Tag Archives: drives

Drive technology specialist Flender celebrates 125th anniversary

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance,

Drive technology specialist Flender has celebrated its 125th-year anniversary by, it says, reflecting on milestones as well as looking towards the future.

Flender CEO, Andreas Evertz, at the grand anniversary party at the main site in Bocholt on June 7, said: “We have always been and will always be a large Flender family. Whether employees, customers, suppliers, partners, or owners – today we all feel like Flenderans. I am incredibly proud to be part of this team and to advance the energy transition with you. Because without drive technology and Flender, nothing moves in this world.”

The company had invited all employees from the Bocholt, Mussum, and Voerde sites, as well as representatives from customers, suppliers, associations, politics and regional partners. Around 2,500 guests were there for the evening celebrations.

Throughout its history, Flender has developed into a pioneer for industrial and wind drives. In 1991, the Flender gear unit (short: FSG) was the world’s first gear unit series based on a platform. It remains the industry standard to this day and is the basis for thousands of derivative programs and application specific gear units, the company says. The successor “Flender One” has been gradually introduced to the market since 2022, setting new standards in energy efficiency and optimal resource utilisation with fully automated configuration and engineering processes combined with AIQ digital gearbox intelligence, the company added.

AIQ, Flender says, stands for best-fit solution packages that use intelligence, knowledge and extensive experience to meet customer requirements for diagnosis, early fault detection and process optimisation. In the field of minerals and mining, particularly the AIQ Core Torque, Flender says, offers a cost-efficient and helpful technology that combines sensor technology and analytics. It continuously monitors the drive and evaluates operationally relevant data. In addition to torque, AIQ Core Torque also measures oil temperature, speed and vibration values.

Flender says it is at the heart of the energy transition, recognising the significant leverage that energy-efficient industrial production can have. This also includes returning raw materials to the cycle so that they can be reused, with up to 99% of a gearbox able to be recycled, and Flender’s global service network ensuring that the lifespan of the drives is maximised.

Flender furthers Australia growth ambitions with new service hub

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , ,

Germany-based drivetrain specialist Flender has further expanded its production and service capacities in Australasia by opening a new facility in Sydney, New South Wales.

With its Winergy brand for wind turbine drives, the company has one of the largest installed bases in Australia aiming to scale up the local presence and be close to customers. The same is the case for the industrial drive portfolio with a track record in Australian industries such as mining, cement, harbour equipment and more. The new facility sets the industry standard for customer service in these branches, it says, while Flender’s gearboxes and couplings continue to power some of Australian industries’ heaviest machines.

Flender Group CEO, Andreas Evertz, said: “For both our wind and industrial business we see enormous growth potential on the continent. To reach the goals from the Paris climate agreement we must not only ramp up renewable energy capacities but also transform our industries towards sustainability. This includes recycling and establishing a circular economy. Our workshops are perfectly equipped for servicing and refurbishing the existing installed base, not only for our own fleet but all gearbox types in the market.”

The new Sydney facility will be over 1,800 sq.m and has the structural capacity for a 50 t crane. It will have all equipment required to deliver the OEM standard to customers, Flender says. The company will be able to repair gearboxes up to 40 t, as well as equipment like main shafts for wind turbines, lube systems, fluid couplings and brakes.

Sydney is Flender’s fourth service hub in Australia besides the locations in Rockhampton, Perth and Melbourne.

Kareem Emara, Managing Director of Flender Australia and New Zealand, said: “It is important to be close to our customers. With the new facility in Sydney, we are continuing to be more agile and respond to their needs as quickly as possible. We have been in the industry for many years. Using our OEM knowledge and technical expertise we can provide proactive support.”

Flender says its facilities are set up to support the entire lifecycle of a product from installation to decommissioning and refurbishment. With the digital drivetrain intelligence AIQ, Flender also provides digital services that allow preventive maintenance and maximise plant availability.

More SEW-EURODRIVE X.e-series power packs on their way to Kamoa-Kakula

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Uncategorised, , , , , , , , , ,

With well over 100 units already delivered, SEW-EURODRIVE in South Africa is set to continue supplying Ivanhoe Mines’ Kamoa-Kakula copper complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a joint venture with Zijin Mining of China, with a wide range of its X.e-series power packs, the company says.

According to Willem Strydom, Business Development at SEW-EURODRIVE, the power packs – which are integrated units comprising gearbox, coupling and motor – will be part of Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 3 expansion. Since the mine’s first phase of development over five years ago, SEW-EURODRIVE has worked closely with both Ivanhoe and the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

“As in previous phases of the mine’s development, our robust high quality power packs will provide reliable solutions in on-site applications such as conveyors, agitators and slurry pumps,” Strydom says. “The size range in the order makes use of our wide capability range to provide a total solution, ranging from 55 kW units to 500 kW units.”

The latest order includes several X.e series power packs for conveyor applications, planetary gearboxes for feeder applications and spare gearboxes. The equipment will be delivered in staggered shipments this year. While the mine typically undertakes the installation of the equipment, SEW-EURODRIVE sends technical teams to site to check final alignment and overall installation parameters.

The company has expanded its after-sales service teams considerably in recent years, allowing it to support the growing base of equipment throughout Africa. Its projects and engineering teams have also grown – developing a depth of experience to assist customers right from design phase onwards.

Strydom notes that SEW-EURODRIVE has significantly developed its infrastructural foundation in South Africa, and plans to develop a physical representation in over 23 other African countries. As a priority country for the company’s strategy, there is expected to be a representative in place in the DRC in 2023, he explains. Field service teams from South Africa are frequently at Kamoa-Kakula to assist with servicing of the existing power packs operating on the site.

“Our local assembly capability in our new facility in Johannesburg – combined with our ability to source from the group’s other global operations – has allowed us to meet the tight delivery deadlines for this substantial order of equipment,” he says. “Our global footprint and production capacity mean that we can deliver faster than most players in our field, and this is often an important factor for our market.”

While the company previously imported the larger X.e Industrial gearboxes from Germany, it is now able to assemble these in the new South African facilities. As part of its service, SEW-EURODRIVE will also handle the logistics of getting this large volume of equipment to site. The company’s training centre – the Drive Academy – in Johannesburg has also made a valuable contribution by providing training on the equipment and its maintenance, it says.

In this project, the tropical climate was another important factor in the customer’s design requirements. This required the inclusion of certain cooling and paint specifications in the contract.

SEW-EURODRIVE Head of Engineering, Andreas Meid, explains that special breathers were part of the design in response to high humidity levels – and served to ensure no moisture in the gearboxes. In outdoor applications where sun exposure was high, covers were also included to reduce heat build-up. Cooling fans were also optimised in certain cases to ensure optimal performance.

He highlights that Kamoa-Kakula is one of many projects in Africa to request the installation of monitoring equipment on the power packs. This facilitates real-time monitoring, using specialised sensors to measure key indicators like vibration and temperature from anywhere in the world.

“This allows the operation to monitor the equipment remotely, receiving early warnings of any issues in performance,” Meid says. “Responding timeously to this information can prevent serious damage and avoid unplanned downtime.”

As a preferred supplier, SEW-EURODRIVE first delivered a multitude of X.e Series power packs between 2019 and 2021 for the mine’s initial development phase.

For Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 2 expansion, which doubled the concentrator plant capacity, SEW-EURODRIVE supplied many standard X.e series power packs for the conveyors as well as planetary gearboxes for the feeders.

ABB to highlight energy-saving potential of electric motors and VSDs with new digital service

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

A new digital service from ABB will, the company says, enable industrial operators to maximise energy efficiency and boost sustainability by identifying motor-driven equipment in their facilities with the best energy-saving potential.

The ABB Ability Digital Powertrain Energy Appraisal service will draw on data measured from fleets of digitally connected electric motors and variable speed drives (VSDs) to show where and how much energy can be saved by upgrading to the latest high-efficiency technologies. Industrial operators can then make data-driven decisions when prioritising investments, the company says.

Upgrading to energy-efficient technology is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to lower energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions, ABB says. Across the world’s 300 million industrial motor-driven systems, there is potential to cut global electricity demand by up to 10% by switching to high-efficiency systems.

“The challenge for an industrial operator is knowing where to start in a fleet of hundreds of electrical motors,” Adrian Guggisberg, Division President of ABB Motion Services, says. “ABB developed the new Digital Powertrain Energy Appraisal service to provide clarity by analysing motor data and identifying where businesses should focus investment to maximise energy-efficiency gains that reduce operating costs and CO2 emissions.”

Traditionally, an energy efficiency appraisal requires time-consuming manual collection and evaluation of data and covers only the largest motor-driven systems on a site as these are typically seen as having most potential for saving energy, ABB says. However, this could overlook significant energy-saving opportunities for electric powertrains that are smaller, less accessible or where energy-saving potential is not obvious.

The new digital appraisal service uses a plug-and-play approach to simplify energy efficiency assessments by pulling operational data remotely from across an entire fleet of digitally-connected motors. This provides much deeper insight into the business case and carbon footprint benefits of upgrading to high-efficiency motor-driven systems, while being much safer and faster.

Wajax to grow ERS and industrial parts businesses with Tundra Process buy

Equipment maintenance, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

Wajax has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Calgary, Alberta-based Tundra Process Solutions in a cash and shares deal worth C$99.1 million ($78.2 million).

The transaction is expected to close early in the March quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions, Wajax said.

Founded in 1999, Tundra provides maintenance and technical services to customers in the western Canadian midstream oil and gas, oil sands, petrochemical, mining, forestry and municipal sectors. It also distributes a diverse range of industrial process equipment, representing manufacturers of valves and actuators, instrumentation and controls, motors and drives, control buildings, boilers and water treatment solutions.

Employing around 150 people, Tundra operates four facilities in Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton (two locations) and Grande Prairie. Tundra also maintains a local sales presence in Fort McMurray and Red Deer, Alberta; Vancouver and Fort St. John, British Columbia; and southern Saskatchewan.

Wajax said the acquisition of Tundra was expected to provide meaningful growth in the corporation’s Engineered Repair Services (ERS) and industrial parts categories, with its operations complementary to Wajax’s existing ERS and industrial parts businesses.

For the 12 months ended November 30, 2020, Tundra had revenues of about C$147.8 million.

Mark Foote, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wajax, said: “Tundra’s market leadership in process control provides Wajax with meaningful scale in ERS and related industrial parts in western Canada. In central and eastern Canada, Tundra’s technical capabilities and product and service range will provide new opportunities to further extend Wajax’s ERS services to our customers.

“Our complementary cultures of safety, customer service and product and service innovation translates into growth driven by a consistent vision of constantly increasing what we can do for our customers.”

Iggy Domagalski, Chief Executive Officer of Tundra, added: “Partnering with Wajax allows us to instantly grow our volumes by leveraging our combined customer relationships and branch networks. Existing Wajax customers will benefit from a broader range of valve, instrumentation and electrical products and services, and existing Tundra customers will benefit from Wajax’s extensive ERS portfolio and geographic footprint.

“We are excited to join Wajax and contribute to the goal of becoming Canada’s leading ERS provider.”

Zest WEG signs up Panaco to grow footprint in key DRC mining hub

Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, , , , , , , ,

Zest WEG, in an effort to strengthen its Africa footprint, has appointed Panaco as its value-added reseller (VAR) in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to Zest WEG’s Africa Business Development Executive, Taylor Milan, Panaco is a 100% locally-owned business that has successfully serviced the region, known for mining, for over 40 years.

“Panaco is a well-established and respected company with strong business relationships with nearly all of our current clients,” Milan said. “Its business methodology and culture are closely aligned with ours, and this synergy will aid us in supporting our current installed base, client network and growth expectations.”

Milan highlighted the increasing importance of local content in the supply of equipment and services across the continent. Therefore, Zest WEG has prioritised closer partnerships with local firms as a key element of its sustainable growth strategy in Africa, a strategy Zest WEG Group CEO, Siegfried Kreutzfeld, mentioned shortly after being appointed to the role in 2019.

Milan also emphasised the importance of VARs in this strategy.

“Going beyond the role of just a distributor, a VAR is a local business chosen to promote and support the wide range of Zest WEG’s offering,” he said. “It carries the whole Zest WEG brand into local markets.

“Panaco has the ability to assist us in growing the comprehensive WEG product portfolio well beyond our traditional low-voltage motor and drive business,” he said. “It has business facilities in Lubumbashi, Kolwezi and Kinshasa – bringing our services and support closer to customers in this fast-growing region.”

The VAR partnership will provide locally accessible support and skills, substantial stockholding, and quality products at competitive pricing, the company said. It will also build strong and service-oriented customer relationships, according to Milan.

Zest WEG has also appointed DRC firm AEMI as a WEG-accredited repair facility, after AEMI successfully met its OEM standards. The company has a full repair facility in Likasi, and another in Kinshasa.

Kumera shifts gears with CuW Keller acquisition

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , ,

Kumera Corporation has added to its base metals process equipment, metal foundry and mechanical power transmission offering with the acquisition of industrial and marine gearbox manufacturer CuW Keller.

The Germany-based company produces, among other products, conveyor and bucket wheel drives, slewing drives, bucket excavator and crawler drives, and rotary drives for the open-pit mining sector.

As part of the acquisition, the German subsidiary of Kumera, Kumera Getriebe GmbH, will continue the operations of CuW Keller. This will see around 160 employees transferred over.

Kumera, a family-owned organisation established in 1947, consists of three core businesses: process equipment for base metals, metal foundry, and mechanical power transmissions for marine and industrial applications. It employs 650 people at manufacturing locations in Finland, Austria, Norway, China and, now, Germany.

Kumera’s power transmissions come with a wide range of standard and tailormade gearboxes for industrial application in the pulp and paper and metallurgical industries, as well as marine transmissions and propulsion systems for mid-size seagoing vessels. Kumera, therefore, saw the Keller portfolio complementing its existing product line.

Helmut Hochegger, Managing Director of Kumera and the nominee MD of Kumera Getriebe, said: “This is definitely a great opportunity for both companies to strengthen their position on the world market…The Keller high quality products and technical superiority is widely recognised by the loyal clientele and sets a firm foundation for future efforts.”

Bearings International accelerates with new variable speed drives

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, , , , , , ,

Bearings International (BI), through its relationship with Hudaco Group company Varispeed, is launching the VDrivePlus and AlphaDrive-Micro variable speed drives in the South Africa market.

Being part of the broader Hudaco Group allows BI to leverage synergies across a broad range of companies, meaning it can offer a complete product basket at its extensive branch network countrywide. One of these areas is electronic motor control solutions from Varispeed.

BI Marketing Manager, Victor Strobel, said: “For BI, it is all about the breadth of our product offering, which extends far beyond our customers’ core focus. This is because we look at customer requirements holistically. It is also a great way to introduce our customer base to the larger Hudaco Group.

“While the customer bases are different, there are definite synergies that we can tap into. It is all about positioning ourselves as a total solutions provider that is a single point of contact for all of our customer needs, as well as making them aware of everything else we are able to offer them.”

The AlphaDrive-Micro VSD (pictured) from Varispeed is a compact frequency inverter ranging from 0.2 kW to 5.5 kW, and available in 240 V and 400 V. Together with the VDrivePlus, these VSDs offer the best performance-to-cost ratio on the market, without compromising on quality and reliability, according to BI.

Certified in accordance with the latest European standards and regulations, the Alpha Drive Micro and Micro Plus are ideally suited to most applications in the South Africa market, including mining, food and beverage, manufacturing, and agriculture, BI says.

The compact design of the AlphaDrive-Micro VSD means it can be easily integrated into an electrical panel, as it mounts directly onto a DIN rail. A built-in software menu caters for optimised parameters for basic functions and applications such as fans, belts, conveyors, and pumps. Applications range from mining plants to water reticulation, HVAC, food and beverage, canning and bottling plants, and injection moulding plants, BI said.

The AlphaDrive-Micro VSD is based on the MODBUS protocol for open networking, with an EMC filter as standard.

One of the features of both drives BI highlighted was a parameter copy stick that allows for an automatic back-up of parameter settings in the event of load shedding. It also means that the same set of parameters can be transferred to many drives and even multiple sites.

The VDrivePlus from Varispeed is a much larger drive, ranging from 0.4 kW to 400 kW, available in 240 V and 400 V. This more advanced VSD features advanced motor control based on DSP technology, together with ‘smart’ auto-tuning, BI said. Additional features include flexible inverter control, dual high-resolution analogue inputs, and free mappable I/O channels.

BI said: “A universal function set is available for a range of industrial and residential applications, including integrated PID/pump controller routines. ‘Smart’ PC tools allow for quick inverter control, parametrisation, and troubleshooting. Here the size and range of the VSD makes it ideal for harsh operating environments from mining to industrial and even agricultural.”

Looking at future scope for synergy, Strobel pointed out that the VSDs can be easily supplemented with the Bauer electric motor range from BI.

These aluminium three-phase 380 V motors are made for industrial applications such as fans, compressors, pumps, sanding machines, and pedestal drilling machines, among others. The main benefit is that the motors are far lighter than their cast-iron equivalents due to the aluminium casing and end shield, according to the company.

The multi-mount design has the added benefit of being able to change the feet on-site. This gives customers the option of having the terminal box on the top or on the left- or right-hand side, depending on the specific requirements. In addition, Bauer motors can be fitted with an external brake of either an AC or DC type.