Stimuli to the growth of the bearing industry

There is a heavy reliance on instrumented bearings in Aerospace and Defense sectors, which is expected to increase multi-fold in the coming decade. Rail and renewable energy are the other segments which are going to support bearing growth in the coming years, says Sanjay Koul, Timken India.

Q. The bearing industry is a dynamic, growth-oriented industry, registering a CAGR of 18% annually. What are the stimuli contributing to this remarkable growth?

India is an emerging economy with a strong emphasis on boosting the manufacturing sector. This vision is backed by government incentives such as lower taxes and rising service exports. The Government’s pledge for an “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and budget allocation in infrastructure has encouraged the growth of bearing. The government’s increasing focus on Infrastructure, coupled with ever-increasing demand for precise engineering applications, particularly in machine tools and automobiles will act as catalyst to support this growth.

Growth is also expected to come from rising trends in technology & innovation such as electrification and light-weighting in automobiles. Increased bearing usage is expected from growing sectors like railways, rolling mills, wind turbines, heavy industries and other industrial sectors. We have also observed increase in the use of specialized bearing solutions, seal and lubrication technologies and light-weight high performance products. India is one of the booming markets in the world and growth prospects are promising in all these sectors.

Q. Which are the major industry segments contributing to the up-thrust in demand for bearings, and what are their growth prospects in your view?

The Government intends to solidify its “Make in India” foundation to energize manufacturing and increase the contribution to GDP. The Government of India continues to provide higher thrust to the manufacturing and mining sector in India. To sustain the high growth rate, the government has earmarked a massive budgetary outlay for 2022-2023. This is likely to have a multiplier effect on the core sector industries like steel and cement and with renewed focus on the affordable housing segment leading to an uptick in demand in infrastructure, realty, cement, steel, and other commodity-focused businesses.

Heavy machinery and industrial sectors are expected to dominate the growth in bearing use. Promising growth is expected in Indian Industrial markets. Among the major industrial segments contributing to this growth will be metals (ferrous and non-ferrous), cement, mining and aggregates, renewable energy, traditional power, material handling, textiles, port equipment, and food and beverage, among others. There is a heavy reliance on instrumented bearings in aerospace and Defense sectors, which is expected to increase multi-fold in the coming decade. Rail and renewable energy are other segment which are going to support bearing growth in the coming years.
Commercial vehicle sector will soon witness India’s emergence as a segment leader with adoption of scrappage policy which aims to phase out vehicles older than 15 years and certified unfit for usage. India tractor market is also expected to grow significantly with the increased adoption of mechanized farming.

Q. Timken is in the domain of engineered bearings. What are your capabilities & offerings in bearings and allied products? Can we have a brief account of any path-breaking solution you may have offered to the user-industry recently?

Timken carries more than 120 years of leadership in engineered bearings. Driven by our deep R&D capabilities and engineering expertise, we deliver consistent, reliable product performance tailored for the application. With a reputation for best-in-class quality, service and design, Timken® bearings feature precision tolerances, proprietary internal geometries, and premium materials. Our bearing portfolio includes ball bearings, tapered roller bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, spherical roller bearings, housed units, and thrust bearings amongst others.

Some of our recent developments include fuel-efficient bearings and power-dense fuel-efficient bearings, Timken matched set assemblies for pinions and wheel ends, and high-speed bearings for passenger rail. Timken has used decades of experience and data to develop software that provide us an edge with excellent capabilities in analyzing effects of a vast range of uses, materials, environmental and load conditions on bearing performance. The software streamlines and automates the process for the user, in the entering of the application description, and in the review and formatting of results.

Driven by its global leadership in engineered bearings, Timken continues to develop innovative solutions to help industries perform better. We work closely with our customers to offer solution specific to the application. Some of our recent developments include designing and supplying the ‘Gen3’bearingsfor high-speed trains in India. The Gen3 bearing is an AP2 state-of-the-art design that uses latest generation EcoTurn™ seal and polymer cage and is EN12080 compliant. For automotive industry, we have designed matched set assemblies for heavy truck wheel ends and pinions eliminating customer pain areas related to bearing setting, low life, reduced productivity, need of skilled labor and inventory management.

Timken® split tapered roller bearing for wind main shaft rebuilds allows for the replacement of the main shaft bearing up-tower without the need for a mobile crane. Tapered roller bearing reduces thrust loads transmitted to the gearbox, delivering both significant cost savings and extending gearbox life.

Q. Please throw some light on your manufacturing excellence and quality obsession.

Quality is the second core value at Timken after ethics and integrity. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing plants coupled with our robust design capabilities support us to make advanced products that keep the world in motion. Our manufacturing systems are in line with IOT and Industrial 4.0 requirements. Timken follows lean manufacturing systems in line with TPS and our proprietary TMOS (Timken Manufacturing Operating Systems).These systems equip us with the framework for lean manufacturing, problem-solving, and most importantly, developing shop floor leadership which can drive relentless improvement using kaizen and continual improvement philosophy.

Our manufacturing and lean efforts have won several accolades from our customer as well as from various industrial forums. Our global TQMS (Timken Quality Management Systems) is the foundation of very strong quality systems and works as a framework to produce consistent quality of Timken products irrespective of the location where the parts are produced. Our integrated quality systems are certified to IATF 16949, ISO 9001, IRIS and AAR.

Timken provides world-class products with sustainable environment and best-in-class safety systems. Our manufacturing plants in India are certified to ISO 14001, ISO 45001 from environment and health and safety points of view and ISO 50001 from energy management perspective. With a committed team of manufacturing associates, Timken India is taking strong actions to drive our manufacturing footprint, driving relentless quality and sustainability efforts, and is committed to providing world-class products and services to our customers.

Q. What’s the difference you expect to make to the industrial and mobility sectors?

Timken has the product portfolio and engineering prowess to provide innovative solutions to keep world industries in motion. Product innovation and customized bearing solutions would continue to be a central driving force in this area. Timken has established itself as the preferred solution provider for friction management and industrial mobility solutions for its customers.

In the mobility sector, Timken would continue to leverage its global expertise to provide high-end technical solutions to customers, especially when dealing with demanding applications. We are also working closely with OEMs to provide local solutions for rapid growth that we foresee in the EV space. Timken India also provides power-dense bearing solutions to customers to enable them to downsize equipment size. Timken creates value and encourages customers to move to fuel efficient bearings. We are also a proven expert in solving customer challenges by moving towards pre-set Matched Bearing Assembly solutions especially in the wheel ends and axle centers.

In the industrial sector we work in innovating and developing products that our customers need and value. We constantly try to improve our current methods – making them quicker, safer, more efficient, and more reliable. We leverage our deep product and process knowledge coupled with our manufacturing abilities to develop products for changing market needs and trends. We invest in developing solutions for a sustainable future.

Timken product and services portfolio for energy efficient systems and linear motion systems bear testimony to our expertise in these areas. Starting from innovations in specialized industrial applications gaining customer confidence and resulting in major use, to service models which allow complete reliability and offer “Peace of Mind”, Timken expects to make a significant difference in the industrial and mobility sectors in the near and distant future.