Geared for success Nord Motoriduttori

geared for success

Nord Motoriduttori Srl is a global leader in the design and manufacture of electronic drive technology for geared motors, frequency inverters and electronic gear units. Today the company is seeing strong growth not only in its traditional markets but also in the world’s emerging markets, as well as in other more mature global markets. Philip Yorke reports.

Nord Motoriduttori Srl is part of the Nord Drivesystems Group, and is headquartered in Bargteheide, near Hamburg in Germany. The group was founded in 1965 and its global presence extends to over 60 countries worldwide. Today the group has more than 3000 employees, and in 2017 recorded sales of over €500 million. The company’s core activities include the manufacture of geared motors, frequency inverters and gear units. These are used to drive a wide range of machinery in sectors such as material handling, construction, beverages, food and chemicals.

Nord Motoriduttori employs over 200 people in Italy and produces over 13,000 motors a week there. These are supplied partly to the Italian market but mainly to the group’s HQ in Germany, where it utilises them in its own geared motor production and distributes them all over the world.

In addition, Motoriduttori operates five gearbox assembly lines, where it assembles geared motors for the Italian market using the 100 per cent German made parts, including gears, housings and shafts manufactured by the group. As the Italian branch of Nord Drivesystems Group, it also commercialises all other products from the Motoriduttori range.

Flying high

When it comes to airport baggage handling systems, reliability is the number one priority. The breakdown of even a single system component results in a backlog and unacceptable delays. Nord is very familiar with the strict airport requirements and supplies drive systems and solutions for a wide range of baggage handling applications. All Nord components are precisely matched to each other in order to ensure reliable, smooth operation.

These gear units are extremely robust, run almost silently and have a particularly long service life. They can help to reduce stand-still times and thereby contribute to the increased efficiency and availability of the entire baggage system. Nord’s reliable and cost-effective electronically controlled conveyor drives have proven themselves at airports throughout the world. The systems combine high flexibility and tiered functional equipment with ease of operation. These drives can ensure high conveying speeds when necessary, which are increasingly needed these days due to the more stringent safety measures imposed at the world’s airports.

The mechatronic Nord drive systems are based on 2-stage bevel gear motors that offer low weight ratios and high efficiency. In combination with wall-mounted or motor-mounted frequency invertors, they form the world’s most efficient drive systems.

In addition, the Modular Nord range of products enables computer drive solutions from a single source and so reduces the number of versions. This means that the overall operating costs of the system can be kept low, making the product even more cost-effective.

From design and commissioning to service maintenance, Nord supports its customers through all phases of each project and supplies optimal quality which meets, and often exceeds, international standards.

Food for thought

The food and beverage industry is among the most regulated in the world and demands strict adherence to hygiene and sustainability criteria. Aluminium offers a number of benefits in this respect as well as in the application of advanced drive technology.

The material is characterised by low weight, low costs and excellent heat conduction. Aluminium also has an inherent corrosion resistance and does not always require painting. If the appropriate chemicals are used, the lightweight aluminium drives are optionally available with nsd tupH surface treatment.

Furthermore, the smooth aluminium surfaces allow effortless cleaning. As a result, the light and highly durable aluminium drives are especially suitable for the applications involved in the food and beverage industry.

Turnkey systems

As the leading turnkey manufacturer of mechanical, electrical and electronic drive technology, Nord is able to supply complete drive units and configures the most efficient and reliable drive concepts.

The distinguishing features of Nord are its high quality standards, state-of-the-art production facilities and fast, just-in-time deliveries. The company has a growing selection of hygienic drives, which are perfect for the food and beverage industry as well as for diverse chemical industries.

Large industrial gear units are another Nord speciality. In fact Nord is the only manufacturer worldwide to produce very large industrial gear units with 242,000Nm output torques in the proven one-piece Unicase housing. Typical applications include those found in the mining industry as well as in the chemical industry, which needs high torques in order to mix high viscosity liquids.

As the demand for electric motors and gearboxes has increased both in terms of volumes and in terms of larger sizes, Nord Motoriduttori is investing heavily in line automation and increasing its number of production lines to enable it to immediately expand its production to meet the increased demand. n

For further details of Nord Motoriduttori products and services visit: www.nordmotoriduttori.com