For SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa MD Raymond Obermeyer, the company’s 40-year milestone is less about assessing what has been built than what will be required to remain relevant as industrial technology changes.

“Forty years seems a long time, but for me it has been a very short span of time,” he says.

Obermeyer has been with the company for 39 of those years, joining when SEW-EURODRIVE was still a relatively unknown name in the South African industrial market.

“We had to find ways of getting into the market, getting the customer to trust us and doing things differently. I think that has been our winning recipe,” he says in an interview with Engineering News & Mining Weekly.

That approach, Obermeyer believes, will remain important as the next phase of industrial development takes shape. Industrial technology is changing fast, with digitalisation, AI, automation and data-driven maintenance becoming increasingly prominent. 

“Digitalisation is becoming a big aspect of it. I do believe that AI will be a big factor as well,” he says. “But at the end of the day, we also have to be realistic. It won’t be the be-all and end-all.”

The challenge, Obermeyer says, will be finding the right balance between digital technologies and the physical products and engineering expertise that remain at the heart of industrial operations.

Products themselves will need to become more efficient and sustainable, while incorporating greater levels of intelligence and connectivity.

SEW-EURODRIVE’s own evolution reflects this shift, from geared motors into mechatronics, automation and digital condition monitoring. DriveRadar®, for example, has added equipment monitoring to the company’s product offering, providing another layer of insight into asset performance.

The company is also moving into areas such as robotics, which Obermeyer describes as part of the wider innovation taking place across the group. “We have established new robotic divisions, which were something that we never had before,” he says. “Robotics is part of where the world is moving.”

Skills Still Matter

For Obermeyer, skills will remain one of the most important requirements for the future. “Skills, skills, and skills,” he says when asked what customers will increasingly need from their technology and engineering partners.

AI and digitalisation can help engineers and maintenance teams make better use of information, Obermeyer says, but equipment will still have to be installed, commissioned, maintained and repaired. “Those fields of expertise are going to be critical going forward.”

This places technical skills and experience alongside digital capability as important elements of SEW-EURODRIVE’s future, reinforcing the significance of the company’s investment in training. 

Meanwhile, Obermeyer says the company’s investments in South Africa, from the Aeroton facilities and expanded stockholding to assembly, repair, training and digital capabilities, form part of what he describes as an effort to “close the loop”.

“We are trying to make sure that we are able to give the customer the whole turnkey solution.

“Customers need to understand that they have sustainability buying with SEW-EURODRIVE,” Obermeyer says.

Springboard into Africa

The South African operation currently supports activities across 24 African countries, and Obermeyer believes the country is well positioned to continue serving as a base for SEW-EURODRIVE’s wider operations on the continent.

“South Africa is very crucial in Africa,” he says. “I do believe that South Africa will still be the springboard into Africa as we go forward.”

The opportunity comes with significant challenges, including skills shortages and infrastructure constraints. These are also areas where engineering capability can make a difference.

“We are in the position that we are able to help with ports and all the industries in Africa,” he says.

The Next 40 Years

Looking further ahead, Obermeyer focuses less on the next milestone than on what the company can build for the future.

“For me, it is not so much about a legacy. It is about what we leave behind but also what we do with what we have left behind,” he says.

His ambition is for SEW-EURODRIVE to remain a reliable and sustainable solution provider as markets, technologies and customer expectations change.

“The markets will change. Our way we do business will change, and our thinking has to change,” he says. “We have to find innovative ways to move forward and find the solutions that not only our customers need, but that we need to be able to give to our customers.”

The next 40 years require the company to keep adapting and Obermeyer believes the South African operation has the capability to support that journey.

“I do honestly believe that SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa and SEW-EURODRIVE as a group are in a position to sustain ourselves and our customers for the next 40 years.”