NH Ball Bearings Acquires CEROBEAR

New Hampshire Ball Bearings Inc., a bearing supplier to the aerospace, defense, dental, and medical markets, and subsidiary of Minebea Co. Ltd., has acquired all of the shares of CEROBEAR GmbH, the manufacturer of innovative bearings featuring technologically advanced ceramics. The two companies recently signed a Share Purchase Agreement in Duesseldorf, Germany. 

 

This strategic acquisition provides significant competitive advantages to both companies. CEROBEAR gains access to the global manufacturing and marketing resources of NHBB and Minebea, enabling the company to rapidly expand its worldwide customer base in the aerospace, defense, and medical industries. By partnering with CEROBEAR, whose core strength is ceramic technology development, NHBB is now able to assist its aerospace customers with the adoption of ceramic bearing technology in a wider range of aircraft applications. Ceramic and hybrid ceramic bearing technology is gaining wider acceptance with aircraft and engine manufacturers as they continue their search for innovative materials and solutions that reduce weight and increase fuel efficiency.

 

As a result of the acquisition, CEROBEAR becomes a part of the NHBB/myonic Business Unit within the global manufacturing conglomerate, Minebea, and will operate as an independent subsidiary under NHBB. With the addition of CEROBEAR this month and myonic GmbH in 2009, the NHBB/myonic Business Unit now operates six manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Europe.

 

CEROBEAR GmbH is located in Herzogenrath, Germany, where it operates a 21,500ft² manufacturing facility and employs more than one hundred highly skilled technical workers.