Kuvakaappaus David Brown Santasalon markkinointimateriaalista.
Your factory in Central Asia may be running on David Brown Santasalo gears
David Brown Santasalo is an expert in both new and legacy industrial gearboxes.
Imagine the following scenario: a Central Asian company manufactures its products using equipment that was transferred from Europe a long time ago. The production line includes large gearboxes whose quality has stood the test of time, but now they are in need of service or upgrading. On the gearbox nameplate, the name of an obsolete European brand still stands out. Who would be able to refurbish such equipment today?
The solution may very well be David Brown Santasalo (DBS), a global gear manufacturer backed by more than a century and a half of engineering expertise, spanning industries from processing and mining to agriculture and marine applications.
Over the years, and through several mergers, DBS has accumulated an extensive brand portfolio that includes gearboxes dating back many decades. One of the company’s current objectives is to locate these legacy gears around the world and reconnect their users with today’s David Brown Santasalo, as the company retains gearbox drawings and the expertise required to service them.
One of the company’s current objectives is to locate these legacy gears around the world and reconnect their users with today’s David Brown Santasalo.
– We have noticed that in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan many customers are not aware that the brand on the nameplate actually refers to our gears. This is understandable, as over the course of their 285-year history, David Brown Santasalo has acquired, launched, and operated a number of global brands., Business Development Manager Irina Vilup tells EastCham.
But who exactly is David Brown Santasalo? In its current form, the company was formed in 2016 through the merger of David Brown (originally founded in the UK in 1860 as a gear manufacturer) and Santasalo, which originally manufactured industrial gearboxes in the Finnish town of Karkkila.
The company’s products are large, heavy-duty power transmission systems, delivered either directly to end customers or as components of equipment manufactured by others, such as crushers, mixers and flotation cells used in mining.
David Brown Santasalo designs and manufactures gears for both new and existing machinery. After commissioning, maintenance services are also available. The portfolio of legacy, or so-called ‘heritage brands’ includes, among others, old Metso mining gearboxes and Valmet marine gearboxes.
– We don’t have a standard production line. Instead, our work is project-based and carried out in close collaboration with the end customer. These projects can be long-term, lasting one, two, or even three years, says Vilup.
Service available in real time
According to Sales Director Risto Pitkäkangas, the company’s business focuses heavily on equipment installations and service solutions. All gearboxes, from legacy units to brand-new ones, can be equipped with real-time monitoring systems.
– We have a predictive condition monitoring system. We can see the condition of the customer’s equipment, such as how it vibrates, the quality of the oil, or whether there are signs of metal particles. We also have a control centre in Jyväskylä that monitors customers around the clock, Pitkäkangas explains.
If necessary, a multilingual service team is dispatched on site, or the customer is supported remotely if that is sufficient. Downtime of large production equipment is costly for customers, so issues are resolved as they arise, to keep machines running.
David Brown Santasalo AMF series gear.
Mining among the key industries
Unfortunately, geopolitical tensions have slowed investment decisions and caused demand to build up in some areas. This is particularly evident in Ukraine, where many international players are waiting for the end of Russia’s war of aggression before launching new investments. Demand for service solutions, however, has not declined.
Changes in transportation routes have complicated logistics, but David Brown Santasalo’s international footprint is extensive. For example, the company can offer deliveries to Central Asia from its manufacturing facility in China.
Due to growing demand for metals, the mining industry has been one of David Brown Santasalo’s key growth areas. The sector also plays a central role in the markets of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
– We have allocated significant resources to the Kazakh market. Now we have decided to move into Uzbekistan as well, so that customers there are aware of us, Vilup says.
“We have allocated significant resources to the Kazakh market. Now we have decided to move into Uzbekistan as well.”
In March, experts from David Brown Santasalo participated in an industrial conference organized by a local partner in Navoi, Uzbekistan. The theme was reducing downtime in heavy industry, precisely the challenge addressed by David Brown Santasalo’s predictive condition monitoring solutions.
– Representatives from the mining, energy, chemical, and metallurgical industries attended the event, and there was open dialogue with end customers. Holding conferences like this is extremely important for building trust between equipment manufacturers and end users, Vilup says.
David Brown Santasalo participated in an industrial conference organized by a local partner in Navoi, Uzbekistan.
David Brown Santasalo
- Founded in 1860
- Approximately 900 employees
- 23 workshop and sales locations
- Operates worldwide
- Key manufacturing facilities are located in Finland and China