TAPERED ROLLER BEARINGS ¨C¨C"VALUE" REDEFINED(pic)

As the trucks and trailers of the freight industry continue to deliver the goods that keep America strong, General Bearing¡¯s line of Hyatt Tapered Roller Bearing cup and cone assemblies provides the reliability and value that keep those wheels turning. Hyatt Tapered Roller Bearings have been the leading brand used in the trailer industry for many years. General Bearing supplies Tapered Roller Bearings with all the design features essential for performance in tough truck and trailer applications. Our product is manufactured from the highest quality materials, processed with the latest technology, controlled to the strictest quality standards, supported with technical expertise, and supplied at the lowest possible price. General Bearing has redefined the term ¡°value¡± for its customers. Our continuous improvement programs and customer satisfaction objectives have been the driving forces behind this product¡¯s success. For many years General Bearing assembled tapered cone product in our NY facility from components produced at Shanghai General Bearing Corporation (SGBC), our plant in Shanghai, China. The components were received in lot quantities, thoroughly inspected for all features, released to our production floor, assembled, 100% vibration tested, bore checked, and final packaged. Throughout more than a dozen years of this process, improvements to the manufacture of the components were achieved. Two years ago, General Bearing Corporation set a pilot program in motion to assemble bearings at our Shanghai facility. To accomplish this, a new automated assembly machine was built at SGBC. Automated inspections for cone bore and assembly vibration levels were built in. The first of this product was received at the beginning of 2001 in West Nyack as a PPAP order. This lot was thoroughly inspected at the component level in our Quality Assurance Department and at the assembly level on our new automated noise tester in West Nyack. Testing results for this lot and subsequent lots indicated further improvement in the vibration levels of the product. This product was then shipped to and tested by various GBC/Hyatt Customers throughout 2001. Our customer¡¯s tests substantiated the high level of quality, confirming the product to be problem-free. In 2003, the transition was completed. Product is now assembled at SGBC and our process in NY continues to include component level inspection, 100% vibration testing on new vibration analyzers, and bore checking. Customer satisfaction is at the highest levels. One of the key components to the success of Tapered Roller Bearing reliability is the proper processing of race and roller crowning. The crown is specified to be symmetrical over the length of the pathway. Its function is to eliminate stress concentrations such as those encountered during application-induced misalignment. The required shape is a convex radius from end to end of the pathway. A concave shape will induce stress concentrations, even without application- induced misalignment. Race and roller crowning was established many years ago as a requirement to meet the reliability and endurance life standards demanded by truck and trailer manufacturers. General Bearing maintains separate equipment to hone the crown on the rollers and races, and performs added processing steps to ensure that this feature is on every part produced. Specialized measuring equipment is used and time is taken to audit the entire process. While the process is not without cost, the cost to the customer who uses the product without the crowning feature is far greater in warranty claims, service, downtime, and lost business. General Bearing continues to improve and innovate our Tapered Roller Bearing product and is working with our customers on several new product concepts for the Truck and Trailer industry.