NSK bearings help pet food plant raise OEE
First Quarter 2024
Shaft power components
When a major UK pet food producer wanted better machine utilisation with the aim of raising its overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) by three points, it decided to ask experts at bearing specialist NSK if they could evaluate processes and systems to help with this improvement goal.
The prompt to engage NSK arrived after hearing about the company’s AIP added value programme, in particular its ability to improve bearing life through a mixture of training and application engineering services. This approach focuses firmly on identifying improvement opportunities in three keys assets: people, plant and processes.
At the pet food facility, the management team was aware of various application issues which NSK experts viewed, leading to the creation of a process map. The process map is one of the most powerful elements of AIP, as it focuses on generating a complete documented review of the production process from start to finish, placing particular emphasis on critical bearing applications. In this case, the process map identified five areas for potential OEE improvement.
Trials subsequently began, initially focusing on the more costly application, the plant’s pellet extruder. Here, the customer was experiencing bearing failures and loss of production every 10 to 12 weeks on average. Using analytical data from the trials, NSK determined that the existing grease lubrication was not fulfilling the life expectancy of the bearings. The expert engineers therefore recommended a high viscosity oil for longer life, alongside a suitably durable bearing solution.
The customer duly replaced its existing bearings with high-quality NSK spherical roller bearings from the company’s EA series, atogether with NSK spherical thrust roller bearings. EA series bearings, which feature pressed steel cages, offer high load carrying capacity, high limiting speeds and high functionality under operating conditions involving elevated temperatures, making them ideal for the pellet extruder and other applications at the pet food plant.
After reassembly, the extruder ran for seven months without any bearing failures, resulting in impressive cost savings of £70 000, thanks to reductions in production downtime and maintenance. In addition, the pet food plant achieved its goal of raising OEE by three points. At the request of the customer, NSK also conducted onsite bearing training for the plant’s maintenance staff, providing even more added value as part of the overall solution.
For more information contact Geraldene Govender, NSK South Africa, +27 11 458 3600, nsk-sa@nsk.com, www.nsk.com
Further reading:
Cogged raw edge belts
SKF South Africa
Shaft power components
SKF’s cogged raw edge belts are ideally suited for essentially any industrial application that runs on ISO wedge and classical V-belt pulleys.
Read more...
The torque of the town
Shaft power components
Bolt and Engineering Distributors (B.E.D.) is pleased to announce its new distribution agreement with torque and tensioning company Bolt Torque, which has a comprehensive range of manual, hydraulic, electric and battery bolt torque, and bolt tensioning solutions.
Read more...
Taking reliability to the trenches
SKF South Africa
Shaft power components
SKF’s maintenance-free Y Bearing Unit has significantly extended equipment uptime for key customer Gibela, a leading level 5CE CIBD-rated civils company with more than ten years of experience in the field.
Read more...
Quick couplings to prevent leakage
Shaft power components
Research and development in the quick coupling industry is advancing beyond functionality, and is focusing on manufacturing leak-free quick couplers which also minimise impact on the environment.
Read more...
Nord-Lock’s CE marked securing washers
Bearing Man Group T/A BMG
Shaft power components
The Nord-Lock range of securing washers, distributed and supported by BMG, is the only brand on the market that currently displays the CE quality mark of approval from leading global authorities.
Read more...
Navigating the cosmos with precision
SKF South Africa
Shaft power components
As the next-generation Very Large Array navigates towards its key science goals, SKF’s technology is playing a pivotal role in charting the stars. SKF is providing key components for the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), a $2 billion telescope system that aims to peer deeper into the universe than ever before.
Read more...
Automatic lubrication in industrial machinery
Shaft power components
The SAL Elite single point lubricator is a reliable and efficient solution for automatic lubrication in industrial machinery. It is distributed by ISO-Reliability Partners, a leading provider of reliability and lubrication systems.
Read more...
Wedge belts for tough conditions
Bearing Man Group T/A BMG
Shaft power components
BMG’s extensive range of Fenner power transmission components encompasses high-performance Fenner Quattro Plus Twin Wrapped (QPTW) wedge belts, that transmit 30% more power than the standard Fenner drivebelts.
Read more...
Anti-surge valves
Valve & Automation
Shaft power components
Anti-surge valves meet the most stringent requirements, and in the event of a disturbance must open lightning fast, with precise positioning and absolute reliability. One of the world’s leading compressor manufacturers selected Arca anti-surge valves for its compressor stations at a steel mill in Taiwan.
Read more...
SKF’s successful raid action in Cape Town
SKF South Africa
Editor's Choice Shaft power components
Authorities, with collaborative support from SKF, recently conducted a large and highly effective raid on a very well-known bearing seller of SKF bearings in Cape Town.
Read more...