Industrial gear units and gearbox service for critical industrial applications worldwide.
David Brown Santasalo
Huddersfield (UK) · Jyväskylä (FI) · Hyvinkää (FI) · Tornio (FI) · Wuppertal (DE) · Suzhou (CN) · Tianjin (CN) · Changshu (CN) · Hosur (IN) · Cambridge, Ontario (CA) · Montreal (CA) · Bulli &New on Amplifa
About David Brown Santasalo
David Brown Santasalo is a manufacturer and service provider of industrial gear units with a history dating back to 1860, when David Brown began manufacturing cast gears in the United Kingdom. In 2016, David Brown and Santasalo merged. The company develops and manufactures new and replacement gear units, including helical, bevel-helical and planetary gear units as well as custom drive solutions to API and AGMA standards. In addition, it offers repair, overhaul, re-engineering, spare parts, installation and 24/7 field service for gearboxes of any brand. Around 50% of annual repair activity concerns third-party gearboxes such as Flender, SEW or Sumitomo. The reverse-engineering solution DBS Transform uses 3D scanning technology, and the GearWatch system enables condition monitoring with oil and vibration monitoring. With around 890 employees in the industrial business, manufacturing and service sites on six continents – including Finland (flagship plant Jyväskylä, approx. 10,000 m²), China, India, Canada, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom – as well as a Service Centre in Wuppertal, the company operates in industries such as mining, cement, paper, marine, power and rail. The majority owner is an investment fund managed by Stellex Capital Management.
- Site
- Huddersfield (UK)
- Processes
- New gearbox manufacturing (modular standard and custom industrial gearboxes), Helical gear units, Bevel-helical gear units, Planetary gear units, Custom gearbox engineering (custom drive solutions, API613/AGMA6011/API617 gearboxes), Gearbox repair & overhaul (repair/overhaul of all brands), Re-engineering & gearbox upgrade (ISO standard), Reverse engineering (3D scanning, DBS Transform, rotating components, <10 hours data capture)
- Materials
- Helical gear units, Bevel-helical gear units, Planetary gear units, Custom gearbox engineering (API613/AGMA6011/API617), Advanced hardening technology, DBS Transform – reverse engineering via structured light
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001
- Founded
- 1860
- Employees
- 890
- Industries
- Mining & Minerals, Cement, Fibre, Paper & Tissue, Marine & Port Operations, Metals Processing, Oil & Gas
- 01
Gear design & engineering
- 02
Gearbox manufacturing (helical, bevel-helical, planetary, API/AGMA)
- 03
Product testing
- 04
Installation & commissioning
- 05
Inspection & condition monitoring (GearWatch)
- 06
Repair, overhaul, re-engineering & spare parts
- 07
Field service & asset management
Processes and Technical Scope
Helical gear units
Modular standard gear units for industrial main applications.
Bevel-helical gear units
For high-power applications with a change of direction of the rotational axis.
Planetary gear units
Compact high-performance gear units for demanding industrial sectors.
Custom gearbox engineering (API613/AGMA6011/API617)
Special gearboxes for oil & gas and other critical processes.
Advanced hardening technology
Heat treatment in spare-part and replacement gearbox manufacturing to increase load capacity.
DBS Transform – reverse engineering via structured light
Data capture of existing gearboxes in under 10 hours, location-independent.
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New gearbox manufacturing (modular standard and custom industrial gearboxes)Joining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Helical gear unitsJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bevel-helical gear unitsJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Planetary gear unitsJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Custom gearbox engineering (custom drive solutions, API613/AGMA6011/API617 gearboxes)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gearbox repair & overhaul (repair/overhaul of all brands)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Re-engineering & gearbox upgrade (ISO standard)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Reverse engineering (3D scanning, DBS Transform, rotating components, <10 hours data capture)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gearbox inspection (video and vibration monitoring technology, oil laboratory analysis)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| GearWatch condition monitoring (oil particle counting, oil sensing, vibration monitoring;Testing | Particle detection from 70 µm (ferromagnetic) | – | – | – | – |
| Field service / on-site service (24/7, incl. offshore, BOSIET certified)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gearbox installation & commissioningAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Spare parts & spare units manufacturing (with advanced hardening technology)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | high quality materials (undetermined) |
| Product testing (gearbox testing)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Asset management / maintenance planning (in-situ inspection, preventive maintenance, strategicAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Turnkey drive train solutions (design, manufacturing, installation, lifecycle services)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State-of-the-art manufacturing/service centres (ISO 9001) | David Brown Santasalo | 7 manufact | – | – | worldwide, 6 continents |
| Flagship manufacturing plant (purpose-built, energy-efficient) | David Brown Santasalo | 1 | approx. 10,000 m2 | 2021 (Phas | Jyväskylä, Finland |
| 3D scanner (structured light) for reverse engineering | n/a | – | – | – | mobile / any location |
| GearWatch condition monitoring systems (Smart Terminal DBS100/DBS200, Gateway, inductive/optical | David Brown Santasalo GearWatch Standard / Oil Monitoring / Vibration / Vibration Easy / Pro | – | – | – | n/a |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Certifications
The manufacturing sites are accredited to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. Condition analyses are performed using video and vibration technology as well as oil laboratory analysis; condition monitoring engineers are certified to ISO 18436.2 (vibration) and ISO 18436.4 (lubricant analysis).
| Evidence | Huddersfield | Jyväskylä | Hyvinkää | Tornio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | ||||
| ISO 14001 | ||||
| ISO 45001 |
History
- 1860
David Brown begins manufacturing cast gears in the UK.
- 2016
Merger of David Brown and Santasalo to form David Brown Santasalo.
- 2021
Commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi); completion of Phase 1 of the new flagship plant in Jyväskylä (approx. 10,000 m²).
- 2022
Carbon-Footprint-of-Products project completed; new low-emission plant in Jyväskylä in operation (hydropower, approx. 600 t CO2e savings/year).
- 2023
Installation of solar systems in India (approx. 100 t CO2e/year); new plant in Changshu, China completed with solar power.
- 2024
SBTi targets for Scope 1 and 2 officially validated (reduction of 53.9% by 2032 compared to 2021).