Cost drivers for plain bearings – this is where you can save money

Lars Butenschön | 5. August 2020

Even beyond mere purchase price comparisons, there is great cost potential to be tapped in the plain bearings sector. What are the major cost drivers for plain bearings? And how can they be avoided? You can find out more about this here.

The term “value engineering” has long since ceased to be just a profiling term for candidates from consulting firms. The economy now employs hosts of “value analysts”, “cost and value engineers” and “value engineers”. The goal is to save costs. Be more efficient than the others. To increase shareholder value and – in the interest of our environment – the sustainability.

In concrete terms this means ‘saving’. Use as little material as possible. The most cost-effective materials, the most cost-effective development and manufacturing processes, the lowest possible margins and mark-ups from suppliers. In short: everything as lean, efficient and affordable as possible.

This naturally also applies to all costs associated with plain bearings. Direct and indirect. And since there is a whole bunch of them and some of them not so obvious, we want to take a look at the 3 most important hidden cost drivers for plain bearings.

Position 3: The material does it

Considerable savings potential are concealed here in some cases. It is not unusual for bearings to be selected primarily on the basis of what is “just there” or what is “safe”. You quickly end up either with oversized bearings or the “right-down” variant. (Many manufacturers sort their products from few-features to all-features, so that the latter typically end up right at the bottom)

Of course, it makes sense for smaller one-time operations to take what is already there in the procurement anyway. Nevertheless, at a certain point it makes sense to question what is actually needed for the current application and what the necessary parts cost. And we would already be at position 2.

Position 2: Made to measure – when it also comes off the rack

First of all you should always ask – even after the start of a batch – whether this or that component is already available as an existing part in a manufacturer’s catalogue. Of course it is unlikely that exactly the do-it-yourself construction or the desired design already exists in almost exactly the same form. But often enough it is helpful to go through the product ranges of the usual suppliers – or to have a customer advisor show you the possible options. It is often the case that expensive self-built systems can be replaced by similarly well-functioning but much cheaper standard solutions.

Position 1: If it has to be a custom-made product – listen to your processor.

Nobody likes over-complex parts. Not even your processor. Even if you can earn a great deal of money with elaborate virtual works of art in metal or plastic processing, most processors try to make an offer that is as competitive and achievable as possible. Accordingly, you should signal which aspects of your component design are still “negotiable”. Do edges have to be manufactured right-angled or with an absolute radius of 0.05? Where can the gating point be shifted to? Which surfaces are really to be produced in Ra 0.006? Frequently, requirements on drawings are no longer scrutinised nor are the values originally related to steel transferred to plastic. It is not unusual to save cash in this area.

We search (and find) your cost drivers for plain bearings

Over 250,000 customers worldwide value our expertise and manufacturing competence for moving components in machines and devices of all kinds. Together with you, we will examine possible savings potential in component design, material selection and the possibility of taking advantage of existing solutions. There is also plenty of room for cost savings and simplification outside the actual component. Correctly designed and matched, complex multi-part solutions can be simplified to one-part solutions or expensive shaft materials can be replaced by more cost-effective ones. We will advise you personally, online, on the phone or at your premises – without obligation and free of charge.