On call around the clock

In the food and beverage sector, the clock never stops. Production lines run through the night, refrigeration systems must stay online, and even a brief halt can mean spoiled product, contractual penalties, or empty supermarket shelves. That’s why when equipment fails, urgency matters.

When a breakdown call comes through SEW-EURODRIVE’s 24-hour hotline, the clock starts ticking immediately. A trained technical expert — not a call centre operator — answers the phone and quickly diagnoses whether the fault is electrical or mechanical. If it’s electrical, it’s passed directly to a specialist who calls the customer back. If it’s mechanical, the initial responder takes ownership and begins gathering the critical details: what failed, what serial numbers are on the unit, and what’s required to replace it. From there, SEW’s system pulls up historical order data and identifies a suitable replacement — either from stock or ready to be built. That information is relayed to production staff, who mobilise to prepare the part. In the background, logistics may already be working on how to get the solution to site, fast.

For Andrew Kurzem, Head of Department Sales at SEW-EURODRIVE, responding to a breakdown call isn’t only about supplying parts or even getting businesses back on their feet — it’s about doing both these things as quickly as humanly possible.

“We recently had a confectionery plant lose a drive unit after hours,” he said. “They were losing thousands of dollars by the minute. Within two hours of the call, we had a like-for-like replacement installed and running. That kind of turnaround can make or break a production run.”

The secret to SEW-EURODRIVE’s rapid response lies in its national after-hours hotline and extensive local inventory. Calls are answered by technical staff, not operators, and routed quickly based on whether the issue is electrical or mechanical. The team then pulls up order histories and product data based on serial numbers or customer specifications, matching exact replacements or equivalent solutions — even for competitor equipment.

“In emergencies, we don’t just stick to SEW units,” said Kurzem. “If a customer has a competitor gearbox that’s failed, we can reverse-engineer a swapout using our experience and in-stock equivalents. We know the right questions to ask, and we know how to get the right outcome quickly.”

And in hygiene-critical environments, SEW-EURODRIVE’s stainless steel motor and gear unit portfolio plays a critical role. The company’s new stainless steel drives, designed specifically for food and beverage, resist corrosion, support sanitary design, and reduce failure rates in wet or washdown areas.

“We found our standard gearmotors weren’t always holding up under harsh cleaning conditions,” said Kurzem. “So, we developed a stainless steel option that solves that problem. Customers get less downtime and better compliance.”

While the 24/7 service is designed to solve urgent issues, it’s backed by broader engineering support that begins well before a crisis hits. From the start of a project, food and beverage manufacturers often choose SEW for the reassurance of that emergency safety net — but also because of the local expertise behind it.

“We have experienced engineers and technical sales staff across every state,” Kurzem explained. “We’re not just selling a motor. We’re solving application problems, building custom drive solutions, and offering peace of mind that we can support what we supply.”

That national footprint extends even to hard-to-reach places. In one case, a critical drive unit was assembled and air-freighted from Victoria to Tasmania within hours. “We had it built and at the airport in under an hour,” said Kurzem. “Four hours later, the customer was back in business.”

This responsiveness is possible because SEW-EURODRIVE maintains strong inventory levels and skilled production teams across Australia. Whether it’s a compact gearmotor or a large-scale drive assembly, the company is structured to react fast, and get it right.

Kurzem also notes that it’s not just about components. “We’ve got decades of engineering experience inside SEW. That’s what allows us to quickly assess a situation, match or redesign a solution, and give customers confidence that they’re in good hands.”

While some manufacturers may offer long lead times or overseas logistics, SEW-EURODRIVE’s Australian-based service teams offer what Kurzem calls ‘confidence on tap’.

“We know unplanned stoppages rack up costs fast,” he said. “The fact we have spare parts and people on hand locally makes all the difference. And when a customer’s down, it’s not enough to just have a local supplier; they need a partner who can help them now.”

For plant managers, that partnership can be the difference between a bad day and a disaster.