Add Hoesch Rothe Erde GmbH (Germany) to the fast-growing list of bearing manufacturers setting up shop in China via joint ventures.

Xuzhou Rothe Erde Slewing Ring Bearing Co., Ltd. (or XREB, China) recently began operations in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu. The company manufactures and markets large-diameter antifriction slewing ring bearings and bearing balls.

XREB is a joint venture of Hoesch Rothe Erde GmbH (Germany), a division of ThyssenKrupp Technologies, and Xuzhou Slewing Ring Bearings Company (or XSBC, China), a division of the state-owned Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, Inc., or XCMG. With an initial capitalization of USD $28 million, Rothe Erde's share is 60% and XCMG's is 40%.

Large-diameter antifriction bearings - slewing ring bearings - are used in such applications as tank turrets, cranes, machine tools, radar dish rotating bases, telescope bases, tunnel boring machines and other large, precision rotating equipment.

Hoesch Rothe Erde indicated the new venture in China - their first - is needed now to expand their penetration into the fast-growing Chinese market for large-diameter bearings.

With 12 other wholly owned or joint venture manufacturing facilities around the world, Rothe Erde is the leading manufacturer of large diameter antifriction bearings - sizes available are 200mm OD through 8,000mm OD and can weigh up to 25,000kg. The company also produces ferrous and non-ferrous rings and turntables for fifth-wheel trailers.

XREB is essentially taking over XSBC, which was founded in 1958 and is China's oldest slewing ring bearing manufacturer. XSBC was a licensee of Hoesch Rothe Erde and produced Hangtian brand slewing ring bearings. Employment recently was 1,800 in a 250,000 square meter factory.

XREB is offering large-diameter slewing ring bearings in sizes from 200mm OD through 5,000mm OD.

The joint venture also inherited XSBC's bearing ball production, and offers steel balls from 6.35mm through 100mm in grades 10 through 200.