First Major Distributorship Appointment In Over A Decade

SKF welcomes Hayley Group to its select UK network of authorised industrial distribution partners.

Hayley Group Ltd becomes the seventh SKF Authorised Distributor in the UK and the first major UK distributor appointment to be made by SKF since 2005.

Hayley Group joins a UK-wide network of carefully selected distributors that are not only fully conversant with SKF knowledge and technology, but also equipped to provide industrial end-users with the widest range of SKF products and related services.

Hayley Group was originally established in Blackheath, West Midlands in 1976 under the name Hayley Bearings Ltd. It has since grown to become one of the largest engineering inventory suppliers in the UK. The company currently has 44 branches across the UK and achieved a turnover of £145 million in 2017.

Will Fletcher, Hayley Group’s Purchasing Director stated, “We look forward to working closely with SKF over the coming months to develop our national stockholding and staff product knowledge across the entire SKF product range. Obtaining SKF Authorised Distributor status significantly strengthens Hayley Group’s position within the marketplace and provides a more comprehensive offer to our customers.”

SKF Authorised Distributors are qualified to deliver the highest standard of technical advice, both pre- and post-sale. Their available SKF product inventory includes more than 24,000 bearings, 1,250 seals, 10,000 linear motion components, 22,000 power transmission products and 2,000 maintenance and lubrication products. Moreover, thanks to SKF's Europe-wide logistics capabilities, an SKF Authorised Distributor are able to supply 97% of products direct from stock within 24 hours.

The proliferation of illegal counterfeit bearings is becoming a major concern for the industry as these products, often branded to look like the genuine article, are likely to fail prematurely – often catastrophically, posing a major health and safety risk.

Thanks to the work that SKF and other major bearings manufacturers are conducting in this area, SKF Authorised Distributor customers can be assured of not only the warranty and the traceability of all products supplied, but products of the latest design and specification from SKF.

SKF's UK-based authorised industrial distribution partners include: Acorn Industrial Services Ltd, Antifriction Components Ltd, Brammer UK Ltd, BRT Bearings Ltd, ERIKS UK Ltd, and Sprint Engineering & Lubricants Ltd; who operate alongside several product or industry specialist distributors. All of these companies have their own network of established sales and service centres strategically located throughout the UK.