Company Announcement - Bearings International leads southern African industry in the supply of premium brand products for optimised equipment reliability that enables customers to move their businesses forward through increased uptime and lowest cost of ownership. “Equipment reliability is the proverbial golden egg for any plant, quarry or mine because uptime, production and productivity levels all hinge on uninterrupted operation,” says Bearings International Sales Director, Shuttleworth Ntsie. “But it goes one step further because the reliability of equipment that operate under extreme conditions like crushers for example, is determined by the quality of its components. This is where premium brands take centre stage, offering world-class quality and the latest technology through ongoing R&D by the respective OEMs. We hold the OEMs to account for brand quality and maintain strong relationships with all our OEM suppliers on whom we can rely for excellent technical backup. Because our customers depend on us to supply best-in-class products, we do not just sell brands; we partner with our customers offering end-to-end solutions for optimum equipment operation. In other words, we sell trust.”

Bearings International excels when it comes to arduous applications like crushing where poor control of product flow or ‘heave’ after blasting can lead to oversized boulders being fed into primary crushers which can badly affect efficiency and reliability with a knock-on effect on production. “Lump sizes larger than between 0,5 and 1,0m can cause crushers to jam, reducing the life of components such as bearings,” explains Coenie Van Deventer, National Product Manager – Schaeffler Bearings Products at Bearings International. “Schaeffler’s quality range of FAG roller bearings and SNS housings are central to the smooth running of equipment at mines and quarries such as primary, secondary or tertiary crushers that are subject to continuous impact loading as well as for conveyors. Schaeffler has been the OEM for the FAG premium brand for over 100 years and the products are designed to offer best possible cost-to-performance ratios.    

The FAG range covers 60 industrial sectors and a staggering 225 000 applications.” For main bearings in jaw crushers, Van Deventer recommends FAG E1 spherical roller bearings in X-life quality which have been especially engineered for extremely heavy loads and are used wherever angles must be adjustable. They work reliably under tough ambient conditions, delivering up to 70 % longer service life. Advantages such as high static reliability, lower strain on the lubricant due to reduced friction and low bearing temperatures translate to higher machine efficiency and reduced operating costs for the end user.

FAG spherical roller bearings are also the premium solution for conveyors at crushing sites and FAG’s split spherical roller bearing solution is recommended to speed up bearing replacement, particularly in difficult to access areas. Van Deventer explains, “The unique design of the split spherical bearings allows for quick and simple mounting and replacement of bearings which can significantly reduce downtime and associated costs.”

“We also offer housings solutions for arduous crusher applications. FAG’s new SNS housing range extends the life of bearings on conveyor drives and are manufactured from high impact tough, fatigue resistant, high-specification SG50 (spheroidal graphite) cast or ductile iron.” In addition to higher load ratings and longer life, the optimised housing design ensures a more even distribution of load through the bearing which according to Schaeffler, can increase bearing life by more than 50%. The new housing also provides a very high sealing efficiency against the ingress of contamination of foreign matter. “These housings are 100% compatible and interchangeable with any conventional plummer block solution,” adds Van Deventer.

Turning to after-sales service, Van Deventer says that reliability engineering which involves the specification of the right product to best suit the required operational reliability as well as the monitoring of the product’s condition and performance in the field is without any doubt the smart way to go.

“Condition monitoring can safely extend component life beyond L10 and provide early warning of imminent failure so that timely action can be taken to prevent catastrophic failures and costly unplanned downtime,” asserts Van Deventer. Bearings International’s Field Maintenance Services and Reliability Services divisions offer a highly flexible range of maintenance services, from bearing fitment to condition monitoring services. FAG recently launched a condition monitoring solution for bearings called SmartCheck. Connected via Ethernet to a computer network or an onsite remote router station, SmartCheck consists of a permanently installed vibration sensor that remotely monitors lubrication levels and bearing condition on an ongoing basis. The system enables the condition of a bearing or gearbox or any rotating component to be accessed wirelessly on smartphones or tablets.

Wrapping up, Van Deventer stresses that the higher investment cost of a premium brand component is minimal if weighed up against increased uptime and component and equipment life. “No one can afford a plant to stand due to equipment failure which involves production losses due to unplanned downtime and costs for maintenance and replacement parts. This makes opting for premium brand solutions from Bearings International a no-brainer.”

Bearings International’s premium brand product range covers general and specialist bearings and accessories; transmission and conveyor chains; gearboxes and geared motors; electric motors and variable frequency/speed drives; couplings, pulleys, vee- and wedge-belts; oil seals, conveyor belts, industrial hoses as well as industrial adhesives, hand cleaners and lubricants for a wide spectrum of applications across mining, quarrying, general industry and agriculture.
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