{"id":4768,"date":"2020-10-20T14:57:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-20T13:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldfishing.nfdtesting.uk\/icefish-conference\/2020\/10\/20\/webinar-provides-mexican-market-gateway\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T23:50:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T22:50:00","slug":"webinar-provides-mexican-market-gateway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/news\/power-propulsion\/webinar-provides-mexican-market-gateway\/","title":{"rendered":"Webinar provides Mexican market gateway"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thordon\u2019s SXL rudder bearings were installed on the Grupomar-operated fishing vessel Mar\u00eda Luisa<\/em> at the Mexican Navy Dry Dock in Manzanillo, marking the Canadian bearing manufacturer\u2019s entry into Mexico\u2019s tuna fishing fleet.<\/p>\n

After attending a series of online technical sessions on how water-lubricated stern tube bearings can reduce operational costs, Grupomar became interested in the Thordon technology but enquired if similar solutions were available for other parts of ship.<\/p>\n

Grupomar, which currently operates a fleet of eight tuna fishing vessels was looking to replace its bronze rudder bearings with a more effective option.<\/p>\n

Arturo Selvas, managing director of TZ Industrias, Thordon Bearings\u2019 authorised distributor in the region, said that while the operational cost benefits of a grease-free system was an important consideration, \u201cit was the low weight of the SXL rudder bearing that clinched the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCompared to the approximately 240kg weight of a typical bronze rudder bearing of the size required, Thordon\u2019s polymer SXL rudder bearings are about 83% lighter, and much easier to install in machinery spaces where space is limited. Replacing the pintle bearing with a 40kg SXL bearing solved the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bearing replacement work was carried out at the Manzanillo drydock, with service personnel from TZ Industrias providing the owner and yard with technical drawings and information about SXL\u2019s special features, machining and installation requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe installation was much easier than expected,\u201d said Grupomar fleet manager Juan Nava.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on our first operational experience of the Thordon material, we believe rudder operation will now be significantly smoother than it was with a traditional bearing. We don\u2019t anticipate any technical issues and expect an extended rudder life due to the SXL bearing material\u2019s shock resistant properties. We can also contribute to a cleaner marine environment as these bearings eliminate the risk of pollution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commenting on the success of the webinars Egnard Bernal, Thordon\u2019s Business Development Manager, Marine – LATAM, said that a key aspect was to showcase the developments in grease-free polymer technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are pleased it resonated with so many fishing vessel and workboat operators,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreased brass bushings have been used for rudders and rotating machinery for many years, but the technology is out of sync with today\u2019s requirement for a low-cost, lightweight, environmentally safe, crew-friendly bearing system. We are delighted that these webinars have been a success, resulting in a contract win with Grupomar, a new customer for Thordon Bearings. With Covid travel restrictions it can be difficult for companies to get their messages across, but this has shown the extensive reach that this type of online technical conference can have.\u201d<\/p>\n

TZ Industrias and Grupomar are now discussing deck equipment upgrades with Thordon\u2019s grease-free ThorPlas-Blue bearings for when the fishing fleet enters drydock after the season ends in October. Grupomar is also considering converting its oil-lubricated stern tube bearings to Thordon\u2019s water-lubricated propeller shaft bearings at future drydockings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A series of well-attended webinar conferences broadcast during the first Covid lockdown has resulted in Thordon Bearings securing a contract from a Mexican fishing vessel operator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4769,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"sponsor":[],"class_list":["post-4768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-power-propulsion"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4768"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4770,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4768\/revisions\/4770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4768"},{"taxonomy":"sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sponsor?post=4768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}