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Continuous expansion

Getriebebau Nord celebrates its 40th anniversary
Continuous expansion

Getriebebau Nord, headquartered in Bargteheide near Hamburg, Germany, employs a staff of 1,500 in the development, manufacture and distribution of a wide range of gear units, geared motors and frequency inverters. Founded in 1965, the company has become one of the leading players in mechanical and electronic drive technology. G. A. Küchenmeister, the company’s co-founder, and his daughter Jutta Humbert discuss milestones in Nord’s development, the current market focus and technological goals.

cpp: On April 1st, Getriebebau Nord will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Could you point out the key stations in the company’s development?

Küchenmeister: In 1965, Nord started out producing gear cases, shafts and flanges; all other components were sourced from sub-suppliers. During the seventies Nord established its own gear manufacturing facility. Consequently, the decision to produce drive electronics was made during the eighties. The entire range of drive technology was covered in the nineties, when Nord began producing electric motors. These stages in the company’s history mark a consistent progression towards a greater scope of in-house production. Nord succeeded in developing key technologies such as the Unicase gear housing in 1981. The housing, which is made from one single-piece casting with integrated bearing seats, replaced the two semi-shell design which was common until then. The Unicase construction eliminates all sealing surfaces that could deflect under the effect of torque or radial forces. Other trailblazing engineering achievements were made in the field of electronics: A servo controller numbers among Nord’s latest developments. Due to its efficiency and state-of-the-art hardware design, it instantly became one of the market’s technologically leading models.
cpp: How is the company organized today?
Humbert: From the beginning, Nord emphasized flat hierarchies, distributed locations and a clear organization with manageable divisions. That principle was applied during the early years in Nord’s home region as well as in foreign subsidiaries, the first of which were founded in 1979 in the USA, Sweden and France. It is still followed today as the company expands into the Far East. Nord owns several dozen manufacturing and assembly facilities around the world which belong to subsidiaries situated in presently 28 countries.
cpp: What kind of economic development has the company undergone during the past years? And what about the individual divisions?
Küchenmeister: All divisions continue to grow, thereby proving the success of our long-range strategy of extending the scope of in-house production. The company’s capacities have been systematically expanded by countercyclical investments. This has paid off especially in recent years: in 2004, for instance, sales increased by a two-figure sum.
cpp: What are your present economical and strategic goals?
Humbert: Nord will continue to expand. In Germany, this policy is reflected for instance in the high-bay racking warehouse in Bargteheide, which is scheduled to go into operation in April 2005. Our overseas activities have lately been focussed on China. In Shanghai, a production plant with a floorspace of 10,000 m² is being built. In 2005, a new subsidiary will be set up in India.
cpp: What markets and lines of industry are Nord’s key targets? What importance do you attach to your product developments in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries?
Humbert: Nord’s activities cover almost all industry sectors. Our main target areas, however, are the automotive industry, chemical and pharmaceutical plants and the food and beverage sector. Their requirements significantly shape the development of new products such as oil-tight, hygienic geared motors which Nord manufactures especially for those lines of industry. In addition to employing special coatings and lubricants for these applications, Nord develops custom-built shafts made from special materials. Moreover, pharmaceutical and food applications to some extent require specific performance characteristics. To mention just one example: Nord delivers high-speed drive units for ball mills used in agitators, which are essential, amongst other things, for chocolate production. Not only mechanical parts, but also electronics are optimized for chemical, pharmaceutical and food applications – dosing and filling machines, for instance, are a major application area for Nord’s servo controllers. Their controller functions are therefore attuned to the requirements specific to this branch of industry. Similarly, frequency inverters are optimized for pump applications.
cpp: The integration of motors, gearboxes and frequency inverters is an increasingly popular solution in automation technology. What impact does this trend have on your product development?
Humbert: Nord’s product portfolio includes the Nordac trio SK 300E, a compact drive unit containing a geared motor and inverter which is particularly suited for decentral applications such as conveying facilities. These IP 66 aggregates offer efficiency, high overload capacities and mechanical ruggedness by default – we therefore focus on developing practice-oriented improvements and application-specific optimizations. Examples are detailed enhancements such as refined braking functions for high-precision hoist applications as well as simple hands-on aids for everyday production, like optionally available knobs for manual speed and direction control.
cpp: Apart from a wide range of products, Nord’s strong points include longstanding experience in hazardous-area applications for geared motors and inverters. What questions arise most frequently in this area, and what approach do you take in giving technical advice?
Küchenmeister: Atex regulations requiring strict ex-protection for so-called nonelectrical devices such as gear units have come into effect only recently. There is still a high demand for clarification – dust-ex risks in particular remain unfamiliar to many users. On the one hand, it is often generally unclear how to assess dangers in drive mechanics. On the other hand, specific questions are asked about alternative drives for given applications. Our technical guidance covers the whole range of those queries.
cpp: Nord’s main focus for the SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2004 trade show was on distributed drive solutions. What concepts do you offer in this area, and what benefits do your customers gain from them?
Humbert: Using Nordac-DA systems, drive solutions can easily be adjusted as necessary. Our range of distributed products includes fully integrated systems with a motor switch in the motor’s terminal box that can be actuated via Profibus DP, ASInterface, Interbus, DeviceNet or simply digital 24 V-signals. In addition, distributed combinations of geared motors and inverters can be implemented. In these configurations, aggregates are connected to field distributor boxes, which in turn are hooked up to the field bus. The distributors are fitted with sensor/actor I/O components as well as integrated motor and maintenance switches and possibly inverters, depending on the actual installation scenario. All models require only a minimal wiring and installation effort. The drives can be handled particularly easily: for a power output of up to 7.5 kW, all components are available with standardized plug-in connectors, allowing easy and convenient changeover.
cpp: Which current technological developments will you present at the Hanover Fair in April?
Humbert: Due to constant improvements to all models, the whole range of products features minor upgrades which will be shown in Hanover. Our main emphasis, however, will be on Ex-protected geared motors – without wanting to reveal too many secrets at this early stage.
cpp: What are your technological goals for the future?
Humbert: A great deal of our research and development efforts is focussed on power electronics. In the years to come, we are expecting extraordinary growth rates in this area, and in particular in servo controller technology. Nord’s most important competitive advantage in the field of drive mechanics remains excellent workmanship, which ensures the efficiency and longevity of all components. Despite already having high standards, we are therefore committed to the continuous improvement of manufacturing processes and products.
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