Chinese High-End Bearings Surge in Global Markets: Export Gr

Publication Time：2025-12-16 11:11 [ From：Andge Bearing ] Author：Bearing Website

Against the backdrop of China's "14th Five-Year Plan" and the global manufacturing industry's intelligent transformation, the Chinese bearing industry has embarked on a remarkable journey of upgrading, shifting from "quantity expansion" to "quality improvement" and gaining significant traction in international markets. The latest data from the China Bearing Industry Association (CBIA) paints a vivid picture of this upward trajectory: in 2024, the industry's revenue exceeded 231.5 billion yuan (approximately $31.8 billion), representing a year-on-year growth of 6.2%, while bearing output reached 33.7 billion sets, a record high with a 17.3% year-on-year increase. The momentum continued into the first quarter of 2025, with 160 key enterprises in the sector achieving a total industrial output value of 25.4 billion yuan, up 11.14% year-on-year, and industrial added value of 7.63 billion yuan, a 10.97% year-on-year increase.

What is more striking is the outstanding performance in exports. In the first quarter of 2025, China's bearing export volume increased by 8.7% year-on-year, and in March alone, exports soared to 68,366 tons, a year-on-year jump of 25.3%. This surge is not merely a reflection of scale expansion but a testament to the enhanced competitiveness of Chinese high-end bearings in global markets. Professor Shi Zhaoyao from Beijing University of Technology emphasized, "Bearings are core components and a fundamental strategic industry. The unprecedented emphasis on the self-reliance of basic component industries has injected strong impetus into the development of industries such as bearings and gears."

Key breakthroughs in high-end application fields have laid the foundation for this export boom. In the aerospace sector, the three-point contact ball bearings used in the "power core" of the Long March 2F Yao-20 carrier rocket, which successfully launched the Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft in April 2025, and the high-precision self-lubricating bearings for the spacecraft's rotating mechanism, were independently developed by the Institute of Bearing Research of Sinomach Precision Engineering. Their performance has reached the international advanced level. In the field of major national infrastructure, the feed cabin bearings developed by Luoyang Bearing Group (LYC) have contributed to the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) becoming the world's largest and most sensitive single-aperture radio telescope. These bearings also provide precise navigation for lunar exploration missions with their ultra-high sensitivity and pointing accuracy.

The wind power sector has witnessed another milestone. In March 2024, Luoyang Bearing Research Technology Co., Ltd. rolled out the world's first 25MW wind power main shaft and gearbox bearings, setting a new record for single-machine capacity. This achievement marks China's independent control over the R&D and manufacturing capabilities of key components for ultra-large wind turbines, reversing the previous dependence on imports. Wang Haibing, an associate researcher at the Institute of Industrial Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, analyzed, "LYC's technological innovation provides effective solutions to break the 'bottleneck' problem in high-end bearings through increased R&D investment, undertaking national projects, deepening industry-university-research cooperation, and establishing strategic alliances. It also breaks the imbalanced situation of high dependence on imports through product manufacturing and service supply."

Intelligent manufacturing and digital transformation have further boosted competitiveness. LYC has invested over 1 billion yuan in transforming and upgrading traditional production lines, independently developing a batch of bearing application software with independent intellectual property rights. The application of "5G + Industrial Internet of Things" technology has realized the full-process digitalization from product design, material selection, production to delivery. Currently, high-end bearings account for 70% of LYC's total output value. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, it has achieved 13 scientific and technological achievements reaching international levels, with a domestic market share of over 40% in wind power main bearings. Its shield machine main bearings have also broken the monopoly of imports.

Emerging application scenarios such as robotics have become new growth drivers. Luoyang Hongyuan Bearing Technology Co., Ltd. has mastered core technologies for precision bearings used in robot joints after years of R&D and has been exporting its products to Japan and other international markets since 2020. Looking ahead, Zhongyan Puhua predicts that by 2030, the output value of China's bearing industry chain will exceed 500 billion yuan, with high-end bearings accounting for 40% and smart bearings penetration exceeding 30%. Professor Shi Zhaoyao suggested that enterprises should continue to increase R&D investment in basic processes such as precision heat treatment, strengthen quality control throughout the process in line with international certifications, and promote industry-university-research innovation alliances to build a new industrial ecosystem.

【Andge Bearing】WuXi Andge Bearing Co.,Ltd. delivers reliable bearing solutions for industrial, automotive and mechanical applications.

TikTok

Chinese High-End Bearings Surge in Global Markets: Export Gr

Featured Services

Exclusive Offers

Purchase Guide

Buyer Services

Service