Reeves mechanical belt variators were originally designed and developed in the United States and were for a long time the premier method of controlling gearbox output speeds across the world.
History of Reeves in Australia
In Australia, the Reeves product range was handled by Reliance Automation (now part of ABB), with all componentry manufactured locally.
In 1996, Reliance divested Reeves, which was immediately purchased by some of the existing employees. These employees took over the manufacture of the entire Reeves range under the November Drives banner and moved to Preston, Victoria – a site which we still occupy.
In 2010, All Torque Transmissions acquired November Drives. We have proudly maintained the Reeves product and brand, with all manufactured components still made in Australia.
We have a partnership with a foundry in Melbourne’s northern suburbs for all of our cast iron parts.
We have had a long relationship with a surface technology specialist in Melbourne’s south-east, providing added value to our equipment.
We utilise local bearing suppliers and machining supply specialists for all of our sundries (although the bearings, oil seals and cutting tips are from overseas, as there is no locally-made option).
One concession to international sourcing is our variable speed belts, which are made to our standards by Gates in the United States.
The history of Reeves in Australia involves tens of thousands of drives, hundreds of staff members, dozens of distributors, multiple owners and one continuing goal: excellence in variable speed power transmission.