Electricity and Control May 2024

DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR

SEW-EURODRIVE’S Generation C MOVI-C ® electronics range. tomatically at each step so that if, for instance, a screw is not accurately torqued, the assembly line will not allow for the technician to move on to the next step. Additionally, an SEW-EURODRIVE designed and produced motor test pan el provides for the automated testing of each motor coming off the assembly line to ensure it matches the company’s global quality standards. Thus, a motor assembled at the Johannesburg facility will match the same unit produced at the Graben-Neudorf facility or any other SEW-EURODRIVE production facility worldwide. Noting the output efficiencies achieved on the new as sembly lines, Fletcher says the company can produce a standard gearbox, for example, within hours, fully assem bled, tested, and spray painted. Quality control and traceability Further, all test records and reports are retained online, so accurate assembly information is always accessible, and each unit is traceable to the specifics of the original assem bly – the technician who assembled it, when, where, and what components were used – at any time. Going forward, this fine level of traceability can assist with diagnostics when required for maintenance and repair. In turn, repairs records and reports are also retained online so the informa tion is available when it is needed and can provide a history of each unit produced, through its production journey to delivery and over its serviceable life. And the information generated from the Johannesburg facility (like any other SEW-EURODRIVE facility) is tracked by SEW-EURODRIVE in Germany. Training on site for the assembly technicians also sup ports the quality standards that the company maintains.

In the assembly of IGUs, for example, newly appointed technicians go through a three-months mentorship on site, working on the line with the guidance of a mentor. Addi tional training is conducted at the company’s Drive Acad emy, on the same site, which provides training for staff as well as for customers, on request. There are upwards of 75 technicians working on the different assembly lines at the Johannesburg facility, with specific skills in assembling mo tors and industrial gear units, for example, or for electronics assembly, testing and repairs. The electronics assembly line The same precision and control applied to the production of motors and gears applies in the electronics assembly workshop. Here, electronic drives are produced in a closed dust-free and controlled environment. The workshop also matches SEW-EURODRIVE’s global standards and pro vides the same level of traceability as for motors and gear units, through production and over the service life of each drive or decentralised drive system produced. All produc tion is monitored automatically, locally and by head office in Germany, and the Johannesburg operations are audited by a team from head office every three years. This includes a site visit to check and inspect the operations. Each drive will be unique and each has its own process ing ID. This provides a high level of traceability for diag nostics, to serve future maintenance needs. Traceability extends to each unit and to each component in each unit. Mechatronics in decentralised drives As well as control cabinet drive technology, SEW EURODRIVE produces decentralised drive systems which

MAY 2024 Electricity + Control

11