In a momentous step for the local industrial gearbox and drives market, SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa has formally opened a new service and repair facility alongside its headquarters in Aeroton, Johannesburg.
“For the first time, customers can have all aspects of their industrial gearbox dealt with in one place – and to the highest OEM quality standards,” Raymond Obermeyer, Managing Director of SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa, says. “This allows us to offer unprecedented warranties on service work, giving the market peace of mind, quicker turnarounds and enhanced uptime on their repaired and refurbished units.”
The company has invested almost R385 million in the new 17 000 m² facility, where construction began a year ago. Significantly this followed just years after company built its R500 million, 26 000 m² head office complex in Aeroton, into which it expanded in 2022. These developments form part of SEW-EURODRIVE’s proactive investment in added service capabilities across the world, which amounted to €1 billion in 2024 alone.
Obermeyer explains that in an unprecedented move the new service facility marks the end of an era in South Africa in which industrial gearbox users would have to involve multiple service providers in a single repair or refurbishment contract.
“The expertise and equipment in this facility allow SEW-EURODRIVE to conduct all aspects of a drivetrain repair – from the gearbox and coupling to the motor, steelwork and electronics,” he says. “We now have all this capability at our disposal, which is gamechanging in terms of quality, reliability and warranties.”
He highlights that the investment in skills and sophisticated hardware now gives the company comprehensive control over the repair process and the results.
“Previously, we were often limited by the fact that other players were involved in the work on many service interventions – and we could not take responsibility for their level of workmanship,” he explains. “As a world class OEM and with our steadfast commitment to quality processes and components, we can now offer warranties of two years on our repairs and refurbishments. This has never been possible before and represents a significant and high-value development for customers all over Africa.”
The new service centre will even conduct work on gear units from other manufacturers, he notes, given the depth of the experience and infrastructure at SEW-EURODRIVE’s new world class service and repair facility. Over 65 additional technical staff are in the process of being brought on board at the site including engineering managers, field service engineers and artisans in various specialised disciplines.
“Our centre is being equipped with the some of the most experienced skills in the local market, and our in-house DriveAcademy is busy finetuning their expertise in line with our wide range of drive solutions,” Obermeyer says.
Fully equipped with the latest technical infrastructure, the work of the new facility will include vibration analysis and diagnostic testing for motors and drives as well as equipment for 3D scanning and CNC machining. Winding machines will allow for motors to be rewound in-house and tested in line with SEW-EURODRIVE world class OEM standards.
“The facility will also include a fabrication department, so that we don’t have to outsource aspects like base plates, flanges, guards and other steelwork,” he says. “With the capacity to do our own cutting, bending and welding, this department allows us to conduct all this work in-house – speeding up turnaround times and ensuring constant quality control.”
Obermeyer concludes that the breadth of in-house services and engineering equipment at the SEW EURODRIVE service and repair centre represents a significant investment in the re-industrialisation of the local economy – allowing customers to optimise the longevity and performance of their drive systems and is aligned with the company’s commitment to strengthening its position as the leading industrial gearboxes and drives provided on the African continent.
