Swiss rolling bearing manufacturer: industrial bearings from 1 mm bore to over 2,000 mm outside diameter, including special designs.
RKB Europe SA – RKB Bearing Industries Group
Balerna (CH) · Panama, Albrook Free Zone (PA) · North Macedonia (MK)New on Amplifa
About RKB Bearing Industries
The RKB Bearing Industries Group is a Switzerland-based manufacturing organization that has been active in the bearing industry since 1936. The company designs and produces industrial rolling bearings from 1 mm bore diameter to over 2,000 mm outside diameter, as well as technological bearings with outside diameters up to 1,925 mm for OEM and MRO customers worldwide. The value chain includes forging of bearing components, in-house heat treatment with automatic parameter control, primary CNC machining, turning and grinding of rings and rollers, and assembly according to element pairing charts derived from metrological measurements. Through-hardened and case-hardened bearing steels are processed; surface chemical treatments complete the range. Key industries include the steel industry, mining, cement, marine/offshore, the wire and cable industry, HVAC motors, and power and heating plants. Executive Headquarters and Technological Center are located in Balerna (CH); a global distribution network supplies over 70 countries.
- Site
- Balerna
- Processes
- Rolling bearing design and manufacturing (industrial bearings, 1 mm bore to over 2,000 mm, Forging of bearing components (bar/block cutting, heating, upset forging, upsetting and, Heat treatment (through-hardened and case-hardened steel, in-house hardening process with, Primary machining on CNC machines (turning), Turning and grinding of rings and rollers (final geometry, micro-geometry profiles,, Ultra-high-precision machining of Masterpieces (reference specimens) for rings and rollers, Assembly of bearings according to element pairing charts derived from metrological measurements, Surface chemical treatments of bearings for special surface requirements
- Materials
- Bearing steel, through-hardened, Bearing steel, case-hardened
- Certificates
- D&B Risk Indicator 1 / Top Rating (Top 2% Swiss companies, 11 years in, D&B Rating Certificate (Top 2% Swiss companies)
- Founded
- 1936
- Industries
- Steel Industry, Mining, Cement, Marine/Shipyard/Offshore, HVAC (Motors), Wire and Cable Industry
- 01
Design and Engineering
- 02
R&D
- 03
Raw material selection and inspection
- 04
Forging (cutting to size, heating, upset forging, rolling)
- 05
In-house heat treatment
- 06
Primary machining on CNC machines
- 07
Turning and grinding of rings and rollers
- 08
Surface chemical treatments
- 09
Assembly according to element pairing charts
- 10
Multilevel quality control
- 11
Distribution and after-sales services
Materials & Processes
Bearing steel, through-hardened
For rings and rollers with in-house hardening process and full process traceability.
Bearing steel, case-hardened
Case-hardened bearing steels for applications with high fatigue strength and wear-exposed surfaces.
Locations
Balerna
CHExecutive Headquarters and Technological Center
- Part weight / size
- Bearings up to over 2,000 mm OD; technological bearings up
- Lot size
- Standard and custom manufacturing (Special Projects)
- Materials
- Through- and case-hardened bearing steel
- CNC machining equipment
- Ultra-high-precision machine tools (Masterpieces)
- Heat treatment systems with automatic parameter control
- Metrology laboratory
Panama (Albrook Free Zone)
PARKB Sudamericana: warehouse, offices, showroom, training room
- Lot size
- Large bearing stocks
- Modern warehouse logistics
North Macedonia (RKB Balkans)
MKSales and back office
Bearings & Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling bearing design and manufacturing (industrial bearings, 1 mm bore to over 2,000 mmEngineering | – | over 2,000 mm (outside diameter) | 1 mm bore | – | Bearing steel (through-hardened), Bearing steel (case-hardened) |
| Forging of bearing components (bar/block cutting, heating, upset forging, upsetting andForming | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel (through-hardened), Bearing steel (case-hardened) |
| Heat treatment (through-hardened and case-hardened steel, in-house hardening process withHeat Treatment | – | – | – | – | through-hardened bearing steel, case-hardened bearing steel |
| Primary machining on CNC machines (turning)Machining | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel |
| Turning and grinding of rings and rollers (final geometry, micro-geometry profiles,Machining | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel |
| Ultra-high-precision machining of Masterpieces (reference specimens) for rings and rollersMachining | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel |
| Assembly of bearings according to element pairing charts derived from metrological measurementsAssembly | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel |
| Surface chemical treatments of bearings for special surface requirementsSurface | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel |
| Magnetic particle inspection (MPI) for surface micro-cracksTesting | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel |
| Ultrasonic micro-crack detection for subsurface micro-cracksTesting | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel |
| Multilevel quality control system (raw material, pre-process, in-process, post-process, hardness andTesting | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel |
| Design and manufacturing of technological bearings (outside diameter up to 1,925 mm) for OEM and MROEngineering | – | 1,925 mm (outside diameter) | – | – | Bearing steel |
| Manufacturing of ball bearings, spherical roller bearings, tapered roller bearings, cylindricalJoining | – | – | – | – | Bearing steel |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC machining system for primary machining | – | – | – | – | RKB production sites |
| Ultra-high-precision machine tools (Masterpieces manufacturing) | – | – | – | – | RKB production sites |
| Heat treatment systems with automatic parameter control (temperature, atmosphere, | – | – | – | – | RKB production sites (in-house) |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality Assurance
RKB employs a multilevel quality control system covering raw material and pre-, in- and post-process stages, including steel cleanliness evaluation as well as hardness and microstructure testing. Inspection equipment includes magnetic particle inspection (MPI) for surface and ultrasonic detection for subsurface micro-cracks, plus a metrology laboratory with Masterpieces reference specimens.
| Evidence | Balerna |
|---|---|
| D&B Rating Certificate (Top 2% Swiss companies) |
History
- 1936
Start of operations in the bearing industry in Switzerland
- 2021
Success Case: Track rollers LR 5206 KDD for wire braiding machines in Mexico
- 2022
Once again recognized as a top Swiss company by Dun & Bradstreet (Risk Indicator 1)
- 2024
D&B Rating Certificate for the 11th consecutive year – Top 2% of Swiss companies
- 2024
Delivery of large-format technological bearings (over 3 t) for high-pressure feed breakers (mining/cement)
- 2024
New branch offices: RKB Sudamericana (Panama) and RKB Balkans (North Macedonia)
- 2024
Strategic partnership with Damen Services Middle East (UAE) for marine/offshore