News –

NORD Direct Drive Technology Advances Sackett-Waconia’s HIM 2.0 Precision Blender

Redesigned fertilizer blending system uses sealed gearmotors to simplify installation and maintenance while supporting precise, high-volume operation

WAUNAKEE, Wis., 2026-08-13

NORD DRIVESYSTEMS is supplying direct drive technology for Sackett-Waconia’s HIM 2.0 Precision Blender. The redesigned fertilizer system replaces the belt-driven arrangement used in earlier models with two NORD UNICASE parallel shaft-mount gearmotors, one for each counter-rotating rotor shaft.

Eliminating belts, sheaves, and adjustment points reduces the components that must be installed, aligned, guarded, and serviced. The configuration is designed to limit downtime from belt tensioning and replacement while providing a cleaner, more accessible layout.

Sackett-Waconia has specified NORD gearmotors across most equipment lines since 2021. At the Port of Rosedale in Mississippi, more than 20 NORD drives support receiving, conveying, elevating, and blending operations, including material handling at up to 600 tons per hour. Barnes reported no gearbox failures across approximately a dozen project sites over three to four years.

Read the complete Sackett-Waconia reference.