SEW-EURODRIVE offers a range of customised solutions for the African mining industry and its new multimillion-rand local assembly facility in Johannesburg is said to offer even greater lead time advantages.

“We supply innovative, high quality and premium efficiency drive products. In addition, through a significantly larger local stock holding and our expanded local assembly capability, we can now deliver solutions with the shortest lead times available on the African continent,” says national sales and marketing manager Jonathan McKey.

“Also, most of the accessories that are needed for these drive solutions, such as brakes, oil pumps and encoders, are also supplied by SEW-EURODRIVE, many of which are not add-on components from sub-suppliers,” adds McKey.

Examples of the company’s offering include:

• The new generation X.e series Industrial Gearboxes (IGs): modular solutions designed to be robust, reliable, efficient and easy to maintain, and particularly suited to harsh environmental conditions experienced on African mines. The company highlights that its stockholding of torque/speed combinations and fine-size graduations have been significantly increased to make the X.e series easy to customise to precisely meet the needs of applications such as mine conveyors or mill drives.
• Additional modular features and options, such as motor adapters, backstops, and various sealing and shaft systems are also available. 
• Large open segmented girth gears comprise precision-manufactured cast ductile individual segments aimed at simplifying handling, transportation and onsite assembly, and boasting strength and hardness for improved reliability. Complete drive systems can be shipped to site in standard containers, while also simplifying onsite assembly, which can be done quicker and with lighter lifting equipment.
• Total mill drive solutions and power packs, which typically include a large electric motor and SEW-EURODRIVE IGs to turn the external pinion that drives the girth gear.

“SEW-EURODRIVE will engineer and assemble the entire drive train to best suit the milling application in question, along with assisting with commissioning of the lubrication, cooling, braking and low speed maintenance gearboxes typically incorporated on modern mill drive solutions,” says McKey.

The company can also install its DriveRadar predictive maintenance management solution to further ensure the reliability of mine equipment. “DriveRadar automatically records and analyses operational data from our IG units and uses it to track equipment condition in real time and predict performance changes,” McKey explains.

In addition, the company has offerings for high torque mining applications such as bulk materials handling systems and apron feeder drives on conveying systems. Its planetary P-series IGs are coupled with primary gear units to offer compact and cost-effective solutions with high thermal ratings.

For many variable torque processing plant drive applications, such as conveyors, pumps, extractor fans, bucket and chain elevators, hoists and lifting systems, travel drives and mixers, SEW-EURODRIVE’s comprehensive range of gearmotors and large IG solutions are available in numerous sizes and ratios.

Its MOVIMOT and MoviC electronics solutions deliver gearmotors with integrated frequency inverters for applications that require easily implementable variable speeds and special automated functionality.

McKey notes that the company is currently delivering on a R200-million investment in the expanded South African facility, which will enable SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa to look after another 24 facilities in different African countries. “This new facility in Aeroton, Johannesburg, will massively reduce lead times for South and Southern African clients, for replacement units, spares availability and complete drive power packs.