The Schaeffler Group is one of the largest manufacturers of bearings in the world, but the conglomerate started out much smaller. Wilhelm and Georg Schaeffler founded INA in 1946 in Germany. Later, the brothers, both PhDs, acquired FAG and LuK Lamellen, GmbH, forming the Schaeffler Group. FAG had already acquired Barden by then.

Georg developed the needle roller cage in 1949, making needle roller bearings more reliable. This invention changed the industry. Their culture of innovation continues to this day. The company employs approximately 28,000 people in plants all over the world.

Together, INA, Barden, and FAG make up the Schaeffler Group. With manufacturing facilities worldwide, Schaeffler produces a variety of bearing types of equally outstanding quality.

INA Bearings:

INA was the Schaefflers’ first company and was founded in Germany in 1946. Engineers have recognized INA bearings by their high level of quality and reliability ever since. The company supplies roller, plain, and machine tool spindle bearings to its North American distributors.

INA manufactures and distributes high-quality, economical products, and emphasizes the importance of their customers. Their sixty-three manufacturing facilities enable them to stay competitive internationally. They concentrate on research and development, keeping the Schaeffler Group at the forefront of bearing technology.

INA, along with Schaeffler companies FAG and Barden, provides precision bearings to the manufacturing, aerospace, and automotive industries.

FAG:

Part of the Schaeffler Group, FAG supplies Alpine Bearing with machine tool spindle and deep groove radial bearings. Fischers Aktiengesellschaft (Fischer’s Stock Corporation) was founded in 1905. The company’s namesake, Freidrich Fischer, invented a mill to grind steel balls to perfect spheres in 1883. Their products are proof that innovation and quality are still important to the people at FAG.

In the 1950s, FAG opened its first North American manufacturing plant in Canada. In 1969, they began production in its Joplin, Missouri plant. FAG acquired Barden in the 1990s and became a part of the Schaeffler Group in 2001. 

In 2013, Alpine Bearing began stocking FAG machine tool spindle and deep groove radial bearings.

Barden:

Founded in 1942, Barden Corporation manufactured precision instrument bearings for the Norden bombsight and other critical military and aeronautical instruments during World War II. Now a part of the Schaeffler group of Herzogenaurach, Germany, Barden continues to produce aerospace and super precision bearings in its factories in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Plymouth, England.

The company specializes in super-precision bearings that can withstand harsh temperatures and environments, including high speed, low gravity, and undersea applications. They produce radial, single row, super-precision angular contact, and deep groove ball bearings.

In the 1990s, FAG bought Barden, which became part of the Aerospace and Super Precision Division of FAG. Later, INA-Schaeffler KG acquired FAG, making it a member of the Schaeffler Group. Even more recently, German precision bearing manufacturer HQW Precision GmbH purchased Barden UK. The two companies will continue to concentrate on innovative and high-quality precision bearings.

Alpine Bearing is your go-to place for Schaeffler brands, INA, FAG, and Barden. If you need information about which bearings will work best for your application, or have any bearing-related questions, Alpine’s sales engineers can help. You can reach them by phone, email, or their website chat feature.