How do Carter assist you in providing the best bearings to your OEMs and End Users?
Carter Manufacturing Ltd., with headquarters in Oxfordshire and more than 20 years of experience, is widely regarded as a top provider of precision bearings and tooling equipment, worldwide. We are 'the go-to company' for many clients throughout the UK, Europe, the Americas, and beyond since we are the sole distributors for various high-end specialty Bearing Manufacturers, such as Carter Inc., KMS Bearings, Silverthin Bearings, and UNASIS Bearings & Tools, etc.
The COO of Carter Manufacturing Ltd., Melvin Meader, has taken the time to elaborate on the special procedure that Carter use for each sales enquiry, all the way through to the delivery of the product to the end consumer.
Who are Carter Manufacturing Ltd. and how do they operate?
Carter have significantly increased its operations and facilities over the past five years, as a major global provider of precision bearings and tooling equipment to the aerospace, nuclear, medical, and defense industries. For instance, establishing distribution facilities in Valencia, Spain, and Minnesota, USA, and setting up an Engineering team devoted to assisting customers in choosing the most appropriate bearing or tool for their application. This committed approach to every enquiry we receive begins with the fundamental question: Does our "standard product" offer the best bearing solution for our customer? If the response is affirmative, we can continue by quoting a product component number given by the distributor or end-user and ensure its supply accordingly. If the application is more complicated, we can apply a more targeted approach, which includes assisting clients in choosing a bearing that is better suited to their application needs. This is the recipe for our success as we excel in closely working with our customers to precisely identify the sort of bearing or aerospace tool they require owing to a very experienced Technical Sales team supported by industry experts within our engineering resources.
How do you describe and approach a typical enquiry at Carter Manufacturing Ltd.?
The Business Development Manager at Carter Manufacturing Ltd., Francesca Kotulski clarifies that Carter typically receive a wide range of sales enquiries, some of which are predetermined purchases, like a Carter Cam Follower, where the consumer knows exactly what they are looking for. We always have both imperial and metric ranges in stock, so it’s a mere instance of quoting the right part and getting it dispatched on the same day.
Our knowledgeable Technical Sales personnel usually provide complete assistance to those who require additional support. However, with the recent huge influx of enquiries for our Silverthin Thin Section bearings necessary for space applications, we also utilize our in-house Engineering team to cater to rather complex queries.
The Senior Engineer at Carter Manufacturing Ltd., Ben Roberts, explains how we answer these trickier and rather demanding sales enquiries. So, what are the characteristics of a "typical" Silverthin Thin Section bearing enquiry for a space application, and how do you take one from the beginning to the recommendation of a suitable bearing solution?
Ben said, “These enquiries might extensively vary in terms of how well the specification is stated. Despite these challenges, Carter Manufacturing Ltd. excels in dealing with all types of customers; from those with a preliminary idea to the ones who have a fully developed and specific bearing requirement.
Overcoming the Obstacles in Providing Bearings for Space Applications
For our Silverthin Thin Section bearings, space applications, in particular, pose a variety of difficulties. Therefore, Carter Manufacturing Ltd. prefer to be involved in the early phase of the design process as it allows us to pass on our experience and expertise, frequently enabling our clients to cut down on the design time, expense, and possible risks. Since many of the demands we encounter are common across numerous applications, it enables us to give advice and recommendations based on our prior expertise and experience.
Once the Engineering team has checked and certified our bearings, Mark Thomas, the Head of Quality and Compliance at Carter Manufacturing Ltd., takes over with his team. He explained how we implement our ISO 9001:2015 & AS9120 accreditation and guarantee complete accountability for our products.
Mark said, “At predetermined intervals, the Quality and Compliance team reviews the customer's quality management system (QMS) to make sure the bearings being specified stay fit for the application. This comprises appropriateness, sufficiency, and effectiveness concerning each customer's organisational structure and strategic direction, including each of their specific sites. Furthermore, the Senior Management is kept up to date on all the important requirements, including all the mandatory reviews that are crucial to attaining ISO 9001 and AS9120 standards. The goal and structure of the management review have always been to examine the strategy and business plan to make sure they follow the company's philosophy of providing customers with a quality product that is both timely and complete.”