Transportation Market Know-How

Idler Gear Bearings for Over the Road Trucks

Industry
Transportation

Application / Products
Double Row Ball Bearings for over the road trucks

The Challenge
When a leading manufacturer of automotive idler gears received news that they would soon face a nine month gap in supply of a critical bearing from their current supplier, they were forced to make some important decisions and quickly find a new supplier. This bearing is a part of the idler gear assembly used in the engines of over the road trucks and they primary supplier of those gears to a major manufacturer of internal combustion engines for over the road trucks. This key bearing is an essential part of the assembly, so strict adherence to clearance specifications is essential because the gears are manufactured precisely to this clearance and their performance depends on a high quality bearing, so the difficult task of finding a replacement seemed next to impossible.

The Solution
ERIKS quickly assembled a team of engineers and experienced application specialists and gathered together with both the gear manufacturer and the engine manufacturer to go over the requirements of the project. In addition, ERIKS worked with their vast network of bearing manufacturers to find an equivalent replacement for the customer that would meet the stringent quality requirements of both manufacturers. The solution was an ERIKS double row ball bearing with two retaining rings assembled on the OD.

The Results The customer was not only impressed with ERIKS ability to respond quickly to their critical supply problem, but what was more impressive was their ability to provide the solution that was badly need. Though of the immediate action of the ERIKS team to provide all the required prints, specifications and audit coordination, the customer was able to avoid costly delays.