Heavy Industry Gearing Product Engineer - Western Region, Rocky Mountain Area

Industrial gear manufacturing: two companies, two centuries, one philosophy. By Tony Gunn | The WorldWide Machinist Ask most people what powers modern industry, and they'll point to something flashy. A robot arm. A screen full of data. Something with blinking lights. Nobody points to the gearbox. And yet strip away the geared motors, the gearboxes, the muscle and joints hidden inside mining equipment, conveyors, and production lines - and the whole system stops moving. This week, two companies reminded me why industrial gear manufacturing is the quiet foundation everything else stands on. One started with electric motors in 1931. The other started with a blacksmith's forge in 1901. Both are still building the future with the same philosophy they started with. SEW Eurodrive: industrial Lego. The story began in Germany in 1931, when Christian Pähr founded Süddeutsche Elektromotoren-Werke. What began as a small German motor company evolved into one of the most influential drive-technology businesses on the planet. Today, SEW Eurodrive employs approximately 22,700 people, operates in 57 countries, and generates more than €4.2 billion in annual revenue. SEW helped transform the geared motor from a fixed product into a modular industrial platform. Motors, gearboxes, ratios, shafts, brakes, encoders, inverters, controllers, and software can be combined to create precisely the right solution for an application. It is industrial Lego. SEW's Brazilian journey began in 1977, with the Brazilian company formally established in 1978. Brazil became an increasingly important part of SEW's global manufacturing and engineering strategy. The company purchased a 300,000-square-meter property, began production there in 2010, and completed the transfer of its mechanical and electrical manufacturing operations in 2014. Today, the Indaiatuba complex contains approximately 100,000 square meters of constructed space. Indaiatuba now produces and assembles multiple families of industrial gear units, including the X, XP, P, and MC series, supporting some of the most demanding applications in mining, agriculture, sugar and ethanol, steel, cement, pulp and paper, ports, and bulk-material handling. SEW was able to influence machine concepts around its manufacturing requirements, while Liebherr Gear Technology and Automation Systems gained the opportunity to refine new technologies under genuine production conditions. SEW-EURODRIVE manufactures the muscle, joints, and nervous systems hidden inside modern industry. Liebherr helps provide the gear-manufacturing technology and automation needed to produce those systems with extraordinary accuracy and consistency. This is a story that must be seen to be appreciated. No magazine or podcast can tell this story as it should be told. Full story coming soon. WEG-Cestari: from a blacksmith's forge to 95,000 gearboxes a year. The story reaches back to 1901, when Italian immigrant Luigi Cestari opened a small blacksmith and saddlery operation in Aparecida do Monte Alto, Brazil. He began producing forged components for animal-drawn vehicles. More than 120 years later, that small workshop has evolved into one of Brazil's most important names in mechanical power transmission. When WEG joined forces with Cestari Group in 2011, it combined Cestari's gearbox knowledge with WEG's global expertise in electric motors, variable-frequency drives, automation, and energy efficiency. Today, WEG-CESTARI REDUTORES E MOTORREDUTORES S.A operates two Brazilian manufacturing facilities, in Monte Alto, São Paulo, and Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul. More than 880 employees, over 50,000 square meters of built space, and annual production exceeding 95,000 gearboxes and geared motors. This is a Brazilian industrial powerhouse producing the mechanical joints that keep mining, steel, agriculture, sugar and ethanol, petrochemical, and general manufacturing operations moving. That is where WEG-CESTARI's continued investment in Liebherr Gear Technology and Automation Systems becomes so important. Over the years, the company has invested in Liebherr equipment to strengthen the accuracy, consistency, productivity, and repeatability of its gear production. The investment also says something important about WEG-CESTARI's philosophy. A company does not preserve a century-long reputation by framing its history and hanging it in the lobby. It preserves that history by continually purchasing better technology, training its people, improving its processes, and refusing to let yesterday's success become tomorrow's excuse. WEG-CESTARI began when transportation still depended on horses. Today, its gearboxes help move mines, mills, steel plants, farms, conveyors, crushers, pumps, and production systems across some of the world's toughest industries. The tools have changed. The buildings have grown. The tolerances have become microscopic. But the philosophy remains - build it properly, make it dependable, and invest in the technology required to keep improving. Two different starts, one shared philosophy. Christian Pähr started with electric motors in Germany in 1931. Luigi Cestari started with a forge and a saddlery shop in Brazil in 1901. Neither one had any idea their companies would eventually be measured in tens of thousands of square meters and tens of thousands of gearboxes a year. What connects both stories isn't the size they eventually reached. It's what they refused to do along the way. Neither company decided that a good reputation was something to protect by standing still. SEW turned the geared motor into a platform other manufacturers could build entire operations around. WEG-CESTARI turned a blacksmith's forge into a facility producing 95,000 gearboxes a year - without ever treating its history as an excuse to stop investing in what comes next. Industrial gear manufacturing doesn't get the spotlight. It's not the flashy robot arm or the screen full of data. It's the muscle and joints hidden inside everything that actually moves. But talk to the people running mines, steel plants, and production lines around the world, and they'll tell you exactly which part of the operation they can't afford to have fail. This is a story that must be seen to be appreciated. Full story coming soon. Full videos are dropping soon on The WorldWide Machinist channels. Subscribe, follow, and stay close - these ones are going to remind you why American manufacturing still matters.

SEW-EURODRIVE to showcase industry-focused innovation and lifecycle support at Electra Mining Africa 2026. From advanced drive technology and digital solutions to plant modernisation and aftermarket services, SEW-EURODRIVE will demonstrate how its customer-centric approach improves productivity, sustainability and long-term asset performance. 0 20 3 minutes read Industry-specific focus and life cycle support are the standout features of SEW-EURODRIVE's presence at Electra Mining Africa 2026, according to Jonathan McKey, National Sales & Marketing Manager at SEW-EURODRIVE. "Our exhibition stands will reflect how we partner with customers across the full operational lifecycle - from new installations through to maintenance, upgrades, optimisation and long-term asset management," McKey says. "The overarching message is about business integration and modernisation, to take customers further down their sustainability and productivity journey." He highlights that SEW-EURODRIVE has expanded its offerings not only through exciting innovations in equipment and solutions, but through services to assess customers' existing infrastructure and enhance it for more efficient and productive operation. This philosophy shapes both of the company's stands at the show. "Visitors to our main stand in Hall 5 will appreciate the industry-focused layout facilitating conversations that are both relevant and technically focused," he explains. "Instead of a generalised display, visitors will be able to engage directly with specialists aligned to specific sectors including mining, materials handling and logistics." To enhance the value of these vital face-to-face discussions, SEW-EURODRIVE will have management and technical experts on hand throughout the exhibition. Dedicated meeting areas will also allow for more private discussions around operational challenges, project requirements or longer-term strategic partnerships. At the company's second exhibition stand which is in Hall 4, SEW-EURODRIVE will focus on its electronics offerings while also showcasing its on-site energy surveys. The company's experts will demonstrate how they use advanced tools to conduct these surveys and the important benefits they deliver. "We will unveil selected newer technologies on our stands with the focus on showing how this innovation is driven by customer need," McKey says. "We avoid promoting products for their own sake; rather, we use these forums to ask visitors about the technical challenges they face and then we design our solutions to address them." This extends beyond physical equipment to include digital tools, training, service agreements and maintenance programmes. SEW-EURODRIVE will also be showcasing its training, digital solutions, after-sales and maintenance service. "Another theme at the exhibition will be the modernisation of existing plant infrastructure," he says. "This is particularly relevant to mining operations where legacy equipment often remains in service for decades." While older systems may still be functional, their performance may be compromised and cost effectiveness may not be optimal. SEW-EURODRIVE increasingly works with customers to evaluate existing installations, comparing them against current technologies and identifying opportunities for improvement. This can include energy surveys, drivetrain assessments, maintenance reviews and broader operational optimisation studies. "We can modernise those products, give better service life and make an impact across multiple facets of a customer's business - including running costs," he says. "We can enhance all of that by modernising the plant with technology." Importantly, the company aims to reduce the disruption often associated with upgrading legacy infrastructure with specialised solutions to streamline the transition while mitigating the associated risk. Another key talking point across the stands will be SEW-EURODRIVE's growing service capability in South Africa including its expanded aftermarket support, reverse engineering and repair services. This capability extends beyond servicing its own products, to include other OEMs' equipment. "Our recently expanded facilities in Aeroton, Johannesburg, have further improved our service capabilities not just for our own product but also for non-SEW products," he says. "With our depth of technical expertise and specialised workshop equipment, we can reverse engineer and repair obsolete products back to workable health." By visiting SEW-EURODRIVE, Electra Mining Africa visitors can begin a holistic discussion about their current operational demands and future plans at their specific mine or industrial plant. The experienced SEW-EURODRIVE people on hand at the exhibition will help plot the road the improved asset performance. "Our presence further underscores that mining remains a major global growth sector for us, especially as mines look for ways of getting minerals out of the ground more efficiently," McKey says. "This pressure is accelerating demand for modern drive technology, automation and broader operational optimisation which are the areas where we see growing opportunity." McKey also expects plenty of interest from Electra Mining Africa visitors in infrastructure development and asset improvement more broadly. He notes that SEW-EURODRIVE is increasingly becoming involved in projects that not only support industrial operations, but help modernise economies through better engineering, improved reliability and smarter technologies.

CASE STUDY: inside ThredUp's high-tech transformation of its four-story conveyor system. ThredUp - one of the world's largest online resale platforms for women's and children's apparel - depends on a highly efficient and reliable conveyor system to ensure timely, accurate order fulfillment. However, recurring failures within its automated chain drive operations were causing costly downtime and disrupting performance. By partnering with SEW-EURODRIVE, ThredUp implemented a precision-engineered, decentralized motion solution that eliminated sensor failures, prevented mechanical jams, and restored reliable, continuous operation across its four-story automated system. Challenge: inaccurate positioning, mounting failures, and wasted downtime. ThredUp's four-story overhead chain conveyor moves thousands of garments daily, but its basic VFD controls, proximity sensors, and problematic chain-count tracking led to frequent sensor misreads, sequencing errors, and complex wiring. Falling garments jammed catenary drives, and each chain break caused up to 12 hours of downtime - halting fulfillment and costing thousands in missed revenue. This legacy approach created several critical pain points: * Imprecise control: Sensor miscounts from misaligned chains delivered the wrong garments for processing. * Excessive wiring: Multiple sensors per chain required large floor-mounted cabinets and expensive wire runs. * Manual resets: 600+ chains required time consuming re-zeroing after power loss. * Frequent failures: Fallen garments caused jams and structural damage, resulting in critical downtime. * Limited scalability: Cabinet and wiring demands restricted expansion. * The customer needed a smarter, safer, and more scalable system. Solution: intelligent motion with zero guesswork. SEW-EURODRIVE partnered with ThredUp to deliver a fully decentralized, precision-controlled solution using MOVIGEAR(R) Performance mechatronic drives with integrated absolute encoders and MOVIKIT(R) Positioning software. Key Solution Features: * Absolute encoder feedback: Eliminated proximity sensors; new drives retain exact position - even after power loss. * MODULO positioning: Used MOVIKIT(R) logic to divide continuous motion into precise virtual frames. * Decentralized architecture: Eliminated large control cabinets; power and Ethernet daisy-chained between drives. * Condition monitoring: Real-time speed and torque monitoring to prevent damage. * Quieter operation: MOVIGEAR IE5 units significantly reduced noise. * Energy efficient: High-efficiency drives supported sustainability goals. Results: scalable automation. Zero downtime. Total confidence. The implementation of 360 MOVIGEAR Performance drives on ThredUp's overhead conveyor lines improved their automation processes. * Pinpoint Accuracy: Garment retrieval positioning is now accurate to within 1/100th of a frame * System Uptime: Zero unexpected downtime due to jams or sensor loss * Simplified Design: No more referencing routines or cabinet-based wiring nightmares * Scalable Framework: SEW's MOVI-C modular automation framework scales easily * Operational Safety: Chain-jam shutdowns now occur automatically within milliseconds and keep production moving, and damage to near zero. * Quieter Facilities: Operator feedback confirms a more comfortable work environment "SEW didn't just solve a problem - they transformed our entire chain delivery system. We gained accuracy, safety, scalability, and peace of mind." - Keith Hiyama, VP of Automation and Industrial Engineering, ThredUp Why it matters: SEW solves what others can't. ThredUp's original request was simple: improve positioning. But SEW-EURODRIVE delivered much more. Its modular MOVIGEAR Performance system didn't just fix the old problem - it eliminated an entire class of future failures. From absolute accuracy to predictive protection, SEW built ThredUp a smarter, cleaner, more resilient motion solution that no one else could provide. "Thanks to SEW's engineering support, we achieved positioning control down to the frame without adding a single sensor. Movigear proved to be the ideal solution for this application." - Mike Demeo, National Business Development Engineer - Drives & Automation, SEW-EURODRIVE-USA Applications summary. | Application Area | SEW-EURODRIVE Product(s) | | Original System 1 HP motor with Cabinet-mounted Drive | MOVIGEAR Performance MGFAS4-DFC-C/DI/AZIZ/DSP/PE/PG/BW1 * Size 2 MOVIGEAR * Encoder Absolute AZ1Z * Ratio 36.61 | Speed 2000 rpm * Fieldbus Ethernet IP * DynaStop holding brake * MOVIKIT Positioning (Modulo) | Sponsored content by SEW-EURODRIVE-USA