MEET charles
4.0
MACNEIL CAR WASH
Partnerships that Shine
Have you ever been through a car wash and thought to yourself, What happens if this thing just stops? Well, fortunately, this is a rare occurrence when the car wash has been built by a company like MacNeil.
In Canada, many of our customers are corporately owned petroleum companies that build car wash systems as a complimentary service; however, our cross-border customers are very different.”
Ninety percent of MacNeil’s systems are exported to the United States, and because of Eurodrive’s proximity protocol, OEMs gain access to global support, regardless of where the products were purchased. Tulk explains: “Our US customers are very different from our Canadian customers. Our US customers are typically independent car wash owners/operators who live and breathe the car wash business every day. These business owners have extremely high expectations and demand a top-quality solution that performs, is easy to maintain, and generates profits. “Needless to say, they buy our products because our car wash systems are considered a premium brand that pairs high-volume capability with low maintenance and downtime. These demands are among the many reasons we use SEW-Eurodrive gear boxes as the driver for our car washes.
”I learned from my previous employer that SEW-Eurodrive has a reputation for quality; however, I didn’t elect to use their products solely based on performance; I looked at what level of support accompanies these products.
“SEW-Eurodrive has proven its value to us on many occasions; however, the shining moment for me was when we decided to switch our main conveyor motors from a competitor’s drive, to an SEW-Eurodrive. Aside from meeting our budgetary targets and significantly cutting down lead times, it was the post-sales support that impressed me the most. During the gear motor transition, our installers experienced technical challenges related to the wiring. Our sales representative Konrad Kurylo, who is also an engineer, was able to quickly identify the problem, isolate why it was happening, and go so far as to create a step-by-step video instructing us how to correct it. This video allowed us to resolve the problem locally and abroad.
“Having a great product without the support is a risky proposition in our business. Our philosophy is to work with companies that take accountability for what they do, stand behind their products, and have their people come to the table with solutions, not additional problems. This is truly a partnership that shines.”
CONESTOGA COLD STORAGE
Everything's Cool
It started a little heated, but everything’s cool.
Frozen foods. What would we do without them? They are our saving grace for unexpected guests, and become a quick and easy dinner after a long day, with, of course, all the benefits of locked-in freshness and long shelf life.
Over the years, the SEW United Crew has witnessed many of Canada’s top food and beverage producers cook, bake and package their goods ready for distribution. If these goods were destined for the frozen food aisle, then the odds favour a quick detour through one of Conestoga Cold Storages’ warehouse and distribution facilities.
With five locations across Canada and a combined total of 42 Million cubic feet of storage, Conestoga Cold Storage has both the warehousing and distribution of cold and frozen foods down to a science.
The SEW United Crew visited Conestoga’s Mississauga facility and met with Vice President Gavin Sargeant, and Siegfried Giebat, electrical project manager, to learn more about what is involved in operating a successful high-volume cold storage operation.
In conversation with the SEW United Crew Giebat explains “Storage and distribution of cold and frozen foods is definitely on the rise—we store and ship all types of food products ranging from meats to baked goods for some of Canada’s largest food brands. With the increased demand, we are continually challenged to scale our operations without compromising the quality or service our customers expect. Our customers put a lot of trust in what we do; we are held accountable for storing and distributing goods that require special attention, and being just a few degrees off can have serious implications.”
Conestoga Cold Storage
Sargeant adds, “There is very little—if any—margin for error, and this is why many of our applications are engineered and built in-house. Most of our systems are the result of years of innovation and experience summed into our own proprietary applications that focus heavily on efficiency and reliability.
We are firm believers in fostering strong relationships with experts in fields beyond our own. In 2012 we commissioned a German OEM to manufacture our automated storage and retrieval cranes using only SEW-Eurodrive products. These cranes were special because of MXR regenerative power supply, a unique feature on SEW Eurodrive’s multi-axis servo inverter, MOVIAXIS®.
Our choice to use SEW-Eurodrive’s MOVIAXIS® for our ASR cranes was clear because it synchronizes the multiple servo gear motors while simultaneously recovers regenerative energy while the crane descends and brakes. This process redistributes the energy that would otherwise dissipate into our coolers resulting in a reusable energy source. The integration of this new and highly sophisticated system, aligned perfectly with our operational objectives and environmental best practices.
As with any new technology, there were definitely some challenges in the earlier stages of integration. Our conversations got a little heated at times, mainly because our trust was put into the hands of another company, something that was outside our comfort zone. However, we were confident knowing SEW-Eurodrive had a solid reputation for post-sales support and would not let us down.
Throughout the integration process, we were pleased to know that support was not far. We connected with the SEW-Eurodrive Canada office, which assigned Konrad Kurylo and Shane Carnegie to the project. Konrad, Shane and their global network of Engineers (the folks who actually design this technology) were able to effectively troubleshoot all outstanding issues.
Upon completion of this project and witnessing immediate results, we made the decision to standardize on SEW-Eurodrive’s MOVIAXIS® with regenerative MXR module on all our cranes, throughout our Canadian locations. It was not only the performance of the products that impressed us, it was knowing that we partnered with a group of experts that were reliable, knowledgeable and cared about our business. Our plans to expand and upgrade our current applications will most definitely include the products and people at SEW-Eurodrive.”
Ability Stainless Steel Fabricators
Two parts Siblings
Add two parts siblings with one part Eurodrive.
Ever heard the term, “You get what you pay for”? Does it hold any real significance in today’s business landscape when offshore “me-too” companies are claiming to produce equal quality products for lower costs? The SEW United crew traveled to Ability Fabricators in Concord, Ontario, to meet with the company’s founding partners (brothers) Ram and Basil Persaud, to discuss just that.
Ability Fabricators engineers and builds a variety of equipment for the pharmaceutical, food, and nutraceutical industries.
CONESTOGA COLD STORAGE
Everything's Cool
It started a little heated, but everything’s cool.
Frozen foods. What would we do without them? They are our saving grace for unexpected guests, and become a quick and easy dinner after a long day, with, of course, all the benefits of locked-in freshness and long shelf life.
Over the years, the SEW United Crew has witnessed many of Canada’s top food and beverage producers cook, bake and package their goods ready for distribution. If these goods were destined for the frozen food aisle, then the odds favour a quick detour through one of Conestoga Cold Storages’ warehouse and distribution facilities
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