South Africa-based self-lubricated polymer bearings and bushes manufacturer VescoPlastics produces its proprietary brand of Vesconite bushings and wear plates that operate in dusty, dirty or wet conditions and still last longer than other products on the market.

These products do not require greasing, which fits in with the company’s ‘Zero Maintenance’ mantra. Eighty per cent of steel and bronze bushing applications can be replaced with Vesconite, which has up to ten times the wear life of competing products.

While Vesconite is the company’s best-known product range, the new Vesconite Hilube range is important for customers who want the longest life and best performance possible, and is in particular demand by overseas customers.

The company also produces nylon and polyethylene rods, bushings and plates.

The company provides extensive machining services. It has the largest machine shop in the Free State, with over 50 computer numerically controlled lathes and machining centres, and large conventional lathes that are capable of machining bushings up to 3 000 mm in diameter.

While VescoPlastics has warehouses in Johannesburg, Texas, the UK, the Netherlands and New Zealand, with stocking distributors in Argentina, Australia and Singapore, production takes place locally, in the gold mining town of Virginia, in South Africa’s Free State province.

The company was established in 1958, and current VescoPlastics chairperson Dr Jean-Patrick Leger remains optimistic about the company’s prospects and says that, with developments taking place daily, each day feels like the start of a new business.

Leger’s South African Bureau of Standards-approved and ISO 9001-accredited company boasts a staff of 71, 25 of whom are employed in the sales and administration divisions, with 46 in manufacturing. The company also focuses significantly on training and skills development, and is currently mentoring 30 young people as part of its learnership and apprenticeship programmes.

VescoPlastics produces locally and sells internationally and, with customers in more than 90 countries, exports over half of its total sales, with plans to increase its export tally in the near future, particularly to the US.