Thordon Bearings expands Baltic presence with new agent

Thordon ThorPlas-Blue bearings for the Lithuanian market

As part of its strategy to penetrate new and emergent markets, Thordon Bearings has appointed Axioma servisas as its sales, service and distribution lead for Lithuania, one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union (EU) over the past five years. The country continues to actively develop its maritime, manufacturing and renewable energy sectors, as part of government policy to strengthen the country’s industrial competitiveness.

Vilnius-headquartered Axioma servisas, which has been servicing, maintaining, installing and commissioning technology solutions for companies in the Baltic’s industrial sectors for more than two decades, is tasked with expanding Thordon’s presence across the country.

Malcolm Barratt, Thordon Bearings’ regional manager - Southern Europe and Gulf Med, said: “We have had a market presence in Estonia and Latvia for some years, but this is the first time we have an approved distributor for Lithuania, a country on the cusp of economic and technological evolution. Axioma servisas ticks all the boxes for us. The company has established a sound reputation for engineering excellence in most of the markets we serve.”

Enormous potential
Axioma servisas officially joined Thordon’s authorised distributor network at the start of this month. It is responsible for the sale, supply and servicing of Thordon’s complete product portfolio of water-lubricated and grease-free bearings and seals. With GDP projected to grow by 2.9% in 2025, there is enormous potential for Thordon’s products in all of Lithuania’s industrial sectors, which are now very much in expansive mode, explained Gintautas Gaizauskas, director of Axioma servisas’ commercial department.

He said: “The Klaipėda seaport is being developed following a 65-million-euro investment; new renewable energy sources and infrastructure projects have received funding to ensure the country is climate-neutral by 2050; and government incentives have bolstered manufacturing capabilities, making Lithuania a very attractive prospect for international manufacturers.”

Mr Gaizauskas added that the country’s maritime sector is an area with potential for both Thordon and Axioma servisas. He continued: “Lithuania will become a major international logistics hub capable of handling much larger vessels and a more diverse range of cargoes and commodities. More vessels are now being built and repaired in the country and there is a significant commitment to ‘Green Shipping’ in support of energy transition. Thordon’s product line fits very well with all of the developments taking place to bolster Lithuania’s environmental sustainability.”

For more than 20 years, Axioma servisas — the largest engineering services company in the Baltic region — has been installing, maintaining and repairing various mechanical, electrical and automation equipment, helping to prevent major breakdowns and downtime.

Mr Barratt explained that the proximity of Lithuania to Thordon’s manufacturing site in Slupsk, Poland, adds another dimension for both companies. He concluded: “Since 2012, when we invested in the Slupsk facility, we have expanded the plant to facilitate production of Thordon products, reducing the time and costs involved in getting our products to European markets. This is a particular boon for shipowners, managers and builders with existing and planned operations in Lithuania and the Baltic states.”