NSK Ltd.
Corporate Communications Department
NSK Launches Verification Program to Promote Bearing Reconditioning and Reuse
Promoting the Establishment of New Business Models to Realize a Carbon-neutral Society
NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Akitoshi Ichii) is working to establish new business models that co-create value with its customers throughout the entire product lifecycle—from maintenance and repair of facilities that utilize its products through to disposal—in its efforts to realize a carbon-neutral society. As part of this initiative, NSK has launched a verification program to promote the reconditioning and reuse of bearings using its proprietary diagnostic technologies. This trial is currently under way at a maintenance site of a global steel company.
1. Background and Challenges
At steel, paper manufacturing, and mine facilities, for example, regular equipment maintenance generally includes the demount of bearings from equipment. After disassembly and cleaning, necessary repairs such as surface grinding are carried out based on visual inspections, and bearings are then reinstalled and reused in the equipment.
A significant amount of CO2 is emitted during the manufacturing process of the bearing lifecycle. By fully utilizing bearings through to the very end of their service life, NSK can help customers reduce maintenance costs and achieve carbon neutrality. However, a key challenge at present is that bearings are often discarded with remaining service life to ensure stable equipment operation, because easy and accurate methods for estimating their lifespan at maintenance sites are not widely available. Additionally, before reinstalling bearings into equipment, workers visually inspect their appearance to determine whether they can be reused. However, this process relies heavily on the skills of individual workers, and with an aging workforce, it presents challenges such as inconsistent accuracy and difficulties with knowledge transfer.
2. NSK's New Approach to Solving Challenges
To address such challenges in the reconditioning and reuse of these bearings, NSK has developed its own proprietary “non-destructive fatigue diagnosis” technology. This technology enables the fatigue progression rate of bearings to be easily and accurately assessed on site without the bearings being destroyed. In addition, NSK has developed “reconditionable bearings” based on a new design concept focused on reusability, and is currently expanding its product lineup accordingly. Furthermore, NSK will utilize the “bearing traceability data”—which records the entire lifecycle from manufacturing to condition monitoring, diagnosis, reconditioning, and reuse—to propose optimizations for bearing usage and maintenance.
Going forward, NSK will propose a service for the safe and secure reconditioning and reuse of bearings as one of its new business models. This service will be made possible by its diagnostic technologies, products designed for reuse, and data utilization. By extending the service life of bearings more than ever before, NSK will contribute to reducing customer maintenance costs and efforts to lower the impact on the environment.
3．Future Developments
Beginning with this current initiative for reconditioning and reuse of bearings, from 2026 onwards, NSK will gradually offer new business models that provide solutions encompassing the entire product lifecycle. NSK will advance the co-creation of value that will contribute to solving social issues, not only with customers in the steel industry where it has now begun a verification program, but also with customers in a wide range of industries, including paper manufacturing, mining, railways, and wind power generation.
■Reference Press Releases
・ March 2021
NSK Completes Acquisition of Brüel & Kjær Vibro | NSK Global
・ January 2022
NSK Expands Bearing Lifecycle Cost Management Offering with New Site in Alliance, Ohio | NSK Global
・ September 2023
NSK to Conduct Pilot Tests of New Linear Guide/Ball Screw Condition Monitoring System | NSK Global
・ February 2024
・ October 2024
・ March 2025
・ July 2025
業界初、軸受のCFP算定報告書を公開 | 日本精工 (NSK) (Japanese)
■ Product Information
Condition Monitoring Solutions | NSK Global
About NSK
NSK produced the first bearings in Japan in 1916 and over the past 100 years, it has supported the development of industries worldwide by creating various innovative products and technologies in bearings, automotive parts, and precision machinery. Since the early 1960s, the company has expanded overseas and now has operations in about 30 countries. It ranks third in the world in the field of bearings and leads the world in ball screws, electric power steering, and other products.