Schaeffler

Schaeffler AG (Schaeffler Group, Schaeffler-Gruppe) is a German industrial conglomerate based in Herzogenaurach (Bavaria) and one of the world's largest manufacturers of rolling bearings and drivetrain components. The company was founded in 1946 by brothers Wilhelm and Georg Schaeffler. Schaeffler is now a global Tier-1 supplier — it produces precision bearings (ball, needle, cylindrical, tapered), strain-wave gears, clutches, hybrid modules, e-axles, electric motors and hydrogen components for the automotive, aerospace, energy (including wind), railway and robotics industries. The group operates three historic brands — INA (needle roller bearings, since 1946), FAG (ball bearings, a brand dating back to 1905, acquired through the hostile 2001 takeover of FAG Kugelfischer) and LuK (clutches, acquired in 1999). Schaeffler has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB: SHA, SDAX index) since its IPO in October 2015. The Schaeffler family (Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann and Georg F. W. Schaeffler) remains the majority shareholder through a network of holding companies that also control Continental AG and — until 2024 — Vitesco Technologies (merged into Schaeffler on 1 October 2024). The Indian subsidiary Schaeffler India Ltd. is separately listed on the NSE and BSE. In 2023 the group's consolidated revenue was approximately €25 billion with around 120,000 employees. For the robotics industry Schaeffler supplies precision strain-wave gears, cross-roller bearings and actuators used in industrial robots, cobots and humanoid robots.