One of South Africa’s leading sugar producers made strategic use of their off-crop season, turning scheduled downtime into an opportunity for both essential maintenance as well as valuable skills development.
The company, a key SKF customer, focused the skills development initiative on three core areas: Upskilling their artisans in basic mechanical maintenance, enhancing precision alignment practices to help reduce equipment wear and downtime, and exploring predictive maintenance tools for improved component reliability and planning.
Recognising SKF’s proven expertise in delivering both professional training and supplying high-quality, dependable maintenance tools, the customer turned to the bearing technology specialist for assistance.
SKF provided an 8-day on-site training program tailored to the customer’s needs. Two groups of 15 participants respectively attended the ‘Precision Laser Alignment’ (WE240) and ‘Basic Bearing Maintenance, (WE200) courses. “Both two-day courses kicked off with theoretical training on the first day,” explains Micaela Willers, SKF Product Manager – Power Transmission. “On the second day of the Precision Laser Alignment course, we focused on practical assessments, while the Basic Bearing Maintenance course concluded with revision and theory-based assessments.”
In addition to hands-on training in bearing maintenanceand Vibracon-based laser alignment, SKF’s integrated training solutions also included the demonstration of the use of SKF Micrologfor vibration analysis and condition monitoring.
A total of 60 delegates, including artisans, apprentices, mechanical engineers, maintenance foremen, and the engineering manager, successfully completed the training courses, with each participant awarded a full accomplishment certificate.
“Through our innovative training program, we created a collaborative learning environment that encouraged knowledge sharing and practical application,” says Willers. “The training program added tremendous value for our customer, delivering significant operational, environmental and social sustainability benefits.
Starting with operational advantages, Willers points out that by improving artisan competency, the operation achieved more efficient maintenance practices which, coupled with precision alignment, reduce wear and tear, thereby extending the lifespan of critical assets. Willers further explains that improved operational reliability leads to fewer disruptions, supporting increased uptime, consistent production and economic stability for both the business and its employees.” She adds that exposure to Microlog opened the door for future investment in predictive maintenance.
Regarding environmental benefits, Willers highlights that training artisans in precision laser alignment enables machines to operate more efficiently, reducing energy consumption and subsequently lowering carbon emissions. “This practice also minimises mechanical wear, which in turn decreases the need for frequent part replacements. The key outcome is waste minimisation and the conservation of natural resources.”
“Furthermore, predictive maintenance using Microlog enables early fault detection, preventing catastrophic failures and reducing the need for emergency repairs and unplanned downtime, which often carry higher environmental impacts and costs.”
From a social sustainability perspective, upskilling artisans with valuable new skills supports long-term job security, career advancement, and broader community development. Willers also emphasis that building local capacity through knowledge transfer, reduces reliance on external expertise, fostering self-reliance and resilience within the local industry. Willers wraps up: “Our integrated training program has strengthened our relationship with this key customer in the region and has firmly positioned SKF as a trusted partner in delivering professional skills development through tailored, hands-on training and practical solutions. Built a foundation of trust and collaboration that extends beyond the immediate project, this partnership has opened the door to future opportunities, enabling us to support the customer’s ongoing operational excellence and growth through the adoption of products such as Microlog and precision alignment tools, comprehensive training packages and expert services. In collaboration with our customer, we are driving sustained success through a shared commitment to innovation and reliability.”
