In the field of high-end bearings, European, American and Japanese companies maintain their status as major global bearing suppliers. Among the top ten bearing companies in annual sales: Japan once occupied 5, the United States 2, Germany 2 and Sweden. Among them, the world's largest sales is SKF Bearings in Switzerland, whose annual sales once reached 5 billion US dollars, accounting for 14.3% of the total global market share. The smallest in the world is TORRINGTON in the United States, with annual sales of 1 billion US dollars and once accounted for 2.9% of the total market share.
Ranking of the world's top ten famous bearing manufacturers (sorted by sales)
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| Million USD$ |
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| corporate name | Number of factories | Annual sales | Net profit | Export proportion (%) |
| 1 | SKF / USA | 90 | 5000 | -2.0 | 96 |
| 2 | NSK / JAPAN | 28 | 4400 | -0.3 | 43 |
| 3 | KOYO / JAPAN | 17 | 3200 | -0.1 | 43 |
| 4 | NTN / JAPAN | 27 | 2900 | 0.34 | 45 |
| 5 | NMB / JAPAN | 22 | 2700 | 0.95 | 62 |
| 6 | TIMKEN / USA | 24 | 2400 | 1.26 | 21 |
| 7 | FAG / GERMANY | 62 | 2000 | 0.25 | 72 |
| 8 | INA / GERMANY | 16 | 1500 |
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| 9 | NACHI / JAPAN | 14 | 1400 | 0.12 | 30 |
| 10 | TORRINGTON / USA | 28 | 1000 | 7 |
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In terms of the global market, Sweden’s SKF Group is the world’s largest bearing supplier in Western Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, occupying one-third of the global market share.
In the US market, TIMKEN once held 22% market share, followed by SKF Group and TORRINGTON, each with 2% market share.
In Asia (excluding Japan), SKF Group once occupied 17% of the market share; in Japan, NSK is the largest bearing supplier, and SKF Group occupies 2% of the Japanese market; in Central Europe + Eastern Europe + China, local bearings The factory occupies a major market share.
Bearing manufacturing industry has always been a precision basic component manufacturing industry. Its accuracy is usually measured by 0.001mm, while the manufacturing tolerance of ordinary mechanical parts is generally only 0.01mm. The noise and vibration emitted by the motor depend to a large extent on the quality and craftsmanship of the bearing.
It is worth mentioning that the swing difference and temperature rise of the high-precision machine tool spindle are more closely related to the quality of the bearing, especially the accuracy and performance of the mainframe in various high-end fields such as communication satellites, industry and agriculture, national defense technology, and intelligent manufacturing. , Life, reliability and various economic indicators are closely related to bearings.
Although the bearing industry has only been used for 100 years, because it is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, countries around the world have spared no effort to develop their own bearing industry, and with superb modern technology, there are more than 100,000 types of bearings.
The seemingly inconspicuous bearings are called "the joints of high-end products" and are regarded as a measure of a country's industrial strength. China's middle and low-end bearings are in a leading position in the world in terms of production and sales, but they have little advantage in high-end bearings. However, after continuous research and development, China has also made important breakthroughs in high-end bearings in recent years.
1. Sweden SKF --- Svenska Kullager-Fabriken
The Swedish SKF Group is the world's leading supplier of rolling bearings and seals. The SKF Group is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is a leader in bearing technology and manufacturing.
SKF is a leading global supplier of products, solutions and services within bearings, seals, lubrication systems and services. Working to reduce friction, make things run faster, longer, cleaner and more safely. Doing this in the most effective, productive and sustainable way contributes to our vision of a world of reliable rotation.
The SKF Group has also continued to devote itself to the research and development of the bearing industry, with an average of a new patent coming out every two days. SKF Group is also the world's first bearing company to pass ISO14001 environmental protection certification, which covers more than 60 manufacturing units in 17 countries.
The Swedish SKF Group is a world-leading technology-leading supplier of rolling bearings, bearing housings, bearing units, seals, lubrication systems, condition monitoring, drive and motion control products.
SKF occupies nearly one-fifth of the market share of more than 500 million bearings in more than 130 countries around the world, highlighting SKF's dominant position in the global rolling bearing industry.
What needs to be reminded is that more than 80% of the steel used for SKF bearings in Sweden is provided by SKF steel mills, which guarantees the high quality of raw materials. And all the important equipment is designed and assembled by SKF, the purpose is to make the production equipment reach the highest level!
2. Germany FAG --- German Schaeffler Group
FAG bearing is one of the top ten brands in the world and belongs to the German Schaeffler Group. Develop and manufacture high-quality rolling bearings, joint bearings, sliding bearings and linear motion products under the INA and FAG brands worldwide. It supplies approximately 40,000 standard products for more than 60 industrial industries and many major automotive applications.
Combining FAG and INA products, FAG has the most complete product outline in the world in the rolling bearing industry.
The clutch system, gearbox system and torque damper represent the excellent independent innovation capabilities of many products in the automotive powertrain industry, the extreme attention to customers and the high level of quality.
The German Schaeffler Group is a global leader in the production of rolling bearings and linear motion products, and one of the most reputable suppliers in the automotive industry.
With approximately 65,000 employees worldwide and more than 180 branches in more than 50 countries, the Schaeffler Group has become one of the largest family business groups in Germany and Europe.
The Schaeffler Group has three well-known brands: INA, LuK and FAG, which provide high-quality bearings and components for the automotive, industrial and aerospace fields. FAG bearings produce various ball bearings and roller bearings with an outer diameter from 3 mm to 4.25 meters, including standard products based on samples and non-standard products based on special requirements of users.
FAG and SKF are of the same grade, and the quality is very stable, especially better than Japanese products such as NSK, NTN, etc., and the price is very close to SKF, but higher than Japanese products.
As we all know, people in the imported bearing industry know that European and American brands represented by SKF, FAG, TIMKEN, etc., represent a symbol of high-quality bearings in the world.
3. United States (TIMKEN)
Key Metrics
| 2020 | 2019 |
| Net Sales | $3513.2 | $3789.9 |
| Adjusted EBITDA* | 658.9 | 726.3 |
| Adjusted EBITDA Margin* | 18.8% | 19.2% |
| Free Cash Flow* | 456.0 | 409.5 |
| Adjusted EPS* | 4.10 | 4.60 |
| Dividends | 1.13 | 1.12 |
| Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA* | 1.9 | 2.1 |
Figures are in millions of US dollars except per share data
TIMKEN are globally recognized for our specialized engineering expertise in friction management, metallurgy, and power transmission. As a trusted partner, we serve a broad range of customers and industries worldwide, applying our innovative problem solving to the most challenging applications worldwide.
American TIMKEN company is a global leading bearing manufacturer for nearly a century. Its high-quality bearings, alloy steel and related products and services can be seen everywhere, whether on land, deep sea or outer space.
As long as there is equipment operation and power transmission, you can see TIMKEN's technology and products. TIMKEN bearings produce more than 230 types of bearings and 26,000 tapered roller bearings of different specifications. These bearings are widely used all over the world.
TIMKEN steel is one of the world's highest quality clean steel. As the world's largest manufacturer of tapered roller bearings, it has long established its position in the world's manufacturing industry.
Whether it is a hub assembly of a family car, a roller coaster bearing, a track bearing repair service, or an aircraft engine shaft steel, it can be said that the products and services brought by TIMKEN bearings make the world's equipment run more smoothly. It is worth mentioning that TIMKEN bearings have brought the world's largest tapered roller bearing and cylindrical roller bearing product combination solution for the LGMS5725 slag vertical mill manufactured by CITIC Heavy Industries.
4. Japan (NSK) --- NSK Ltd.
NSK Bearings, started in 1916, became the first bearing manufacturer in Japan. It is Japan's bearing pioneer. It develops and provides various types of bearings, and has made outstanding contributions to the improvement of the industry and the improvement of machinery and equipment. In the bearing field, NSK not only ranks first in Japan, but also ranks in the forefront of the world.
NSK produced the first ball bearings made in Japan in 1916. Since then, the company has spearheaded the development of bearings in Japan. NSK now offers a full range of bearings and sells them worldwide. NSK bearings have contributed greatly to the growth of many industries and to the advancement of mechanical technology. Now, the company has the largest share of the bearings market in Japan and is one of the largest bearing suppliers in the world.
NSK has used its expertise in precision machining technology, refined through years of bearing manufacturing, to diversify into:
Since the beginning of the 1960s, following the establishment of its first overseas sales office in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States, NSK has continued to set up business locations overseas and has continuously strengthened its global presence.
In the 1970s, NSK established a manufacturing subsidiary outside the city of Sao Paolo in Brazil, followed by other new manufacturing subsidiaries in North America, in the United Kingdom and Asia. In the 1990s, NSK acquired UPI, the largest bearing manufacturer in the United Kingdom, known for its RHP brand. Expanding production and sales locations in all European markets resulted in a stronger market presence for NSK in Europe.
Starting in the mid-1990s, NSK rapidly expanded its operations into markets in Asia. Particularly in fast growing markets such as China, NSK is continuously strengthening its corporate structure to carry out research and development, sales and technical services locally.
NSK intends to step up its efforts on a company-wide basis to ensure that the business activities of the entire company adhere strictly to applicable laws and regulations, and that they are conducted based on its social responsibilities as a corporation.
By further harnessing the potential of its global network, NSK strives to further enhance its R&D, Manufacturing, Sales and Management capabilities.
Japan has many world-class bearing brands: such as NSK Seiko bearings, NTN bearings, KOYO bearings and so on. The quality of Japanese bearings includes: life, accuracy, speed, and noise.
5. Japan (NTN) --- NTN Bearing Corp
NTN bearing is a famous brand in the world.
NTN brand bearings originate from Japan. NTN is one of the world's comprehensive precision machinery manufacturers. NTN Bearing Company was founded in Japan in 1918 and is headquartered in the West District of Osaka City. It has 11 manufacturing plants and 25 sales offices in Japan. And 3 research institutes; 20 wholly-owned production plants, 2 research institutes and 48 business offices abroad. The current chairman is Suzuki Yassin. Japan's NTN Co., Ltd. is the fifth largest bearing manufacturer in the world.
NTN is one of the world's comprehensive precision machinery manufacturers and one of Japan's three largest bearing companies. It entered China in 1971.
NTN bearing technology has reached the world's only nanometer unit size-nanometer level precision. This kind of precision is almost a luxury. It has been used in orbiting satellites, aviation, railways and automobiles, papermaking equipment, office equipment and food machinery, etc. All areas of the industrial sector.
NTN's various bearing products are produced with high-precision processing and testing technology in the unit of 0.01 micron. From ordinary household appliances that require both high performance and low cost, to the harsh working environment. Until the aerospace rocket that normally performs its bearing function.
6. Japan (THK) --- THK CO., LTD
Japan THK is the first company in the world to develop and design a linear motion method through rolling contact. THK was founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1971. It has become a synonym for toughness, high quality and technical application know-how, and gradually began to produce and sell commercialized results. : Linear motion (LM) guide.
Starting in the 1980s, THK expanded its business to the United States and laid the groundwork for the subsequent global sales network. In 1996, THK developed and designed the "ball cage type LM rolling guide", especially for products with significantly higher characteristics than traditional products. THK has integrated production and sales bases: Japan, Europe, America and Asia.
THK became the first company in the world to develop and commercialize linear motion (LM) guides in 1972. The use of linear motion systems can quickly improve the accuracy and speed of advanced electromechanical equipment, which can save manpower investment. THK's LM rolling guide allows machine tools and industrial automatic machinery to perform ultra-high-precision operations, and enables semiconductor manufacturing equipment to operate in submicron devices.
The system is also used in LCD production lines, railway passenger cars, auxiliary vehicles for the disabled, medical equipment, skyscrapers and residences, and entertainment facilities. The scope of use of LM rolling guides has already broken through all previous restrictions.
It is worth mentioning that THK's LM guide rail equipment has become an indispensable component in various fields of mechanical and electronic systems. THK has also developed and designed many other unique mechanical components, including ball splines, ball screws and connecting rods, which are produced by the company and supplied to users all over the world.
7. United States (RBC) --- American RBC bearing company
The RBC brand belongs to the American RBC bearing company. RBC has been in China for a long time, mainly in professional fields such as aviation and high-speed trains. It is a high-quality famous brand.
Especially in 2008, RBC acquired the company located in AID. The products produced by AID are mainly used in fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. This acquisition allows RBC to firmly occupy the aerospace market and leave its competitors far behind. Behind.
RBC is an international company with nearly 20 factories in Europe. Its products are mainly used in aerospace, military technology, robotics, semiconductor processing facilities, engineering machinery, etc., and are the best products in bearings. The main products include: special ball bearings, end rod bearings and joint bearings, roller bearings, thin-walled ball bearings, tapered roller bearings and tapered roller thrust bearings, body control bearings, self-lubricating plane bearings.
8. Japan (IKO) --- Thompson Co., Ltd.
IKO Bearing Japan Thompson Co., Ltd. is a professional bearing manufacturer with a history of about 50 years, specializing in the production of needle roller bearings and linear guides.
It is the manufacturer with the longest history of manufacturing needle roller bearings, the most complete types, and the highest level of professional systematization in Japan. It has a very high reputation in all countries in the world.
IKO products are mainly needle bearings and guide rails.
IKO needle bearing realizes the small size and light weight of mechanical design with its special internal structure.
Guide rail bearings are based on the high quality conferred by needle roller bearings. They are precision processed with unique machinery and equipment. The quality of the products is evaluated by the latest machines. The products maintain high performance and high quality standards.
The four-row cylindrical roller heavy-duty guides created by IKO Kafa are world-renowned, and their products are widely used in machine tools and other industries. At this stage, the products produced by IKO have become representatives of high-quality brand-name products, and become a global marketing network to realize the promise of convenient and fast service for users.
9. Germany (INA) --- Schaeffler Group
The INA bearing brand name belongs to the Germany INA bearing company under the Schaeffler Group.
Since its establishment, the German INA Bearing Company has been committed to product innovation to meet customer needs and provide high-quality guarantees, making it the world's leading supplier of rolling bearings and a recognized partner of automobile manufacturers.
Since its establishment, the company has become a world leader in the field of needle roller bearings, and soon expanded from the original needle roller bearing field to a wide range of products.
INA develops and produces rolling bearings, sliding bearings, linear motion products and automotive engine parts worldwide. The INA brand is commonly used in the automotive industry to include engines, gearboxes and chassis, and its industrial production parts.
INA has incomparable technical disadvantages in the molding of fine products, and accordingly provides customers with excellent cost-effective solutions.
In the scope of industrial production, the four industry management departments guide the marketing of the two brands of INA and FAG in the areas of production machinery, power transmission and iron, heavy industry and consumer products.
10. Japan (NACHI) --- NACHI-FUJIKOSHI CORP.
NACHI bearings have become the four famous bearing brands in Japan.
Since the establishment of the company in 1928, NACHI has continued to work hard to develop machine skills. Today the company has developed into an analytical electromechanical manufacturer, providing basic facilities and components for a wide range of industries.
NACHI aims to "connect various skills to expand skills", enriching the focus skills such as manipulating materials, machine processing, accessories and systems to promote hard research and development.
Believing that "only high-quality materials can produce high-quality products", NACHI has become an analysis and production manufacturer from basic materials to end products. High-quality NACHI products include special steel, cutting tools, bearings, hydraulic installation, robotic systems, etc.
