September 15,2026
In September 2026, the most closely watched event in the global bearing industry is the accelerated merger between Japan NSK and NTN, alongside the successful A-share listing of China Luoyang Bearing (LYC). In China, the industry as a whole presents a pattern of "stable overall volume, pressure on profits, and accelerating high-end substitution."
Japan third- and fourth-largest bearing manufacturers, NSK and NTN, are advancing their merger integration faster than expected. If successfully completed, the new company global market share is projected to reach 24%, surpassing Sweden SKF to become the world largest, with annual revenue potentially exceeding one trillion yen.
Background: This "marriage of the century" is viewed as a strategic defense. Chinese bearing companies are extremely fast in design, prototyping, and customer response, putting pressure on the Japanese giants. NSK president admitted that "what we lack in strengthening international competitiveness is speed."
Individual Moves: Ahead of the merger, NSK partnered with Delta Electronics and Japanese AI robotics company Atom to enter the humanoid robot sector; NTN inaugurated a new R&D center in France and launched localized production of electrically erosion-resistant bearings in China.
US-listed company Arxis completed the acquisition of Schatz Bearing Corporation (a specialized bearing manufacturer) and StratEdge Corporation (a ceramic packaging manufacturer) in early September. Schatz focuses on thin-section bearings, angular contact bearings, and other products for aerospace, defense, and space applications. The two companies are expected to generate combined revenue of over $40 million in fiscal year 2027.
On September 9, Luoyang Bearing Group Co., Ltd. (LYC, 301699) officially listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange's ChiNext board. The stock opened up 88.92%, at one point rising over 130% intraday, and closed with a gain of 101.45%, pushing total market capitalization above 23.1 billion yuan.
Use of Proceeds: The IPO raised 1.969 billion yuan, mainly invested in projects such as high-speed train bogie bearings, intelligent production of new energy bearings, and precision bearings for major technical equipment.
Strategic Goals: The company aims to accelerate five major transformations—"product structure, development model, digital-intelligentization, talent structure, and internationalization"—striving to rank among the world's leading bearing companies by 2030.
H1 2026 Industry Data: Output Up, Profits Down
According to statistics from the China Bearing Industry Association, in January-June 2026, 144 major enterprises produced 3.926 billion sets of bearings, up 10.32% year-on-year; however, main business revenue was 44.009 billion yuan, down 0.82% year-on-year; total profit was 4.517 billion yuan, down 4.98% year-on-year.
This reflects the industry characteristic of "stable overall growth, but weakened overall profitability." Competition in the general-purpose bearing sector is intense, and domestic substitution in high-end bearings has become the main source of growth.
During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China bearing export earnings grew from $4.834 billion** in 2020 to **$7.426 billion in 2025; meanwhile, foreign exchange spent on high-end bearing imports fell from $4.366 billion** to **$3.491 billion, with import dependence in key areas declining year by year.
According to forecasts by the China Commercial Industry Research Institute, China bearing output is expected to reach 27.4 billion sets in 2026, with market size projected to reach $31.26 billion.
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Mighty Way Industrial Limited (MTWB)
Email: sales@mtwbearing.com
Website: www.mtwbearings.com
Address: Room 13-15, 19/F, Nan Fung Centre, 264-298 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, N.T., Hong Kong
