Thordon Bearings Builds Momentum With Expansion, Innovation

Thordon Bearings’ growing presence along the inland waterways has been more than a decade in the making, but the company’s rapid acceleration in recent years has been no accident. For Jason Perry, Thordon’s regional director for North America, the company’s success stems from responsiveness, engineered solutions and an unwavering commitment to reducing downtime for vessel operators.

Perry entered the industry in 2013, working with a Thordon distributor before transitioning in 2017 to work directly for Thordon Bearings.

“That’s when we really started building the direct sales network for the inland waterways,” he said. “It took time to develop a plan to satisfy our customers’ needs. We now have a full sales and technical team, including two fully stocked warehouses—one in Paducah, one in New Orleans—with stock-driven customer consultation based on their needs, so we can service customers ASAP. Downtime is the enemy in this business.”

That level of responsiveness, Perry added, is non-negotiable.

“Our guys will take a bearing sizing call at two or three in the morning. They’ll get out of bed and get it done. Boats run 24 hours a day, and we must be able to respond to our customers on a 24-hour basis.”

Growth And Leadership

Perry’s responsibilities grew alongside Thordon’s inland footprint. After taking on marine business development duties in the eastern United States, he was later promoted to regional manager for North America, overseeing distributors and direct business in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This year, he advanced to regional director.

“We grew so quickly that I was maintaining three full-time positions,” Perry said, laughing. “Marine BDM, inland waterways manager and regional director. Thankfully, we’ve brought in more people to keep the momentum going, because we’ve doubled our inland waterways business in four years.”

Thordon’s inland strategy is anchored in engineered, environmentally focused solutions for a market dominated by commodity products.

“We sell an engineered product in a commodity market,” Perry said. “It takes expertise. We tackle the challenging problems that others cannot.”

A major driver is Thordon’s mission to eliminate oil and grease from bearing and sealing systems.

“Rudder bearings, tail shaft bearings, steering linkages, thrust washers—we take the grease and oil out,” he said. “Part of our mission is to leave the world in a better place than we found it.”

The company’s experience in both North and South America allows knowledge to flow between regions.

“A lot of vessels go from here down there, so there’s overlap,” he said. “We work very closely with our South American regional manager and marine business development manager, sharing what we’ve learned building the market here.”

Thordon manufactures all its products through complete vertical integration, improving quality and helping the company respond quickly to regulatory environments across borders.

Environmental regulations—including the EPA’s Vessel General Permit—drive much of the U.S. and Canadian marine market.

“The VGP sets the tone,” Perry said. “It absolutely influences the push toward environmentally acceptable products.”

Thordon bearings routinely outlast competing technologies, typically by a factor of two-to-one, Perry said.

“In steering linkages, it can be five-, six- or even seven-to-one,” he said. “And we’re eliminating grease at the same time.”

The TG100 tail shaft seal, popular among inland operators, features no scheduled maintenance cycle.

“Our philosophy is predictive maintenance by eliminating the maintenance,” he said. The seal also offers an emergency “safe turn to port” capability that allows vessels to get back to the dock without locking the shaft.

Most of Thordon’s product development begins with customer requests. A recent example is the company’s rudder seal.

“A customer said, ‘Can’t you find something I can use over and over?’” Perry said. “So, engineering developed a lip seal that replaces a pucker seal. One vessel has had the same seal for over 11 years.”

Other initiatives, such as Thordon’s ThorPlas-Blue polymer bushings, further reduce maintenance and eliminate the need for external lubrication.

Rapid growth has pushed Thordon to invest heavily in recruitment.

“It’s incredibly difficult to hire people who can speak the engineering language, solve problems, talk to customers and close deals,” Perry said. “You can find commercial professionals, and you can find engineers. Most people specialize in one or two of these areas, but few check all of the boxes for these positions.”

Daniel DiSalvo, formerly a technical sales representative, recently stepped into the role of U.S. inland waterways manager. With hands-on experience in both sales and engineering, he brings the expertise and attention customers need in this specialized market.

As for artificial intelligence, Perry sees limited application on the sales side.

“A computer can’t sell this stuff,” he said. “Every vessel throws curveballs. AI might help with inventory or processes, but not with what our people do in the field.”

Reflecting on Thordon’s trajectory, Perry summed it up simply: “This isn’t a job. It’s a lifestyle. Brown water is in people’s blood, and we’re proud to be part of it.”