Traceability is essential to reduce costs and maintain quality in bearing manufacture
As one of the World”s largest bearing manufacturers, NSK continues to invest in improved manufacturing techniques, which allows customers to benefit from new technologies and improved reliability. One example is at the state of the art production facility in Newark, UK, where the super precision bearings are manufactured and a new barcode system allows every single bearing to carry details about its manufacture.
In the modern day manufacturing environment, technology is helping many industries to improve quality and reliability while also reducing overall costs. One such example is the implementation of component traceability, which has been an essential requirement in sectors such as aerospace for some time but which is now being employed in a much wider range of industries.
The introduction of two dimensional barcodes has allowed a much greater amount of information to be stored within a barcode, so instead of just a serial number or batch number, now it is possible to include manufacturing dates, axial run-out and radial run-out figures as well as preload information and machining data. All of this can now be laser etched into every single bearing, which enables both NSK and customers alike to have near instant access to this crucial information.
For NSK, this coding forms part of the manufacturing process and it is used to populate the product database as well as produce the product labels which are fixed to the outer packaging. By incorporating the data for every bearing produced into the production data system it also provides a vital quality control tool as well as complete traceability, which is required by many industries such as aerospace and automotive.
This information also enables identification of any product that may be affected by a defect, but with such accurate detail, the total number of products affected can be exactly ascertained. In the past, this could only be narrowed down to a single batch or day of production, which could mean much larger numbers of the product being identified as at risk.
The system delivers a proactive method of identifying any defects before the product is dispatched to the customer. By providing real-time reports on materials, components, machines and shift operators, the system can be used to identify exact quantities of parts which may be affected by a faulty machine setting, for example, and allow those parts to be quarantined. In this way the high product quality expected by the customer is maintained and the costs associated with replacement of faulty components are greatly reduced.
While investment continues year on year in research and development, NSK has also invested in streamlining the warehouse and dispatch areas allowing more efficient service to customers. NSK has a stock holding of several million in the UK warehouse, guaranteeing not only superior quality, but also the best possible delivery times for the majority of the vast product range.
Helena Measham, Customer Service Manager
NSK UK Ltd
Tel: 0500 2327464 Fax:
Web: www.nskeurope.com
Email: info-uk@nsk.com
Address: NSK UK Ltd, Northern Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2JF, UK
NSK Europe Ltd
- 01636 605 123
- info-uk@nsk.com
- Belmont Place, Belmont Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 6TB GB
About us
Established over 100 years ago, NSK (Nippon Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha) is a Japanese-listed company that has evolved from a regional ball bearing supplier to a roller bearing specialist and automotive supplier with a global market presence. Today, NSK employs more than 31,400 employees in 30 countries. As per March 2019, NSK achieved sales of 991,4 billion Yen. This result has been driven by ever-increasing investment in research & development, enabling the company to continuously improve the quality of its products and services. This investment supports NSK’s objective of “No. 1 in Total Quality”. In addition to a complete rolling bearing portfolio, NSK develops and manufactures precision components and mechatronic products, as well as systems and components for the automotive industry, including wheel bearing units and electric power-steering systems. In 1963, NSK’s first European subsidiary, Düsseldorf, Germany, was opened and in 1976, the first European production facility in Peterlee, England. Today, NSK Europe supports pan-European sales with production locations in England, Poland and Germany, logistics centres in the Netherlands, Germany and England and technology centres in Germany, England and Poland. In 1990, NSK purchased the UPI Group including the renowned European bearing manufacturer RHP, with its factory in Newark (UK). Additionally, NSK has developed a comprehensive network of authorised sales distributors. NSK Europe is divided into application-based business divisions: Industry rolling bearing technologies & linear and precision technology (EIBU) as well as bearing modules and steering systems for the automotive industry (EABU & ESBU). In this organisation, NSK Europe's 4,260 employees achieved a turnover of over 1,045 million Euros as per March 2019.
Where we supply to
Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, North America
Industries we supply to
Automation, Chemicals, Consultants, Components Electronics, Energy and Power, Food and Beverage, Glass Ceramics Cement, Metals and Minerals, OEM, Paper and Pulp, Pharmaceutical Cosmetics Toiletries, Plastics and Rubber, Recycling, Textiles, Tobacco, Water and Wastewater
