Five day target for bespoke bearings achieved

Torrington's centre of excellence, in Wolverhampton, has achieved its first-year target to provide an average turnround of less than five days on orders for bespoke, super-precision bearings

Torrington's centre of excellence, in Wolverhampton, has achieved its first-year target to provide customers with an average turnround of less than five days on orders for bespoke, super-precision bearings.

The facility was established in August 1999 as part of Torrington's continued investment in its European manufacturing base and to provide its customers with a rapid response to their requirements for standard and specialised, super-precision bearings for the machine-tool and automation industries.

John Webb, the unit's operations manager, said that with the extensive range of semi-completed product held at the facility, response to an urgent customer demand was typically three days, and, in some situations, a turnround of less than 24 hours had been achieved.

"Such a rapid-response time is unprecedented within our industry," he claimed.

"Normally, customers would expect lead times of between 10 to 20 weeks for specialist bearings, and, as a consequence, would normally have to maintain considerable stocks and place orders well in advance.

We have now significantly reduced this lead time and our customers have been able to reduce their inventories as a result." The new centre of excellence supplies the UK market through Nadella UK, of Coventry, with ballscrew support bearings, ballscrew support housings, and standard and specialised super-precision bearings.

It benefits from a purpose-built factory with advanced machine tools and other specialised equipment that has been developed at Torrington's corporate technology centres.

The unit's experienced engineers provide customised preload, bearing set configuration, ceramic rolling-element options, special greases, bearing modification and a returns-analysis service.

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