The Linear Motion Advantage
Since its conception over 18 years ago, Acorn Industrial Services' linear division has shown substantial and significant growth. We caught up with Simon Gillingham, ACORN's Business Unit Manager for Linear and Actuator Technologies, and asked him what made the linear division successful with distribution companies.
In an increasingly tight & competitive bearings market, Linear Motion products can add significantly to turnover and profit. These products can be seen by the distribution market as more technical and demanding than rotary and PT products. Acorn is helping distribution customers to tap into the linear market. Having access to a dedicated Linear Division is like having your own linear-stocked warehouse and experienced technical support team. Accurate advice is available quickly on all aspects of linear products. When customers contact Acorn's Linear Division, they know that they will speak to people familiar with linear products and will properly understand their enquiry; it opens up additional revenue opportunities for distribution companies.
ACORN is now the leading distributor for Linear Motion products in the UK, how did this come about, and what does that mean for customers?
Stock availability and speed of service are key to this success - ACORN has the most comprehensive stock of linear motion products in the UK, with an inventory that includes linear rails and carriages from the world's leading linear brand, THK, along with Bosch Rexroth. We have also recently added a wide range of INA linear products to our stock offer, including INA rails, which means that, for the first time, both UK and overseas customers can order INA rails and carriages from UK stock and add these products to their existing shipments.
Check out our range of INA linear motion components here
What other linear services are available to distribution customers?
Acorn has its own in-house manufacturer-level rail cutting machine technology, enabling high-quality cut rails to be quickly produced to customers' requirements. These cut rails and rail/carriage assemblies are part of Acorn's Linear24 service, whereby rails can be cut to the customer's requirement from stock and ready for dispatch within 24 hours of order. ACORN's cutting technology also means that butt jointed, long rails are available from stock. Additionally, Acorn can specify, supply, and support a wide range of linear motion technologies, including actuators, linear modules, lifting pillars, ball screws, and ball splines, along with many other related products.
Do you have any market news you can share with us?
As many will know, Schaeffler acquired Ewellix in January 2023 to build and strengthen its position in the Linear Motion marketplace. Ewellix now joins the high quality, well established and proven INA brand. ACORN® is the leading distributor for Ewellix products in the UK and is a key brand for us.
Ewellix linear products are in the process of being integrated into the Schaeffler INA brand. Some products have already made the shift, with the remainder coming at pace. As the leading Ewellix UK distributor, we’re now well positioned to advise on and supply any Ewellix or INA linear components.
Ewellix actuators, lifting pillars, roller screws and ball screws continue under the Ewellix brand at present and these products will continue to be supplied and supported by ACORN.