Superior German Slew Drives Image

Chinese or German-manufactured Slew Drives? (2021)

Why IMO USA’s German Engineering is Superior.

Brands don’t necessarily need the identity of a country behind them to succeed—but it is safe to say that for most consumers, brands and their country of origin are inextricably linked. Hear “Gucci” and there’s a fair chance that you’ll also think of Italy. The same goes for Sony and Japan, Ford and the United States, KIA, and South Korea, and on and on it goes.

When our customers think about IMO USA, it is our hope that they associate our slew rings and slew drives with superior innovation, the kind that only the German manufacturing industry could produce.

Unlike our competitors—most of whom rely on China to manufacture their products—we continue to produce in a country where nearly a quarter of the economy is bolstered by manufacturing. Considering that, we feel comfortable saying that Germany knows the industry.

For 30 years, our customers have chosen German-manufactured slew drives over those of our competitors—and for good reason.

Our drives are often copied by Chinese manufacturers—but they’ve yet to be duplicated.

We’ve been designing, manufacturing, and selling slew drives and slew rings all over the world for three decades. Keeping that in mind, it’s no surprise that our German-manufactured designs have been copied by our competitors, altered to avoid patent infringement, and outsourced to Chinese manufacturers.

While our competitors have proven that they can certainly manufacture a more affordable drive, our customers continue to tell us that their old Chinese drives were significantly inferior to those manufactured by IMO USA. “It’s true, the Chinese are good at providing a low-cost standard drive,” notes Chris Taylor, IMO USA’s Director of Sales and Engineering. “But if you need a reliable and high-performance drive—or require corrosion and explosion proofing, or a cold-weather package—a Chinese-manufactured drive just won’t cut it.”

Our customers echo these sentiments, notes IMO USA’s Vice President of Business Development and Engineering Jason Sfreddo. “I often work with customers who were using cheaper Chinese drives and they all have similar frustrations: Chinese drives are noisy, often faulty, and because the customer service is minimal or nonexistent, customers are forced to troubleshoot and design their own solution.”

Our German-manufactured drives are designed to be plug-and-play, thus allowing for simple integration and installation into any system. Simply bolt them into place, attached them to a power source, and get to work.

Our German-engineered slew drives are fully customizable.

According to IMO USA Key Account Engineer Georg Pfotenhauer, more than 30 percent of our clients require some degree of customization to meet the demands of their specific application. Because we are engineers ourselves, customization is never a problem.

• Do you require superior strength, but need it to come in a compact package? Not a problem. Our WD-H series features slew drives that remain small but provide three times the strength of our competitors’ drives.

• Need to double your torque capacity? That’s easy. Our slew drives can be powered by two drive motors—either electric or hydraulic—and can accommodate a variety of inputs or controls.

• Looking for increased strength and the freedom to work in demanding environments? We can help. Our German-engineered slew drives come in an array of customizable options to meet the demands of your specific application.

• Want additional safety features? These can be built into most slew drives in applications where a drive must be “locked” or unable to rotate when power is not being applied to the drive.

We offer superior customer support.

As engineers, we understand that every application is unique and at IMO USA we want to understand the nuances of your project. That’s why we encourage our customers to contact us before beginning their projects. That’s also why our consultations services are absolutely free.

“Our relationship with customers begins in the consultation room and continues through the manufacturing, delivery, and installation process,” says IMO USA’s Jason Sfreddo. “But it certainly doesn’t end there. We stick with our customers and stand behind our product. To prove it, we’ve actually sent engineers out into the field to assess and troubleshoot with our clients—even when the malfunction has nothing to do with our product.”

We see customer support as a continuous relationship, so let’s start the discussion. We’re here to help you find the right design and engineering options available to meet your requirements and budget.

We have more than 30 years of industry-leading experience and expertise.

For more than 30 years, IMO USA has developed, manufactured, and sold innovative slew drives and slew rings on the global market. In those three decades, the list of active slew drive applications has increased significantly. Once primarily utilized for mining and heavy construction, now slew drive applications include solar, wind turbines, and even amusement rides.

Unlike many of our competitors, we’ve been around to see the industry change—and we’ve been instrumental in the development of the technology that made this change possible.

If you’re looking for superior customer service and an innovative drive with strength, accuracy, safety, and efficiency for a complex application, we’re here to help. Our approach is as unique as the application itself.


Have Questions? Contact Our Engineering Team Today.