Top bearing manufacturers
In my research, I found several major bearing manufacturers known for their high quality products, innovation and reliability. Here, I will share some of the best bearing manufacturers on the market.
1. SKF
Country: Sweden
Founded: 1907
Products: Bearings, seals, lubricants
Number of manufacturing companies: 105;
Number of employees: Approximately 38,748;
Number of companies: Approximately 150;
About the company:
SKF, originally known as “Svenska Kullager-Fabriken”, is commonly referred to as “SKF”.
SKF is a well-known supplier of products, solutions and services in the areas of bearings, seals, lubrication systems and services. The company's products aim to reduce friction and increase the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of operations, making objects work faster, longer, cleaner and safer. This aligns with SKF's vision of a world of reliable operations.
SKF has a global presence, operating in more than 130 countries, with 103 production sites, 15 technical centers and more than 17,000 agents and resellers worldwide.
SKF in China
SKF entered China in 1912 and has since grown into a company driven by knowledge, technology and data, with a mission to provide reliable operations. The company operates in approximately 40 industries in China, including the automotive, wind energy, railway, machine tool, healthcare, food and beverage, and papermaking sectors.
SKF leverages the successful experiences and knowledge gained by the company around the world to drive its rapid development in China. The company is headquartered in Shanghai, with 17 production sites, 14 regional sales offices, 1 technology center, 1 sub-center in Northeast Asia and more than 120 authorized channels.
Introduction to SKF products
SKF supplies more than 20,000 types of standard bearings. In addition to bearings, the SKF Group also manufactures linear bearings, sliding bearings, bearing housings, roller balls and screws, textile machine components, retaining rings, machine tools and various precision mechanical components.
With extensive experience in these areas, SKF has indispensable knowledge and experience for the development, manufacture and application of various advanced engineering products. This includes miniature bearings weighing just 0.003 grams, to gigantic bearings weighing up to thirty-four tons each.
In addition, SKF also offers a variety of bearing maintenance tools, lubricants and bearing monitoring instruments (such as bearing heaters, pullers, etc.), all designed to provide greater efficiency and worry-free operation to bearing users.
A flagship product from SKF is the Explorer series bearings. These bearings outperform any other brand on the market in terms of performance and service life and feature superior design and usability. They are the result of years of meticulous research carried out by a team of cutting-edge scientists and engineers at the SKF Engineering and Research Center in the Netherlands.
SKF Explorer bearings can be identified by the “EXPLORER” engraving on the side of the outer ring and the “EXPLORER” emblem on the packaging, although the product number remains the same.
2. FAG
Country: Germany
Founded: 1883
About the company:
FAG full name: Fischer Aktien-Gesellschaft.
The FAG bearing brand was born from a genius inspiration. In 1883, Friedrich Fischer, in the small town of Schweinfurt, Germany, designed a special steel ball grinder, enabling the production of completely spherical steel balls through the grinding process.
This invention is considered the cornerstone of the bearing industry and is the reason why FAG bearings have long been recognized as pioneers in bearing technology.
Today, FAG bearings are a well-known brand in the machine manufacturing, automotive and aerospace industries. The brand is present in the main industrial countries of the world through FAG companies, branches and sales agents.
Since 2001, FAG bearings have been part of the Schaeffler Group and play an active and crucial role in the group's aerospace, automotive and industrial sectors.
Together with INA bearing products, FAG bearings offer a comprehensive product range in the bearing industry, serving all applications in production machinery, power transmission and railways, heavy industry and consumer goods industries.
FAG Bearings manufactures all types of ball and roller bearings with outer diameter ranging from 3mm to 4.25m, including standard products based on samples and customized products based on customers' special needs.
FAG and INA Bearings provide customers with exceptional, comprehensive service and technical support, including inspection, maintenance, assembly and disassembly of bearings and bearing systems.
As a forward-thinking company, FAG Bearings has invested significant resources in research and development. Advanced simulation technology, testing equipment and special materials laboratory provide reliable support for the continuous development and improvement of each production line and ensure the strong innovation ability of FAG bearings.
Features of FAG bearings
High reliability, compact size, high load capacity, high precision guidance, low friction, heat resistance, low wear rates, easy installation, low lubricant consumption, minimal maintenance, easy procurement and high cost-performance ratio. It is widely applied across multiple industries, taking over where other brands cannot compete.
Notable examples include high-speed, high-precision main spindle bearings with higher limiting speeds than any other brand. These excellent characteristics are universally reflected in all FAG bearings, which have high limit speeds and load capacities.
FAG Bearings is a manufacturer specializing in high-precision bearings, recognized worldwide for its cutting-edge technology. Its products are mainly used in the main spindles of machine tools and other industrial sectors.
Especially, Schaeffler's latest X-life bearings, characterized by high speed, high precision and long service life, are among the most advanced bearing products and enjoy a worldwide reputation.
3.NSK
Country: Japan
Founded: 1916
About the company:
Since its establishment in 1916, NSK has been a pioneer in bearing production in Japan. Over the years, NSK has developed and supplied various types of bearings, making significant contributions to the growth of the industry and the advancement of machinery.
Today, NSK is a leading bearing manufacturer in Japan and around the world.
Furthermore, NSK leverages its precision processing technology enhanced through bearing production to drive the development of its multifaceted business, expanding into areas such as automotive parts, precision mechanical products and electronic application products.
In the early 1960s, NSK established a sales company in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and formally began establishing and operating stores abroad. In 1970, a production base was established in the suburbs of São Paulo, Brazil, and later, new production bases were established in North America, Great Britain and several Asian countries.
In 1990, NSK acquired UPI, which included the large European bearing manufacturer RHP. This further solidified NSK's dominant position in the European market with its extensive production bases and sales outlets across the region.
Ensk Investment Co., Ltd., the Chinese headquarters of Seiko Co., Ltd., is responsible for managing production technology and sales operations in Mainland China and Hong Kong.
Since establishing its Beijing office in 1992, NSK has established more than 30 production, research and development, sales and subsidiary companies across China.
In the future, NSK remains committed to reflecting market demands in its products, responding promptly to the needs of Chinese customers. The company prides itself on meeting customer needs and continually strives to improve and exceed expectations.
Introduction to NSK Bearing Features
NSK's main product, bearings, is the foundation of the mechanical industry, often referred to as the “food of the mechanical industry”. They effectively guarantee the quality of all industrial products. NSK's exquisite rotary technology and high-precision positioning technology guarantee absolute reliability in the “sub-micron” range.
NSK's pursuit of “MOTION & CONTROL” contributes to global movements of energy saving and resource conservation through endless exploration of friction phenomena, continuously improving rotation and operation efficiency.
Featured products of NSK bearings: NSK's high-precision bearing series use materials such as long-life bearing steel (Z steel), vacuum refined steel (VAR steel), and long-life, high-reliability bearing steel (steel EP) from NSK. Excellent precision processing technology significantly improves the performance of machines in various industries, contributing to energy and resource conservation.
Examples include the TAC02 and TAC03 series of angular contact thrust ball bearings used to support ball screws in electrical injection molding machines, the TAC B series of high precision angular contact thrust ball bearings for supporting precision screws and NSK double-row cylindrical roller bearings used for high-speed, high-rigidity main spindles in machine tools, among others.
4.NTN
Country: Japan
Founded: 1918
NSK offers a wide range of products including:
- Deep groove ball bearings
- High precision bearings
- Self-aligning bearings
- Bearings with seats
- Flat ball bearings
- Short cylindrical roller bearings
- Linear Guide Bearings
- Ball Screw Bearings
- Miniature Linear Guide Bearings
- Alternating roller guide bearings
- Composite rotary bushing bearings for front bearings
- Ball Sliding Group Bearings
- Cam-driven bearings.
About the company:
NTN is a world-leading manufacturer of comprehensive precision machines. Founded in Japan in 1918, its headquarters are located in the West District of Osaka city.
NTN has 11 production offices, 25 sales offices and 3 research institutes in Japan and 20 own factories, 2 research institutes and 48 sales offices abroad.
NTN's production, sales and technology departments work closely together to expand and deepen their professional fields.
As the fifth largest bearing manufacturer in the world (after SKF in Sweden, FAG-INA in Germany, NSK in Japan and TIMKEN in the United States), NTN offers a wide range of precision machinery products worldwide.
The precision machining technology and proprietary technology developed by NTN through its bearing production are now widely used to produce precision machines for various industries. NTN bearing products are produced using high-precision processing and testing technology with 0.01 micron resolution.
NTN bearings serve as the basis for developing machines in all walks of life, from common household appliances that require high performance and low cost to space rockets that require reliable operation in harsh environments.
NTN's bearing technology has achieved a world-leading level of nanometer precision, reducing friction and improving energy efficiency. This level of precision, once considered extravagant, is now widely used in various industrial sectors such as aerospace, aviation, railways, automobiles, papermaking equipment, office equipment and food machinery.
Introduction to the characteristics of NTN bearings
NTN's precision machining technology and unique proprietary technology have been developed and accumulated over a long period of bearing development and are now widely used in the production of precision machines for all fields. This is NTN's new trademark of constantly creating new value.
NTN's various products are produced with high precision machining and testing technology of the order of 0.01 micrometers. From everyday household appliances that require high performance at low cost, to aerospace rockets that still need to perform their bearing functions in harsh working environments, NTN bearings lay the foundation for machine development across all industries and for diverse applications.
5. Timken
Country: USA
Founded: 1899
Number of employees: Approximately 27,000.
Company scale: 66 factories in 27 countries;
About the company:
Timken, a global leader in tapered roller bearings, helps improve the operational efficiency and reliability of equipment, machines and vehicles around the world through its expertise in metallurgy, tribology and mechanical power transmission.
The vision defined by Henry Timken to make the world work more effectively and reliably remains at the core of Timken's business today.
In the 1890s, Henry Timken, who was a bus manufacturer in St. Louis, Missouri, noticed that heavy freight carts had difficulty negotiating sharp turns. To solve this problem, he developed a tapered roller bearing design that could support radial and axial loads.
This project has proven to be a great success, bringing numerous benefits to customers, including smoother operation, reduced maintenance and replacement costs, improved performance and reduced load loss. Henry Timken soon realized that tapered roller bearings could improve equipment performance in many other applications.
In 1899, Henry Timken and his two sons, HH Timken and William Timken, founded the Timken Roller Bearing and Axle Company, laying the foundation for this global enterprise.
Over the years, Timken has achieved continued success through its clear corporate vision, industry focus, advanced processes and global expansion. The company has greatly expanded its product portfolio through innovation and acquisitions and has earned a strong reputation for solving the world's most challenging problems, including space problems.
Automated mass production of bearings in the 1950s took Timken's production capacity and profits to new levels, but the company never stopped improving. In 2014, Timken introduced the DeltaX program, a major investment aimed at accelerating product development and expanding product lines.
Timken entered the international market through a licensing agreement signed in the United Kingdom in the early 20th century and achieved large-scale international expansion in the 1960s and subsequent decades. Today, Timken serves customers and markets around the world through its global network.
Timken in China
Timken entered the Chinese market in 1992 and has since established a strong presence in the region. The company has not only built a strong commercial team, but also invested in building a world-class production base with production and service capabilities.
In Greater China, Timken has more than 3,600 employees and 14 offices in major cities across the country. The company also has 5 bearing manufacturing bases, 3 power transmission product manufacturing bases, 1 training center and several logistics, engineering and value-added industrial service centers to meet the needs of global customers, especially Chinese customers .
In addition to its core Timken bearing products, the company's China business now includes several industrial brands such as Carlisle, Lovejoy, PTTech, Torsion Control products, Groeneveld, BEKA, Diamond, Rollon and H Fang. This expanded offering of products and services reflects Timken's continued expansion in the region.
Introduction to TIMKEN products
Application Fields of TIMKEN Bearings: These bearings are used in automotive, railway, steel, machine tool, aircraft, construction machinery, agriculture and other industrial areas. From disk drives to drills, dental drills to rolling mill bearings, wherever there's a wheel or shaft turning, Timken products can improve its performance.
The slogan “Where You Turn” has long been familiar to Chinese users and is recognized by the world's leading manufacturers such as Boeing. As the world's leading manufacturer of advanced engineering bearings and alloy steels, TIMKEN steel is one of the highest quality clean steels in the world. Even in the harshest environments, Timken bearings deliver superior performance thanks to their exclusive raw material, TIMKEN Bearing Steel.
6. Jtekt
Country: Japan
Founded: 2006
About the company:
JTEKT, whose predecessor was Koyo and TOYODA, was founded in 1921 and 1941 respectively.
Koyo was founded by Shinichiro Ikeda in 1921 and was reorganized into “Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd.” in 1935. Over the years, Koyo has grown to become a well-known bearing manufacturer, based on the production of bearings known as “the rice of the industry”. In the 1960s, Koyo began researching, developing and producing automotive steering gears and other parts. In 1988, the company developed the world's first electric power steering (EPS) gearbox and achieved mass production, which was first mounted on the Suzuki Cervo minicar and ushered in a new era of electric power steering.
TOYODA was originally the machine tool department of Toyota Motor and became an independent company in 1941, with customers all over the world. In addition to industrial machine tools, TOYODA has also been involved in the production and sales of steering gears and automotive steering parts, covering a wide range of industries.
In 1998, the company began producing the ITCC electronically controlled four-wheel coupling, and in 2003 it acquired the TORSEN business unit from Bosch Automotive and began producing the TORSEN differential.
7. ICO
IKO Bearings stands for Innovation, Knowledge and Originality. Founded in 1950, it is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. IKO is the largest needle bearing manufacturer in Japan and one of the three largest producers worldwide.
Introduction to IKO Bearing Features
IKO bearings, a registered trademark of NIPPON THOMPSON CO., LTD, is an industrial parts manufacturer driven by technology and development. As a specialist in the production of needle bearings and linear guides, it enjoys a prestigious reputation throughout the world.
It is Japan's oldest, most diversified and highly specialized needle bearing manufacturer. Its products are widely used in machine tools and numerous other industries.
8. Koyo
Founded in 1921, KOYO Bearing Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of JTEKT Group, employing 6,557 employees.
The company operates eight main factories in Japan, located in Tokyo, Nara, Hikida, Toyohashi, Takamatsu, Tokushima and Kameyama. It also maintains numerous production bases and research institutes in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Introduction to KOYO Bearings
Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd. manufactures tens of thousands of high-precision and high-quality KOYO bearing series products. These products serve as ideal options for critical components in various industries, including aerospace technology, computer components, engines, high-speed trains, commuter trains, industrial machinery, CNC lathes, high-precision machining tools, automotive and steel.
The company's position in the bearing industry: KOYO is one of the four major bearing manufacturing groups in Japan, recognized as a research and development-focused company with world-leading production and control equipment.
9. NACHI
Company name: NACHI-Fujikoshi Corporation
Established: December 21, 1928
Capital: 13.3 billion yen
Total sales: 1,446 billion yen (of which overseas sales are 45.5 billion yen)
Number of group companies: 48 (28 in Japan, 20 abroad)
Total employees: 5,350 (of which 2,620 are at NACHI-Fujikoshi Corporation)
Introduction to NACHI Bearings
Operating with the philosophy of “Contributing to the development of manufacturing”, NACHI-Fujikoshi excels in three main areas: machine tools, functional components and materials. After 75 years of continuous growth and integration of various essential technologies to promote research and development, the company's main products now include cutting tools, machine tools, bearings, hydraulic equipment, robots for automated production, special steels, ultra-precision machines for the IT industry. and its environmental systems.
With its main manufacturing plant in Toyama, Japan, and production bases in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, NACHI maintains permanent representative offices and sales outlets throughout the world. This allows the company to understand market trends quickly and accurately and meet customer needs effectively.
NACHI has meticulously created the Quest series of high-performance and high-precision bearings, especially ball screw support bearings. These products use unique raw materials, heat treatment and manufacturing techniques.
To meet the market demand for diversified and high-quality bearings, NACHI products feature high-speed operation, high load capacity, durability, low torque, energy efficiency, low noise, low vibration and self-lubrication.
10.INA
Company: Yuze INA Bearings (INA Bearings)
Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, near Nuremberg, Germany
Established : 1946
Founder: Dr. George Schaeffler, developer of needle and cage assembly technology
Today it belongs to the German Schaeffler Group, together with the FAG Bearing Company.
Since its establishment, the company has been a world leader in the field of needle bearings and has rapidly expanded from the original field of needle bearings to a wide range of products. Currently, the German group INA Bearing has more than 30 factories and more than 30,000 employees worldwide.
INA Bearing Product Series
Various types of needle bearings, needles, inner rings and cage assemblies; support and bending rollers; all types of short cylindrical bearings; housed bearings; thrust bearings; clutch bearings; combined radial thrust bearings; cylindrical roller bearings with complete set; linear guide bearings for various purposes; specialized bearings for textile machines and much more.
11. C&U
Country: China
Founded: 1984
About the company:
C&U is a professional bearing manufacturer with eight production bases located in Wenzhou, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, Nanchong, Wuhu, Huangshi and other cities. It produces more than 30,000 types of bearings with inner diameters ranging from 1 mm to 6,000 mm outer diameter, with an annual production of nearly 1.5 billion sets.
The products are widely used in a variety of industries, including automobiles, household appliances, engines, motorcycles, construction machinery, power tools, agricultural and forestry machinery, textile machinery, industrial robots, wind energy, medical equipment and more. C&U provides trusted products and solutions to customers in more than 40 industries.
C&U has 76 sales teams, 131 bearing store chains in China and foreign companies in the United States, Germany and Japan, forming a global marketing network that provides customers with convenient services. The company has a nationally recognized business technology center, has obtained ISO17025 laboratory certification and is a nationally recognized laboratory (CNAS).
The Technical Center has a team of experts in national and international bearings and has already participated in the creation and review of 39 national and industrial standards. The center has more than 10,000 sets of detection, analysis and testing instruments, including 1,350 sets of precision instruments, capable of completing the detection, testing and analysis of various bearings.
The professional design analysis and simulation system provides customers in various industries with systematic solutions, including application analysis, design selection, installation and maintenance.
C&U is focused on the environment and employee health and safety and has fully passed the ISO14001 environmental management system and OHSAS18001 occupational health and safety management system certification. The company systematized and structured environmental management and standardized occupational health and safety management, effectively improving the safety awareness of all employees and the level of management of the enterprise.
C&U is actively adjusting its industrial structure, and with its strong technical research and development, refined management, high-quality products and services, it is rapidly shifting from a capacity-oriented focus to a quality-oriented focus, continuously improving competitiveness comprehensive company, and is committed to becoming a reliable partner for Chinese and foreign customers.
Adhering to the development concept of “integrity is the cornerstone, win-win is the driving force, and unity and cooperation is the ideal path”, C&U is looking forward to sincerely cooperating with domestic and foreign merchants to move forward hand in hand and create a better future.
12. ZWZ
Country: China
Founded : 1938
About the company:
Wa Shaft Group has 9 manufacturing facilities both domestically and internationally, along with 10 business divisions and 26 wholly owned and controlling subsidiaries. The company is known for its two main bearing brands, ZWZ and KRW.
Adhering to international standards, Wa Shaft Group has the capacity to produce over 20,000 types of bearings in ten categories, ranging from 20mm inner diameter to 16m outer diameter with varying levels of precision. Bearings are mainly used in industrial equipment, railway transportation, automobiles, new wind energy sources and specialized fields.
The company is equipped with a National Large Bearing Engineering Technology Research Center, a National Enterprise Technology Center and a Bearing Testing Center. Furthermore, it has research and development centers located in Europe and the United States and has established innovative platforms for simulation calculation, materials, lubrication and testing.
13. WANXIANG QIANCHAO
Country: China
Founded : 1969
About the company:
In 1994, Wanxiang Qianchao (000559) was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, producing a wide range of products including universal joints, drive shafts, brakes, fuel tanks and exhaust systems.
In 2016, Wanxiang Qianchao Automotive Universal Joint Assembly Co., Ltd. was recognized as a manufacturing demonstration enterprise, while Wanxiang Qianchao Transmission Shaft Co., Ltd. Co., Ltd.'s transmission shaft product was awarded as a manufacturing and cultivation company.
Wanxiang Qianchao has been dedicated to the research and development of automotive parts, from parts to components to system integration. The company specializes in production, product serialization and supply modularization.
Its products cover universal joints, wheel hub units, bearings, automobile chassis and suspension systems, brake systems, transmission systems, exhaust systems, fuel tanks, engineering machinery parts and components and other parts and assemblies of automotive systems.
In conclusion, Wanxiang Qianchao is a leading independent supplier of automotive system parts in China.
14. LIC
Country: China
Founded ： 1954
About the company:
Luoyang LYC Bearing Co., Ltd. (known as Luoyang Shaft) was founded in 1954 and was one of the 156 major projects during China's “First Five-Year Plan” period.
After more than 60 years of growth and development, Luoyang Shaft has established itself as one of the leading comprehensive manufacturing companies in China's bearing industry. The company's production and marketing scale, as well as its support service capabilities, are among the best in the industry and it holds several records in China's bearing industry.
Luoyang Shaft has a National Enterprise Technology Center, a National Key Laboratory, a Nationally Recognized Laboratory, an Academic Workstation, a Postdoctoral Research Workstation and a Heavy Bearing Engineering Technology Research Center and High Speed in Henan province. In addition, the company has a Bearing Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center in Henan province.
Luoyang Shaft has built a comprehensive research and development platform for bearings and is an industry leader in terms of research and development, manufacturing, testing and quality control.
The company independently developed Rolling Bearing's 3D CAD system RBDSver5.0 software, a bearing dynamic analysis software, and imported Romax simulation analysis software. Luoyang Axis was also instrumental in creating several industry standards, including the bearing rotary table bearing, the national standard bearing for railway freight cars, passenger cars and locomotive bearings, and the bearing wind turbine generator set national standard Yaw, Variable Premiums and Spindle Bearings.
The company participated in several national scientific research projects, including “Plan 863”, the “Great Special Science and Technology Plan” and the “Science and Technology Support Plan”.
Luoyang Shaft has received certifications of ISO9001, ISO14001, TS16949, CRCC, OHSAS (Oussas) 18001, Jianheng, AAR in the United States, AS9100C in France, GL in Germany and other domestic and foreign institutions.
The company's product line covers nine types and more than 20,000 types of bearings, with sizes ranging from 10 mm inner diameter to 13.5 m outer diameter.
Luoyang Shaft has basic technologies in bearings for railway transport vehicles and special bearings for important equipment. Its products are widely used in the fields of wind power generation, railway transit, automobiles and motorcycles, mining and metallurgy, engineering machinery, machine tool engines, industrial gearboxes, medical equipment, port machinery and ships.
The company has established a parallel marketing model with its sales headquarters, business divisions, subsidiaries and manufacturers. It has 48 regional sales representative offices and around 300 sales agents throughout the country, creating a marketing system where regional and industrial marketing are carried out simultaneously and local representative offices and dealers grow in coordination.
In the international market, Luoyang Shaft has subsidiaries or offices in the United States, India, Vietnam and other countries. Its products are exported to more than 70 countries and regions, such as the United States, Germany, Italy, Australia, South Korea, India and Vietnam.
Luoyang Shaft has always closely followed the strategic emerging industries that the country is focusing on cultivating and developing.
The company is actively developing “four high-quality products” to support cutting-edge equipment, continuously optimizing and upgrading its product structure, and transforming its development mode with an open and flexible mindset. This allowed the company's great development and contributed significantly to the revitalization of the national bearings industry and to the construction of a powerful equipment manufacturing country.
