NIBL’s pursuit of excellence in Friction Management

NRB Industrial Bearings Limited, headquartered in Fort, Mumbai, is India’s Leading Manufacturer of Wide Range Ball and Roller Bearings solutions predominantly for the Industrial Market in India & Overseas. Recognised by Government of India’s Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, for its in-house R&D unit in 2013, NIBL today manufactures best quality SRB, CRB, DGBB, NRB, Cam Followers, and BRB & WIR Housed Units. The company has also partnered with reputed global manufacturers to supply a whole gamut of bearings to its customers from a cross section of the industry. In an interview with Bearing Review, Devesh Singh Sahney, Chairman & MD, NIBL shares his thoughts on the dynamics of the bearing industry vis-a-vis the growth strategies of his company which is quality driven and customer-centric to the core. Excerpts :

Q. The global bearing market was valued at $107.46 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $143.53 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 6.1%. How do you see the marketevolving in India? What are the major factors driving the growth of this market?

According to statistics the bearing market is peaked to grow by 10% in India. This is due to socio-political and economic factors that have increased industrial production and demand domestically and internationally. This growth can be attributed to a push with government policies such as ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat‘ which provided a stimulus to the manufacturing sector. All these factors will pave the path to growing production and manufacturing in India, which in turn will boost the bearing market.

In India we have witnessed an increased investment across the industrial sector in markets like machine tools, textile, agriculture machinery, infrastructure, mining and construction, automotive, aerospace, defence ; to name a few. Along with investment we are seeing an increase in innovation, research and development and adoption of new technologies. This has allowed Indian manufacturers to compete and sometimes outperform the previous global brand leaders in industries.

Q. What are the major expectations of client organizations from a manufacturer of Ball and Roller bearings? How do you meet their expectations?

Bearing can be described as the heart of a machine, providing movement and machine health. Industrial customers today want to have better control over the life cycle of their machinery. By regulating a bearing life manufactures can lower operational costs, increase machinery uptime and ensure smooth production cycles. To simply this need, customers want a superior quality product which is technologically efficient and high performing.

At NRB Industrial Bearings, we have a large focus on research and development and innovation. We provide a large product range of ball and roller bearings and work with our customers to customize products to meet their needs. We ensure quality with our state-of-the-art research and development centre which is certified by the DSIR of the government of India. This is important because we work with customers to design solutions to meet their needs.

Q. How is your company positioned in this segment?

In the bearing Industry we position ourselves as a quality manufacturer which works with our stakeholders to provide solutions. This kind of flexibility and adaptability helps us as a brand stand out among our competitors. .

We firmly believe quality can help rebuff most pricing wars and also define who your competitors are. By providing our customers with quality products, originating from our state-of-the-art facility in Aurangabad – Maharashtra, we have grabbed a significant market share over the years in the bearings industry. Our vision is to be the leader in Friction Management in every market we serve, for the betterment of our customers, employees and shareholders. We strongly abide by it.

Q. What are the major factors that set you apart from other players in this segment?

Organizations have to continuously improve standards to grow and stay on top of new trends and industry standards. Creating a brand that adheres to these norms of the industry, showcases quality and dedication of the company towards a continuous evolution to meet the highest standard available in the market.

We have always spent substantial efforts in upgrading our Products and Processes to meet international level of quality & safety standards and getting the same validated from reputed external agencies. Our certifications include IATF 16949 2016, ISO 9001 2015, ISO 14001 2015, OHSAS 18001. Also our In-house NIBL R&D Centre is registered with Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Government of India.

These efforts finally have resulted into increasing credibility and customer confidence in our brand. Today NRB Industrial Bearings is seen as best quality, consistent and reliable brand in the bearing industry.

Q. Kindly elaborate on the top-notch facilities and product offerings the company is rolling out to its clients. Highlight its USP. What impact has it created in the market?

“Customer First” is one of the core values of our organisation and all our strategic initiatives are aligned to this approach, be it customizations or partnering with customers in the development process. We have designed and added many new products for both generic & segment specific offerings and also have initiated measures to make product development process more robust.

This has helped us develop many new customers in OEM & Export business from various industries across the globe. We have also seen expansion in our distribution network with many sub distributors wanting to represent our brand in their respective markets, for several new industrial applications.

Q. Tell us about the overall journey of the company. How has it nurtured itself over the years? Illustrate the growth it has observed in terms of revenue, clients, and geographical presence?

In 1965, NRB Bearings Limited was incorporated as Needle Roller Bearing Company with a joint venture with Nadella France – the oldest needle bearing manufacturer in Europe. Later, in 1990, NRB Bearings Limited was renamed NRB Limited when it began its manufacturing of different ball and roller bearings. In 2012, NRB Industrial Bearings Limited was formed after the demerger from NRB Bearings Limited and in the same year NIBL’s manufacturing plant commenced operations, manufacturing CRB, SRB, DGBB, NRB, Cam Followers, and BRB & WIR Housed Units. The company was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange in 2013 and the very next year it received recognition from the Indian Government’s Department of Scientific & Industrial Research for its in-house R&D unit. NRB Industrial Bearings has also partnered with reputed global manufacturers to supply its customers with a gamut of bearings.

NIBL’s Industrial Bearings are used in a wide spectrum of industries like Machine Tool, Textile, Industrial Gearbox, Cranes & Conveyors, Cement, Mining & Minerals, Fluid Machinery (Pumps, Fans & Blowers), Harvester, Metals (Steel/Rolling Mills), Process Industry (Fertilizer, Sugar, Paper & Pulp), Bottling, Canning & Packaging, Medical (X-Ray & Imaging Equipment), Industrial Electricals (Electric Motors & Circuit Breakers), Industrial Automation, etc.

With a dedicated sales force, application engineering, a wide distribution network across the globe and industry engineering support, we offer customers the advantages in an increasingly competitive market scenario.

Q. What is the future roadmap for NRB Industrial Bearings? How is the company gearing up for the same?

We plan to focus on Research & development and customer reach. We further plan to expand our reach in India by expanding distribution network across all densely populated industrial areas. We also aim to grow globally expanding our reach and target countries like North America, Europe, Middle East and APAC. Through various digital marketing activities we are trying to resonate our brand with customers from our community globally.

Q. Is there anything you would like to add?

Our commitment to a better future – leading through all market conditions, ensuring business continuity and driving long-term sustainability – is something we are passionate about for NRB Industrial Bearings and our customers.

We want to encourage customers to prefer Indian Brands primarily, which in return will motivate us to serve them to our best.