SKF South Africa provided a turnkey solution to assist an OEM customer in reducing lead times and streamlining planned downtime.

In addition to the long lead times on seals for their underground earthmoving equipment, the customer was also unhappy with general service delivery from their supplier and too the decision to look for a single source supplier. The logical step was to approach SKF as the customer was already using SKF bearings and happy with their service delivery.

SKF’s OEM division suggested the Speedi-Sleeve as the best sealing solution for the earthmoving equipment. This new generation Speedi-Sleeve, developed by SKF, uses a proprietary stainless steel material and manufacturing process giving an optimised seal counter-face surface that minimises wear on both the sleeve and sealing lip. The contact surface is wear resistant. Imperceptible lubricant pockets enable the lubricant to reside on the sleeve and thereby prevent dry running of the sealing lip that otherwise can create excessive wear.

The thin-walled Speedi-Sleeve is simply pushed in position over the worn area. There is no shaft disassembly or machining involved, minimising costly downtime. Furthermore, since the installation tool is supplied with the sleeve no special equipment is required to fit the seals.

In addition to supplying the Speedi-Sleeves, SKF also provided product training, assisted with planning of downtime to replace worn seals and helped the customer to achieve their goal of reducing their supplier and vendor lists.

The customer expressed extreme satisfaction as they now conveniently deal with a single source supplier for both seals and bearings. SKF’s professional and expedient service also impressed the customer; SKF Sales Representatives assisted with back orders and hold regular planning meetings to ensure that the correct products are on the customer’s shelves.