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Joining the company in 2008, the beginning of the global economic crisis, was a positive factor for Brixey. “The recession was a good time for us to look at how we were supplying customers and what extra value we could offer them, and also how to improve our portfolio. We introduced some new products that are variations of our standard products. For example, we have self-lubricating bearings that are normally filled with standard oil, and we came up with [bunting bearings] that are fully impregnated with synthetic oil and can be used in the food industry, which hasn’t been hit by the recession as hard as other industries. We also saw a gap in the market where bearings are used in start/stop applications, and we introduced PTFE additives to bearing oils that vastly improved bearings in those high-stress situations. We also introduced two other full bearing ranges, one for high-load applications and one for high temperature.”

Bunting discovered that in a recession, its customers’ purchasing departments were looking to reduce their supply base, “and that suited us fine,” says Brixey. “We could offer them a one-stop shop where they could buy ina bearings made of nylon to cast bronze and so on. Most of our customers have expressed to us that they wanted their supplies simplified to the point where they would have one company do it all for them if possible, and I love to hear that.”

One of Brixey’s intentions was to make it easier for customers to do business with Bunting 24/7, especially with customers in different time zones, so Bunting improved itscompany website. He wanted it to be more than just an online catalogue. “I wanted an actual sales tool where we could provide customers with specifications and drawings that they could download and save their engineers time and effort; they could download our skf bearing and insert it into their product, or download a sales drawing and send it directly to their purchasing department. They could also easily send us a request for a quote.”

It’s working, and already Bunting is picking up inquiries from around the globe and supplying companies in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, power station companies in China, and entities in the Middle East and other parts of the Far East. In fact, business has grown considerably this year, necessitating adding staff in the past few months and opening up distribution into Europe—France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK.

One product that Bunting offers exclusively is the Dri-Plane range of powdered-metal bearings that can be used at high temperatures and in vacuums, because of a dry lubricant in the material. “Some customers wanted a bearing that was self-lubricating, but using a standard oil-impregnated bearing in a vacuum isn’t possible, since the oil would be sucked out and at too high a temperature the oil would burn off. So we solved their dilemma for them. We also have bearings made of exotic materials that are more expensive than some of our standard products, but these can work up to 900° Fahrenheit and have a very long life.”