Motion is driving the transition from traditional hydraulic systems to high-efficiency electric drives in sugar mills – delivering lower power use, improved cleanliness, and long-term reliability through a partnership with Zollern.
The gears are turning – quite literally – on a quiet revolution inside Australia’s sugar mills. Where open gears and hydraulic drives once dominated, a shift toward electric drive systems is gaining momentum. And with Motion’s new partnership with German manufacturer Zollern, the engineering behind that shift is cleaner, more efficient, and built to last.
“Zollern are seen as the gold standard of sugar mill drives,” said Steve Hittmann, category manager – Industrial Drive Systems & Mobile Final Drives, at Motion. We’re seeing 30-year-old units still running – and being refurbished for another go. That says something.”
The partnership, formalised in late 2023, aligns with Motion’s broader push to support industries where reliability and efficiency are paramount. For sugar mills, those upgrades are increasingly urgent. Traditional open gears and hydraulic systems are maintenance-intensive, prone to contamination, and often inefficient when it comes to energy use.
“Open gears are dirty. Hydraulics, while effective, are also messy – and neither system is particularly efficient,” said Hittmann. “These electric planetary gearboxes, on the other hand, are compact, clean, and they just work. They’re smoother to run and use less power.”
The efficiency story is compelling. Many sugar mills generate their own electricity by burning bagasse – the fibrous by-product of sugarcane processing – in steam turbines. By replacing power-hungry mechanical drives with high-efficiency electric systems, mills can reduce internal consumption and sell more electricity back to the grid.
“It’s not just about saving on maintenance – it’s about making better use of the energy you generate,” he said. “And when a single upgrade is estimated to be a significant investment, you want to be sure you’re getting value for the long haul.”
That long-term value is built into the design. Zollern’s gearboxes offer 30-year service lifespans, low maintenance needs, and a compact footprint that simplifies installation – often a hurdle in retrofit projects. With Australian mills processing under tight seasonal schedules, the less time spent troubleshooting gearboxes, the better.
And it’s not just about the gearboxes. The move toward electrification reflects Motion’s broader commitment to integrated solutions. From power transmission to hosing, bearings, and engineered services, Motion is positioning itself as a full-scope provider to the sugar industry.
“It’s the complete package,” said Hittmann. “We’re supporting these projects with our engineering and services team, and if something needs servicing – whether it’s a drive system or a cylinder rebuild – we’ve got local teams ready to handle it. That makes a big difference when time is money.”
With Zollern experts due to visit Australia in the latter half of 2025 and several major upgrades already in the pipeline, the shift is, so to speak, in motion.
“Some of these mills have been running the same systems for decades,” said Hittmann. “Now, with a partner like Zollern and support from Motion, our customers have a smarter, cleaner, and more efficient way forward.”