It's the reply no equipment manager wants to receive. Noticing that parts for their industrial gearboxes, like gear drives and tooth wheels, are running very low, they reach out to the original equipment manufacturer to order more.

Instead, the OEM informs them that the last parts had been sold. The queried models are no longer in production, and they don't have the tools anymore to produce the gearboxes or their parts.

Companies run industrial gearboxes for decades, during which vendors can leave, no longer support legacy units, and stop producing relevant parts. What choices do the owners of those gearboxes have left? Is replacement their only option?

Reverse-engineering legacy parts

WEG Africa's turbine workshop has a superior alternative. It uses 3D scanning to reverse-engineer, document, and manufacture components for gearboxes, turbines, and compressors, expanding their lifespans.

"We frequently service equipment that outlasted its supplier's support lifespan," says Alastair Gerrard, Executive of Energy Systems at WEG Africa. "This is a major issue with turbines and gearboxes. There has been a lot of vendor consolidation, and many brands are no longer available regionally, especially in terms of workshops and spare parts. But legacy equipment can run for decades, and there's no reason to replace it, until you can't get spares. That's why we established our reverse-engineering services."

WEG's workshop covers industrial gearboxes, turbines, and compressors. Its maintenance experts cover all major vendor brands. They conduct onsite inspections and repairs, produce detailed reports, and can conduct stripping and rebuilds onsite or at WEG's workshop in Johannesburg.

The workshop includes a reverse engineering service, using 3D scanning technologies such as the FARO ScanArm to scan parts with exceptional precision, then producing detailed schematics. Having the full weight of WEG behind it, the workshop also has access to local and international professionals and manufacturing sites.

"We've worked with machines where nobody has seen the plans in many years. We scan and replicate parts, produce 3D drawings for the owners, and tool their replacement. In some cases, we even improve the part for better performance and longevity. It's a massive relief for our customers, knowing they can keep a crucial gearbox going rather than taking the very expensive and disruptive replacement route."

Extending the lifespan of legacy gearboxes

This type of service is particularly attractive to mines, which use dozens of gearboxes on conveyors, crushers, mixes, compressors, cranes, and many other utilities. Well-maintained gearboxes can run for at least a decade, even longer.

But even the best-observed maintenance schedule cannot compensate for a missing part. Precision reverse-engineering fixes this issue and extends equipment lifespans. When the vendor has disappeared and parts stockpiles have dried up, obsolescence is no longer the only option.

Legacy equipment owners can contact WEG Africa to find out more. They can also find more information and meet workshop representatives at Electra Mining Africa 2026, 7-11 September at Nasrec in Johannesburg, on WEG's stand.