The merger of Regal Rexnord and Altra Industrial Motion has allowed the companies to provide total powertrain solutions to the Australian mining industry.
With the incredible scale of mining in Australia, the sourcing and maintenance of parts from a hoard of different suppliers can take up valuable time and money.
That’s why Regal Rexnord and Altra Industrial Motion have joined forces to become a one-stop shop for Australian mining’s industrial powertrain solutions.
The two businesses are now under the umbrella of Regal Rexnord Industrial Powertrain Solutions (IPS), combining decades of experience under one roof.
Separately, the businesses have been providing some of the most respected heavy industrial brands, including Falk, Svendborg Brakes, Rexnord, Stieber, Marland Clutch, Tollok and Autogard.
And now that the merger is complete, Regal Rexnord IPS can take its proven service to the next level.
Rather than providing individual power transmission products, the company can offer a united suite of powertrain solutions.
Harnessing its extensive engineering expertise from some of the best in the business, Regal Rexnord IPS can work as one unit to provide solutions that go beyond the initial sale of the product.
The company plans to work with customers to provide maintenance and bespoke solutions to any project with the flexibility of an engineering powerhouse.
“Regal Rexnord IPS is now even better placed to offer highly engineered solutions,” Regal Rexnord IPS general manager Shane Rock told Australian Mining.
“We’re seeing a lot of opportunities in being able to offer solutions that aren’t just standard off the shelf.
“Our ability to do bespoke modifications locally has certainly expanded with the merger given the much broader product range.”
The aim of Regal Rexnord IPS is to establish synergies in application expertise that ensure end-to-end client support.
“Being able to engineer those products together is something very few suppliers are able to do,” Rock said.
One way the company is putting this into action is through its Internet of Things (IoT) digital platform, Perceptiv intelligent reliability solutions.
An interconnected matrix of smart digital solutions that have the potential to empower and elevate everything in the Regal Rexnord universe, Perceptiv uses cloud technology to track, report, communicate and share performance data.
“In the near future, I expect Perceptiv will be able to communicate between our products and offer the customer even more valuable information on their drive system,” Rock said.
The merger also means Regal Rexnord IPS is expanding the way it does business.
The company is incorporating Altra Motion’s strong field service work capabilities into its offering, bringing maintenance and engineering solutions direct to the customer like never before.
“Now that we have this field service capability, it’s something we can expand into,” Rock said.
“I think the customers will be happy that someone can go to site and have knowledge of the complete drive train and do service work for them.”
The plan is to provide everything from commissioning through to repairs and general servicing; for example, maintenance works on Svendborg Brakes.
Regal Rexnord IPS wants to ensure its team are equipped with knowledge it needs to provide the best customer experience possible.
“In the past, we’ve looked around to other suppliers. Now, everything is internal – our own products,” Rock said.
“That means we can optimise our engineering design and become more agile, as we’re involved the whole way through.”
Agility in an industry as massive as mining in Australia cannot be underestimated, and it’s Regal Rexnord IPS’ customers who are the first to benefit.
“Early feedback from the customers is they think the merger is a good thing,” Rock said. “They can see the benefit of speaking to one company about the entire drive train.
“All of the brands that we have now are all well respected market leaders in the mining industry, so customers know they can trust in our offering.”
Regal Rexnord IPS sales director Junior Eltagonde told Australian Mining the company’s increased scope of knowledge paired with its name-brand recognition is what sets it apart.
“We’re a one-stop project management package in regards to complete drive solutions for application,” he said. “Particularly in a mine site, where there’s critical areas where our product is well known, Falk being one of the biggest players in gearing in the world today.”
Falk’s gear products have offered industrial mechanical power transmission solutions for more than 100 years, and the company has become a major contributor to mining.
“We’ve heard from customers in the past that they’re looking for avenues for complete solutions where they can utilise brands that are well known in the marketplace,” Eltagonde said.
“We offer a complete package – the depth of knowledge we have for engineering and the quality of our gearing range means the whole team can work together collaboratively to provide a solution for the customer.
“We go from selling the product to helping the customer commission it on-site to providing extra technical support and troubleshooting for areas they need assistance with.”
As eyes turn to net-zero targets, the renewable space is opening up a new world in need of power train solutions.
“Svendborg Brakes is involved in wind energy,” Rock said. “Renewable energy was not an area Regal Rexnord was heavily involved in, so the Altra Motion merger has really opened that up.”
Although expansion into other industries is in the air for Regal Rexnord IPS, Rock said the company will continue to set its sights on mining.
“The products we offer lend themselves to the bigger end of the scale,” he said.
“Targeting mining certainly remains the biggest part of our focus.”
The Regal Rexnord–Altra Motion merger is also opening some interesting doors for crossover in the workshop.
Rock said Altra Motion’s mobile service is something the company plans to on foster under the Regal Rexnord IPS banner.
“We’re looking to expand what Altra can do to cover the entire product range so the customer gets someone on-site who can service the complete drive train,” Rock said.
Work is already underway in Western Australia to ensure Regal Rexnord IPS’ engineers are trained across the company’s range.
“We have to ensure Regal Rexnord quality service,” Rock said. “We want our expert engineers backed up by knowledge.”
The company plans to roll out its expert services to on-site operations early in 2024, with teams across the world working on interconnecting Regal Rexnord IPS’ range.
The merger allows Regal Rexnord IPS to grow its footprint in Australian mining like never before, with a culture of knowledge and focus on customer service that has been a cornerstone of Regal Rexnord and Altra Motion for decades.
This feature appeared in the November 2023 issue of Australian Mining.