India’s Largest Engine Bearings Company, Menon Bearings Ltd

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Nitin Menon, Executive Chairman, Menon Bearings Ltd.
Nitin Menon, Executive Chairman,
Menon Bearings Ltd.

Menon Bearings Ltd. (MBL for short) is one of the leading manufacturers of highly critical moving engine components like bimetal bearings that operate in high temperatures & pressures inside demanding engines with high payloads & reliability. These products have long & highly collaborative development cycles, and also require rigorous testing & validation before they can be fit inside assemblies of critical applications. A highly limited number of players operate in this segment which has very high entry barriers due to the nature of the components.

MBL today is the market leader in its segment and successfully competes against global players in the market like Federal Mogul, KSPG (formerly Kirloskar Bearings) and Bimetal Bearings.

Menon Bearings Ltd. established in 1991, is one of the few companies in the continent having fully integrated manufacturing facilities under one roof, to produce a wide range of critical auto components like bi-metal Engine Bearings, Bushes, Thrust Washers for Light & Heavy Commercial Vehicle Engines, Compressors for Refrigerators, Industrial Engines, Pumps, Tractors, Brake Systems, Axles, etc. Since 2010, MBL has diversified from Engine Bearings (Crank Shaft Parts) to bi-metal parts required for drive Train Transmission, Differential Gear, Brake, Steering, Suspension, Axles, etc.

MBL is globally positioned with business activities spanning 24 countries around the globe. Exporting 35 % of its production capacity, with exports growth at more than 25 % per annum, the engineering capabilities at MBL enjoy strong brand equity among leading OEM`s all over the world.

MBL infrastructure can handle a wide variety of metals, coatings, features & diameter ranges. The cellular organization of the manufacturing setup affords flexibility for small batches and at the same time leverages the economies of big volumes. The company manufactures 18 million bearings, 20 million bushes, & 5 million thrust washers per annum.

In 2008 MBL Strategically diversified into a new product segment with huge potential, namely Finished Critical Aluminium Die Cast Components. This aluminium division named Alkop has since emerged as a niche technology player and enjoys a major share of the parts supplied to domestic and export requirements. Today Alkop contributes about 25% of the top line and balance 75% is contributed by Bimetal products (i.e. engine bearings, bushes & thrust washers). Alkop supplies to world leaders like Honeywell and Eaton.

Menon Alkop

Menon Alkop, a division of MBL, deploys world-class technology to manufacture top-of-the-line HPDC, LPDC & Gravity Die Cast products for critical, high value applications in the automobile sector. The Product range includes engine blocks, cylinder heads, gear boxes, end shields, etc. Menon Alkop’s fully automated shop floor of more than 55,000 sq.ft. is situated in an area of more than half a million square feet at the Five Star MIDC area in Kagal.

“Our shop floor is organized into cellular structure which is flexible and adaptable. Our Manufacturing System based on SPMS designed and manufactured in-house, enables us to provide our customers the highest quality and production value. We can redesign and tailor the process of manufacturing to the customer’s requirements. All this means we’re capable of handling virtually any size application, any-volume, and any application cost-effectively and as per schedule,” says the company.

Total Engineering Solutions

The broad-based and rich technical expertise and sound manufacturing experience at Menon Bearings Ltd. enables it to provide total engineering solutions to its customers. From concept, design, testing & validation to final product, its team of design engineers interact closely with the OEM customers in arriving at a proper solution through a collaborative effort. Highly qualified and trained engineers with exposure to international trends in technology, product designing and different work situations, are capable of structured problem solving and developing robust solutions for continuous process re-engineering. Many OEMS have used the services of MBL design engineers to generate new ideas and solutions for existing and new products. The company has supported engineering programs of various OEMS worldwide. Its fully integrated systematic approach is winning awards for quality and manufacturing excellence.

Awards bearing testimony to global quality

Menon Bearings Ltd. has been awarded ‘Self certification / Single source / Ship to use’ status by leading auto brands across the world and we enjoy major share with all of them. Selection of Menon Bearings as single/ sole supplier by international leaders, who follow and demand very stringent quality norms, is a testimony to the global quality standards of MBL and of global acceptability of MBL`s strengths in engineering. With ‘Ship to use’ status supplier from leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), MBL products are fitted directly on the assembly lines.

Product Range

Menon Bearings Ltd. manufactures an extensive & diverse range of bi-metal Engine Bearings, Bushes, Thrust Washers for Automotive Light & Heavy Commercial Vehicle Engines, Car Engines, Industrial Engines, Compressors for Refrigerators, Pumps, Tractors, Brake Systems, Axles etc. MBL offers an extensive portfolio of product solutions to its global customers. Its comprehensive manufacturing line and varied product portfolio positions makes it a single-source vendor to various global OEMs. MBL is

among the very few companies to have facilities to produce next generation lead-free material to produce next generation parts to cater to future emission norms.

Bearings: Bearings for Connecting Rods, Bearings for Crank shafts, Flanged Bearings, Trimetal Bearings

Bushes: Truncated bushes for connecting rods, Rocker Arms, Ball indented bushes, Bushes for Connecting Rods, Cam Shafts, and Rock Shafts

Thrust Washers: Washers with Thrust, Face Contours,Ring Type,Thrust Washers

Esteemed Customers

MBL has a strong base of customers spread across various segments. MBL has a major shareof business with marquee global OEMS. However, no single customer contributes more than 10 to 12% of MBL’s business. MBL customers include Brakes India Limited, VST Tillers & Tractors Ltd., GM Motors, Tata Motors, Cummins India, Volvo, John Deere, Mack, Mahindra, EICHER, Maruti Suzuki, Sonalika Tractors, Emerson, Arrow Engine company, BEML, Magna, Allison Transmission, Suzuki, IFB Industries Ltd., TVS, Knorr-Bremse, GAE Group, EATON, Frick, Ingersoll Rand, Greaves, Kalyani, TAFE, etc.

MBL is a globally positioned company with business exposure hedged across various geographies, thereby mitigating risks of the differentially timed lockdowns and recessions in various parts of the world. MBL has an office in Indianapolis which manages warehousing in the USA to service customers in and around the USA region since the last 20 years.

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