Mickey Thompson and Curtis Harrison, founders of EBT Bearings, bring experience and expertise to the Bearing Industry. What happens when a bearing engineer supplies an expert in the Well Service Industry with the critical bearings he needs? The answer is a long-term friendship, business partnership and a company dedicated to serving their respective industries. In this candid Bearing News interview, understand how EBT’s success and growth has been developed through creative problem solving.
Today, EBT offers a wide variety of products and services. Importantly, EBT has the technological know-how to quickly and reliably engineer new pumps and new bearings.
How and when did the journey start for EBT Bearings?
EBT, Inc was founded in 2010, but our journey began long before EBT’s doors opened.
Can you tell us more about your background and current activities?
EBT was founded by Mickey Thompson and Curtis Harrison after a short stint of retirement. Mickey and Curtis started as young engineers in the early 1960s. Mickey worked for Rollway Bearings but founded Associated Dynamics (ADI, Inc.) soon after. Curtis began his career with an Oil and Gas Well Service Company called The Western Company. After solving some significant problems in early Frac Pumps, he became the head engineer. Curtis then started GeoQuip, Inc. to continue developing and advancing Frac Pump design and manufacturing. Curtis and Mickey became longtime friends after Mickey sold Curtis the bearings he needed for his new pumps. GeoQuip, Inc and ADI, Inc eventually sold, and they both decided to retire.
What is EBT’s field of expertise? And, what makes them different from the competitors on the market?
Curtis is considered THE expert in the Well Service Industry. He has designed and engineered most (if not all) of the Frac Pumps used today, and Mickey engineered the bearings for them. As a result, EBT was founded to service that industry.
EBT offers standard bearings for existing pump designs but has the expertise to engineer new pumps and new bearings. EBT currently holds the patent on the industry’s highest-rated Cylindrical Roller Frac Pump Bearing. This bearing has been installed into hundreds pumps without a single failure in the field. EBT has the expertise to quickly engineer a new bearing and bring it to market. Their staff has over 50 years of combined experience for bearings outside the Oil and Gas market.
Which other products and services do you offer?
EBT offers the following range of bearings:
- Spherical Roller Bearings / Shaker Duty Spherical Roller Bearings
- Cylindrical Roller Bearings ex: N, NU, NUP, NJ200-300-2200-2300, NU5200-series •
- Needle Bearings ex MR88
- Three peace ball thrust ex: 51107
- Radial Ball Bearing 6200-6300
- Metric Tapers ex 30306
- Inch Dimension Taper roller bearings ex 48290DW/48220
- Import Mounted Units ex UCP=Pillow Block, UFC= four bolt flanges, UCFL= Two Bolt Flange
- Cylindrical Thrust Bearing ex T-735
- A-Series ex A22177M
- Reconditioned Railroad Bearings for Pumping Units ex 6x11R, 6.5x12R EBT offers the following services:
- New Frac Pump Engineering
- Existing Frac Pump Engineering and Review
- New Bearing Engineering for Frac Pump Applications
- New Bearing Engineering for Industrial Applications
- Quick turnaround on shipments
- Location Services for hard-to-find bearings.
How do you see the future of the bearing market developing? Which are the main challenges and opportunities for our industry?
EBT feels the bearing market will continue to grow while facing complicated challenges. Global conflicts and political upheaval will continue to constrain material sourcing and production output. Disruptions in distribution channels will continue across the globe in receiving products as well as getting them to their final destinations. Those who find creative solutions to problems will be successful and see growth. EBT, Inc is one of those companies.
More information about EBT Bearings can be found at the link.
