The Situation
Rotating biological contactors (RBCs) used in the treatment of wastewater and operated by one of the UK’s water companies, are fitted with a modified bearing at both the drive and non-drive end. On a number of occasions, these bearings have failed across thirty sites in the Midlands region, leaving the customer vulnerable to lengthy periods of downtime, as well as the requirement for tankering and extensive site consent testing.
The Solution
The customer enjoys a long-standing partnership with HAYLEY DEXIS, and this has enabled the modified bearings, their application, and the consequences of bearing failure to be fully understood by the local sales engineer and branch team. It is agreed that the HAYLEY DEXIS branch in Alfreton will hold and continually maintain a stock of four of the special bearing units. This stock is reserved solely for the use of the customer, to be called-upon whenever a replacement bearing is needed. HAYLEY 247 DEXIS have also been regularly on-hand for the repair and reverse engineering of several components for the RBCs, providing round-the-clock engineering support for the customer.
"THE CUSTOMER HAS SAME-DAY ACCESS TO THE CUSTOM BEARING UNIT WHENEVER REQUIRED."
The Result
Thanks to HAYLEY DEXIS keeping a local stock of the custom bearing, the customer has same-day access to replacement units whenever they require them. This has helped to negate the risk of any extended periods of downtime affecting operations at their various wastewater treatment sites. The total cost of sourcing the bearings from HAYLEY DEXIS, rather than from the OEM, is significantly lower. This includes the initial purchase price, as well as the costs associated with tankering, any additional manpower needed, and site consent testing required if the replacement bearings were not supplied by HAYLEY DEXIS as an approved partner.
A cost-saving is also achieved in the fitting of the replacement bearings as almost £6,000 is saved each time internal resource is used over the OEM’s fitting service. To date, cost-savings of over £1m have been delivered by HAYLEY DEXIS supporting the customer’s modified bearing requirement for their RBC applications. Mechanical engineering services provided by HAYLEY 247 DEXIS, such as repairing stub shafts, have also assisted in reducing downtime and cutting costs for the customer.