Industry News - June 2018

Dana

Unveils Construction, Off-Highway Market Strategy

Dana Incorporated recently revealed new technologies in support of the rapidly evolving development of hybrid- and electric-powered construction and other off-highway vehicles at Intermat, the international exhibition for the civil engineering and structural building industries.

Consistent with its approach in other vehicle markets, Dana’s strategy enables original-equipment manufacturers to accelerate their hybrid and electric vehicle development programs. It starts with a modular approach that combines Spicer Electrified hybrid and electric drivetrain solutions into current vehicle architectures with internal-combustion engines.

From this foundation, Dana further supports the evolution of vehicle mobility through a continuum of innovations that provides a smooth transition to fully integrated electric-drive technologies optimized within a single package to maximize performance.

At Intermat, Dana showcased its technological capabilities through a hybrid-electric telescopic boom lift equipped with more than 30 Spicer drivetrain and Brevini motion products. This mid-sized aerial work platform performed a series of typical driving and working maneuvers to illustrate how Dana serves as a Tier One contributor to the performance, efficiency, safety, intelligence, and systems integration of hybrid and electric vehicles.

In addition to aerial work platforms, Dana is actively developing hybrid and electric drive solutions for numerous wheeled and tracked vehicles in the construction, mining, material-handling, and aircraft ground support industries.

“Tightening emissions requirements, increasingly strict local government regulations, and accelerating market demand for vehicles that promote sustainability are driving the development of hybrid and electrified technologies,” said Aziz Aghili, president of Dana Off-Highway Drive and Motion Technologies. “We are demonstrating our unmatched commitment as a top-tier supplier to OEMs by delivering solutions today while also developing next-generation innovations for the vehicles of tomorrow.” (www.dana.com)

Drive System Design Inc.

Opens Test Facility on Improving Driveline Efficiency

A new test facility has been developed in Michigan to help vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers increase the efficiency of vehicle drivelines. Developed and operated by Drive System Design Inc., the North American subsidiary of U.K.-based driveline engineering consultancy Drive System Design, the facility will help manufacturers lower emissions, improve fuel economy and increase electric vehicle range.

“The current focus on real-world emissions means the efficiency challenge has suddenly become substantially more critical, yet parasitic and other losses are still draining energy unnecessarily,” says Jon Brentnall, president DSD Inc. “Our parent company has developed what we believe is Europe’s most advanced, commercially-available development center for vehicle driveline efficiency, with many test systems designed in-house to ensure that areas that have not previously received sufficient attention can now be investigated. It is our intention to build similar test capability tailored to the North American market.”

The facility will initially house a loaded transmission efficiency test rig and will be developed throughout the year to finally include three pieces of driveline test equipment. The current rig, which is fully operational, is suitable for all transmission types, including engine accessory drives, such as supercharger gearboxes. It will largely be used for transmission efficiency testing and the data produced will also ensure that transmission efficiency math models produced in-house are well correlated.

Further expansion throughout the year will include a hydraulic test stand for hydraulic valve body development and a tilt rig, which provides enhanced lubrication flow analysis capability. “This will require a larger facility in the area, which we are already investigating,” says Brentnall. “We are delighted to be offering this opportunity for the automotive industry in North America, but also for aspiring engineers looking for their next challenge – the initial expansion has already generated nine engineering vacancies.”

The facility’s first project is the test and development of a full parallel hybrid transmission for a front-wheel drive application for a North American vehicle manufacturer.

The new facility will also include extensive customer accessibility, allowing DSD’s engineers to work closely with its customers throughout design, development and validation programs. “Our consultant engineers in Europe found that they were able to produce designs that theoretically provided significant, low cost improvements in efficiency, but that the test facilities were not available to focus development attention in the appropriate areas,” Brentnall explains. “The answer was to develop their own test systems, designed specifically for this increasingly important area of driveline engineering. With the accelerating trend to electrification, the test center is also designed for mild and full hybrid drivelines and full electric drivelines.” (www.drivesystemdesign.com)

Forest City Gear

Adds Director of Sales

Forest City Gear has hired Erik J. Spurling as director of sales to oversee the activities of the company’s network of direct and independent sales representatives nationwide, and to lead sales strategies that meet the growing demands of a wide and diverse customer base throughout the world’s gear-making industries.

Spurling brings a wealth of sales and marketing experience and a deep familiarity with all facets of inside and outside sales and customer service processes, along with a strong background in manufacturing. This background, combined with his extensive sales and marketing leadership skills, made him an ideal candidate for the new position, says Wendy Young.
“Manufacturing the world’s best gears has always been the company’s focus – Erik will help to elevate our sales efforts to that same level,” says Young. “Our sales force, and the customers they serve, will benefit greatly from new strategies and methodologies that make the sales process faster and more efficient.” (forestcitygear.com)

Schaeffler

Celebrates 75th Years of Manufacturing in Connecticut

The Schaeffler Group celebrated the 75th anniversary of its Danbury manufacturing operations located in Connecticut. In just the past 15 years, the global manufacturer of precision components and systems for the automotive, industrial and aerospace sectors has invested over $55 million in its Connecticut operations.

Georg F. W. Schaeffler, family shareholder and chairman of the supervisory board of Schaeffler AG, as well as members of Schaeffler’s global and regional management boards were joined at the festive event by numerous state and local dignitaries, including Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton.

Founded in Danbury in 1942, Barden started out as a manufacturer dedicated to the production and inspection of miniature and instrument-precision ball bearings for military applications. Approximately 17 years ago, the Barden brand and the Danbury facility became part of the Schaeffler Group, and today the site is known for producing super-precision bearings with exotic finishes and surface treatments for sophisticated aerospace applications. “The high-precision products that are made right here in Danbury are crucial to Schaeffler’s success in the U.S. and around the world,” said Dr. Stefan Spindler, CEO of Schaeffler’s Industrial division. “Nearly eight decades of experience as a full-service supplier of super-precision bearings have made the Barden brand an indispensable anchor of Schaeffler Aerospace within our Industrial division.”

Headquartered in Fort Mill, SC, Schaeffler Group USA Inc. has approximately 6,000 employees working at facilities spread throughout South Carolina, Ohio, Missouri, Michigan and, of course, Connecticut. (www.schaeffler.com)

Lafert North America

Appoints Inside Sales Team

Lafert North America, a manufacturer of metric AC Motors, metric gearboxes and coolant pumps, is pleased to announce the appointment of Joel Fernandes to the role of sales representative. Fernandes brings nine years of sales experience to Lafert with time spent in the construction and power distribution industry. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Fernandes brings the ability to problem solve and provide the support required to meet industry needs.

They are also pleased to announce the appointment of Jesse Sagoo to the role of sales representative, bringing 12 years of technical sales in the power distribution market segment. Sagoo holds an electrical engineering technology designation from Humber College; he uses this training and experience to build customer relations and deliver positive value. (www.lafertna.com)

GE and SEW Eurodrive

Join to Sell Controllers and Drive-Based Automation Products

Customers of GE Power’s Automation and Controls business and SEW-Eurodrive will soon be able to benefit from each other’s broad motion control and automation portfolios as the companies sell each other’s products around the world. For customers, this means working with a single company to fulfill essential automation requirements.

GE and SEW-Eurodrive plan to provide complimentary solutions for drive and controller-based motion control solutions for discrete and process applications. These solutions can be used in applications including machine control, manufacturing, and a variety of infrastructure verticals.

“This collaboration marries our rich set of industrial control and computer products with the strong set of drive automation products from SEW-Eurodrive,” said Rob McKeel, chief marketing officer for GE Power and CEO of GE’s Automation and Controls business. “For our customers, this means easier and greater access to a wide range of products and automation solutions.”

GE Power’s Automation & Controls business recently launched the Industrial Internet Control System (IICS) combining both control and connectivity into a single device aimed at bringing traditional controls into the digital era. For machine builders looking to provide a new level of support services to their end customers, this IIOT infrastructure provides instant access to the health and quality of their equipment from anywhere in the world.

SEW-Eurodrive’s robust portfolio, from standard- and servo-gearmotors and heavy industrial gear units to electronic drives, software, and complete drive-based automation systems, are based on modular components that can be assembled in millions of different configurations. This enables every drive solution to be built to customer specifications. (seweurodrive.com)

GE will integrate SEW’s variable frequency drives and servo motors into the GE PACMotion product line enhancing GE’s Industrial Internet Control System for process and discrete applications.

SEW-Eurodrive strives for integration of GE’s IICS products into their controller-based drive automation solutions, providing a rich set of analytics to help reduce cost and improve operational efficiency.

“This collaboration with GE, particularly the ability to capture our domain expertise in analytics easily consumable by customers, is particularly compelling for us,” said Udo Aull, managing director sales and marketing of SEW-Eurodrive. “The combination of GE’s controls portfolio and our drive automation products provide our customers with a holistic solution for their plant operations.”

The industry has entered an age where machines can provide a long-term revenue stream for machine builders while providing lower total cost of ownership to customers. Connected machines provide real-time data useful for developing accurate mathematical models of the machine under many operating conditions not easily duplicated in the lab. This provides machine builders or Original Equipment Manufacturers the opportunity to fine-tune their designs to deliver more efficiently operating equipment to their end customers.

Added McKeel, “The combination of GE and SEW-Eurodrive uniquely enables a new generation of connected machines with rich motion and drive technology. This arrangement is a win-win for both companies and opens up new markets to provide customers with connected control and drive automation products.” (www.geautomation.com)