Motion is driving the transition from traditional hydraulic systems to high-efficiency electric drives in sugar mills – delivering lower power use, improved cleanliness, and long-term reliability through a partnership with Zollern.
The gears are turning – quite literally – on a quiet revolution inside Australia’s sugar mills. Where open gears and hydraulic drives once dominated, a shift toward electric drive systems is gaining momentum. And with Motion’s new partnership with German manufacturer Zollern, the engineering behind that shift is cleaner, more efficient, and built to last
“Zollern are seen as the gold standard of sugar mill drives,” says Steve Hittmann, Category Manager – Industrial Drive Systems & Mobile Final Drives, at Motion. We’re seeing 30-year-old units still running – and being refurbished for another go. That says something.”
The partnership, formalised in late 2023, aligns with Motion’s broader push to support industries where reliability and efficiency are paramount. For sugar mills, those upgrades are increasingly urgent. Traditional open gears and hydraulic systems are maintenance-intensive, prone to contamination, and often inefficient when it comes to energy use.
“Open gears are dirty. Hydraulics, while effective, are also messy – and neither system is particularly efficient,” says Hittmann. “These electric planetary gearboxes, on the other hand, are compact, clean, and they just work. They’re smoother to run and use less power.”
The efficiency story is especially compelling. Many sugar mills generate their own electricity by burning bagasse – the fibrous by-product of sugarcane processing – in steam turbines. By replacing power-hungry mechanical drives with high-efficiency electric systems, mills can reduce internal consumption and sell more electricity back to the grid.
“It’s not just about saving on maintenance – it’s about making better use of the energy you generate,” explains Hittmann. “And when a single upgrade is estimated to be a significant investment, you want to be sure you’re getting value for the long haul …
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