When Legacy Parts Fail: How We Solved a 25-Year-Old Drive Problem
When production stops, every minute counts. That was exactly the case for a potential customer who recently reached out to us in a state of panic. Her company’s machine was down, money was being lost by the hour, and she was desperately trying to track down a replacement part that hadn’t been manufactured in decades. She needs a legacy drive replacement, fast!
The part in question? A Lust VDC012.3 drive used in a MAE Straightener machine. Unfortunately for her, that specific drive hasn’t been in production for 25 years. On top of that, the company that originally manufactured it had been acquired multiple times over and now goes by a completely different name—KEBA. We were pleased to hear that products we supply have been reliable for so many years.
When she spoke with Victoria from our team, it quickly became clear just how old her equipment was. This machine had been faithfully running for more than 30 years, but there was no way to revive it with obsolete components. Replacing the drive with the original part simply wasn’t an option.
That’s when we stepped in with the solution. Rather than chasing down impossible-to-find legacy parts, we worked directly with MAE to identify the best possible upgrade path. Within hours, we were able to point her in the right direction of a direct upgrade replacement, along with all the details she needed to resolve the issue and get her system back up and running as quickly as possible.
What started as a stressful situation turned into an opportunity to modernise and strengthen her operations. Instead of patching together a temporary fix, she now will have a reliable, up-to-date solution that will keep her production running smoothly for years to come.
This is why we do what we do: when customers are in a pinch, we look for solutions.