MechChem Africa October 2019

KZN is a key growth area for BI

The Bearings International (BI) Durban branch stocks bearings, electric motors, gearboxes, lubricants, seals, tools and power transmission products for a range of industries. These include food and beverage, cement

and quarries, pulp and paper, port and rail, water and sanitation, sugar mills, mining, petrochemicals, and animal-feed plants.

BI Durban branch manager, Trevor Veeradu, who is also the company’s regional manager for KZN.

A distributor of premium global brands such as FAG bearings, FIS products, INA, Bauer electric mo- tors and gearboxes, Rocol Lubri- cants, Cooper split bearings, Senqcia (Hitachi) chain, Ewart Chain, KOYO, Link belt, Dodge, Rexnord,Makita power tools, and Jonnesway professional tools, BI’s Durban branch is strategically located at 11 Palmfield Road in Springfield Park, just 25 km south of King Shaka International Airport. The branch employs ten staff specialising in an array of industries. Nick Allanson, for example, heads up the specialised sugar divi- sion for BI, focused on servicing Illovo and Tongaat Hulett throughout Africa with world- class products and services. The branch

andhas15yearsofindustryexperience,start- ing his industrial engineering degree in 2000 as an instrument fitter at Sappi, and then pro- gressing to sales in the bearing industry at BI. Veeradu’s engineeringexpertisehas stood him in good stead with regard to industrial gearboxes and conveying systems, specialis- ing in light andheavy duty rubber belting, and thereafter hydraulics and pneumatics. BI Durban offers support to the entire KZN province, as well as supplying custom- ised solutions for largescale technical proj- ects. “I drive my team to be self-assured and knowledgeable and, most importantly, to add value to our vast customer base, which is my key focus,” Veeradu stresses. The Durban branch has an in-house division that refurbishes

Bauer gear motors available from BI have a strong foothold within the food and beverage, alternative energies, wastewater, steel industry and materials handling sectors. Latest products include Bauer premium efficiency gear motors that enable energy savings of over 30% and, if needed, come with ATEX approval for use in explosion hazard areas. sugar mill carrier and diffuser chains, as well as assembling and supplying newchain. It also manufactures specialised sprockets as per customer requirements. Additional services encompass bearing in- spections andfitments, conditionmonitoring, customer training, gearbox repairs, technical advice for all projects, from small to large, as well as bearing reconditioning, vibration analysis, specialist manufacture, on-site op- erations, troubleshooting, 24/7 service, and even design and selection. Staff are kept up to date by means of ongoing training, which is also offered to cus- tomers upon request. “Through our product training courses, we strive to ensure that our customers have optimal understanding of product handling, fitment, and maintenance. In this way, customers are sure to obtain the highest return on their investment,” Veeradu points out. There are six BI branches that service KwaZulu-Natal, including Durban. These are Richards Bay, which is managed by Grant Fouche, Isithebe, Pinetown, Pietermaritzburg and Newcastle. Veeradu says that this is proof that KZN remains a key province to the company as awhole and an important growth area. “BI inKZN strives to offer its customers top-quality products, with the best customer service, which makes for loyal and satisfied customers. “Our strength lies in our people, their knowledgeand their commitment toservicing customers who have supported us over the last 65 years. We have great plans to extend our product offering even further in the fu- ture. As part of the Hudaco Group, our value proposition to our customers is also com- mensurately larger,” Veeradu concludes. q

is managed by TrevorVeeradu, who is also KZN region manager

BI stocks all major types of industrial chain for use in Southern Africa’s sugar, cement, steel, agriculture and mining segments. Key brands

include Senqcia (Hitachi) chain,

Ewart Chain, KOYO, Link belt, Dodge and Rexnord.

BI has a long history of distributing ROCOL lubricants, which can significantly reduce the power consumption of rotating equipment while extending component life and reducing downtime.

12 ¦ MechChem Africa • October 2019