Drive Systems That Match the Demands of Freeport-McMoRan
Custom Gearboxes, Drop-In Replacements, and Predictive Maintenance Support for High-Volume Open-Pit Copper Mining Operations
Freeport-McMoRan runs some of the most demanding open-pit copper and molybdenum mines in the world. From Morenci and Bagdad to Chino and Climax, each site pushes equipment to its limits. At Sumitomo Drive Technologies, our gear drives are designed to match that intensity, day in and day out.
Experience The Sumitomo Advantage
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Broad Power Range for Your Mines: From small drives for auxiliary equipment to high-torque units designed for crushing and milling large volumes of ore.
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Seamless Integration: RetroFit & Drop-in Replacement options minimize downtime by matching existing footprints and shaft alignments, simplifying upgrades or modernization.
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Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance: Integrated SMART systems provide real-time data on vibration, temperature, and oil condition, helping to avoid unplanned failures and support proactive maintenance strategies.
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Comprehensive Aftermarket Support: Our specialized team provides repair, inspection, and maintenance services designed for mining environments, with fast response across Freeport-McMoRan's North American operations.
Join mining leaders worldwide who rely on Sumitomo Drive Technologies to keep their operations running efficiently. Fill out the form or call us at 1.888.323.9637 to get your personalized quote.
Copper and molybdenum processing puts extreme torque on every piece of rotating equipment. Our drive solutions are built for crushers, conveyors, thickeners, and mill systems across your entire operation.
Paramax
High-torque gearing for crushers and mills, built to AGMA Class 11+ standards
- Up to 5,230 HP (3,900 kW)
- 58mm to 360mm (Hollow & Solid)
- Up to 4.9m Ib•in (552,000 N•m)
- Up to 500:1 Standard
Hansen Uniminer
Rugged drives for flotation, slurry handling, and dewatering
- Up to 14,080 HP (10,500 kW)
- 3.15in to 15.75in (Solid Shaft)
- Up to 9.7m Ib•in (1.1m N•m)
- Up to 630:1 (and custom ratios)
Cyclo 6000
Shock-resistant units ideal for conveyors, stackers, and mixers
- Up to 235 HP (175 kW)
- 1/2in to 7in (Solid Shaft)
- Up to 603,000 Ib•in (68,130 N•m)
- 3:1 up to 658,503:1
Custom Drop-Ins & RetroFits
Have legacy units that need replacing? Our RetroFit units with transition bases enable us to match your existing footprint, and custom drop-in units are made to match the existing unit’s critical dimensions.
Why Do Industrial Companies Work With Us?
Success Story | The Best Gearbox, The Fastest Response
One of the largest steel recyclers in the United States, Nucor Steel’s (www.nucor.com) sheet mill in Hickman, Arkansas keeps plenty busy--recycling over two million tons of steel each year. With such a large recycling operation, one would expect that Nucor’s management constantly keeps a watchful eye on its machinery to prevent breakdowns. In 2007, as part of a capital project, Nucor upgraded 48 of its tunnel furnace rolls. During this project, due to performance and delivery issues with its former gearbox supplier, Nucor decided to trial 10 gearboxes manufactured by Sumitomo Drive Technologies.
With unclear delivery commitments from its former gearbox supplier and after successful trial runs with Sumitomo gearboxes, Nucor contacted Sumitomo to supply the remaining phase of their project with an additional 35 gearboxes. Within two weeks of facing a standstill in their operations, Sumitomo reassured Nucor that they would receive their order in time. Not only did Nucor receive their extra order of gearboxes, they were delivered in an amazing 5 days! Representative of Nucor, Chris Kovalsky said, “With respect to our issue, I could not be more pleased with the responsiveness Sumitomo displayed. Their gearboxes will be getting installed on the next four phases of this project.”
For over two months Nucor has been using 40 Sumitomo gearboxes in reversing applications under heavy loads, without incident. Now, with the assistance of the Sumitomo Cyclo® 6000, Nucor Steel can continue producing steel sheets without the stress of possible gearbox failure. Once Nucor completes its tunnel furnace upgrades, they will have more than 200 Cyclo units installed in their Arkansas factory. Sumitomo Cyclo 6000 provides both a cost-effective and highly efficient gearmotor for Nucor Steel.
The Sumitomo Cyclo 6000 series gearmotors are available from 1/10 to 235 HP and ratios from 3:1 to 658,503:1. The gearmotors are maintenance free, lightweight, compact and very rugged with a two-year warranty guaranteeing exceptional performance.
Success Story | $375k in Cost Savings by Replacing a Philly Gear Drive
Watch our Sales Representative, Andy Launiere, talk about a Success Story where we had to replace an old Philly Gearbox. He got them $75,000 per unit, with a total of $375,000 in cost-savings. This will be an ongoing customer as they have 11 more units to be replaced!
https://youtu.be/jcP9DuFk-AE
Case Study | Coal Handling Conveyors: Paramax
Challenge
Responsible for purchasing and organizing supplies for this coal mine, the maintenance planner found that it was becoming increasingly more difficult to find and gather parts to fulfill internal orders. To overcome this challenge, the mine decided to create a program to simplify the ordering of spare parts and spare kits.
The facility wanted to partner with a manufacturer who could provide engineering, customer service and maintenance expertise to support the current program. Sumitomo Machinery Corporation of America (SMA) began creating a plan to meet and exceed the customer's expectations.
Solution
Multiple members of the Sumitomo team worked hard to accomplish the end user's goals. Sumitomo implemented a Paramax binder project for the account, featuring an organized configurator price quote with a competitive multiplier for distribution. Sumitomo strengthened the personal relationship with machinery lubrication, long-term prep, and hands-on local support.
Results
To solidify the partnership with the end user, SMA's team members were invited to participate in a spring seminar between the coal mine and power generating company.
The efforts that SMA made over the two-year span with the customer produced about $1.3M in purchases. Moving forward, the customer is expected to continue to purchase Paramax spares and replacement units from SMA considering that Sumitomo Machinery Corporation of America was able to deliver the ideal solutions to meet the needs of the end user.
"A long term prep procedures guide and program will help us ensure our recently purchased Paramax units are correctly stored and maintained."-The Customer, Marissa, IL
Success Story | Wilpinjong Coal Mine
Sumitomo Drive Technologies, Australia, recently supplied complete drive packages to be installed at the Wilpinjong Coal Mine Site located Northeast of Mudgee in NSW. The team responsible for both the design and installation of infrastructure is made up of a joint venture between Theiss and Sedgeman. Sumitomo Drive Technologies delivered eight complete drive packages ranging in size from 45kW to 280kW for use on the conveyor systems.
All drive packages were assembled on specially designed base plates, and are complete with motors, fluid couplings or grid type couplings on the reducer inputs, shrink disc rigid couplings on the outputs and all guards. After workshop assembly all were laser aligned and subjected to a no-load test run using Sumitomo Drive Technologies' purpose-built test rig before final inspection and delivery to the site. Sumitomo Drive Technologies' Managing Director, Steve Wightman said, "We are delighted to be awarded the supply contract for this Greenfield Mine Site project. This is the first time we have worked with Thiess Sedgeman and look forward to a long association with both companies." He added, “We believe our success in this instance is due to our promotion of quality power transmission products and ability to customize those products to our clients' needs.”
The Paramax range is one of the most comprehensive available on today's market, comprising 26 standard frame sizes, all available in a number of configurations as well as a specially designed cooling tower fan drive. Parallel offset or right-angle types with solid or hollow output shafts are available. Additions such as Labyrinth or taconite sealing, backstop options and if noise emission is a problem, the option of precision ground bevel sets on the high-speed reducer inputs will drastically reduce the noise levels.
Success Story | Hansen's P4 UniMiner for West River Conveyors
Sumitomo-Hansen's P4 UniMiner is a good fit with West River Conveyors
West River Conveyors & Machinery Company (www.WestRiverConveyor) is a leader in custom-built, custom-designed belt drives for coal and potash applications and is one of Sumitomo-Hansen’s largest P4 UniMiner drive consumer.
Sumitomo-Hansen’s P4 UniMiner drives are used on many of West River's belt drives based on the flexibility and high customer satisfaction of the products. Customers find benefit in the universal and flippable mounting features of the P4 UniMiner, eliminating the need to buy reducers specifically oriented for each installation. This is a great advantage to users wanting to purchase spares for future changeouts where one reducer covers all orientations.
“The design layouts and features of the UniMiner Drive work well with our application”, states Jerry Roulett, President of West River. “The selection of sizes and offerings available per HP and RPM for the Hansen P4 UniMiner Drives fit the needs of West River’s applications perfectly. “We have had great customer acceptance with the P4 UniMiner. Customers who have installed our drives in their operations will speak highly about the quality of the reducers. We’ve been using Hansen UniMiners on our belt drives for over a decade now.”
West River’s Purchasing agents especially like the working relationship they have with Sumitomo-Hansen.
“Sumitomo-Hansen’s ability to service West River is exceptional. Our Sales Manager makes regular visits to our shop and is excellent to work with. The factory works directly with our Purchasing Manager to meet our deadlines even when the deadlines seem very tight. Most of all, the quality products produced by Sumitomo-Hansen coupled with excellent customer service make it easier for us to continue to use Sumitomo-Hansen products on our belt drives.” - Tina Clevinger, Purchasing
Sumitomo-Hansen strives to meet the unique requirements for bulk material handling and mining applications in order to position our customers as industry leaders.
Why Sumitomo Paramax® & Uniminer® Outperform SEW and Falk Gearboxes
Mining operations like Freeport-McMoRan demand power transmission solutions built for extreme conditions, high reliability, and ease of maintenance. Sumitomo Drive Technologies’ Paramax® 9000 and Uniminer® lines offer distinct advantages that set them apart from competitors SEW Eurodrive and Falk.
1. Exceptional Shock Load Resistance and Gear Durability
Paramax® 9000 gearboxes utilize cycloidal gearing technology with AGMA Class 11+ precision. This advanced gear geometry delivers superior shock load absorption and torque density far beyond traditional involute gearing. In practical terms, Paramax® gearboxes withstand the rapid, heavy-impact loads typical in crushers and mills while maintaining smooth operation and extending equipment life.
In contrast, SEW Eurodrive and Falk gearboxes primarily use involute gearing, which often requires larger, heavier housings to absorb shock loads effectively. This can increase weight, footprint, and mechanical wear under the most demanding mining conditions.
2. True Drop-In Retrofit Capability with Unmatched Mounting Flexibility
Both Paramax® and Uniminer® gearboxes are engineered to precisely match the footprint and shaft alignment of existing equipment. The Uniminer® features a unique flippable housing and alignment-free design that significantly reduce downtime during installation or replacement.
SEW and Falk offer retrofit solutions but often lack the exact footprint matching and mounting flexibility found in Sumitomo gearboxes. Their retrofit options typically involve more extensive on-site modifications, longer installation times, and potential production delays.
3. Maintenance-Centric Design for Faster Service and Longer Life
Sumitomo gearboxes incorporate split housings with large inspection ports, making internal components easily accessible for inspections and repairs. The use of Taconite seals and high-capacity bearings protects against contamination and extends service intervals, a critical benefit in abrasive mining environments.
While SEW gearboxes also feature modularity and robust sealing, they generally provide smaller inspection access and require more maintenance effort. Falk gearboxes, known for their durability, rely on routine lubrication maintenance with seals that may not offer the same level of contamination resistance as Sumitomo’s Taconite system.
4. Integrated, Industry-Leading Condition Monitoring Technology
Sumitomo’s CycloSMART® system provides fully integrated, real-time monitoring of vibration, temperature, and oil condition. These systems feed data directly into plant PLCs or DCS, enabling operators to implement predictive maintenance strategies that reduce unplanned downtime and extend equipment life.
SEW Eurodrive’s MOVIGEAR® technology includes digital monitoring but is primarily integrated within motor-driven units, limiting standalone gearbox monitoring capabilities. Falk depends largely on third-party condition monitoring, which can complicate data integration and delay response to emerging issues.
5. Extensive North American Support and Faster Lead Times
Sumitomo Drive Technologies supports its mining customers with strategically located manufacturing and assembly facilities in Virginia, Texas, and other regions, enabling shorter lead times and quicker customizations.
SEW and Falk maintain global service networks but typically depend more heavily on international supply chains and third-party distributors, which can lengthen delivery and service response times.
6. Comprehensive Customization and Accessories
Paramax® and Uniminer® gearboxes offer a wide range of custom options, including specialized shaft diameters, fabricated steel housings, lubrication systems, and motor mounting configurations. This ensures solutions tailored precisely to your operational requirements.
While SEW and Falk provide customization, Sumitomo’s local engineering and manufacturing flexibility deliver quicker turnarounds on bespoke configurations.
For mining operations where uptime, durability, and serviceability are non-negotiable, Sumitomo Paramax® and Uniminer® gearboxes deliver unmatched performance. Their advanced gear technology, retrofit precision, ease of maintenance, and integrated smart monitoring give you a competitive edge in maximizing productivity and minimizing cost.
Custom Industrial Gearbox Replacement
In large-scale copper mining, the right gearbox replacement can keep your operations running smoothly and reduce costly downtime. Off-the-shelf gearboxes often don’t fit your equipment exactly, which can cause misalignment, accelerated wear, and premature failure.
Sumitomo Drive Technologies delivers custom industrial gearbox replacements engineered specifically for copper mining applications like those at Freeport-McMoRan. Our drop-in units precisely match your existing footprint and shaft arrangements, minimizing installation time and operational disruption.
Drop-In Gearbox Replacements
Our custom drop-in gearboxes are engineered to match your mine's existing units precisely, replicating critical dimensions to ensure seamless integration.
Match Existing Unit’s Dimensions
We understand that minimizing downtime is vital to your mining operations. Our installation-ready drop-in units are built to fit directly into your current equipment without requiring system redesign or extensive on-site modifications.
Our engineering team knows that re-engineering isn’t always feasible in a mining environment. That’s why these ready-to-install units are designed to get your crushers, conveyors, or mills back in service quickly. We provide fabricated steel housings, custom baseplates, tailored gearing and shafting options, and more.
With the same footprint and shaft positions, these drop-in gearboxes fit precisely where you need them—no surprises, no delays.
Retrofit Gearbox Replacements
Retrofit gearboxes with transition bases allow us to precisely match Freeport-McMoRan’s existing equipment footprint for a smooth replacement.
Match Your Existing Footprint
We receive many retrofit requests from mining operations like Freeport-McMoRan seeking replacements or upgrades when original parts are obsolete or failing. Common issues addressed include leaks, vibration, and the need for higher torque or speed capacity.
Because your input and output connections must remain consistent, matching the footprint is critical. Our retrofit gearboxes offer a reliable solution that fits in the exact same location while often reducing weight, improving efficiency, and extending service life.
For large-scale mining operations, retrofitting offers a practical alternative to a complete system overhaul—saving time, cost, and operational disruption.
