Industry Manufacturing Headquarters Annecy Number of employees 1,100 | Area served Worldwide Founded 1910 Subsidiaries GGB Slovakia s.r.o. | |
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Type Subsidiary of EnPro Industries, Inc. (NYSE: NPO) Number of locations 8 manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Germany, France, Brazil, Slovakia and China Products Metal-polymer, solid polymer, filament-wound and metallic plain bearings; bushing blocks; bearing housings Website www.ggbearings.com www.enproindustries.com Parent organizations EnPro Industries, Coltec Industries Profiles | ||
GGB Bearing Technology, formerly Glacier Garlock Bearings, manufactures self-lubricating and prelubricated plain bearings for various industries and applications. It has production facilities in the U.S., Germany, France, Slovakia, Brazil and China. The company is an EnPro Industries, Inc. company (NYSE: NPO). The company manufactures metal-polymer bearings, engineered plastics bearings, fiber reinforced composite bushings, metal and bimetal bearings, bushing blocks & thrust plates and bearing assemblies.
Contents
History
GGB Bearing Technology has its origins in 19th Century technology used in steam pistons on industrial equipment, and by the 21st Century saw its advanced metal-polymer bearings used on NASA’s Curiosity Rover on the surface of Mars. High points in the company’s growth include the development of the industry’s first metal-polymer bearing with bronze and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) lining. These DU self-lubricating bushes, launched in 1956, are still being manufactured, specified and used today. Its DX marginally-lubricated bearings, introduced in 1965, are still specified and used for applications where a thin film of lubricant is required. Recent advancements in GGB materials technology include the development of products like the HI-EX bearing material, which complies with End of Life Vehicles Directive, RoHS and WEEE requirements limiting hazardous substances.
Timeline
1887: Olin J. Garlock invented a system for sealing piston rods in industrial steam engines in Palmyra, N.Y.
1955: Patented a process for mush impregnation of porous bronze, and shortly thereafter began producing the industry’s first metal-polymer plain bearings.
1956: Introduced DU, the world’s first steel-backed metal-polymer bushings with bronze and PTFE lining.
1958: Garlock Inc. was established as the U.S. distributor for Glacier.
1965: Launched the marginally-lubricated DX metal-polymer product for greased and oil-lubricated applications.
1970s: Glacier licensed technology to a number of overseas bearing manufacturers. Licensees included: SIC (France), Garlock Bearings (USA).
1976: Glacier and Garlock Inc. established a joint venture for the production of metal-polymer plain bearings in the U.S., Garlock Bearings Inc.
1978: Introduced fiber-reinforced composite bushings in the USA, including GAR-MAX.
1986: Launched HI-EX metal-polymer bushes material, designed for high temperature applications.
2002: B.F. Goodrich, spun off its engineered industrial products division, creating EnPro Industries, Inc., the new parent company of Glacier Garlock Bearings.
2003: Introduced lead-free DP31 metal-polymer bushes with improved performance under lubricated conditions. Acquired Saver North America, a producer of self-lubricating composite bearings. Glacier Garlock Bearings expanded business in Asia.
2004: Glacier Garlock Bearings changed its name to GGB Bearing Technology and opened a production facility in Sučany, Slovakia.
2007: Introduced SBC (Sealed Bearing Cartridges) for off-highway equipment applications. Acquired Boehringer Kunststofftechnik GmbH, a precision injection molder of high performance engineered plastics bearings.
2008: Production facilities were established in Suzhou, China. The new DX10 bushings won Frost & Sullivan’s product innovation of the year award in the Class 7-8 truck bearings category.
2009: Fiber reinforced composite bushings introduced to the European and Asian markets; GGB North America certified to AS9100C, the aerospace industry’s standard for quality management systems.
2010: Introduced lead-free DP10 and DP11 metal-polymer bearings for under marginally lubricated and dry running conditions.
2011: GGB acquired PI Bearings, a producer of PICAL aluminum alloy bushing blocks for demanding fluid power applications. GGB plants certified to OHSAS 18001 for health and safety management systems.
2012: DTS10 machinable metal-polymer bushes are launched for the fluid power and compressor markets. GGB bearings used in NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover.
2013: Launched new self-lubricating metallic plain bearings GGB-CSM and GGB-CBM as well as FLASH-CLICK two-piece, double-flanged engineered plastics bearings.
2014: Series of self-lubricating sintered bronze and sintered iron bearings introduced, including GGB-BP25, GGB-FP20 and GGB-SO16. Three plants mark milestone anniversaries: 40 years for Heilbronn, Germany and Dieuze, France and 10 years for Sučany, Slovakia.
2015: Introduced HPMB self-lubricating fiber reinforced composite bushings with machinable liner and GGB-SZ lead-free bimetal bearings. The Thorofare, NJ, USA filament-wound plant relocated to a nearby, larger facility.
Industries
The company’s bearings are used by the automotive, aerospace, agriculture, construction, medical, fluid power, compressor, off-highway, recreational equipment, renewable energy, oil & gas, and primary metals production industries.
Present Day Operations
GGB plain bearings are found in a variety of demanding and highly engineered applications worldwide. Notably, the DU bushing is a critical component in the drill that is used on NASA’s Curiosity Rover to collect soil samples on the surface of Mars. On the Curiosity Rover, the DU bushing serves as the primary suspension component for the mission-critical drill spindle. The DX bearing can be found in the Lokomat Pro, a functional robotics system used to improve mobility in individuals following neurological diseases and injuries. Additionally, GGB products can be found in the Gateshead Millennium Bridge (GGB-DBTM monometal maintenance free bearing), the miter gates of the Panama Canal (GGB-DB cast bronze hemispherical bearing), and the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Plant (HPM and HPF fiber reinforced composite bearings).