At Auto Expo 2016, NRB Bearings showcased several new offerings for both its OE and aftermarket divisions. Founded in 1965, NRB was the first company to manufacture needle roller bearings in India. For over 50 years, it has pioneered the leading-edge in bearing technology.
“Today over 70 per cent of vehicles on Indian roads run on NRB parts,” claimed Mr. Gagan Mathur, V.P. – Sales and Marketing, Domestic and ASEAN Business, NRB Bearings Ltd.
Since inception, NRB has grown beyond its signature product to offer a wide range of high-precision friction solutions not only in the automotive sector but across all mobility applications. “Owing to our reliability and quality of products we hold over 70 per cent marketshare in the needle bearing category and over 50 per cent market plus in the OE segment of cylindrical bearing. We are expanding our product range as we move to other bearing application category such as thrust bearing, sleeves and planetary shaft,” said Mr. Mathur.
Notably, planetary gear shafts have multiple applications in a variety of industries, including automotive, agriculture and construction vehicles which the company plans to penetrate into. They are used in planetary gear sets, differentials and engine valve trains. “We already have 6 Manufacturing Units in India and one in Thailand, and as we achieve the highest of capacity utilization and make bearing across segments with increased penetration in new segments, we will look for expansion,” averred Mr. Mathur.
Housing innovation
NRB has always emphasized on global benchmark for quality and innovative design in high-precision friction solutions. It is therefore this reliability that inspires Mr. Mathur to claim that “20-25 per cent of our total turnover comes from the OE in the export market. In the domestic market OEMs, commercial vehicles contribute to 20 per cent currently.”
Giving a cue of his company’s fine engineering strength, Mr. Mathur added: “We are proud to have placed amongst very few companies with a well-established R and D centre which is Government accredited. Many of our customers vouch for our products not only because of our quality but because the backend procedures and systems in our company are very well established. We have a very strong raw material procurement system and we don’t distinguish between the segment as an OE or aftermarket and our mission is to deal with every friction solution by being present in every vehicle in the world. We have also been actively involved with educational institutes like IIT both in Mumbai and Kharagpur to improve our processes and quality systems.
The next way forward to strengthen NRB’s reach is to further strengthen the distribution network. “We are also looking at revamping our packaging which will also have a unique identification code, and it will be for the first time introduced in the Indian bearing industry where through digital scan we can guarantee the authenticity of our products to ensure the loyalty of customers,” concluded Mr. Mathur.