The next transformation in drive engineering is already well under way. Industrial equipment is becoming increasingly observable. For much of industrial history, maintenance teams knew something was wrong because they could hear it, feel excessive vibration, spot a leak or deal with the consequences after equipment had already failed. Preventive maintenance improved on that approach by servicing equipment at predetermined intervals.

According to SEW-EURODIVE national sales and marketing manager Jonathan McKey, digital condition monitoring takes the next step by asking a different question. “What is the equipment itself telling us?” 

SEW-EURODRIVE’s DriveRadar® technology monitors parameters including vibration, temperature, oil condition and gearbox performance. Changes in these indicators can provide early warning of deterioration before it becomes catastrophic failure. 

That capability is particularly valuable on critical assets, McKey explains. “A large conveyor drive in a mining operation, for example, is not valuable simply because of the gearbox sitting on its baseplate. Its real economic value is the tonnes of material the conveyor allows the operation to move.” 

This shifts the focus from maintaining equipment to protecting production.

It also changes the maintenance philosophy. Servicing every asset simply because a calendar says it is due can consume resources unnecessarily. Waiting until failure, on the other hand, risks expensive unplanned downtime. Condition-based information allows maintenance resources to be directed more intelligently.

This digital layer complements rather than replaces fundamental mechanical engineering. The most sophisticated monitoring system cannot correct a drive that was incorrectly sized from the start. Nor can installing a higher-efficiency motor automatically solve an inefficient drivetrain.

True optimisation requires engineers to understand the complete application: the motor, gearbox, mechanical load, control system and actual operating profile. This is particularly relevant as energy costs become increasingly material to industrial competitiveness.

An oversized motor may operate inefficiently. Poor gearbox selection can introduce mechanical losses. A conveyor that continues running when no material is present consumes energy without creating production. Fixed-speed equipment may be working harder than the process requires.

The opportunity lies in the system. “That is why SEW-EURODRIVE’s evolution into electronics and automation is important. Mechanical engineering and electronic intelligence increasingly work together to improve overall system performance,” says McKey.

The same principle extends into repair. Historically, repairing a drivetrain often meant dividing work among several suppliers – one handling the gearbox, another the motor, another machining and another couplings. Each handover added time and created another point at which responsibility and quality control could become fragmented.

The new Service and Repair Centre at Aeroton was designed to address that fragmentation by bringing a broader repair process under one roof. This includes inspection and rebuilds, refurbishment and remanufacturing, motor repairs, coupling refurbishment, machining and engineering services, cleaning and surface preparation, and final drivetrain testing and quality assurance.

Reverse engineering adds another particularly valuable capability for ageing plants. A legacy gearbox may still be fundamental to production even when drawings have been lost or replacement components are no longer available from the original manufacturer.

Laser scanning creates a dimensional point cloud of an existing unit, allowing engineers to reconstruct component geometry and develop replacement parts or complete gearsets.

McKey stresses that the process is not limited to SEW-EURODRIVE equipment. “The technical opportunity is broader than aftermarket support for an OEM’s installed base. It is an approach centred on plant lifecycle engineering, rather than simply supplying replacement products. 

A company able to inspect an existing asset, understand why it failed, repair or redesign it where appropriate and test the complete drivetrain is participating in a different part of the customer’s operation. It moves beyond supplying equipment to supporting long-term asset performance.”

That illustrates how SEW-EURODRIVE’s role has evolved over the past 40 years. Its engineering proposition is no longer simply about making equipment move, but about understanding how it moves, why it fails, how efficiently it operates and how long its useful life can be extended.