SBS Singa Bearings Solutions Pte Ltd
Superior engineering
Founded in 2005 as part of LHG and GLT’s strategic expansion into Asia, SBS-Singa Bearings Solutions® Pte Ltd (SBS) has developed an excellent reputation as an expert in sliding bearing technology in the South East Asian Region.
Dealing exclusively with the distribution and manufacture of pre-finished sliding bearings, sliding bearing components and engineering plastics, SBS also offers superior design and engineering services for bushing applications to support customers with new concepts or machine upgrade requirements.
Focused on delivering high quality specialist services to customers in Singapore, the company caters to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the aftermarket within the marine, offshore, dredging, hydro-power, mining, manufacturing and agriculture industries to name a few. Working alongside its partner company GLT-GleitLagerTechnik® GmbH & LHG-GleitlagerKomponenten® GmbH & Co.K, the company has a vast range of engineering resources and available stock to ensure fast and efficient global deliveries. “For SBS, customer service is caring for the customer from A-Z. We prefer to develop a personal relationship; hence why we always put emphasis on meetings to introduce ourselves. This commitment is not restricted to customers in Singapore as we regularly visit our business partners in Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia and also go to Europe,” says Daniel Hallauer, managing director at SBS.
He continues: “At SBS we always check the requirements of our clients in terms of technical issues, materials, used sizes and so on to ensure 100 per cent satisfaction. As a company with a selection of more than 30 different materials, we also check if the requested material is really the most suitable for our client’s application and if necessary will advise on other options that will improve performance.” In addition to these services, the company also uses its in-depth knowledge to offer advice to engineers that design bushings too large, making recommendations that will result in cost efficiency.
Priding itself on the consistent provision of a high quality service, the DIN EN ISO 9001 certified firm has the skills and knowledge to meet the most challenging of demands through a flexible approach and fast response times. “Flexibility is a big advantage for our business partners as everyone is a high priority to us, regardless of whether they inquire for 1000 pieces or just one piece,” states Daniel. “Most of our jobs are customised to meet the needs of our clients; with a stock of close to one million parts we can successfully provide solutions to special requirements for nearly all of our materials.”
Out of the broad spectrum of materials available to clients, the three products most in demand from SBS are BRO-MAS®, LUB-MET® and COM-KU®/D. BRO-MAS® is the firm’s series of solid turned bronze sliding bearings; offering nine different alloys to cater for diverse demands, SBS is thus able to customise performance and ensure optimum quality through this DIN 1850/ISO 4379 range. Meanwhile, the (flexible) LUB-MET® bronze series is maintenance-free and uses graphite plugs to act as a solid lubricant; on top of this, the series can be combined with any of the bronze alloys within SBS’ product range.
Discussing the COM-KU®/D range, Daniel highlights: “This material is a fibre reinforced composite and it has great advantages; for example, it is maintenance-free due to friction modifiers (PTFE & MoS2) within the resins. It has no swell when used in water, and extreme high load capacities that are similar to a high strength bronze. The material’s flexibility allows edge loads and slight misalignments, protecting shaft and equipment from damages. Its insulating properties avoid corrosion, ‘seizing’ or cold welding of shafts in the bush.”
In addition, the company has also witnessed notable demand for its self-lubricating, bronze sliding bearing GAP-MET® series, which is produced through a sintering technique that has graphite powder incorporated within its matrix. This maintenance free series also boasts high load capacities and high temperature resistance. “I would also like to highlight our FER-MAN® series, which comprises of special surface treated steel materials. The surface is plasma hardened in a vacuum to achieve a surface micro hardness of up to 900 VH! This is a problem solver for any application having short service life due to extreme abrasion wear; an example of this is in the dredging or mining industry, where we are able to improve bushing life by five to eight times,” enthuses Daniel.
With a large warehouse in Germany, a huge amount of material stock in Singapore and a flexible manufacturing site that can hold production to focus on urgent deliveries, SBS has a strong reputation for meeting requirements, both on time and on budget. Lead time is viewed as an integral part of the company’s service, particularly in the offshore and shipping industries where delays can quickly become costly, as Daniel highlights: “Our standard, even for big bushings, is around three weeks for clients in Singapore, but if needed we can reduce it to a couple of days for certain materials. Super-fast lead time is needed in the industries we operate in, as is fair, competitive pricing and close working relationships to fully solve problems.”
To continue meeting the evolving demands of customers, SBS is soon to obtain an ERP software, which will offer the opportunity to have an interface with major clients and automatically receive alerts when these customers’ stock counts are becoming low. “The ERP software will also give us improved traceability for our smaller and mid sized clients for drawing and part numbers,” says Daniel.
Moving forward, the strong reputation SBS has acquired over the years is certain to hold it in good stead against challenges such as competitive costs, as Daniel explains: “We regularly get compared to Chinese prices, however these customers often come back after they have encountered a bad experience either in terms of product quality or false promises on lead times. Another challenge is that some clients only simply compare the prices without ever looking into the offered product’s features. This opens up the opportunity for ‘education’; if we are able to convince potential customers to try our products, they will see the quality and accompanied future savings for themselves and will then become a regular client.”
Focused on increasing its customer base in Singapore and neighbouring countries that have relevant burgeoning and booming markets in the South East Asia region, the company has a strategic vision for its ongoing growth and success over the coming years. “SBS has just opened an office in Jakarta, Indonesia, due to the great potential in this country. Following its success, we plan to open branches in Malaysia and Thailand in order to have a stronger and better representation as well as a faster, more personalised service in these countries,” concludes Daniel.
SBS Singa Bearings Solutions Pte Ltd
Services: Sliding bearing technology specialists