From Family Business to Global Provider: 60 Years of NORD DRIVESYSTEMS
Over the past 6 decades, NORD has developed reliable, innovative drive systems, expanded to create an international support network, and continued their focus on customer needs.
www.nord.com
NORD DRIVESYSTEMS
is celebrating their 60th anniversary. The company was founded on April 1, 1965, by G. A. Küchenmeister and Günter Schlicht in northern Germany. What started as a small family business has since evolved into a global drive system manufacturer for mechanical and electronic drive technology with more than 4,800 employees and subsidiaries and sales partners in 80 counties worldwide.
60 years is an important milestone, marking over a half-century of hard work and dedication. In this time, NORD has built on valuable experience and extensive knowledge in more than 100 industries, development of state-of-the-art production facilities, and creation of a global network for collaborative innovation. Thanks to their dedicated, capable employees at 48 subsidiaries in 30 countries, NORD provides customers around the world with individualized drive solutions, short delivery times, and localized service and support.
A Legacy of Manufacturing Excellence
After its founding, NORD’s first production facility was established in Glinde, Germany in 1977 to manufacture gear components. In 1979, the first foreign subsidiaries were founded in the United States, France, and Sweden, marking the beginning of international expansion. Following the success of their gear units, NORD expanded its offering with in-house manufacturing of electric motors in 1983 and shortly afterwards in 1984, electronic components at their Aurich, Germany facility. In 1991, Fertigungstechnik NORD, a plant for machining castings and steel components, was founded in Gadebusch, Germany to further increase production capabilities. These German plants, as well as those established later in Italy, Poland, the United States, and China have steadily expanded over the years to accommodate growth. NORD continues to innovate and re-invest in these modernized facilities that produce the majority of their products.
In the past 5 years, many NORD subsidiaries have achieved notable anniversaries. Spain, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Great Britain celebrated 30 years. Canada, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, and Italy celebrated 35 years while Austria and the Netherlands observed their 40-year anniversaries. As the first foreign subsidiaries, the United States, France, and Sweden have reached their 45-year milestones.
Continued Innovation for the Advancement of Drive Technology
NORD places strong focus on continuous development to better serve their customers. In the early 1980’s, NORD engineers developed the UNICASE™ housing concept, an innovative single-piece housing into which all bearing mounts are integrated, eliminating the downside effects that torque and radial forces have on traditional two-piece housings. It quickly established itself on the market as an industry standard that is still in place today. NORD has also made many advancements with control electronics, including the launch of decentralized drive technology in 2000. Other notable innovations include:
2002
- NORD Worm Gear Units that quickly and easily adapt to a wide variety of applications
2009
- NORD MAXXDRIVE® XC Industrial Gear Units for heavy-duty industrial applications
2016
- NORDAC® LINK Field Distribution Systems (FDS) for flexible decentralized installation
2019
- MAXXDRIVE XT Industrial Gear Units to withstand higher thermal requirements
- NORDAC PRO SK 500P Variable Frequency Drives for centralized cabinet installations
- NORDAC ACCESS BT Bluetooth Stick to access drive data with full access control
2021
- IE5+ TEFC Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors for hygienic environments
- IE5+ TENV Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors for increased thermal dissipation
- NORDAC ON/ON+ Variable Frequency Drives to get the most out of NORD’s drive technology
- DuoDrive Integrated Gear Unit and Motor to achieve IE5+ efficiency in a compact footprint
2022
- MAXXDRIVE XD Industrial Gear Units with 35% extended center distance for cranes and hoists
- MAXXDRIVE XJ Industrial Gear Units with standard “J” shaft arrangement
Sustainability as a Primary Focus
As a globally active company, NORD acts with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the company as well as throughout their supply chain. Their CSR strategy for 2025 is a promise to themselves, their customers, and the public to behave in an ecological, economic, and socially responsible manner, combining economic profit development with environmental protection in one common goal. They additionally comply with the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), ensuring that their products are made with raw materials and components from sustainable production and that their partners along the supply chain are committed to social responsibility and human rights.
Evolution of Support Channels with Digitalization
NORD’s online customer portal, myNORD, is at the heart of their digitalization strategy and is designed to help customers streamline their processes, easily manage projects, and collaborate with colleagues as well as NORD support teams. It also includes the Spare Parts Shop, an ecommerce feature that enables registered users to order spare parts, track orders, and view unit-specific exploded view illustrations of their gear units. The platform greatly increases accessibility of NORD services with 24/7/365 access to information online and give customers the freedom to access drawings, technical data, and more when and where they need it.
Looking Towards the Future
After 60 years, NORD continues to be a driving force for the development of highly efficient, modular drive solutions that keep up with ever-evolving system requirements. Despite the current economic challenges and uncertainties in the global market, NORD continues to look ahead confidently, with their basis for sustainable growth founded on innovative products, industry expertise, high quality standards, and a strong global network. This anniversary is not only a way to celebrate significant past milestones, but also an incentive to strive for new achievements and new ways to better serve customers.
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