27 11 248 7000, [email protected], www.sew-eurodrive.co.za
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/SEW-EURODRIVE-sa
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SEWEurodriveSA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/SewEurodriveTV"
Further reading:
Beckhoff’s XPlanar boosts productivity in medical device assembly
Beckhoff Automation
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The intelligent transport system, XPlanar from Beckhoff provided the basis for an innovative system concept allowing the specialists at Automation NTH to reduce the space requirement of an assembly machine for medical diagnostic devices by a factor of 10.
Read more...
Smart features increase crane safety
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The newly launched Konecranes S series hoist offers a large bouquet of smart features which not only increase lifting device safety but also deliver a higher level of operator protection.
Read more...
Redefining industrial lifting
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The Konecranes S-series hoist redefines industrial lifting through its integration of a ground-breaking synthetic rope with smart features, a lifting capacity of 20 tons, and the ability to adapt to diverse girder configurations.
Read more...
Seven years of uninterrupted service
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
A set of hydraulically operated Corflex pinch valves, installed in 2018 at a major North African gold mine, has delivered in one of the continent’s most demanding slurry-handling applications.
Read more...
New generation soft starter ranges
Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Schneider Electric has launched its new generation Altivar ATS430 and ATS490 soft starter ranges in Anglophone Africa, the latest innovations in motor control technology.
Read more...
Reinventing the wheel
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Once a curiosity in the early automotive age, in-wheel motors are now re-emerging with real promise. From electric cars to commercial vehicles and even aircraft, they are on the verge of transforming transportation engineering.
Read more...
NORD modular drives for frequently changing motor speeds
Bearing Man Group T/A BMG
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
BMG has made a substantial investment over the years to ensure assembly, stockholdings and technical support for the Nord range are in line with stringent international quality, safety and environmental standards.
Read more...
PC-based control for sustainable fertiliser production on an industrial scale
Beckhoff Automation
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
On a farm in the USA, valuable ammonia is extracted from slurry and processed into ammonium sulphate. NSI Byosis has transformed this complex process into a flexible modular system. This modular approach requires an automation solution with flexible scalability in both hardware and software, which this Dutch company has found in PC-based control from Beckhoff.
Read more...
Redefining motion control with Festo’s vision for seamless and intelligent automation
Festo
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The quest for precision, flexibility and efficiency continues to shape the future of industrial automation, and Festo, as a long-standing leader in automation technology, stands firmly at the forefront of this movement, driving innovation and setting the benchmark for excellence.
Read more...
The opportunity and impact of MEPS electric motor regulations
WEG Africa
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
South African companies are gearing up for the new Minimum Energy Performance Standards, part of a global trend towards energy-efficient electric motors.
Read more...
printer friendly version