Motion Control & Drives


Transmission solutions for sugar mills

June 2020 Motion Control & Drives

SEW-Eurodrive offers a range of transmission solutions to assist sugar mills cut their costs. The main opportunity in this market segment is not only upgrading old and outdated systems, but the value the company can add to independent power producers (IPPs) in the sugar industry. Recently, Illovo Sugar managing director, Mamongae Mahlare, was quoted by the Sunday Times as stating that IPPs provide “a critical lifeline” for the sugar industry, which is faced with constraints such as the sugar tax and falling prices for exports.

Sugar millers produce their own power by burning cane fibre to generate electricity. Here the expertise of SEW-Eurodrive in energy-efficient solutions is key. It can apply real-time power-saving solutions to produce the same performance from older existing equipment and applications. These energy-efficient transmission solutions potentially produce more output power or torque by drawing even less power from the grid. Applications for these mechanical and electrical transmission solutions in the sugar industry include milling tandems, bagasse conveyors, juice agitators, clarifiers, crystallisers, sugar dryers, and many other production applications.

A wide range of transmission solutions means there is a fit for every application. High ingress protection (IP rated), high IE3 efficiency classes, and the high thermal class ratings (H) of standard IEC motors means sugar millers are assured of electrical transmission solutions of the highest quality and cost-effectiveness.

Other real business investment solutions include the MIG high-torque, energy-efficient mechanical drive system. These units read the output load continuously, and adjust the required power needed to drive the application, in addition to saving energy. The Xe series allows for compact solutions to replace old cumbersome systems and boost mechanical efficiency. Planetary transmission drive systems provide localised assembled solutions, and cut down on delivery lead times so as to benefit sugar millers even further.

Aggressive local stockholding, finite ratios, technical experts, industry knowledge, around-the-clock operation, and purpose-driven employees add value to clients’ businesses. When sugar-industry clients enter into a business partnership with SEW-Eurodrive, it adds value to their investment so as to result in the lowest cost of ownership.


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