NRB collaborates with the world’s most respected mobility companies to provide futuristic products & solutions, says Harshbeena Zaveri

Q. What are the growth drivers for the Bearings industry?  How is the industry faring?

The automotive market is highly dynamic with a constant change in the design of vehicles and consequently their components. Our competency in creating customized product solutions has given us great foresight in adapting to the changing environment and ultimately delivering what the customer wants. The key to success in this industry is product and process innovation, research on cutting edge technology development and light weighting.Our emphasis is to be pioneers not just in existing bearings but to create friction solutions using diverse materials, technologies and manufacturing processes.

Q. What’s your niche in Bearings?

NRB’s domestic market strategy is to be the pre-eminent supplier of Needle and cylindrical bearings to emerging leaders, while retaining existing business at entrenched players.
We have been the largest Indian Needle Bearing supplier with our group having close to 70 percent market share and are market leaders in automotive cylindrical bearingswith a growth rate of 46% in this segment. We have copyrighted our in-house developed analysis software, which was instrumental in enabling the design, and development of the path breaking thin walled cylindrical bearing. Apart from this, we have filed for patents in India and in USA for improved sealing devices for needle bearings and thrust bearings as well as a design that will lead to higher stress bearing capacity in bearings.

Q. What’s your product spectrum today?

Our product range covers over 5500 different types parts of primarily customized friction solutions. We are one of the three largest suppliers in the world of customized bearings and crank pins to the two and three wheeler industry. For cars and SUVs, we are a significant emerging player in transmission bearings for high end luxury cars and the small car market, globally; our newest products have found a space in the world’s most highly engineered dual clutch, automated manual and variable speed transmissions. Our largest volume and range of bearings are deep drawn or formed type bearings that are lighter than conventional (solid race) bearings and are often specifically designed for the application.

Q. We know you are an innovator.  What are the product innovations you have showcased recently?

We expanded our range and engineered cost-effective, light weight friction solutions for a host of applications that resulted in increased fuel efficiency, noise reduction for engines and transmissions, and enhanced life.We employ the frugal innovation approach wherein we devise smart solutions using sustainable design that preserves resources. We constantly invest in state-of-the art equipment from across the globe to achieve high precision standards that comply with the highest quality and environmental certification levels. Many of the products we manufacture are within a one-micron tolerance. Our focus, going forward will be on developing scalable standard operating processes, ensuring at the same time, that we don’t lose our speed and innovation-driven ethos.Size matters less to us than the impact and quality of the solutions we provide.

Q. What are the industry segments you are serving at present?

Currently we supply a wide range of customized friction solutions for all mobility applications. In CV we now supply 100 percent of the needle and cylindrical bearing requirement to Eicher Volvo, the emerging leader. In tractors, apart from supplying entrenched players such as Mahindra and TAFE, NRB is 100 percent supplier of needle and cylindrical bearings to high growth companies, who are swiftly gaining market share, including Sonalika and John Deere. In passenger cars, we are the most critical suppliers of custom designed bearings at India’s largest players, especially in transmission bearings. Our foray into Defense has begun successfully with our products being accepted at DRDO and NAL at breakthrough speed.

Q. Which are the emerging applications you wish to tap?

NRB’s strategy is to carve a niche in applications that are extremely difficult and therefore have historically been the domain of the world’s most respected technology-driven engineering product suppliers. We have expanded our friction solutions and added new high precision product lines, including the supply of balancer shafts. This is one of the high precision engine components and puts NRB in a position to expand engine applications in a major way going forward.Our ongoing focus is on specific application based lighter than conventional bearings and higher stress capacity bearings.

Q. Could you throw some light on your production facilities and manufacturing excellence?

We believe in constantly upgrading our technology. We employ state-of-the-art equipment from across the globe to achieve high precision and deliver products that comply with the highest quality standards. Our focus is on scaling up the R&D from product design to in-house machine design. This constant improvement in existing processes has not only increased efficiency manifold, but also celebrates originality through patents for the machine designs. As a result of this, a climate of R&D has been carefully cultivated that percolates into all aspects of business. We have substituted modern techniques for age-old practices that have led to quantifiable improvements in increasing yield and tool life.

Q. What are your growth plans and future thrusts?

NRB’s culture revolves around the ability to collaborate with the world’s most respected mobility companies and respond with innovative products that improve the performance and carbon footprint of their future generation of vehicles. We have two Government accredited Research & Development centers that focus on quality engineering and disruptive technologies that will drive our future growth. In the future, NRB is looking to penetrate more deeply into emerging segments such as defense, aerospace, marine, construction and off-highway. Geographically,apart from the Eurozone, where we have significant penetration at our key customers, we are now targeting new growth at Japanese, Russian and Korean customers.Our motive is not just collaborating with our customers on technology to develop friction solutions for cutting edge engines and transmissions, but also endearing ourselves to them with our unique responsiveness.