SMS group is executing a multi-year partnership with French customer Uranie International SAS, incorporating regular exchanges, to refurbish and modernize the customer’s fleet of grinding and peeling machines: twelve RSM‑60 grinding lines, one Kieserling WDHC 125 peeler, and two-roll straightening machines. The controlled overhauls and targeted modernizations of the core assemblies for RSM grinding machines are executed at SMS group’s Mönchengladbach service workshop, while on-site assembly replacements at the customer’s facility consistently ensure performance and reliability that meet or exceed those of new equipment.
As the original equipment manufacturer of Uranie’s grinding, peeling, and straightening machines, SMS has been engaged to manage the renewal program. The arrangement formalizes a manufacturer-led long-term relationship in which SMS performs structured equipment checks, planned overhauls, and targeted modernizations that identify required spare parts and potential emergency repairs, enabling robust planning and improved machine availability.
Every year until 2028, assemblies from two grinding machines will be dismantled, carefully transported to the Mönchengladbach SMS workshop, and subjected to a systematic overhaul process designed to restore machines to their original condition, and frequently beyond, through modernizations such as replacing hydraulic components with servomotors and upgrading spindle drives. The controlled environment of the workshop allows for precise cleaning, damage analysis, machining, parts procurement, pre-assembly of modules, and repainting — ensuring consistent quality, reducing the downtime of the machines on-site, and accelerating reinstallation.
The refurbishment program plans to overhaul a total of ten RSM-60 lines from 2023 through 2028 and will also reactivate two currently decommissioned machines. Installation and commissioning of two grinding machines on-site usually take about three weeks and are supported by a dedicated field service team including French-speaking site leadership, which helps maintain schedule reliability and a clear maintenance record.
Additionally, SMS reacted flexibly and responsively to customer-specific requirements, exemplified by the successful integration of Siemens motors in multiple machines according to Uranie’s preferences. Such tailored engineering solutions reinforce SMS’s role as more than a service provider, but as a strategic lifecycle partner committed to aligning with the customer’s evolving needs.
Overall, this partnership exemplifies how a manufacturer-led long-term service approach extends equipment lifetime, boosts operational performance, and offers superior value compared to replacement purchases. Uranie benefits from predictable costs, enhanced machine availability, and ongoing performance improvements backed by SMS group’s technical expertise and dedicated support.