Dickson becomes SKF Certified Maintenance Partner

SKF has continued to develop its latest maintenance initiative by completing a deal with Dickson Bearings, making the bearing and power transmission specialist the first SKF Certified Maintenance Partner (CMP) in Ireland. Under the CMP agreement, SKF provides Dickson Bearings with the tools, training and skills required to help the company deliver predictive maintenance programmes by collecting machine vibration data. 'We see the CMP programme as helping our partners lay the foundations for a better business', explained John Laycock, Aftermarket Manager UK and Eire of SKF. 'It is intended to help CMPs differentiate themselves from their competitors'. 'Clearly the fundamental goal of the project is to increase service revenues and generate more product sales'. 'This is a process of continuing improvement', continued Laycock. 'However, already it includes support in data collection and lubrication management, mechanical services and materials management'. 'In addition, Dickson Bearings will be trained in data analysis by SKF which, in turn, provides support by analysing complex data'. 'It reflects SKF's range of capabilities as much more than just a bearing supplier'. 'From our point of view, the credibility that SKF's backing gives is really important', explained Se O'Leary, Asset Reliabilty and Systems Technician for Dicksons'. 'We have always provided a wide range of technical support for our customers but the CMP agreement adds another dimension to our offering'. 'We have chosen to offer more to the customer than just the ability to distribute products, and the CMP agreement helps us to further achieve this differentiation from other Irish distributors'. 'The philosophy of the scheme fits closely with our own - reliability improvement rather than just bearings sales'. Dickson's is working closely with Irish industrial businesses to bring down maintenance costs and to improve production uptime. By integrating more closely with the customers' engineering teams, particularly in the process industries, Dickson's is able to provide a total asset management service which optimises both plant efficiency as well as giving consideration to achievable savings in energy costs by using an intelligent selection of motors and drives. Each phase of the CMP agreement builds on the one that went before it. This allows the CMP to offer a more useful service as its customer gains experience of predictive maintenance.