Company Announcement - To provide its client base with a more comprehensive and fully-integrated service offering, SEW-EURODRIVE’s Johannesburg branch officially combined its Variolution and Maxolution business units to form the Maxo-Variolution business unit in mid-2015.Variolution is packaged selling whereby 80 percent of the package is standard and 20 percent is customisable. Maxolution, alternatively, comprises a suite of fully-customisable components and services that can be tailored to project-specific requirements from start to finish.

As a result of the merger, SEW-EURODRIVE will focus on offering a full suite of services, including pre-sales. Another major benefit of the merger is that additional training and upskilling will also be implemented across the two units in a bid to offer better integrated services. 

The new business unit is managed by SEW-EURODRIVE mechatronics engineering manager Norman Maleka, and SEW-EURODRIVE general manager for sales and engineering, Conrad Pilger.

Variolution and Maxolution defined

Bundled scalable Variolution packages provide software modules tailored to the application and the drive technology. Packages can be used for materials handling, lifting systems, packaging and crane systems and can be specially-modified for industry-specific applications. 

As well as a functional guarantee, the packages also contain optimised order and delivery processes, package-specific documentation and component identification. Full customisation is the key differentiator between Variolution and Maxolution, which enables SEW-EURODRIVE to offer clients a fully functional and holistic solution from one source, currently a rare if not unique attribute. The typical solution within a Maxolution project entails solutions for innovative power supply and management, secure and reliable communication, efficient motion and control. This simplifies the process for the client in terms of understanding the components, training requirements and ordering. Maxolution projects are ongoing all across Germany in industries such as automotive, food and beverage, and packaging.

Better together

Following the merger, Maleka points out that SEW-EURODRIVE is now able to re-position itself as a full service provider, as opposed to just a components supplier. “We are also placing focus on developing and expanding our national footprint, by attracting application engineers who can bolster the sales team’s efforts.”