In a decisive win for SKF, the bearing and rotating specialist successfully regained a critical Ball Mill application after the customer’s previous transition to a competitor solution. This achievement underscores SKF’s ability to reclaim customer trust and reaffirm its position as the preferred solutions partner, especially in demanding industrial environments.
Drawing on deep application knowledge, extensive industry expertise and an enhanced technical offering, SKF was able to demonstrate superior reliability and maintenance performance, convincing the customer, who is a prominent products and services supplier to the mining sector, to specify SKF for the ball mill application. Leveraging insights from site visits and global research, the SKF team translated customer specifications into a tailored tender submission. “This comprehensive approach secured us the order in September 2026, marking a pivotal success in re‑establishing SKF’s position as a trusted supplier,” affirms Shailin Govender, SKF Key account manager: Heavy Industries.
Shailin notes that the winning formula lay in close collaboration with OEMs, SKF Application Engineering and sales teams to fully understand customer challenges and deliver the right value proposition. “Our solution, scheduled for delivery in early 2027, will be a customised, locally manufactured pillow block arrangement integrated into the drive system to enable reliable power transmission to the mill, delivering a broad spectrum of tangible advantages for our customer.”
Shailin explains that by engineering purpose‑driven sealing systems and bespoke components tailored to the Ball Mill application, SKF will ensure performance is precisely aligned with operational demands. He further notes that the enhanced sealing arrangement will be designed to dramatically improve contamination control, while local manufacturing will add value by significantly reducing lead times for both product supply and application‑specific design. The pillow block arrangement will drive improved equipment reliability, reduce downtime and extend component and machine service life. Shailin adds that, with SKF acting as a single point of contact at end‑user level, the customer will benefit from streamlined communication and support, further reinforcing confidence in the partnership.
Technical support provided by SKF’s Reliability Solutions team will be complemented by Mechanical Field Services (MFS), which will simplify maintenance activities and help reduce mean time to repair (MTTR), thereby strengthening operational efficiency.
The customer will also benefit from ongoing local training programmes designed to build capability and confidence in operating the solution. Installation will be managed through a joint responsibility model, ensuring best practices are applied while fostering collaboration between teams. Once operational, the customer will take the lead on after‑market support, including servicing, repairs and maintenance, backed by SKF’s continual guidance and collaboration. This integrated approach ensures knowledge transfer, reliable implementation and sustained performance throughout the lifecycle of the solution.
This successful outcome highlights the SKF value system, ensuring customer satisfaction and market leadership through proven capabilities and continually developed product offerings. It also strengthened SKF’s partnership with the OEM and expanded the company’s service footprint, reinforcing its role as a trusted long-term partner. The project reflects the outstanding collaboration, technical expertise and execution delivered by Shailin Govender, Timothy Nkosi and the Application Engineering team, demonstrating SKF’s commitment to driving reliability, innovation and customer value.
