Space limitations required a smarter approach.

When the global drive technology company SEW-EURODRIVE planned a new production facility in Sweden, the available space was a key challenge. OCS was commissioned to develop a compact conveyor system that utilizes the building’s full height while meeting high requirements for capacity, safety, and energy efficiency.

Need

SEW-EURODRIVE needed an efficient and flexible material flow for its new production of gearmotors. The system had to handle different types of heavy loads at a high pace, occupy as little floor space as possible, and be able to integrate with the company’s existing order and control systems.

Since production is distributed across two floors, a safe solution was also needed to transport goods between the factory’s different levels.

Since production is distributed across two floors, a safe solution was also needed to transport goods between the factory’s different levels.

Solution

OCS developed a conveyor system based on the company’s friction-driven multiplex technology. The system transports loads of up to one ton and reaches speeds of up to 30 meters per minute. The friction-based technology provides quiet transport with low maintenance requirements.

A central part of the delivery was custom-designed lift units that transport goods between the two floors. Each movement is controlled and balanced to create safe and controlled handling of the heavy loads.

The conveyor system is directly integrated with SEW-EURODRIVE’s order and control systems. This creates a digital material flow where transports are coordinated with production and contribute to fast and reliable deliveries.

The system integrator Energy Partner Systems, EPS, was the main contractor and coordinated the on-site installation.

Energy-efficient transport between multiple levels

The drive systems in the lift units can recover energy when the load is transported downward and feed it back into the system. Early tests during commissioning show that around 25 percent of the energy used can be recovered, depending on load and number of lift cycles.

The finished solution met the production and safety requirements at commissioning. For SEW-EURODRIVE, the system represents a compact, digital, and energy-efficient material flow within the building’s existing conditions.