Interview with Thomas Witzler, NKE
"The rolling bearing market is on the verge of upheaval"
The Austrian bearing manufacturer NKE will be fully acquired by the Spanish manufacturer Fersa Bearings this year. As a group, both companies aim to strengthen their position on the global market, which is also subject to constant developments and changes. Thomas Witzler, Managing Director of NKE, talks in an interview about the strategic direction and plans of the Steyr-based company for the coming years.
SCOPE: Two years have passed since the merger with Fersa Bearings. Can you already draw a conclusion and how will the collaboration develop in the future?
Thomas Witzler: In the near future, NKE and Fersa Bearings will move even closer together than before. In the course of 2018, Fersa will exercise its purchase option to acquire the remaining 51 percent of NKE, which will make NKE a full part of the Fersa Group. As a group, we are prepared to expand production capacities and jointly build additional factories, as well as to make targeted use of synergies in all areas of the company. Furthermore, NKE will focus more specifically on our four strategic sectors Mechanical Drives, Electrical Drives, Agri-tech and Fluid Technology. The clear goal as a group of companies is to exceed the turnover threshold of 100 million euros by 2020.
SCOPE: How does NKE see the global bearing market developing over the next two years?
Witzler: We are very positive about the future. 2017 was an excellent year for NKE. With sales growth of 20 percent, we grew 13 percentage points faster than the global rolling bearing market. Incoming orders in 2017 were also 50 percent higher than in the previous year, which is why we currently see no reason to doubt comparable sales and market growth in 2018 and 2019.
In general, the rolling bearing market will be facing upheaval in the next five to ten years. The automotive market in particular will come under pressure due to the increasing trend towards electromobility and the resulting lower demand for traditional bearings. We expect that the capacities freed up as a result will shift from the automotive sector to the industrial sector and put further pressure on prices.
Another trend is that traditional German automotive suppliers are increasingly becoming system suppliers. The future is moving away from individual mechanical components and towards intelligent, specialized systems.
SCOPE: What steps must a medium-sized bearing manufacturer take in order to benefit from these developments and trends?
Witzler: NKE is investing heavily in the technologies of tomorrow. As traditional rolling bearing technology is relatively limited, profitable growth will only be possible in niches in the long term. This is why NKE is focusing on the development of intelligent products such as sensor bearings.
SCOPE: What goals has the Group set itself?
Witzler: We are planning profitability of at least 10 percent. In addition to customer proximity, the aim is to further increase flexibility and speed and to generate sales of 200 million euros in the Group. This is to be achieved in the medium term through both organic and inorganic growth.
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