Reasonable costs to operate, reliability, productivity and efficiency are increasingly becoming standard requirements in industry operations as the world moves towards digitisation and automation.

Automation improves productivity, thereby enabling companies to produce more products, and presents an opportunity to improve service offerings and grow customer bases, which can be difficult to achieve through manual operations in a competitive global production manufacturing environment.

Drive and control technologies specialist SEW-EURODRIVE, however, is well positioned to assist companies embrace Industry 4.0 and the fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) by providing innovative automation and fully integrable and efficient end-to-end solutions.

SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa mechatronics manager Werner Engelbrecht says in an effort to assist customers in their transitions to Industry 4.0, automation solutions have already been installed at the company’s new 26 000 m2 facility in Aeroton, Johannesburg.

The new complex more than triples the floor and factory space that was available at its previous premises and makes extensive use of the latest technologies to effectively network people, processes, services and data.

The company installed its MOVI-C system to automate operations at the facility, in preparation for the all-in-one modular drive solutions’ commercial release in South Africa early next year.

The MOVI-C, with a suite of products that automates drive applications, builds on SEW-EURODRIVE’s successful predecessor, the ‘Generation B’ range of drive solutions, promising better control, higher efficiency, added flexibility and a more user-friendly interface, representing the future of automation.

This suite of modular products will enable the company to offer improved capabilities to control the speed, acceleration, position and torque of multiple motor-driven axes of control systems.

Comprising four components, namely the engineering software MOVISUITE, the control technology MOVI-C Controller, the inverter technology for motor control MOVIDRIVE and Drive technology , the MOVI-C products optimise or expand existing automation systems, with an easy retrofit or new installation, as seen with the 40% productivity gain at SEW-EURODRIVE’s installation at its own facility.

While Covid-19 and chip shortages had delayed the release of MOVI-C in South Africa, SEW-EURODRIVE has now set up its electronics assembly for MOVI-C, with the components already on order.

The assembly of the company’s IE5 MOVIGEAR decentralised units was also recently moved from its Cape Town facility to the expanded Johannesburg facility, where commissioning will start mid-year.

The MOVIGEAR performance mechatronic drive system comprises an energy-efficient IE5 motor, gearbox and variable-speed drive designed for flexible use across various communication infrastructures, making it ideal for decentralised applications in the field.

The modular nature of the SEW-EURODRIVE installation means it can easily be modified, manipulated and extended in the future should the need arise.

SEW-EURODRIVE will incorporate service and assembly of 4IR technologies, including automated assembly machines and guided vehicles, into the Aeroton factory, with a focus on raising productivity and implementing smart maintenance.

SEW-EURODRIVE head of engineering Andreas Meid tells Engineering News that cost-savings, faster production, availability and reliability remain top of mind for its customers.

Along with the drive towards becoming more energy efficient, companies are increasingly leaning toward predictive maintenance in their operations, with the requirements of being forewarned of any potential breakdowns or repairs to avoid unscheduled downtime, improve efficiency and productivity, he says, highlighting the company’s DriveRadar.