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With pioneering spirit towards the future
Groundbreaking innovations, global customer orientation, and strategic corporate decisions have always shaped Schaeffler as a company.
Company history
The foundation for the company as it is today was laid in 1946 when brothers Dr. Wilhelm Schaeffler and Dr.-Ing. E.h. Georg Schaeffler founded Industrie GmbH. The company's rise began in 1949 when Dr. Georg Schaeffler invented the needle roller bearing cage, which was swiftly followed by the large-scale production of INA needle roller bearings for the German automotive industry.
The Schaeffler brothers jointly founded LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau GmbH in Bühl in 1965. The company became the market's technological leader with its very first innovative product, the diaphragm spring clutch. LuK is one of the world's biggest clutch manufacturers and a drive train specialist, and has been part of Schaeffler since 1999.
The FAG brand is inextricably linked with the rolling bearing industry. In Schweinfurt, Germany, Friedrich Fischer designed a ball mill in 1883 that allowed machines to be used for the first time to produce steel balls with high precision and in large volumes. This idea is considered the historic beginning of the rolling bearing industry, which then started its widespread success around the globe from Schweinfurt. FAG (Fischers Aktiengesellschaft) has been a registered trademark since 1905 and, together with INA and LuK, has been an essential component of the Schaeffler Group since its acquisition by Schaeffler in 2001.
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1883
Friedrich Fischer invents the ball grinding machine in Schweinfurt, Germany
1946
Establishment of Industrie GmbH in Herzogenaurach, today Schaeffler AG
1949
Development of the cage-guided needle roller bearing by Dr.-Ing. E.h. Georg Schaeffler
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1955
The first linear guidance system – the foundation of the new Linear Technology business unit
1957
First foreign plant: with six employees, needle roller production starts in Llanelli, Great Britain.
1965
Establishment of LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau GmbH in Bühl, Germany (in cooperation with INA)
1965
LuK introduces the diaphragm spring clutch in Europe.
1971
Bucket tappet: INA supplies volumeproduced hydraulic valve lash adjustment elements
1976
Establishment of LuK Autoteile- Service GmbH, Germany, today Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket
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1985
The LuK dual mass flywheel sets new standards in the insulation of drive train noise
1992
The first INA plant in Asia is set up in Korea
1999
Acquisition of all LuK shares
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2001
Acquisition of FAG Kugelfischer Georg Schäfer KGaA located in Schweinfurt, Germany
2002
FAG launches the E1 spherical roller bearing
2003
INA, LuK, and FAG form the “Schaeffler Group”
2007
New plants in India, China, and Hungary, as well as an R&D center in China
2008
Dry double clutch from LuK is put into volume production at Volkswagen
2009
UniAir – the world’s first fully-variable hydraulic valve control system
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2011
Start of volume production for the FAG sensor bottom bracket for e-bikes
2012
Schaeffler receives 32 awards for excellent quality – more than ever before
2013
The Schaeffler Academy, which combines all of the Schaeffler Group’s training programs worldwide, is founded.
2013
The third generation of Schaeffler’s electric axle, presented in Schaeffler’s ACTIVeDRIVE, becomes a promising pilot production product.
2014
100 Millionth Dual Mass Flywheel
2014
Schaeffler opens its first Russian plant Ulyanovsk, from which it supplies high-quality products to both domestic and overseas automobile manufacturers as well as to the railway industry.
2015
Schaeffler successfully completes its initial public offering on October 9, 2015 under the motto "We share our success".