Tokyo, Japan, August 9, 2012 - NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Norio Otsuka) today announced that it has developed a hub unit bearing* equipped with a high-reliability seal that delivers superior dependability in the toughest environmental conditions. NSK is targeting 4 billion yen in sales in 2016 for this product by expanding sales throughout the global market, beginning with emerging nations.
* A hub unit is a part that integrates the bearing with the hub on which automobile wheels are mounted.
Of all the components of an automobile, the hub unit bearing is located closest to the surface of the road, and so it is exposed to muddy water easily. Despite this, it must maintain a high level of reliability due to the critical role it plays supporting the vehicle frame.
NSK has been working to penetrate the global market with its hub unit bearings, which even before this new product already had a seal for improved water resistance, especially in emerging nations.
However, in regions such as Russia, there are poor road conditions unique to cold weather such as snow, ice, slush, and mud created as the snow melts on unpaved roads. Such regions require an even higher level of resistance to muddy water.
Furthermore, in recent years, even among emerging nations, the demand to reduce CO2 emissions along with rising gasoline prices have made improved fuel economy an imperative for automobiles, which means that friction must be reduced and reliability must be improved.
In response to this situation, NSK has developed a hub unit bearing with a high-reliability seal that achieves superior dependability in the most challenging conditions by suppressing the increase of friction and improving muddy water resistance while utilizing the same-sized seal as its conventional product.
