Europe`s drives-users have voted SEW Eurodrive, the "European Motor Drive Vendor of the Year", succeeding Eurotherm Drives which won the accolade when it was first awarded in 2001. The award was based on a survey of 250 OEMs and end-users across Europe, conducted by by Wellingborough-based IMS Research. The users were asked to rate drives suppliers on criteria such as pricing, reliability, delivery times, technical support, technology, and ease of use.

The award was made to SEW Eurodrive`s managing director Hans Sondermann (above), in a ceremony at the recent Hannover Fair.

SEW Eurodrive received the highest overall ranking, and was also ranked top for product ease-of-use and technical support. Second was Omron, followed closely by Mitsubishi. Omron was ranked number one for delivery, while Mitsubishi had top ratings for product reliability and technology.

"The factor that the users considered most important when selecting a supplier of motor drives was product reliability," reports Alex West, an IMS research analyst. "Competitive pricing was also deemed to be of significant importance."

West says the biggest changes in the market since the 2001 survey have been: the increased presence in Europe of non-European companies; changes in ownership, such as at Eurotherm; and joint ventures, such as that between Toshiba and Schneider Electric.

The rankings were SEW Eurodrive, Omron, Mitsubishi, KEB, Bosch Rexroth, Lenze, Control Techniques, Danfoss, Schneider Toshiba, ABB, Rockwell, Eurotherm, and Siemens.

News Search