Bearings and accessories distributor Bearings International (BI) says the range from bearing manufacturer Craft Bearings has drawn a positive response across different sectors, with notable successes in the food and beverage, agriculture and mining sectors.

“BI was granted the status of exclusive distributor of the Craft Bearings range in South Africa and its neighbouring countries in the fourth quarter of last year,” says BI marketing manager Victor Strobel.

He adds that the range has since been made available at all BI branches in South and Southern Africa.

The comprehensive Craft Bearings product range encompasses a variety of product – from miniature ball bearings to massive spherical rollers.

BI product manager Lingesh Levin Naidoo tells Engineering News that despite a focus in deep-groove ball bearings, tapered rollers, spherical rollers and pillow blocks, Craft Bearings also manufactures and supplies spherical plain, thrust and cylindrical roller bearings.

The consistency in bearing quality is supervised and maintained by the Lithuanian team of experienced industrial engineers, who carry out several quality-control audits at BI’s partner factories in Asia every year. These quality checks are repeated per shipment in Lithuania to reconfirm quality standards are maintained and ensured.

Naidoo points out that such strict quality supervision and improvements in overall manufacturing processes ensure the desired product-quality level, no matter where the bearing production plants are located.

Shifts in market demands, led by constant changes in global economics, require quick reaction and adaptation by the suppliers, he suggests.

“That explains why Craft Bearings’ value proposition of consistent bearing quality at an affordable price perfectly fit the demands of BI’s target customers.”

Offering a comprehensive range of industrial and agricultural bearings that are easy to install, Craft Bearings can completely cover most industrial, agricultural and automotive bearing needs in our chosen markets, he says.

Strobel points out that the Craft Bearings product range is interchangeable with all International Standards Organisation standard rated bearings in all standard sizes, fitting into 99% of all industrial applications.

“We can confidently say that Craft Bearings are fast becoming the preferred economical choice in bearings,” he concludes.