If you take the most literal interpretation of our purpose – to keep the wheels of industry turning – it’s no surprise that we sell more than 100 million bearings per year.

We are the market leader, after all. We hold the largest, most comprehensive bearings stock of any European industrial distributor and our expertise has delivered over €70m of bearings related cost savings to our customers over ten years.

There are a number of innovations that are focussed on increasing uptime, improving plant productivity, saving time, reducing maintenance requirements and bearing failure, and ultimately reducing costs.

Lubricating the wheels of food and drink manufacturers
With 21% of bearing failure down to foreign particles getting into the part and 13% down to lubrication failure, developments here are more important than ever. When you consider the risks of contamination in the food and beverage sector, these issues become even more important.

In pre-lubricated bearings, lubrication fills the bearing to coat all elements with an even film. Holding up to four times as much oil as a traditional grease-filled bearing, the oil is released gradually around the moving parts to maintain this consistent coating.

As the oil remains in position within the bearing, there is less risk of contamination from particles and other fluids while also providing resistance against chemicals that can damage seals and introduce foreign bodies. This is especially helpful for inaccessible or remote applications where re-lubrication and maintenance are difficult due to positioning, such as bottling machines.

Some bearings actually come completely sealed with food-grade bearing grease. This gives increased performance and uptime while reducing costs but also eliminating the risk of contamination and bacteria risk. Because they are lubricated for life and designed to withstand frequent washdowns, these bearing units also solve many of the problems connected with traditional maintenance in the food and drink sector.

The risk of the washdowns to bearing performance can also be mitigated with paint-free housing, which prevents chipping and flaking which can damage bearing operation and contaminate products. Who knew?

Condition monitoring
With the potential to save thousands of pounds in secondary damage, lost production and unnecessary maintenance, our condition monitoring services are the proven, preventative maintenance approach.
By understanding when components or lubricants are deteriorating, our customers can avoid costly downtime and expensive emergency repairs.

For example, our experienced engineers will calculate the alignment of key components in rotating machinery, identifying any corrections needed. When misalignment occurs, bearings are susceptible to failure. This can be costly in terms of slowing down productivity and may result in downtime while repairs are completed.

Vibration analysis allows early detection of wear, fatigue and failure in rotating machinery. It offers our customers a predicted time to failure, enabling the scheduling of proactive maintenance. Our reports detail the findings for each asset, along with photographs of each asset tested, and a list of actions required to remedy any faults.

Routine oil analysis is an integral part of a successful maintenance programme. Determining the condition of equipment by measuring levels of particles in samples that we take helps to track the wear of critical components, informing appropriate maintenance schedules.

Advancing industry
Returning to that most literal interpretation of our purpose, our specialist knowledge and technical expertise means we can advise on specification, installation, maintenance and upgrades, as well as project-management of bespoke bearing design and development. We apply solutions for our customers, keeping the wheels turning and advancing their businesses.