The operations division of German engineering company SEW-Eurodrive’s South African branch is eager to consolidate current successes and improve service delivery, with MD Raymond Obermeyer admitting that more needs to be done to maintain current clients in South Africa and gain new clients in the current tough economic conditions.

Obermeyer adds that the cost of electricity and labour, a lack of maintenance, budget constraints and the downscaling of operations are some of the day-to-day challenges faced by the mining materials handling industry.

The scope of the South African operations division encompasses numerous functions, including production, logistics, after-sales services and engineering.

“Our products are good and we have every confidence in their design and functionality. Owing to the gradual slowdown in new investments, a general industry trend is that operations are reducing overhead costs by diverting more of their budgets to cover maintenance costs to extend the total life cycle of their existing equipment.”

He adds that, as a result, customer service is more important than ever and, therefore, SEW-Eurodrive is adopting a continu- ous improvement approach in this regard.

In doing so, Obermeyer believes that the company will maintain its competitive edge in the mining, automotive, food and beverage, and water treatment industries, among others.

“Our business model is sound and we have a strong team of people behind our products. However, it is important to work smarter in challenging times and we are doing this, streamlining efficiencies across the board.”

Last year, SEW-Eurodrive assisted in combat- ing the harmful effects of acid mine drainage (AMD) at a large AMD plant in Germiston, Gauteng, which uses a comprehensive mixing system from Johannesburg-based mixer manu- facturer Mixtec.

The AMD plant has 53 specialised Mixtec mixers, all powered by an SEW-Eurodrive gearbox.

Mixtec sales manager Brian Paxton states the mixer’s role is to first transform lime into a slurry, which is then introduced to reaction vessels. Here the lime slurry comes into contact with the AMD and the agitators are used to mix the slurry into the acid mine water to neutralise it.

The by-product of this process is gypsum, a soft sulphate mineral comprising calcium sulphate dihydrate that can be used as a ferti- liser and is the main constituent of many plaster and chalk products.

The mixing system had to be designed to accommodate the highly corrosive pH levels in the AMD-contaminated water, with SEW-Eurodrive contracts engineer Rudi Swanepoel noting that the gearboxes supplied by the company were covered with protective paint work.

SEW-Eurodrive’s scope of work also included the supply of 36 multicultivator mixing units fitted with extended bearing distance to absorb the radial forces encountered in mixing, as well as 17 helical gear units, some of which were assembled with SEW-Eurodrive AM adapters.

Swanepoel notes that the bearings supplied should last more than nine years. “Based on our calculations, the bearing life should [be] more than 100 000 hours if they are properly maintained. This ensures a high level of efficiency and minimal downtime,” he adds.