(July 26, 2011)
SKF South Africa, leading knowledge engineering company and specialist supplier of bearings, related products and services to the local market, has grown its network through the appointment of additional SKF authorised distributors since the commencement of 2010.
"Authorised Distributors are an extension of SKF", says SKF Segments (Pulp and Paper, Energy and HPI) and Key Accounts Manager, Giscard Lailvaux. "They are located country wide close to our customer base and are fully equipped to deliver products and services from SKF's core technologies - bearings, seals, power transmission, mechatronics, lubrication and services". Lailvaux adds that authorised distributors are selected to extend SKF's exemplary service ethic and to add value to products and services and he sites Bearing Services Bethal, who services a leading South African Hydrocarbon Processing industry leader and global player, as a prime example of superior product and service delivery.
"The local Hydrocarbon Processing Plant is a local key account of immense value to SKF, both strategically and financially, so when this important customer indicated that service levels should ideally be within only two days, i.e. the customer expects service levels of 80% or more. This means that the two days lead time applies to the whole process, from the date the order is placed, to the date the product arrives on site," explains Lailvaux. "We briefed Bearing Services Bethal, they formulated a product and service delivery schedule, went into action and are delivering service levels beyond customer expectation; this despite the fairly remote location of the Plant 60km away.
In fact, a letter from the customer's procurement department received in September 2010 indicates that the Bethal team achieved service levels of 94% in August 2010, with the average levels year to date in September 2010, recorded at 86%. An impressive performance by any manner of means!"
To achieve this level of service takes enthusiasm and commitment from an exceptionally loyal team. Bearing Services Bethal is evidently in the right place, with the right product, a class leading service ethic, at the right price, at the right time, delivered by a superbly skilled and loyal team.
"This level of service delivery is pivotal to retaining our customer base and perhaps even more so with this customer, which, with 16 sites or Plants around the country, representing different business areas, are all using SKF products and demanding the same service levels irrespective of location. The SKF Distributors are 'our face' to the market," continues Lailvaux. "If they fail, we fail. We maintain a very close relationship with our independent distributors and they enjoy the full support of our extensive technical resources. We expect them to maintain their service levels to the same high standards that the SKF Group world wide is known for," states Lailvaux.
"By delivering and maintaining average service levels to above the percentage demanded by our customer, Bearing Services Bethal enables us to further develop the SKF Value Proposition across all the core technologies. This remarkable achievement will further strengthen our relationship with this valuable customer group and will provide additional opportunities for the identification of new solutions to meet increasingly complex customer requirements," concludes Lailvaux.
Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
12580/12520 KOYO | 20.638 | 49.225 | 19.845 |
07079/07196 KOYO | 20 | 50.005 | 14.26 |