Race Transmissions renews ABB agreement to supply Dodge products

West Midlands-based Race Transmissions has extended its agreement with ABB to remain as an ABB Value Provider for a further two years.

Race Transmissions has renewed its contract to remain as the sole accredited UK ABB Value Provider for ABB’s Dodge mechanical transmission products. First awarded Value Provider status in 2016, the company, with the new agreement, has been recognised for its distinguished track record in providing outstanding service and support for customers.

Confirmation of the agreement comes following a difficult year in which parts of the market have struggled against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. The extension to the agreement reflects the strength of the partnership between the two companies, and their ongoing resilience in adapting and thriving within a challenging market.

The ABB Value Provider program is a network of approved third parties that are afforded special accreditation to offer sales, service and engineering support for ABB products. Value Providers can access extensive stock offering and call upon dedicated support from ABB engineers.

For customers, the Value Provider network provides a guaranteed badge of quality and integrity. It offers peace of mind that accredited companies such as Race Transmissions can be trusted to deliver authentic ABB products along with extensive engineering and application knowledge. The close collaboration between the two companies has allowed Race Transmissions, which serves the UK and Europe as well as further afield, to amass the largest stockholding of Dodge bearings and transmission products outside of the USA and valued at £1,200,000.

Qualifying to be an ABB Value Provider is no easy task, as ABB’s Tristin Hurst explains: “The vetting process is rigorous, as is the product and application knowledge required to meet ABB’s high integrity standards. Customers can rest assured that wherever they see the ABB Value Provider logo, they are buying into safety, security, and guaranteed genuine spare parts.”

Counterfeit spare parts are a growing problem in the UK, while the so-called “grey market” sees old products that may be months or years out of date being rebadged and illegally pushed back onto the market by unauthorised distributors. According to Hurst, this can put customers at risk: “While the products may be genuine, purchasers do not necessarily know how the bearings have been stored, in what conditions and for how long. This will affect the warranty and can lead to the manufacturer being unwilling to support the product. The Value Provider program guarantees that accredited distributors deal only in genuine Dodge products with valid warranty periods.”

Race Transmissions supplies and supports the full range of Dodge bearings – including mounted E Type taper roller bearings, Grip Tight, E-Z Kleen and the S2000 series spherical bearings. According to Race Transmissions’ Chris Fell, the company is well poised to continue delivering for its customers: “We have a ready-stocked UK warehouse, and our fleet of vehicles is supported by overnight carriers to ensure speedy, efficient delivery worldwide. We offer just-in-time delivery, so no one need wait for anything. We’re very pleased to have been given the opportunity to deepen our relationship with ABB and are optimistic about developing our partnership in the future.”

“We pride ourselves on our user-friendly approach”, adds Race Transmissions’ Tony Harris. “Our team’s vast knowledge of the many applications using Dodge products ensures that we can offer an incredibly rapid turnaround for product purchases and technical support.

Although it has been operating in the UK bearings market for 36 years, Race Transmissions was formed in 2016, following a restructuring, which saw it divest its lubrication business. Since then, Race has grown the business in excess of 200 percent, which led to ABB offering the company the opportunity to renew its Value Provider status and refresh the commitment from both companies to each other from 2021, and, into the future. Race Transmissions is based at Brierley Hill in the West Midlands, and can be contacted at www.racetransmissions.co.uk, or at [email protected], or on 01384 262 615.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries.