Local suppliers have a long way to go to catch up with top international brands
Mar 12, 2014 | By Quincy Liang
By JENNY WU
Bearings are among the most common and most important of all automobile components, serving vital functions in transmissions, engines, drive-shafts, and other systems and parts. Though individual bearings are relatively small in size, they have a huge relationship to vehicle reliability, safety, and comfort.
Bearing manufacturing is one of the industries that have been pinpointed for special development in China, and after joint efforts by the government and the private sector a group of major bearing makers with strong technical capability has emerged to supply high-quality, high-precision products for a variety of industrial applications. In line with the increase in demand, another group of smaller newcomers has been gradually gaining technological competence in the development and production of high-precision micro bearings and now contributes a major share to the overall development of the bearing industry in China.
However, the main problem facing the Chinese bearing industry remains its high dependence on imported products, since the precision, lifespan, and reliability of the bearings made by local manufacturers continue to fall short of the carmakers' needs. As a result, the high-end bearing market in China is currently controlled by eight big international brands; an increasing number of local suppliers, though, is now striving aggressively to catch up with the level of quality and precision demanded by vehicle makers.
Industry sources point out that since China has become the world's largest automobile market, the huge demand for bearings for new car models developed by international automakers has attracted all of the major global bearing vendors to join the market fray. These vendors, who are controlling the core technologies for the development and production of high-precision bearings used in engines, transmission systems, wheel hubs, and other components, have been aggressively developing sales in China. The big vendors include SKF, Schaeffler, TIMKEN, NSK, and JTEKT, all of which have set up joint-venture or 100%-owned bearing factories in China.
Industry insiders familiar with China's bearing industry and market suggest that that local enterprises should focus on two priorities: First, own-brand bearing companies have to try harder to multiply their customer base through flexible marketing channels. For example, bearing suppliers that have already established a foothold in the commercial vehicle sector should move more aggressively into the supply chains of passenger-car makers and strive to attract the attention of different automakers. In addition, bearing suppliers should analyze their own competitive advantages and exercise more patience in contacting different kinds of potential customers. Second, they suggest, Chinese bearing suppliers should insist on self-innovation and the introduction of more advanced technology through joint ventures. Chinese makers should no longer stay in the low-end market, but should boost their efforts to evolve along with expanding market.
Newsun Group
One of the major players in the Chinese automotive bearing industry that has been seeking technical advancement and quality upgrading is the Newsun Group.
Founded in 1994 in Los Angeles, the Newsun Group specializes in bearing technology research, manufacturing, and marketing. The firm claims to be one of the biggest manufacturers of belt tensioner bearings and clutch release bearings in the world.
The Newsun Group is a major Chinese supplier of belt tensioner bearings.
One of Newsun's tensioner bearing models.
Newsun also supplies this tensioner bearing.
Quality automotive wheel bearings by EBI.
EBI's quality wheel-hub unit products.EBI's quality wheel-hub unit products.
Xinchang Kaiyuan supplies quality auto bearings of various types.
Wheel hub bearing repair kits supplied by Xinchang Kaiyuan.
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