The importance of gearmotors to the food and beverage industry is highlighted by Bonfiglioli’s work with manufacturers and key stakeholders.
The food, beverage and packaging sectors are vital to the performance of Australia’s economy, and gearmotor manufacturers are paying close attention to meet their needs.
Danie de Vries, sales manager for Bonfiglioli Victoria says that customers in these sectors prioritise 1) good quality products 2) competitive pricing and 3) customisation above all else.
“Customers cannot afford to have countless breakdowns and maintenance issues on a plant. These hamper productivity, output and ultimately profits in a very competitive sector,” he said.
Bonfiglioli can be found on applications such as conveyors, wrappers, cartoners, palletisers, shrink wrappers and general materials handling of all sizes.
Speaking to its industry alignment, Danie says that customers benefit from its range of best sellers such as precision planetaries, helical bevel units, worm style gearboxes and servo motors.
“In addition, our C5 paint spec prevents corrosion and offers a safe washdown for clean environments. Food grade oil is also an optional extra offered by Bonfiglioli,” he said.
Locally, Danie notes that helical bevel units and worm style gearboxes prove popular thanks to their versality and competitive pricing.
Short lead times and maintenance
“Many companies supply gearboxes, but our key differentiator is that we stock sub-assemblies. Customers benefit from a shorter lead time to assemble gear units locally with factory precision quality on the sub-assemblies” says Danie.
When it comes to maintenance, the W series of worm style gearboxes from Bonfiglioli are filled for life and sealed which means that they never require an oil change. “This proves to be cost effective and efficient in the long run.”
The helical bevel unit, on the other hand, requires routine maintenance which also extends its service life. “Conducting regular oil change intervals and inspections and checking the ingress of water and corrosion goes a long way” he advises.
Product selection
When it comes to selection of the right gearbox, Bonfiglioli roll up their sleeves and get involved. “Just as a customer trusts the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to select the right design and deliver a product that meets their need, we see it as our responsibility to help the OEM’s select the right gearbox,” said Danie.
“OEM’s will contact Bonfiglioli in the design phase with their requirements in terms of specs and outputs and we, in close co-operation with the OEM, will calculate and size the gearbox requirement to make sure that the customer gets what they need.”
This means the selection of the right product, size, torque rating and extras required to suit the customers application.
Product highlights
Danie highlights the coaxial gearbox and decentralised inverters as two recent product launches for the industry.
“The coxial gearbox – EVOX CP – is a helical in-line product designed with a smooth surface for easy cleaning. It comprises of top-quality components and offers unlimited mounting positions to market standards,” he said.
“The decentralised inverter comes DGM and offering this with the EVOX CP completes the package. Its available in sizes 0.55kW to 30kW. We believe that this combination will be greatly welcomed by OEMs as a simple solution to conveying.”
About Bonfiglioli
Bonfiglioli is a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and distributor of a complete range of gearmotors, drive systems, planetary gearboxes, and inverters, which satisfy the most challenging and demanding needs in industrial automation, mobile machinery, and renewable energy.
The Group serves more industries and applications than any other drive manufacturer and is a market leader in many sectors; its three business units – Discrete Manufacturing & Process Industries, Mechatronic & Motion Systems and Mobility & Wind Industries – embody all the expertise and experience acquired over the years in the respective industries.
Established in 1956, Bonfiglioli operates worldwide with 21 branches, 14 production facilities, a network of 550 distributors and about 3.770 employees. Excellence, innovation, and sustainability are the drivers behind its growth as a company and team, representing the guarantee of the product and service quality the company offers its clients.