MN100: Thordon Bearings Inc.

A perennial fixture in our prestigious MN100 edition - MarineNews' annual look at the best 100 individuals and firms in the shallow draft, brown water and workboat sectors - Thordon Bearings has been on the leading edge of environmental improvements for the marine industry for many years.  

The Case:
Thordon has invested heavily in the inland waterway market,  keeping two warehouses well stocked with tailshaft bearings, seals and rudder bearings to ensure quick delivery. The TG100 shaft seal has an emergency seal allowing vessels to return safely to the nearest port if the primary seal is ever damaged.

The Company:
Thordon Bearings designs and manufactures a complete range of journal bearing and seal systems for marine, clean power generation, pump and other industrial markets. These products are built using Thordon proprietary non-metallic polymer materials that are lubricated with water eliminating oil or grease usage, meaning ZERO risk of pollution to rivers, lakes and oceans. Additionally, the firm manufactures water lubricated propeller shaft bearings, grease-free rudder and tiller arm bearings, deck equipment bearings, shaft coatings and shaft seals for the global marine market.

Thordon practices a sustainable approach that most companies cannot claim. These include striving to provide products that last the life of the vessel or application, with no spare parts needed, and make a positive and sustainable contribution to the environment. Offering in-house design, CAD and the proprietary Thordon Bearing Sizing Calculation Program to help correctly size bearings, Thordon Bearings has an extensive distribution network of more than 75 distributors in 100 countries to supply and service the global customer base.

RiverTough tailshaft bearings run in combination with hard coated NCB ThorSleeves routinely outlast rubber bearings by a factor of two or more in the most abrasive operating water conditions. Longer wear life has consistently been confirmed by owners of workboats, pushboats and tugs operating in the US inland waterways. Workboats operating with RiverTough tailshaft bearings are more reliable – they operate longer, require less maintenance with fewer drydockings. https://thordonbearings.com/

This article first appeared in the August 2019 MN100 print edition of MarineNews magazine.