URB

URB is a bearing brand based in Romania, known as Rulmenti S.A. Bârlad. It is the largest rolling bearing manufacturer in Southeastern Europe. The company was established in 1951 in Bârlad, Romania, with a planned annual production capacity of 250,000 sets of bearings. In 1953, URB produced its first ball bearing and started manufacturing four-point contact ball bearings. By 1965, the annual production capacity of the URB factory had increased significantly to 2.5 million sets. In 1974, URB obtained a manufacturing license from Koyo, Japan, further boosting its annual production capacity to 30 million sets of deep groove ball bearings.

During the 1980s and 1990s, URB underwent several equipment and manufacturing process upgrades. In the early 1980s, renovations were made to the turning and grinding workshops, and in the 1990s, the machinery was modernized. In particular, between 1996 and 1998, with the support of Koyo, URB significantly improved its ball bearing manufacturing process. In 2000, during the privatization process, the Turkish Bera Group acquired a majority stake in URB, becoming the controlling shareholder.

URB has also made significant investments in internationalization. In 2006, URB established the Anadolu Rulman factory in Düzce, Turkey, producing bearings under the ART brand. In 2007, URB acquired a Hungarian rolling bearing company, which manufactured bearings under the MGM brand. The Hungarian company was established in 1950 and primarily focused on producing and repairing tapered roller bearings until its privatization in 1996. In 2012, URB established a factory in India to produce large-sized bearings with outer diameters up to 1 meter. URB China was established in 2018. When referring to the URB bearing brand from Romania, it is actually connected to the ART brand from Turkey and the MGM brand from Hungary.

URB produces a comprehensive range of bearing products, including single-row and double-row deep groove ball bearings, self-aligning ball bearings, angular contact ball bearings, single-row and double-row cylindrical roller bearings, tapered roller bearings, spherical roller bearings, thrust ball bearings, and cylindrical roller thrust bearings. URB products are suitable for a wide range of industrial applications, including the petroleum industry, gearbox sector, crushing equipment, cement industry, heavy industry, metallurgy, coal industry, precision instruments, railway industry, and wind power sector.

URB sells its products through a global distribution network. Europe and the Americas account for 39% and 34% of sales, respectively, with European sales mainly concentrated in Southeastern and Southern Europe. The Middle East and Africa, as well as the Asia-Pacific region, account for 19% and 8% of the distribution network, with the Asia-Pacific region primarily focusing on the Indian market.

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