Kilian Manufacturing (a division of Altra Industrial Motion, a division of Genstar Capital; website) reportedly has its bearing manufacturing operations back at work after demand fell sharply toward the end of last year.

Its operations in Syracuse, New York and Etobicoke, outside Toronto, were shut down for a longer-than-usual holiday period from the end of 2008 through early 2009.

The company is a leading manufacturer of custom-engineered bearings and bearing assemblies. Sizes range from 1/4" through 6" OD. Kilian manufactures bearings under the Argosy, Kilian and Kilrol brands.

Kilian has seen demand for customer bearings hit hard by the general manufacturing recession, cutting across virtually all of its markets from industrial to automotive to consumer products and business machines.

In the U.S., Fred Kilian is credited for inventing the unground bearing, patenting the design in 1922.

Torrington acquired Kilian in 1975, and it continued to operate semi-autonomously. Timken acquired Torrington in 2003. In late 2004, Timken sold off Kilian to Genstar Capital which included management-backed funding for the acquisition.

article: Timken divests Kilian to Genstar and management group
Altra still faces headwinds in key markets for its various manufacturing business units, but Kilian and Colfax Power Transmission are the founding and preferred operating cornerstones behind Altra's establishment.

After a wide array of other acquisitions, the division now includes 35 product lines, manufacturing facilities across six countries and sales operations in 70 countries -- all focused on electromechanical power transmission products. Brands include Boston Gear, Warner Electric, Formsprag, Ameridrives, Nuttall, Stieber, Huco Dynatork, and many others.

Into the remainder of 2009, Altra has announced a general hiring freeze and has frozen all non-union employee salaries. Reduced work schedules are also in effect across most of its business units. The Genstar division will also close up to six manufacturing facilities in 2009, but did not specify if either one of Kilian's could be among them.