Bearing Protection Specialists Attended Inpro/Seal Training Seminars
Bearing protection specialists from around the world gathered in Rock Island to attend intensive training and workshops at Inpro/Seal Company's headquarters. Part of the firm's ongoing commitment to provide the best customer support in the industry, sessions were held for the firm's regional managers and distributors.
People Business
The sessions began with an address by David C. Orlowski, President/CEO of Inpro/Seal Company and inventor of the bearing isolator. In his opening comments Orlowski stated that the cumulative efforts of Inpro/Seal employees, including management, staff and distributors are key to the world class support, product development and enhancement that fuels their growth. He went on to state that ongoing training plays a critical role in these efforts.
The Bearing Isolator
In his quest to find a positive, permanent means to protect bearings while enhancing and extending the service life of rotating equipment, thirty years ago, Orlowski developed the worlds first bearing isolator. Following the patent he was awarded in 1977 (#4,022,479), he founded Inpro/Seal Company. Today, the company manufactures about 40,000 bearing isolators per month and is poised to increase monthly production to 100,000.
A non-contacting labyrinth seal, for the first time, gave the end user the choice of permanent bearing protection and eliminated the need for continual maintenance. Comprised of a unitized rotor and stator that do not contact each other, it does not consume energy and never wears out. It's closest competitor, the contact seal offers a failure rate of 100%.
Importance Of Training
According to Orlowski, "At a time when many companies report declining sales figures and corporate reductions, Inpro/Seal Company reports that year-to-date sales are the best in our 30+ year history. New products, product enhancements, new markets, new applications and dramatic energy savings have led to increased customer acceptance and preference for our product lines".
Orlowski continued, "Our products are sold extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, the Pacific Rim and Europe through our regional managers who work with established distributor and OEM organizations".
He concluded, "Sure, we have invested heavily in our facilities and our products and are building the highest levels of awareness for both our products and non-contacting technology, but it remains critical to keep our people up-to-date. Long ago I learned that the best customer is an educated customer and the reason for our ongoing training programs. We not only invest in our products, we also invest in our people".
Inpro/Seal Regional Managers
An Inpro/Seal regional manager is a highly trained professional that knows tribology, rotating equipment, bearing protection and sealing technologies inside and out. Direct employees, they manage they supervise an assigned area where they manage their own distributor network. Duties include: distributor relations, sales, end user contact, training and the implementation of corporate policy. With their special training, technical knowledge, process and application know how, they are able to handle an end user needs with the fastest time-frame in the industry,
Inpro/Seal Distributors
Inpro/Seal distributors, on the other hand, are independent business people that run established businesses and work with specific accounts in an assigned area. They also have an extensive background in tribology, rotating equipment, bearing protection and sealing technologies and receive additional training in installation and start-ups. These are the people that make direct end user contact on a regular basis.
Ongoing Training
According to Jim Lapaczonek, Sales Manager and moderator for the sessions, "Training at Inpro/Seal never stops. Regional Managers attend intensive training sessions twice a year at our corporate campus. For distributors, there are four formal workshops during the year at our facility and numerous regional workshops during the year. In addition, distributors travel with the regional managers where they receive one-on-one training. This type of training is also conducted in our overseas operations".
About Inpro/Seal:
Inpro/Seal Company is the originator and the world's number one manufacturer of bearing isolators, used to protect motor and pump bearings, machine tool spindles, turbines, fans, gear boxes, paper machine rolls and many other types of rotating equipment. Additional applications include the sealing, handling, processing, packing and storage of dry particulates, powders and bulk solids.
Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
KLR-Z12.41.16.2RSKO bearing | 12 | ||
KLR-U12.35.12.2ZPO bearing | 12 |