Zuidberg Transmissions

Zuidberg Transmissions designs, manufactures and supplies drive systems for a variety of mobile vehicles and machines. This is not limited to the agricultural sector alone. Zuidberg's transmission systems are also used within the transport, forestry, municipal maintenance and infrastructure sectors.

"We can provide transmissions for any mobile machinery," says Martin Kalter, sales manager OEM at Zuidberg. "Because if you are good at agrotechnology - where it all started at Zuidberg 40 years ago - you can also apply this knowledge in other sectors. We knew we could add value in that area. We have extensive knowledge in transmission technology and gear shifting under load. One plus one is two: the knowledge from agricultural engineering is also applicable across a lot of other sectors."

Everything between 25 and 700 hp
Zuidberg supplies standard front PTOs that are rigorously tested and thus offer maximum quality. In addition, Zuidberg specialises in designing customised transmission systems, ranging from a relatively simple modification of an existing transmission or front PTO to an entirely new drive system. Martin: "We have everything in-house that we need to handle the entire process for our customers, from the idea to setting up serial production."

The majority of the drive systems developed by Zuidberg are exported. For example, Zuidberg supplies powershift transmissions for mobile feed mixers in America. Martin: "The equipment over there is much bigger than here in the Netherlands. These large feed mixers require a lot of power to get started. At Zuidberg, we have designed transmissions that switch between two auger speeds under load and can handle up to 350 hp of power. We also supply transmissions for aircraft pushback tractors, heavy-duty forestry machines and self-propelled snowploughs. Of course, there are limits to our transmissions, but for orders with a minimum annual volume of 100 units, we have sufficient capability and capacity to handle anything between 25 and 700 hp."

From introduction to serial production
An extensive process is required before a new transmission system is ready for use. It always starts with an introductory conversation. Martin: "The first thing we discuss is the customer's requirements and conditions. Three different scenarios may emerge from this: we supply a standard transmission, we modify some aspects of a standard transmission or we design a completely customised, new transmission." Ultimately, the choice is up to the customer. "We set out the pros and cons for each option and indicate the costs and total development and delivery times. Based on these factors, we discuss what the optimal solution is. We then agree on a requirements package that includes the technical and commercial goals of the transmission, its exact specifications and the test protocol that must be followed."

The validation process, of which the test protocol is a part, is one of the most crucial steps. Martin: "We conduct the testing both in-house and at the customer's premises. You have to consider such things as functional testing and endurance testing. Once both the customer and we are satisfied with the results, we start serial production."

Electric drives and autonomous machines
Martin predicts that autonomous machines will play an increasingly greater role in the future. "You see more and more autonomous machines under development in the agricultural sector, whether (diesel) electrically powered or not. These machines employ electric motors and so have very distinct specifications. This imposes different demands on our transmissions."

Martin primarily sees all these developments as interesting challenges. "Users have ever-increasing expectations for functionality and comfort. As a result, the demand for customised drive systems continues to grow. Zuidberg is fully committed to growth to ensure we can continue to meet that demand."