Innovation at FERSA is defined as the successful delivery to the market of the results generated by the company’s R&D activities. These are based on three main foundations:
• Product development, applying analytical and simulation tools
• Process development incorporate the latest technologies in machining, superfinishing and assembly
• CBE: Centre for Bearing Excellence. Centre or laboratory constituting the “toolbox” for innovation and providing the necessary human and technical resources to measure, test and validate the product and process developments.
These R&D activities allow us to offer the market products with additional features, on the one hand, and products with greater functionality on the other. These product lines determine the roadmap for innovation at Fersa.
In the last stage of the innovation process, the outcomes of our R&D are delivered to clients in the form of appropriately monitored projects using our own methodology developed in house by FERSA BEARINGS. This is an iterative process with feedback at each step with new inputs
HiPro
The fruit of FERSA’s R&D activities can be seen in the development of the HiPro family, aimed at applications requiring high-performance bearings characterised by:
• Longer working life
• Lower risk of premature failures
• Better adaptation to misalignment
• Uniform distribution of stresses
• Lower operating temperature
Various factors contribute to the improvement of these features, including:
• Enhanced manufacturing process
• Extra-clean steels
• Optimised internal geometry
• Better surface finish
Hub Units
Another example of R&D activity can be seen in the development of the Hub Units, bearings mainly focussing on commercial vehicles, lorries, buses and tow units.
These new compact bearings comprising two inner units in a single external housing are complemented by high-performance grease and top-quality seals to ensure adequate sealing of the unit throughout its working life.
The main advantages of these new products are:
• Reduction in the number of components and, therefore, the assembly time
• Reduction in the space required for the bearing and, in consequence, its weight
• Setup already adjusted ex works, thus giving easy fitting
• Minimum maintenance since they come pre-greased from the factory and two seals
• Lower risk of impurities through reduction in the handling