The Challenge

Nita has a proven reputation across North America for supplying lithographers, flexographers and newspaper publishers with the high-quality conveyors and inline punches on which they rely.

Its SCI Series, Cyclone and Shifter conveyors transport printing plates 36, 48 and 60 inches wide, then manipulate or "rotate" them as much as 180° before they’re fed into a press. On Nita's Scorpio Inline punches, each plate exits at a 90° angle, with precision notches for hanging on a press. And Nita's Plate Stackers can load up to 250 plates onto a trolley untouched by human hands, so they can be transported together instead of individually.

With over 105 years of combined field experience, Nita's engineers and staff of trained professionals easily kept pace with printers' demands for increased speed and precision. The same could not be said for the flange mounted bearings on their machines. Their equipment uses multiple flange bearings on shafts – critical for creating the smooth rolling movement needed at each end of the shaft – as well as each pulley that drives belts and o-ring pulleys throughout their machines. And printers, as Claudio Napoleonic, point out, "work 24/7, 365 days a year non-stop, so they can’t afford to be constantly stopping and replacing parts."

In January 2000, as Nita began plans to introduce a new product line, customers began reporting that flange bearings were seizing after only six to nine months of use. "Customers kept telling us that the bearings were eating the shafts." This meant replacing anywhere from 12 flange bearings on Nita's Scorpio Inline punch to more than 36 on its Shifter conveyor model. In addition, Nita's flange-bearing supplier could not fill orders for replacement parts on time. "Delivery was a complete disaster," adds Claudio. "We would have to keep six months of stock in inventory fearing we would not be able to fill orders on time."

Not only was Nita's reputation at stake, so was the company's next generation of products. "As every conveyor became faster and precision greater, it was time to look for another supplier that could not only meet our expectations, but grow along with us by stocking inventory on a three-month rolling forecast, ensuring that we never had a stock rupture."

Spyraflo's Solution

Initially, Nita felt a flange bearing with special precision mounting blocks was the answer and began identifying potential suppliers. But Spyraflo, one of the first companies contacted, recommended a simpler, less-costly solution – its self-aligning Ready Mount, incorporating INA needle roller bearings and mounted in a steel flange. "Amazingly, they knew exactly what type of application we needed the flange bearings for," notes Claudio. "We were impressed from the get-go."

		Benefits of Self Alignment The self-aligning feature of the flange-mounted Spyraflo Ready Mount™ Needle Roller Bearing allows a ± 5° self-alignment, with a pivoting capability in any direction. This provides customers like Nita with a number of important benefits, including:
			Fast installation
			Elimination of precision bearing mounting blocks
			Easier OEM machine assembly
			Enhanced OEM machine performance and life
			Smooth shaft operation requiring minimal start-up torque
			Use of smaller motor drives

Spyraflo's needle roller bearing was ideal for the type of shaft and application at Nita. "The flange bearing's self-aligning feature adapts to variances in the shaft orientation," explains Napoleonic, "avoiding the need for a more expensive solution or special mounting blocks."

Once we started working with Spyraflo, we were so pleased, we didn't look to anyone else." And it's as much about service as the product. "They always reply promptly with whatever information we need. If they don't have an immediate answer, they always get back to us very quickly. They've even visited us at one of our major trade shows to ensure we're satisfied with the product and the service," he says.

Bottom-line Results

Spyraflo's self-aligning Needle Roller Bearing in a steel flange is impacting Nita's bottom line in several key ways, says Claudio.

"The Spyraflo self-aligning flange bearing design is about 30 percent faster to install than those requiring precision mounting blocks and it's very cost-competitive. Also, in the years since we incorporated the Needle Roller Bearing and launched our new product line, we haven't had a single service call. As for inventory, Spyraflo is willing to keep parts in stock for us. We're always a month ahead."

Not surprisingly, "We feel like we're a partner, not just a customer," concludes Claudio. "And we couldn't ask for a more reliable product."

For further information contact:

Spyraflo, Inc.
404 Dividend Drive
Peachtree City, GA 30269
t. 770-631-9990
e. sales@spyraflo.com

Nita, Inc.
1051 du Viger Street
Lachenaie, Quebec J6W 6B6
t. 877-961-4008
w. www.nita.com