Since the early 1980s, Nord Drivesystems, a supplier of gear units, electric motors, and control products, has produced its own electronics at their Aurich facility in northwest Lower Saxony, Germany. Over time, the production plant and product portfolio have been continuously expanded, increasing current staff to 180 with an additional 40 planned, as well as increasing manufacturing capacity to 400,000 units.
The Aurich site produces control cabinet variable frequency drives, decentralized VFDs, motor starters, and electronic drive technology up to 215 horsepower (160 kilowatts). The NORDAC line of electronic control products is continually expanding to include greater performance, functionality and energy efficiency. Recent advancements include the decentralized NORDAC ON/ON+ VFDs, developed for the special requirements of horizontal conveyor technology, and the NORDAC PRO SK 500P cabinet control drives, offering 5 frame sizes with a power range of up to 30 horsepower (22 kilowatts).
No matter where they operate around the world, every Nord variable frequency drive is produced in the Aurich production plant. Site manager Gerhard Harms said, “Frequency inverters are a fundamental component of efficient and intelligent drive systems. In Aurich, we can respond quickly and flexibly to customer requirements and market changes and are ideally equipped for the increasing demand.”
Facilities at Aurich are state-of-the-art and feature an automated, flexible production structure. This allows for any size order, even small batch sizes, to be processed with the same high level of quality and efficiency. In 2022, 185,000 units were shipped from the factory, and an even greater number is projected for 2023 as demand for electronic control products becomes increasingly stronger.
To meet growing demands, Nord has invested $2.7 million into expanding the Aurich facility throughout 2022. The two-level area for customer project assemblies has been increased to 32,292 feet squared. The total production area has expanded to 75,347 feet squared, and the office area has grown to 13,993 feet squared. Expansion plans are far from finished, as Nord recently acquired an adjacent site with an area of 4.45 acres, providing plenty of space to continue improving their successful Aurich operations.
Source: Nord Drivesystems
