Frequently Asked Questions

Power transmission (PT) refers to the transmission of motion and power from a driver to a driven shaft. Typically, power transmission is also known as mechanical power transmission, differentiating it from hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical or other methods of transmitting power and/or motion.

Mechanical Power Transmission is accomplished in one of three ways:

• Belt drives - Power transmitted through the use of belts under tension between two or more sheaves or pulleys
• Chain drives - Power transmitted through a chain between two or more sprockets
• Gear drives - Power transmitted through two or more mating gears. Can be either open (exposed) or enclosed (gears inside a gear box or reducer)

Power transmission really doesn't have anything to do with automotive transmissions. Bearing Service sells industrial PT components for use in industrial equipment such as grinders, lathes, mills, screw machines, presses, and conveyors. Automotive power transmission components are best sourced through an automotive parts dealer, although we can supply some automotive bearings that are the same sizes as those used in industrial equipment.

Not really. We do not install bearings or service them. We can have them repaired if they are not damaged too much and are big enough to cost justify the machining time.

No. Our official company name is Bearing Service, Inc., but we have trademarked the name Bearing Service. There are other companies with very similar names that have the words Services or Company instead of Incorporated. We are not affiliated with any of them.

Of course. You do not need to have an account to buy from Bearing Service. We offer counter service to any individual who comes into one of our four branches. We accept cash, personal or company checks and credit cards. We can also take orders via phone, fax, email, mail, or other means.

An industrial distributor buys product from manufacturers, warehouses it, and sells it to companies or individuals who need it. In that way, we are like a retail distributor of products, like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, or Old Navy. Except for the products we sell are industrial products, like bearings, sprockets, belts, and other components.

Our customers buy them for four reasons:

• To fix their own equipment
• To fix another company's equipment
• To build new equipment
• To resell to some other company or individual

Our customers are primarily businesses in a wide variety of industries including food & beverage, printing, manufacturing (automotive and other types), machine tool, construction, municipalities, military, and many others.

Career opportunities are available in a wide variety of positions. Like most companies, we have people in all functional areas such as Accounting, Human Resources, Marketing, Operations, Purchasing, Sales, and Warehousing. See the Employment button on our home page for currently available job opportunities at Bearing Service.

For more information about career opportunities in Industrial Distribution, visit www.industrialcareerspathway.org.