Quality from Poland

Poland is establishing itself as source of high-quality bearings. One of the local industry leaders is FŁT-Kraśnik S.A.
The company is ISO/TS 16949 certified, while an integrated system of quality management, environment and industrial safety is being implemented. The company says its challenge for the future is to expand towards new applications and closer co-operation with customers. This would be the way to reach success and strengthen FŁT-Kraśnik’s position on global market.
Currently, the automotive industry is the main customer for bearings manufactured by FŁT-Kraśnik S.A. (ca. 60% of production). Thanks to long-term co-operation with prominent automotive industry – such manufacturers as: Peugot-Citroen, Renault, Fiat, Daewoo, GKN, the company is an established supplier. Bearings produced by FŁT-Kraśnik are applied in electric motors, speed-reducers, reducers and agricultural machines.
FŁT-Kraśnik has responded to tough market conditions and the highly competitive bearing industry by utilising its production capacity more effectively to increase productivity and quality through constant improvement of technology. A programme of significant capital investments was started in the mid ‘90s, together with employee training and transferring responsibility to engineering staff. During 2004, the company invested 12,5% of annual turnover or Euro 9.600 thousand.
The investment has seen the modernisation of the plant’s forged ring press and two furnaces for ring heat treatment. Ring turning operation is concentrated in one workshop and is performed on modern numerical controlled semi automatic lathes which guarantee high precision and dimensional repeatability. Grinding operations and bearing assembly in FŁT-Kraśnik are located on specially prepared and limited area in one of the factory’s workshops depending on product line specialization. Machine stock is successively modernized by FŁT-Kraśnik’s own Repair and Modernization Plant as well as new machines are purchased and installed.
Moreover machines are set together in automated grinding-assembly lines where most control operations are also automatic. Grinding operations are performed on grinding machines with numerically controlled servo-drives and with systems which guarantee constant cutting speed. Bearings’ assembly is generally performed on automated lines with 100% noise level measurement and completeness and correctness of bearing assembly.
The modernization of machine stock influenced the improvement of rings’ grinding quality and raceway’s microgeometry parameters, as well as increased grinding’s productivity. Implemented systems decreased labour and energy consumption and failure frequency of machine stock. New investments will follow in FŁT-Kraśnik, they include i.e. purchasing of new furnace for rings’ heat treatment after turning and new annealing furnace. Intensive modernization of workshop and machines for roller production started in 2004. The modernization of grinders should be finished in 2005 and they would be set in automated lines.