Having continuously invested in assembly capability and developing independence from the national grid and municipal water systems, gear units and motors supplier SEW-EURODRIVE’s KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) branch has become a hub of uninterrupted customer service in the region.

The branch serves as an important hub for various industries, including agriculture, manufacturing and logistics, says branch manager Cliffton Bridge.

He adds that the branch’s 24/7 emergency support capability bodes well for the province’s most prominent manufacturing operations, including sugar mills and automotive assembly plants.

The branch has increased its manufacturing capabilities to cater for the uptick in demand over the past five years. Bridge attributes this uptick to strong growth in the province’s economy over the period.

The branch is strategically located in Prospecton, south of Durban, which is within 100 km of most SEW-EURODRIVE’s customers in the province, enabling timely support. The typical turnaround time for an emergency support query is three hours within the 100 km radius, adds Bridge.

The facility currently comprises 1 500 m2 of production space and 1 500 m2 of storage and warehousing. The branch maintains on the upside of R5-million to R10-million worth of stock that is rotated on a bi-weekly basis with replenishment stock being delivered daily from SEW-EURODRIVE’s head office, in Johannesburg.

To ensure continuous availability of services including access to stock for customers in the region, the KZN branch has installed a 100 kVA generator to power all operations during loadshedding or general power outages, as well as a water reserve to mitigate water shortages.

KZN is a high-risk region for extreme weather and cable theft, making generator and water storage systems crucial for maintaining operations during environmental disasters and/or infrastructure lapses.

The branch has, for example, often had to deal with significant water outages, owing to floods, particularly during the bout of flash flooding in the province in 2022.

Bridge adds that the stock on site gets wrapped in premium erosion packaging resistant to high humidity, given the site’s proximity to the ocean and the need to preserve equipment at an optimal condition for customers. The branch also uses specialised software to keep track of its inventory, with low-level indicators flagging the need for more stock.

While ensuring that its own facility is up and running efficiently, SEW-EURODRIVE also ensures that customers’ operations run smoothly, undertaking regular customer surveys and earmarking equipment nearing the end of its life for replacement.

“At SEW-EURODRIVE, seamlessly integrating into our customers’ operations and driving mutual success is always a top priority,” says Bridge.

The company offers various specifications of corrosion-protection paints on its equipment for customers according to their application requirements and the site environment.

Additionally, it has long supplied IE3 motors, which are less power-intensive than predecessor technologies, which helps customers to reduce their carbon footprint and operate more efficiently. In this regard, the company’s in-house oil further reduces carbon emissions is also available to customers.

The five SEW-EURODRIVE branches in the country – in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Mbombela, Durban and Gqeberha – support one another other, with tasks often being handled by different branches based on their capabilities and stock levels.

Bridge concludes that the branch will continue to represent the broader SEW-EURODRIVE group as a critical product and customer service provider in the region.