SEW Gearmotor Standardization Case Study | Batavia, IL
DS Containers, an aerosol food packaging manufacturer in Batavia, Illinois, relied on hundreds of gearmotors to drive conveyors throughout its facility. With nearly 500 motors, maintenance teams often had trouble identifying the correct replacement when a motor failed.
"We used to have multiple rush motor orders per month. We now have virtually none."
Purchasing Manager
DS Containers
Apex Industrial Automation worked with DS Containers to audit every installed gearmotor, build a custom part numbering system, and integrate it into inventory and purchasing. Nearly 500 installed units now map to 52 standardized part numbers.
Background
Gearmotors at the DS Containers facility were historically identified and stocked by base model number. The base model number left out the details that determine whether a motor actually fits an application. Two motors with identical base numbers could differ in:
- Gear ratio
- Shaft size and type
- Mounting position
- Conduit Box Orientation
- Oil type
- Encoders or brakes
A replacement that matched on paper could still be wrong in practice. Maintenance teams often discovered the mismatch only after pulling a motor from stock and attempting the swap.
A gearmotor nameplate before the new part numbers.
The Challenge
A typical failure followed the same pattern. A conveyor motor went down. The team referenced the base model number on the nameplate, pulled a matching unit from the storeroom, and found during installation that the ratio or configuration was wrong. The old motor went back in while someone started a slow investigation into what the line actually needed.
Each cycle of this pattern produced production delays, rush orders with premium freight, and manual verification work that pulled skilled people away from other jobs. In some cases, teams resorted to workarounds such as adjusting VFD speeds to compensate for a mismatched ratio, which introduced its own risks.
DS Containers needed a system that let anyone on the team correctly identify and replace a failed gearmotor within minutes.
The Solution
Apex partnered with DS Containers on a facility-wide gearmotor standardization project built in four stages.
- Full Gearmotor Survey: Apex physically audited every gearmotor across the production lines and recorded the attributes that base model numbers omit: ratio, shaft size and type, mounting position, conduit box orientation, oil type, brakes, and encoders.
- Custom Part Number System: Apex built a part numbering system specific to DS Containers in which each number uniquely defines a complete gearmotor configuration. Where a variation was field-adjustable, such as conduit box orientation, it was consolidated rather than treated as a separate part. Nearly 500 installed units resolved into 52 standardized part numbers. Maintenance, purchasing, and support teams now reference the same number and mean the same gearmotor.
- Nameplate Integration: Apex worked directly with SEW to engrave the DS Containers custom part numbers onto new gearmotor nameplates. The number a technician reads on the machine matches the number in the storeroom and the purchasing system.
- ERP and Inventory Integration: The custom part numbers were loaded into both the DS Containers and Apex ERP systems. Safety stock levels were set based on how many of each motor are installed per line, and the storeroom was reorganized for quick visual identification and retrieval. This is spare parts inventory management driven by actual installed base rather than guesswork.
Results
A gearmotor nameplate with the new part number highlighted.
- Motor identification time dropped from hours, sometimes days, to minutes
- Emergency rush orders were virtually eliminated
- Inventory was right-sized to the installed base without overstocking
- New gearmotors arrive pre-configured and engraved, ready to install
- Unplanned line stoppages from motor failures went from a monthly occurrence to an annual one
Why It Matters
The system scales. Any new SEW gearmotor entering the West Chicago facility gets a standardized part number on arrival, so the clarity gained in the initial project does not erode over time. DS Containers freed working capital that had been tied up in redundant and mismatched stock, and its maintenance team replaced a reactive scramble with a repeatable process.
Apex Industrial Automation is based in Romeoville, IL, and provides gearmotor sales, motor repair, and equipment life-cycle management for manufacturers across Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. If your facility stocks motors by base model number and hopes for the best, we should talk.
Want to Learn How Apex Can Help Standardize Your Facility?
You don’t have to manage your inventory alone. Apex Industrial Automation offers full life-cycle support for industrial equipment. You can buy, maintain, repair, replace, and retrofit your equipment with a single partner who understands your equipment.
866-924-2808
Call us anytime, 24/7.
Text 774-APEX-NOW
Text Apex at (774-273-9669)
Email repair@apexindustrialautomation.com
Email Apex to get the support you need.
Apex is proud to serve The Chicagoland Area, Northern Illinois, Northwest Indiana, and nearby states. Contact us out today, and let’s get to work making your operation more efficient, more reliable, and more profitable.
