Reliable drive and automation systems are becoming critical to maintaining productivity and efficiency across agricultural operations, where equipment is often required to operate in challenging environments.

Harsh operating environments regularly expose equipment to extreme dust, dirt and moisture, which can lead to premature wear, contamination and failure should the equipment not be properly designed and protected, says SEW-EURODRIVE Cape Town branch manager Dwane Jacobs.

Another major challenge is the variable load conditions of agricultural processes with material flow, product weight and operating conditions changing frequently, creating fluctuating torque demands and placing strain on motors and gear units.

Continuous and seasonal operation is also a critical factor during peak harvest or production periods, when equipment often runs for extended hours with minimal downtime.

Any failure can have significant production and financial impacts on the company.

“In the South African context, energy costs and supply constraints add another layer of complexity. There is increasing pressure on operations to reduce energy consumption and manage peak demand efficiently,” he continues.

“These challenges mean that drive systems must be robust, adaptable and energy efficient, while also being easy to maintain and service.”

SEW-EURODRIVE supports agricultural operations with robust drive technologies, including industrial gear units, high-efficiency motors, variable speed drives (VSDs) and automation solutions, engineered to perform in demanding environments.

The company’s solutions are widely used across the full agricultural value chain, from primary production through to processing and packaging.

“From packhouses [ . . .] to irrigation and feed processing, these solutions help producers improve energy efficiency, reduce peak demand, minimise downtime and optimise performance across high-throughput agricultural operations,” Jacobs explains.

Drive and automation solutions, he says, have a direct impact on uptime maintenance and overall productivity.



Key to this is shifting operations from a reactive to a proactive approach to achieve reduced downtime, improved efficiency and higher productivity.

Enabling maintenance to be planned proactively, rather than reactively, is a key aspect of condition monitoring and diagnostics, which continuously monitor parameters such as vibration, temperature and load, with potential risks identified early, prior to failure.

This delivers predictive maintenance, where interventions are based on equipment conditions rather than a fixed schedule, meaning that maintenance can be carried out during planned downtime, avoiding costly breakdowns.

In addition, in

an environment that requires precise speed control and reliable continuous operations, drive technologies, with the correct speed and torque processes, provide consistency and reduce bottlenecks.

VSDs and automated systems play a critical role in improving both energy efficiency and process performance.

“The primary benefit of a VSD is that it allows the motor speed to be matched to the actual process requirements. Instead of running at full speed continuously, the system adjusts based on demand.”

This significantly reduces energy consumption, particularly in applications such as pumps and conveyors, where energy savings of up to 40% may be achieved.

VSDs also help to reduce mechanical stress by enabling soft starting and stopping, which minimises wear on the gear boxes and motors and the connected equipment, leading to longer service life and reduced maintenance costs.

“From a process perspective, automation systems provide greater control and consistency,” Jacobs adds

Automated platforms also enable integration with programmable logic controllers and supervisory control and data acquisition systems, allowing for centralised control and real-time monitoring.



Further, SEW-EURODRIVE’s equipment is designed with high ingress protection, such as IP 65 and IP 66, which helps to prevent dust and moisture from entering critical components.

“Gear units are fully sealed, and specialised coatings or surface treatments are available to protect against corrosion.”

SEW-EURODRIVE designs its gear units with high service factors and strong mechanical construction, including reinforced gearing, high quality bearings and optimised load distribution.

“Gear units and motors are designed to dissipate heat effectively to ensure stable operating temperatures even during long running times. This is supported by proven gearbox design that has been tested in demanding industrial applications,” he concludes.