Press Release

NSK Completes Acquisition of Brüel & Kjær Vibro

NSK Ltd. has completed the acquisition of the global condition monitoring system (CMS) business known as Brüel & Kjær Vibro (B&K Vibro) from Spectris Plc., in line with the initial announcement made on December 10, 2020.

The acquisition will accelerate development of NSK's business platform in the growing CMS market, and further strengthen the company's ability to respond to demand for automation, labor savings, smart technology, and environmentally sustainable solutions.

NSK's main products, including bearings, ball screws, and linear guides, are vital components that directly affect the function and performance of machinery. NSK's wealth of data and technology related to these components will prove to be invaluable in enhancing and developing B&K Vibro's next-generation predictive maintenance systems and delivering new value to the market.

Comment from Nogami Saimon, NSK Ltd. Senior Executive Vice President

Bringing B&K Vibro into the NSK Group marks the start of an exciting adventure to drive innovation in the rapidly growing CMS market. Both NSK and B&K Vibro solutions are key to ensuring operational stability in mission-critical infrastructure in wind power, hydro power, manufacturing, and other sectors that influence the daily lives of hundreds of millions of people. We will draw on our synergies to maximize our CMS business platform and achieve sustainable growth over the long term

Comment from Marcel Van Helten, Brüel & Kjær Vibro CEO

Being a part of one of the leading global bearing suppliers for the industrial sector is opening new opportunities where we can capitalize on to further growth B&K Vibro. It means expansion in the field of innovation and technology development but also on leveraging our capabilities to offer better predictive maintenance capabilities to the current and new NSK customer base.

About B&K Vibro

Representative CEO Marcel van Helten
Business Scale Sales €52.5 million (about ¥6.5 billion)
Number of Employees Approximately 220
Main Business Manufacture and sale of condition monitoring devices and sensors, condition monitoring services, etc.
Sales by Industry Wind power (42%), oil and gas (16%), hydro and thermal power (7%), other (35%)
Sales by Region Europe (43%), Asia (29%), the Americas (22%), other (6%)
CMS Installations Wind power: Over 30,000
Hydro power: Over 800
LNG and oil refining: Over 10,000

About NSK

NSK began its journey manufacturing the first bearings in Japan in 1916, and has since developed into a global organization researching, designing, and manufacturing Motion & Control™ solutions essential for mobility and industrial applications. NSK is the top supplier of bearings in Japan and is the third largest supplier in the world by market share.

Our responsive products and technologies enhance automotive performance and industrial productivity while reducing energy consumption to unprecedented low levels. In the early 1960s, we set our sights outside Japan and have established over 200 business locations in 30 countries alongside a vast network of joint ventures and partnerships in all corners of the world.

NSK Corporate Philosophy

NSK contributes to a safer, smoother society and helps protect the global environment through its innovative technology integrating Motion & Control. As a truly international enterprise, we are working across national boundaries to improve relationships between people throughout the world.