A Talk with Kevin Fang from TPI Bearings

An ornate carving atop a temple in Taipei City, Taiwan

At Alpine, we’re always happy to talk about, or with, the people who supply us with high quality bearings. We understand. They’re as proud of their brand as we are of all the brands we stock.

We reached out to Kevin Fang, sales manager at TPI (Tung Pei Industrial) Bearings. He lives and works in Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan. Despite the difference in time — they’re twelve hours ahead of us in Boston — Kevin was enthusiastic about talking to us.

He started with TPI in 2010 and, prior to COVID, traveled to the United States about every two months. It didn’t take him long to warm to Jim Levin and the sales engineers at Alpine. “The sales team is very professional, and they know how to sell TPI bearings,” says Kevin. “It’s a good working atmosphere. They make jokes, but they also make sales.”

TPI’s history

TPI Bearings began manufacturing bearings under their own name in 1983 and they have been selling high-quality bearings to the international machine tool, robotics, additive manufacturing, appliance, and electric motor industries ever since. They have four factories now and a strict quality control policy, ensuring that only the best components bear the TPI brand. They’re also proud of their customer service. Their efficient system enables them to trace each bearing to the batch of raw materials it’s made from. Customers can rely on that kind of accountability.

Alpine and TPI

Alpine has carried TPI bearings since 1998, stocking their deep grove and machine tool spindle bearings. Jim Levin is a big fan of TPI’s products. “TPI makes high-quality bearings and sells them at a reasonable price,” he says. “It’s a winning combination.”

Kevin understands there’s more to the bearings industry than quality products. He says, “Part of our job is to educate the consumer. Purchasing the right bearing is a start, but installing it properly is essential. Our job doesn’t end when a customer buys our product. It’s important to provide service as well.

“TPI can also help customers with special designs,” says Kevin. “If they tell us the application and conditions, our R&D department can fabricate it.”

Kevin enjoys working for TPI and looks forward to the loosening of travel restrictions so he can start packing for his next trip to Boston. We can’t wait to see him!

Photo credit:
“Phoenix bird on a temple roof” by AlexanderY is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.