The story of Süddeutsche Elektromotorenwerke (SEW) starts with four people – an ingenious engineer, a bold and entrepreneurial couple, and their daughter. Over the decades, thousands of others have followed in their footsteps. It is these people who have collectively made the company what it is today – one of the world's leading suppliers of drive and automation technology. Find out more about the people behind the machines and their ideas for driving the future.
The master precision mechanic, who had learned his trade for electric motors in the USA, opened a small repair workshop in Bruchsal in 1913. This became Albert Obermoser AG, which, however, ran into financial difficulties as a result of the difficult post-war years. Obermoser had to sell his company to an industrial group, which also began to falter. However, the bank sees future opportunities for Obermoser AG and plans an overhaul. By this time, he has already left Albert Obermoser AG and continues his entrepreneurship with Albert Obermoser KG.
In 1927, the banker Christian Pähr is commissioned to restructure Albert Obermoser AG. When Obermoser left his former company and founded Albert Obermoser KG at the same time, Christian Pähr initially continued to manage the AG of the same name. On June 13, 1931, he took over the manufacturing rights and founded his own company, Süddeutsche Elektromotorenwerke. He died just four years later in 1935 at the age of 70.
Despite its pioneering technology, Albert Obermoser AG found itself in financial difficulty in 1929 due to the Great Depression. Banker Christian Pähr acquired the bankrupt estate and founded Süddeutsche Elektromotorenwerke SEW on June 13, 1931. This picture shows the workforce. Shortly after the company's founding, the staff grew to 35 employees.
Although the company was founded at the worst possible time, it survived the Great Depression and grew. As the Director of SEW, Christian Pähr earned 441 Reichsmarks per month, while the monthly salaries and wages of his employees ranged between 24 and 199 Reichsmarks.
The daughter of the company's founder helped her mother run SEW after his untimely death and was appointed an authorized signatory in 1941. She married army officer Ernst Blickle in 1942.
After a brief period as a prisoner of war, Ernst Blickle returned to Bruchsal. When his mother-in-law died in December 1945, he took over the management of SEW. As a visionary, Blickle was quick to realize the potential of the technology and set about acquiring the expertise he would need. He consistently leveraged both to grow his company.
In the early 1920s, factory halls were dominated by drives with transmission belts. Not only was the noise level correspondingly high, but also the risk of injury. Not to mention the high energy requirements. A pioneering invention by Albert Obermoser, patented in 1928, finally offered an alternative to these drive belts. The drive unit, which Obermoser called a “Gearmotor”, couples the motor to the gearbox - a spur gear. The advantage: the solution is compact and space-saving, runs much more quietly and precisely and also saves energy.
SEW-EURODRIVE's most groundbreaking invention in the field of drive technology came in the mid-1960s: The modular system for gearmotors is still one of the most important pillars of the company's success today. A manageable number of standardized individual parts and component groups form the basis for countless possible combinations for every customer requirement. Quick assembly and fast delivery give SEW-EURODRIVE an important competitive advantage.
At HANNOVER MESSE 1977, the company also presents another invention: the Parallel shaft gearbox with its high degree of efficiency now enables use with greater power and is significantly quieter than previous gearbox designs.
More than 550 people from all round the world work in research and development at the Ernst Blickle Innovation Center. Their common goal is to develop new ideas, products, and technologies for the drive technology and drive automation of the future.