The company was founded 40 years ago by David Garnett and was originanlly based at Thorpe Arch, Wetherby, in North Yorkshire. David Garnett is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the moulded polymer bearing, or ‘bearing no-lube’ – ‘BNL’.
BNL’s initial product range of lubricant-free, thermoplastic, rolling element bearings were key components for products such as conveyors, food processing equipment and furniture, to name a few. The injection moulding process allowed BNL to swiftly move from producing standard radial bearings, to integrating moulded bearing tracks into pulleys, skate wheels and end caps and subsequently moving into more complex moulded bearing designs and assemblies for applications such as photocopiers, security cameras and pool cleaners that can be seen in BNL’s current product range.
BNL has gained various awards over its 40 years, including the Queens Award for Export Achievements and recognition from customers for quality, environmental standards, green procurement and chemical management. BNL has also been a Ricoh Europe ‘Class A’ supplier six times, a status achieved only by providing 100% on-time deliveries with zero defects.
In 1980 BNL moved from Wetherby to Manse Lane in Knaresborough, where the company’s headquarters and UK manufacturing site are still located. From this UK base, BNL has expanded worldwide, with sales and engineering offices in Japan and the USA and a second manufacturing site in Thailand.
David Garnett sold BNL to Henry Barratt plc in 1988, although he returned to the company a few years later as Managing Director and subsequently repurchased BNL in 1991. In 1995 BNL became part of the Swiss Sarna Group until current parent company, Plastics Capital, acquired BNL in 2005.
Neil Partlett, CEO of BNL, reflected on the company’s development:
“During a long and illustrious history, BNL has been a pioneer in its field and enjoys a worldwide reputation as a provider of innovative plastic bearing solutions. The company has gone through many phases in its time and currently it is expanding geographically so that it can provide a better service to its global customer base. I would like to thank all our customers, suppliers and employees for their support over the years and invite them to continue to partner and prosper with us for the next 40 years!”
BNL (UK) Ltd
BNL (UK) Ltd specialises in the design and manufacture of innovative thermoplastic bearing assemblies and technical moulding solutions. Plastic bearings offer many advantages over the traditional steel bearing, including anti-static properties, low friction and corrosion and chemical resistance. They are lightweight with low inertia and have no requirement for lubrication. BNL’s dedicated in-house design team is able to promote added value through the integration of other features - such as axles, gears, fixing clips, mounting flanges and pulleys - to form fully integrated bearing assemblies that maximise functionality and deliver whole system cost reductions. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, BNL maintains subsidiaries in Foxboro, Massachusetts (BNL [USA] Inc.), Tokyo, Japan (BNL [Japan] Inc.) and Rayong, Thailand (BNL [Thailand] Ltd).
For further information contact:
Donna Loughnane
Marketing
BNL (UK) Ltd, Manse Lane, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire HG5 8LF, UK
T: +44 (0)1423 799208 F: +44 (0)1423 799108 E: donna.l@bnl-bearings.com
www.bnl-bearings.com
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