The Situation
The customer, a leading provider of salad products to UK supermarkets, had reported frequent bearing failures occurring within their leaf harvesting machine. The failures were leading to operational downtime during peak harvesting season, resulting in production losses and spoilt crops.
The Solution
HAYLEY DEXIS worked closely with their strategic supply partner, NSK, who had already been on-site to review the application and operating conditions. The cause was diagnosed as water and dirt ingress leading to the inferior-quality mounted unit bearings failing. Flinger seal NSK stainless steel bearings, housed within Silver-Lube® housing were offered as the solution, as they would have superior resistance to water, and last longer than the current bearings within the harvesting machine.
"SIGNIFICANT COST-SAVINGS RELATED TO THE DOWNTIME AND PRODUCTION LOSS HAVE BEEN MADE."
The Result
In the season following the new bearings being installed, only two bearing-related failures occurred. This represented a significant reduction when compared to previous years. As a result, significant cost-savings related to the downtime and production loss reduction, have been made. These cost-savings are estimated to be around £57,000 per year. The new bearings also allow for easier relubrication, helping to minimise maintenance time and maximise productivity.