SKF has successfully delivered a powerful, integrated solution to a leading metals industry customer in Cameroon, combining advanced technology – Como (condition monitoring) and quality, high-performance products – bearings, underpinned by professional, expert services.
Prior to implementing SKF’s holistic solution, the customer had been operating in a conventional, reactive maintenance mode. Subsequently, equipment such as fans, rolling mills were routinely run to failure (with premature failure a common occurrence), resulting in unplanned downtime and the need for systematic bearing replacements. Predictive maintenance practices were absent, with only global vibration measurement conducted, while static balancing was outsourced to third-party test benches. Additionally, over-greasing of critical assets was a recurring issue, further compromising equipment performance, reliability and lifecycle, and driving up costs and driving down production.
Following an assessment, SKF responded to these challenges by recommending an integrated approach that combines CoMo, bearings and on-site as well as remote service expertise to effectively target operational gaps. “This solution was designed not only to prevent premature failures but also to enable predictive maintenance, reduce over-greasing incidents and bring critical balancing processes in-house,” emphasises Lionel Ndjee – SKF Sales Engineer Central Africa.
“In addition to vibration analysis, balancing and alignment services, we also provided our customer with lubrication assistance. Furthermore, we organised a technical session, supported remotely by our team of metals industry experts, to better understand the customer’s challenges and tailor the most effective solution for their operations.”
This triple-impact approach, is a collaboration between the local SKF team and their Authorised Distributor, TMC (Transmissions Manutention du Cameroun). The Distributor has permitted the customer to take advantage of his status of “duty free company in Cameroon” by delivering the goods Ex Works. All of this has not only boosted the customer’s operational efficiency and reliability but is also delivering measurable cost savings and sustainability benefits such as extended service life of equipment, demonstrating the value of a holistic strategy that is tailored to meet the customer’s exact demands.
This successful collaboration underscores SKF’s ability to deliver not just individual components, but fully integrated solutions that drive real operational value. “Our joint efforts have also earned the customer’s trust, resulting in a new agreement to, in future, source bearings through our distributor,” highlights Ndjee and concludes: “By combining deep application knowledge with cutting-edge technologies and service expertise, SKF continues to help customers reduce costs and improve asset performance, leading to more efficient and sustainable operations.”
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