28 Apr Keeping Australia moving for 100 years
At BSC, we take pride in being Australia’s longest established distributor of bearings and power transmission. Today, our unparalleled coverage across Australia ensures that we remain the leading supplier in this field. Our customers have access to over six-hundred-thousand critical parts, and we are committed to providing the very best service, twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year.
BSC’s story is an Australian story. It is a 100-year-old story of Australia’s industrial power, as well as one of endurance, determination, and innovation.
The Early Years: 1921-1960
Born in 1921, BSC started as a small family company. However, BSC soon established its reputation as a company committed to a high standard of engineering services and excellent customer service. Throughout the economic boom years following World War I, BSC rose to the challenge, opening branches across Australia to supply bearings wherever they were needed.
BSC’s growth continued into the post-World War II industrial era. Towards the end of the 1950s, BSC’s independent Managing Director, John Borthwick, decided to revert BSC from a publicly listed company to a private one. BSC was soon purchased by National Consolidated. This sale, which took place on August 13, 1959, was the largest acquisition in Australian corporate history.
Who We Are: Bruce Davies, former BSC employee (1968-2015)
During his time at BSC, Bruce Davies was involved in numerous achievements including the modernisation of ‘old’ factories from the 1960s, the introduction of unique product lines such as Loctite, Silastic, Cooper, ‘Blue Brute’ (later renamed ‘Timken Solid Block’) and the establishment of 24/7 service throughout Australia.
For Bruce, one of the best aspects of being a member of the BSC team was the company’s incredible focus on staff training. Bruce recalls the five-day intensive schools he helped set up and run. These consisted of eight hours of technical lectures each day and carried a ninety percent pass rate. The fact that BSC chose to position themselves as industry trainers helped Bruce to further his own career. Bruce finished high school at the end of grade ten, but this never stopped BSC supporting and financing his Graduate Diploma of Business Administration.
As part of his training, Bruce travelled around the globe, learning new factory practices and attending international trade shows in Japan, Spain, Italy, China, USA, UK, and Germany. These travels allowed Bruce to focus BSC on the introduction of the latest technology to Australian industry.
Bruce recalls a humourous memory of his time spent at BSC… “When Queensland’s Premier, Joh Bjelke-Peterson was going for Prime Minister, some of the Queenslanders grabbed his car stickers and other paraphernalia,” says Bruce. “At a Sydney-held national conference, we thought it would be funny to paste ‘Joh for PM’ campaign stickers on NSW team members’ company vehicles. Apparently, this caused quite a bit of abuse towards our senior managers as they drove home, with other Sydney motorists expressing dismay that there would be Joh supporters in NSW … I believe a couple of the wives, who saw the stickers, were also reasonably displeased.”
Expanding Horizons: 1960-2000
Following the acquisition by National Consolidated, BSC formed a strategic partnership with one of Japan’s largest bearing manufacturers, Nippon Seikō Kabushiki-gaisha (NSK), in the late 1960s. This marked a turn in BSC’s history. Australia offered Japanese manufacturers an opportunity to be involved in our mining sector, which was just starting to boom in Western Australia. By looking abroad to form partnerships, BSC was able to continue serving the needs of Australians. So much so that by the 1970s, BSC possessed around 70 percent of the bearing and power transmission distribution market in Australia.
In 1983, the Martin-Weber family purchased BSC. With this purchase, Martin-Weber Holdings possessed Australia’s two largest bearing and power transmission distributors – BSC and CBC. BSC had a predominantly regional branch and reseller/distributor network, while CBC was heavily weighted towards metropolitan regions. Together, the combined strengths of BSC and CBC were a force to be reckoned with.
Who We Are: Naz Paine, current Motion Asia Pacific and long-time BSC employee
Naz Paine has worked at BSC for twenty-seven years and is currently General Manager of Marketing, Category and Customer Support. During his time at BSC, Naz helped with the in-house development of BSC’s own Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program which was eventually adopted by the wider business. Naz attributes the ongoing and enduring success of BSC to its ability to be nimble, innovative and focused on the needs of its customer base.
Naz shares some memorable moments… “I have had the honour of working with new acquisition businesses to start them on the BSC journey,” says Naz. “From working across BSC’s many locations, I had the privilege of meeting many different people who had great insight into their customers’ needs and how we can service them as part of the large national business they have joined.
I was also fortunate enough to work with Bruce Davies, who was inspirational and always encouraged me to challenge the status quo and push for the change we know is needed to create a better business.”
Stronger Together: 2000-2021
As the new millennium arrived, BSC and CBC were powering into the twenty-first century. The mining boom and a growing Australian economy were fueling greater demand for a supply of industrial and engineering components.
By 2003, Martin-Weber Holdings began a corporatisation journey and rebranded as Inenco Group. From here, a new phase in BSC’s growth began. A rapid series of acquisitions meant that by 2008, Inenco was made up of over 30 individual businesses, all with their own products and specific operating styles.
In the following years, BSC has only continued to expand. As part of Motion Asia Pacific, BSC and the wider Motion group, now spans over 160 locations, with 1400 of our employees spread across the Asia-Pacific. We also partner with leading brands from across the globe to bring our customers the very best products.
Who We Are: Malcolm Wood, State Manager NSW
Malcolm Wood attributes the growth and resilience of BSC to its solid footprint across capital cities and regional centers, its strong and ever-evolving supply of products and services, its loyal customer base and, of course, the people within the BSC family.
For Malcolm, a great example of BSC’s innovation is the development of its Sustainable Solutions Program. “This program laid a solid platform for identifying energy cost savings and delivering added value for customers,” says Malcolm. “This led the way in the industry, developing a full sustainability program that still bears relevance today.”
“Looking forward, I would like BSC to be remembered in the next 100 years as a responsible and caring organisation that provides strong customer satisfaction by maintaining a results driven and motivated team of engaged staff members.”
Moving Forward
BSC owes these past 100 years to the continued support of our customers, stakeholders, business partners and employees. We could not have done it without you. As we look towards our next 100 years, BSC remains committed to innovation whilst also staying true to our roots. We are proud of our Australian heritage and we will always prioritise our customers, ensuring they receive the absolute best in bearings and power transmission.
As we move forward together, know that BSC will never waver from its core purpose: to be a leader in motion.