Trend to complete systems in material handling

Trend to complete systems
Interview with Helmut Wood, SEW Euro Drive

Interview

The site manufactures SEW in Bruchsal, the big drive solutions that are used for example in container terminals, the sugar cane processing, or mining sites. The IEE spoke to Helmut Wood, head of the Heavy Industrial Solutions business unit, on specific innovations and the transformation from a component supplier to a solutions business in the industrial gears.

Mr. Wood, you are responsible for seven months for the Heavy Industrial Solutions at SEW Euro Drive. What product range includes the division?

It includes responsibility for the gear industry, so large gear, around the world. These include more and more systems solutions, not just the solo gear. The trend in Europe is clearly in the direction of drive systems and system solutions. This means that the customer wants to get delivered next to the gear and brake, clutch, motor, inverter and the controller as a complete system on a steel / welding arm. And we have set ourselves. SEW has, like few others in the industry, the mechanical, electrical, electronic and software expertise in-house. We want to use for the industrial gear business. In China and in the U.S., the trend is towards systems are not as noticeable. Since we sell mostly solo or with standard transmission options.

If you push the Solution business must also be provided consulting expertise.

In Europe, you called in about two-thirds Engineered to Order (ETO) and one third Assembled to Order (ATO) start. This means that the orders for which we do not have a construction component are more likely in the minority. In many cases we have to construct and customize customer-related. Like our competitors in the industrial gear business, we have in certain cases, not all theoretically possible option available in our kit and that leads, among other things, that we have engineered a high-to-order content. And this means that a high level of consulting expertise must be available.

How can I imagine such a project?

You have to differentiate whether we are moving more in the cutthroat competition or whether it is a completely new plant project. During the displacement, we need to critically evaluate what we do as a company and drive more in order to competitors - often while retaining some connection dimensions - can replace. And if there is a new project, then we can interpret more bearings by our standard kit. Since there is often a means to carry out jointly with the customer at an early stage a kind of co-engineering. In addition, such projects are often international in nature, where you have to cross-border (including end-user, etc., EPC) at the beginning of the project intensive coordination activities and advisory services to the customer site and perform with its own sales organization. Our customers are always more active globally and are therefore also relevant requirements.

You must surely also work with several other departments within SEW. How is this cooperation? Do I buy the services, for example, at the Division of servo drives?



Main interfaces are clearly internally the engineering and other business units. The Product Stewardship for servo drives is placed with us in the business unit's Classic. There we buy in case of need these products internally. The same applies to other SEW products.

In general, we have classified our innovative range by product category and there is one, I would say to the other engineering fields demarcated area of ​​industrial gears. We have, of course, intersections, because we need to channel both in the adaptive design and construction in series with the requirements of the market. And then we also have interfaces to logistics in the house when we talk about the X series product from the factory in Bruchsal, our new Stirnrad-/Kegelstirnradgetriebe, and P, our planet gear. When it comes to other product lines, which are manufactured in Finland, China or Brazil, we must of course also the co-ordinate and lead to a successful conclusion.

For a product that has been around for decades in the market, the innovative leaps are not as large. Where there are opportunities to use developmentally?

This is certainly an important question that you raise. For example, we have at our X-series with an intelligent modular concept achieved in the teeth to be able to be used in the input stage and a reduced variance in the preliminary stages in two consecutive sizes identical gears. This can be illustrated with a small number of parts of a broad spectrum. Based on our market strategy, we have decided to serve certain priority industries and applications, we are talking about so-called Foma, ie Main Field of Activity. We focus on material handling, for example, in mining, Cranes / container handling and the corresponding applications that are needed for it. To maximize the effect of gravity, we use standardized affiliate programs. This ensures that the wheel we do not always have to reinvent, to map corresponding customer requirements and the design effort and complexity as low as possible.

In the cutthroat competition, it comes down to the smallest features. But the transmission of all manufacturers are different today, not great?

It is extremely important, next to the product and additional added value services such as competent local or other services and benefits that we speak of 'Drive Benefits' to offer to our customers.

So the keyword 'Drive Benefits' also applies to the industrial gear?

Yes. The entire value-based selling, as they say, of course we want also to offer our customers the industrial gear business. Typical services in this context, for example, the variant management, electronic order processing, product labeling, or even our spare parts store. To order replacement parts, there is an app by the way.

The theme of condition monitoring is certainly something with which one can score?

The topic of condition monitoring, we are already in the can and already geared motors cover a broad spectrum in order to minimize potential loss of production at the customer. Among the industrial gears we have some catching up to do. We have, for example, sensors for oil aging and vibration, but there are still relatively simple solutions. We will of course continue to push. But as you say, all right: SEW is more than just the product. We have a large logistics and process expertise. We are already long-standing supplier to many customers and many of these customers have a need for industrial gearboxes. Since the barrier to entry is relatively low, because we know these customers from our traditional business was already making. We can offer the customer an intensive course, local support in terms of service. Whether the repairs are now, maintenance, spare parts supply, so much of what is more and more towards preventive maintenance. We have also written on the flag and the result of course, that we can then hold locally appropriate service levels. Not only the equipment, the tools, but also the people who run this business locally, must have an appropriate quality or skill level. This requires systematic training course.

The energy saving drives the whole drive and automation industry. What about solutions for the transmission? Is this a big issue?

Of course we have already accepted this challenge and can offer our customers energy-efficient solutions. SEW has access to a variety of realized applications and energy saving solutions in various industries. Therefore, we also offer an energy consultancy, in order to achieve meaningful as possible, the application task and customized combination of transmissions, engines, control systems and software with our customers. We have the appropriate efficiency to IE 3 classes in our program, IE 4 is in preparation. However, we have of the service areas at the top, not all sizes in our program. That is, we need the most power classes from 375 kW currently buy more. As is the future but the question is: Make or buy?

As an engineer, you tend to like to over-engineering. How do you convince customers better design solutions?

If the customer can not take standard gear from our catalog, then you are always well advised to become familiar with it as close to the standard and to convince the customer of this solution. This requires a technically competent advice and application know-how. But ultimately, the increasing cost pressures from our customers to more standards-oriented solutions, because they are cheaper to implement. Engineering costs just money.

In other words 'custom-built from the kit'?

Wherever it is possible. With our relatively new X-series, we can offer our customers tailor a comprehensive program. Our size tuning is the finest on the market. This allows a better adaptation to the customer machine and prevents over-or under-dimensioning. This also results in cost and weight savings. Other advantages include ease of maintenance and flexibility in customizing applications to customers through our robust universal housing. We also have modular affiliate programs that are standardized industry-specific or application-specific, such as our affiliate program of the bucket elevator or belt drives.

What potential is there still in the gearbox area? Where could open up new solutions?

We are watching very closely the market and technology trends and take into account in our strategy. Potential is sufficient for us given the market. We see, especially in the sectors of material handling, mining / mineral, Cranes / container handling as well as environmental / recycling still excellent opportunities for growth. Here we are increasingly more application solutions for conveying, mixing, pressing, and Shred to offer our customers.

Is there ever more ways of developing the industrial gear?

These are undoubtedly given. There is for instance already in the research projects with gears gears made without oil or specific plastics. I also see in the industrial gear range more optimization opportunities, such as mechatronics or the optimization of the interfaces in a drive system. These are just some examples that illustrate potential development opportunities.