Product category:
Industrial Drives/Controls
News Release from: Parker Hannifin - SSD
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 03 December 2004
New name for Eurotherm Drives
Eurotherm Drives, the largest British manufacturer of variable speed drives, has changed its name to SSD Drives.
Eurotherm Drives, the largest British manufacturer of variable speed drives, has changed its name to SSD Drives Originally founded in 1974 as SSD, the company took its parent company name, Eurotherm, in a corporate makeover in 1992
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 11 Mar 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Versatile drive eases integration process
Parker Hannifin's AC890 drive can meet the requirements of all variable speed applications, from simple motor speed control to integration of sophisticated multidrive automation or process systems.
Compact DC drive saves cabinet space
Cooling fans are only switched on when required and are constantly monitored for rotation, which eliminates unexpected machine downtime when the drive gets too hot.
Invensys, Eurotherm's owner, sold the drives division to a management buyout 2 years ago, necessitating a name change to avoid confusion with Eurotherm's temperature and chart recorder business that remains with Invensys.
"Although its 12 years since we were SSD, the name is still widely known around the world and is synonymous with high quality, innovative drive products".
"Incorporating the SSD brand into the new SSD Drives company name was the obvious choice", explains UK Sales Director, Mark Hartley.
"Although the name is the same the product range could hardly be more different; back in 1992 it was all DC drives but the vast majority of our sales now are digital ac drives and high performance servo drives", adds Hartley.
Since the buyout from Invensys 2 years ago the company has rapidly strengthened its global position.
Last year over 120,000 drives and 80,000 high performance servomotors were manufactured of which nearly 90% were exported.
Global product support and service is available in over 60 countries and the company has recently opened a company in Beijing, China where it is already market leader in the important DC drives market.
SSD Drives has four manufacturing sites in USA, France and Germany as well as its headquarters in Littlehampton, West Sussex where 350 people are employed.
To keep up with demand the company has recently introduced 24-hour production for the first time in its 30-year history.
SSD Drives held its first ever international sales conference to launch the new name with over 200 delegates in attendance from around the world with SSD Drives' own sales engineers plus agents from as far a field as New Zealand, Thailand, Israel, Colombia and Brazil attending.
The conference was used to launch a flood of new products of which details will be revealed shortly.
• Parker Hannifin - SSD: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
