Corporate Profile

Business sectors and products

NSK Industrial (EIBU – European Industrial Business Unit)
European Headquarter: Ratingen (D)

Product Portfolio: Ball Bearings, Cylindrical Roller Bearings, Tapered Roller Bearings, Spherical Roller Bearings, Thrust Bearings, Super Precision Bearings, Ball screws, Linear guides and other linear products, including a wide variety of mechatronic and precision products.

NSK Automotive & Bearing Modules (EABU – European Automotive Business Unit)
European Headquarter: Ratingen (D)

Product Portfolio: Wheel Hub Bearings, Medium-Size Single-Row Deep Groove Ball, Taper and Needle Bearings for Transmission, Integral Shaft Bearings for Water-Pump, Magnetic Clutch Bearings for A/C Compressor.

NSK Steering Systems (ESBU – European Steering Business Unit)
European Headquarter: Ratingen (D)

Product Portfolio: Mechanical/Electrical Steering Columns with integrated Energy Absorb Systems, Manual/Electric Rake and Reach Adjustment, Electric/Manual Upper Tilt + Telescope Adjustment, Electrically Assisted Power Steering Systems (EPAS) with integrated Energy Absorb Systems, Column Assist, Pinion Assist, Steering Gears, (Active/Collapsible) Intermediate Shafts (with Energy Absorb Capability), (Constant Velocity) Joints

Download NSK Facts & Figures 2021

NSK Europe Short Profile

Established over 100 years ago, NSK (Nippon Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha) is a Japanese-listed company that has evolved from a regional ball bearing supplier to a roller bearing specialist and automotive supplier with a global market presence. Today, NSK employs more than 30,400 employees in 30 countries. As per March 2021, NSK achieved sales of 5,646 mill €. This result has been driven by ever-increasing investment in research & development, enabling the company to continuously improve the quality of its products and services. This investment supports NSK’s objective of “No. 1 in Total Quality”. In addition to a complete rolling bearing portfolio, NSK develops and manufactures precision components and mechatronic products, as well as systems and components for the automotive industry, including wheel bearing units and electric power-steering systems.

In 1963, NSK’s first European subsidiary, Düsseldorf, Germany, was opened and in 1976, the first European production facility in Peterlee, England. Today, NSK Europe supports pan-European sales with production locations in England, Poland and Germany, logistics centres in the Netherlands, Germany and England and technology centres in Germany, England and Poland. In 1990, NSK purchased the UPI Group including the renowned European bearing manufacturer RHP, with its factory in Newark (UK).

Additionally, NSK has developed a comprehensive network of authorised sales distributors. NSK Europe is divided into application-based business divisions: Industry rolling bearing & linear technologies (EIBU) as well as bearing modules and steering systems for the automotive industry (EABU & ESBU). In this organisation, NSK Europe's 4,350 employees achieved a turnover of over 792 million Euros as per March 2021.

NSK Europe Mission Statement

Introductory period

1916

• Company is founded and ball bearing production starts.

1930s

• Expansion of bearings business in Japan.

Deployment period

1940s

• Expansion of demand during post-war reconstruction.

1950s

• Entered ball-screw-type steering market and linear product market with balls screws and linear guides.

1960s

• Foundation of R&D department in Japan
• Establishment of first European sales office (Düsseldorf, Germany)
• Establishment of engineering research laboratory.
• Launch of needle roller bearings production as well as of automatic transmissions
• Development of first NSK axel bearings for bullet trains.
• Entered steering column market.

Growth period

1970s

• Opening of a production plant in Peterlee (UK)
• Development of NSK’s first original bearing grease (NS7).
• Entered VCR market with high accuracy bearings.
• Expansion of research on bearing life.
• Entered sealed clean bearing market.

1980s

• Entered mechatronics market.
• Establishment of heat treatment (TF) technology.
• Introduction of HUB III.
• Enters the electronic power steering (EPS) market.

1990s

• Purchase of the UPI Group including RHP (UK) and Neuweg (Germany)
• Opening of the European Technology Centre (UK)
• Purchase of Poland’s leading bearing manufacturers; Establishment of NSK Iskra
• Development of high purity (EP) steel.
• Introduction of ROBUST series of ultra high speed angular contact ball bearings.
• Market introduction of half-toroidal continuously variable transmission (CVT).

2000s

• Finalisation of Fujisawa Research & Development Centre.
• Commercialisation of BSS series + introduction of HPS series of industrial machinery bearings.
• Development of world’s smallest bearing: bore diameter of 0.6 mm, outside diameter of 2mm.
• Development of cylindrical roller bearings for wind turbine gearboxes.
• Development of lightweight cold-formed hub unit bearings.
• Development of the World’s first dual pitman-arm actuators for steer-by-wire systems.
• Development of the manipulation system for fine processing.
• Opening of the Technology Centre in Germany.

2010s

• Expansion of Technical Centre in Germany
• Opening of Steering Test Centre in Germany
• Further expansion of European production facilities
• Development of
  • angular contact ball bearings - BSBD series
  • integrated column type - EPS System
  • ultra-long-life bearings for transmissions
  • friction optimised bearings for high-efficiency motors
  • hub unit bearings
  • linear guides - NH / NS series
  • anti white structure material - AWS-TF
  • ball screws for high speed machine tool applications - HMS series
  • world’s fastest high-load drive ball screw
  • super large ball screws with top-class capacity
  • low-friction ball screws for cooperative regenerative braking systems (electric & hybrid cars)
  • ball screws for seismic dampers used in buildings
  • axle sensor bearings for rail vehicles
  • world's first lubricating grease developed made from 100% food-grade ingredients like vegetable oil registered as NSF category H3 (NSF = National Sanitation Foundation)
  • the world’s smallest (thinnest) roller thrust needle bearing for automotive automatic transmission planetary gear mechanism
  • the world’s lightest electric power steering system - EPS System
  • the world's most compact C-EPS (Toyota IQ)
  • the world's strongest C-EPS (Toyota Highlander)

NSK Corporate Philosophy & NSK Vision 2026

NSK aims to contribute to the well-being of society and protect the global environment through our Motion & Control technology. For our 100th anniversary in 2016, we created NSK Vision 2026, which conveys our aspirations to "set the future in motion," and bring safety, reliability, and comfort to people’s lives - enriching lifestyles and building a brighter future through our products and services.

Establishing a Corporate Foundation for Sustainable Growth

With an eye on long-term development of societies around the world, NSK is dedicated to developing a corporate foundation capable of sustainable growth - sustainable for the environment, and for employees. To this end, we have established four core values for NSK: safety, quality, compliance, and environment. By developing advanced technologies and protecting the environment, we are enhancing our capacity for value creation and driving increased sustainability.

Akitoshi Ichii
President & CEO
NSK Ltd.

NSK celebrated its 100th anniversary on November 8, 2016

NSK celebrated its 100th anniversary on November 8, 2016. The fact that we have been able to conduct successful business operations over a century is a strong testament to solid support received over the years from all stakeholders, including customers and the local community. For this I offer my sincere gratitude.

Ever since developing the first bearings in Japan, we have leveraged our proprietary technology to supply customers in a wide range of fields with bearings and other machine components, thereby supporting industrial growth and contributing to society through the creation of a safe, reliable and comfortable world.

To mark the company’s 100th anniversary, we contemplated the kind of company we would like to become in the future, culminating in NSK Vision 2026. This vision specifies the direction we will aim for and the goals we will strive to accomplish over the next 10 years, and will serve as a guiding principle for the realization of our mission statement.

By repeatedly take on challenges, no matter how small, the NSK Group’s 30,000 employees will work together as one to elicit the company’s all-round strength. United in this way, we are determined to continue striving to make people’s lives safer, more reliable, and more comfortable—enriching lifestyles—to build a brighter future through the products we develop for our customers.

As we consider the prospects for our next 100 years, we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead, knowing that our accumulated experience and expertise comprise the very foundations of our enduring success. In facing the myriad of future challenges, we ask for the ongoing understanding and support of all stakeholders to ensure the NSK’s ongoing success.

Toshihiro Uchiyama,
President & CEO