As companies in various sectors move towards a preference for single sources of supply, SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa, well known for its geared motors, frequency inverters, controls and software, highlights that it also supplies complete electrical control panels. Providing all these products together, the company helps customers streamline their costs and supply chain.
View inside an SEW-EURODRIVE wall mount panel.
Willem Strydom, Business Development Electronics Manager at SEW-EURODRIVE, says there has been a strong trend in recent years in companies wanting to deal directly with original equipment suppliers (OEMs). The preference is moving towards a single source of supply to reduce cost and risk, and to simplify the supply chain.
“The market in many industries – from mining to agriculture – has made it clear that they can no longer afford ‘middlemen’ in the procurement process,” says Strydom. “Companies want to deal with one supplier, preferably a specialised OEM who has a depth of expertise and can stand behind their solutions with the necessary support.”
Responding to these needs, SEW-EURODRIVE is pursuing a strategy of complementing its existing range by steadily adding more value – or closing the loop, as they say. Control panels are another key aspect of most contracts in which the company is involved, so it has actively moved into this space to make sourcing and supply easier for customers.
“There are relatively few OEMs in our field in this region, which gives us the opportunity to broaden our offering and provide customers with comprehensive high-quality solutions and the assurance of local support,” he says. “With one of the largest sales forces in the country and on the ground representation across Africa, SEW-EURODRIVE delivers a high level of service to support our mechanical and electronic capability.”
The company’s in-house engineering team designs control panels for specific applications where its drive technology is being applied, and it provides the programming required. The local assembly of the units also aligns with efforts across many industries to support the local economy and secure their supply chains against possible disruption.
“Our customers are looking for the same high quality of ancillary equipment as they receive with all our other products and solutions,” says Strydom. “With our established reputation in the market, customers trust that we will deliver what they need.”
The design and manufacture of SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa’s panels and enclosures can be adapted to suit any customer requirement, including providing for floor mounts or wall mounts, and with ingress protection (IP) ratings up to IP65 or whatever the application demands. The panels can also be supplied for containerised solutions such as e-houses, which are increasingly popular around Africa, on remote mining sites as well as other industrial applications.
“Although our focus in the past has been on our specialised componentry and solutions, our customers have requested our broader involvement in their projects – leading to us entering this important space,” Strydom says. “By taking responsibility for delivering a wider scope of related equipment, in line with SEW-EURODRIVE’s recognised quality standards, we have consolidated our relationships with customers.”
For more information visit: www.sew-eurodrive.co.za
