There has been a favourable reaction from the market to the recent inclusion of belt manufacturer ContiTech Power Transmission Group’s drive belt and matched component range to bearings and accessories distributor Bearings International’s (BI’s) already extensive product portfolio.

The drive belts – initially added to the BI range in September last year – help to minimise vibration and belt whip, especially in heavy-duty shock-load applications.

Shock loading refers to a sudden and drastic increase ofload, similar to a hammering effect. “The most common occurrence is when aload – such as coal, rocks or slurry – is loaded onto a conveyor, or into a crusher or pump, and the load is more than the system is designed for,” says BI chain and belt transmission drives product manager Brian Tillie.

He suggests that the tie-up has enabled the company to diversify even further into additional markets and boost awareness of its premium product focus.

Tillie adds that the partnership has led to a new contract being signed with a mining company in the North West. “The mine is happy with the belts that have been supplied and has indicated that the cost savings outweigh the slightly higher price of the better-quality belt.”

BI conducted a comparative test at the mine, which saw the client changing-out a set of another belt brand every four to six weeks owing to the arduous nature of the specific application.

Tillie highlights that the ContiTech belts have run hassle free for 12 weeks since being installed on one of the drives in March.

The ContiTech belts contain additional rubber cushioning and cotton material for belt cover, which are the “features that give it the edge when convincing clients to change to ContiTech”, asserts Tillie.

Further, all the ContiTech belts longer than 1 m can be used on the same application – irrespective of which batch they are from – owing to the stringent quality controls that are in place at all the ContiTech factories.

“This improves clients’ stockholding, minimises downtime during maintenance, and improves productivity,” says Tillie.

ContiTech Western Europe and Africa sales GM Karl Weindinger recently visited BI’s head office in Parkhaven, Johannesburg, to formally start with the process of the distributorship.

“As a global belt manufacturer, ContiTech relies on key partners to import and distribute its products. The company is excited at the prospect of strengthening its cooperation with the BI family, which is predicated on its representing some of the top brands and products globally.

“It is early days yet, but we are very excited at the potential synergy that stands to be unlocked by our collaboration,” he added during his visit.

ContiTech also manufactures specialty belts for constant-speed delivery and notable rigidity while retaining flexibility and strong gripping traction. Power transmission belts are supplied in traditional, classic, and narrow- profile V-belt forms, with particular attention to features such as total lifetime cost, quiet running and increased efficiency.