Joining forces for the digital future

As a specialist in drive and automation technology, SEW-Eurodrive offers a broad portfolio of products and solutions that support companies in making their production processes efficient and reliable. The DriveRadar® APPredict digital platform, for example, gives customers full transparency about the condition of SEW-Eurodrive products, including information on temperature, oil condition, machine name and system type. If necessary, the maintenance team can request support or order spare parts online.

Motion Technology Company Schaeffler is a global technology company and leading supplier of rolling bearings and linear technology. With its solutions for industrial automation and predictive maintenance, Schaeffler optimizes production processes and helps to avoid unplanned downtimes. By integrating Schaeffler's Optime Ecosystem, SEW-Eurodrive can easily provide its customers with more detailed information on the health status of machines and bearings. Data is collected via wireless vibration sensors from Optime, which transmit their data securely to a gateway via a mesh network. This sends the information to the Optime Cloud, where it is automatically analyzed and converted into characteristic values and alarms. These findings then flow into DriveRadar APPredict via a Rest API, making it particularly easy for users to use.

Synergies and customer benefits

Maintenance teams benefit from this partnership in many ways: All relevant information is bundled in the DriveRadar® APPredict platform, supplemented by the in-depth technical expertise of both companies. The recommendations for action and alarms are based on Schaeffler's comprehensive know-how in the areas of rolling bearings and machine dynamics as well as SEW-Eurodrive's many years of experience in drive technology. This close interaction, which already exists in the mechanical design of SEW-Eurodrive products with Schaeffler rolling bearings, is now being continued digitally.

Tobias Nittel, Head of Corporate Solution Center - Electronics at SEW-Eurodrive, explains how this strategic partnership sends a clear signal for the future of digital maintenance: "Schaeffler is the ideal partner for us, as we operate in the same industry and complement each other perfectly in terms of our expertise. This collaboration allows us to provide innovative digital solutions that optimize production processes and increase maintenance efficiency. By combining our drive technology with Schaeffler's predictive maintenance solutions, we create sustainable added value for our customers."

Dr. Philipp Jussen, Head of Predictive Maintenance Industrial Lifetime Solutions at Schaeffler, adds: "The integration of our Optime solutions into SEW-Eurodrive's DriveRadar APPredict solution significantly expands the possibilities of predictive maintenance. By combining our joint digital expertise with SEW-Eurodrive's service know-how, customers receive more precise and comprehensive information that helps to avoid unplanned downtimes. This helps to reduce maintenance costs and improve system availability."