| Type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Industrial automation |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Headquarters | Bruchsal, Germany |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Rainer Blickle, Juergen Blickle |
| Employees | 14,000 |
| Website | www.sew-eurodrive.com |
SEW-Eurodrive is a German manufacturing company founded by Christian Pähr in 1931 as Süddeutsche Elektromotoren Werke. Today, it is an international organization that manufactures geared motors, frequency inverters and servo drives employing over 13,000 people worldwide with annual sales in excess of €2 billion.
Based in Bruchsal in Southern Germany they have manufacturing assembly and service centres throughout the world. SEW Are leaders in decentralised control technology, with products such as Movimot, Movigear, Moviswitch, and Movitrans. In addition they have moved in to the large industrial gearbox market with their range of helical, bevel helical, and planetary gearboxes.
A further development sees their 30-year-old DT/DV range of motors being replaced by the new DR range of motors which are designed with future efficiency standards in mind. The new DR range complies in full with EuP Lot 11 which will be the new compulsory European efficiency standard to replace the existing voluntary agreement in 2011.[1]
SEW-Eurodrive made its mark in the industry by making the motor and gearbox integral or monolithic. By bypassing the constraints of what is considered mutually exclusive total optimization is possible, thus allowing far higher service lives when compared to "industry standards".
SEW initially produced motors until 1945 when Allied Strategic Command bombed the factory into rubble. After Germany's surrender the company became an entity of the US—via the Marshall Plan. When this was concluded in 1948 the company was returned to its owners, the Blickles. At this point gear motors became its product and expertise.
1931 - Christian Pähr founds the "Süddeutsche Elektromotoren Werke"
1945 - Ernst Blickle takes over management
1960 - SEW-USOCOME SA is founded in Haguenau, France
1965 - SEW develops modular system for gearmotors
1968 - SEW founds and expands international assembly plants
1972 - Acquisition of the Obermoser Group is completed
1975 - SEW DO BRASIL Motores-Redutores LTDA. is founded in Sao Paulo, Brazil
1982 - SEW-EURODRIVE Pty Ltd is founded in Melbourne, Australia
1983 - SEW-EURODRIVE INC. is founded in Lyman, USA
1987/89 - Rainer and Jürgen Blickle are appointed as managing directors of the SEW-EURODRIVE Group.
1989 - Edeltraut Blickle establishes SEW-EURODRIVE foundation
1990 - SEW acquires a majority share in Pfeffer & Partner Getriebebau GmbH in Wiesloch, Germany
1992 - SEW-EURODRIVE S.A. is founded in Forbach, France
1994 - SEW-EURODRIVE (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. is founded in Tianjin, China
1994 - SEW acquires an interest in Santasalo Ltd. in Helsinki, Finland
1999 - SEW starts electronics production
2002 - Pfeffer & Partner in Östringen becomes SEW-EURODRIVE Östringen GmbH
2003 - SEW-EURODRIVE becomes the first organisation to effectively mass-produce energy efficient motors with copper rotors
2006 - SEW establishes production plant in Shenyang, China
2009 - SEW-EURODRIVE opens production plant of industrial gear units in Bruchsal, Germany