What Franke does

Franke GmbH is a private German manufacturer of wire race bearings (Drahtwälzlager) and linear guide systems, headquartered in Aalen, Germany, and founded in 1949. The company's core technology is a patented bearing architecture in which wire raceways are embedded directly into surrounding structures, enabling compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient designs unavailable with conventional rolling-element bearings. Its product portfolio spans wire race ball bearings (types LEL, LER, LEW), thin-section bearings (LSA), slewing rings (LVA-LVG), turntables and direct drives (LTA, LTB, LTD), and linear guides in eight variants (standard, low-cost, corrosion-free, amagnetic, lubricant-free, corrosion-free LC, high-dynamic, vacuum-suitable). Complementary innovation areas include additive manufacturing/3D-printed housings and lightweight bearings in alternative materials (aluminum, stainless steel, plastics, carbon fiber, bronze, brass, cast iron, wood), supporting batch-size-1 customization.

Franke serves industrial OEMs across mechanical engineering and automation, automotive and e-mobility (e.g., Schaeffler ELMOTEC STATOMAT for EV stator winding machines, FFT for AGVs), glass processing (LiSEC), semiconductor/electronics and metrology (DMG MORI for CT scanners), food processing (Kronen), electrification production equipment (Risomat), and aerospace (airborne camera gimbals). The company operates globally with multilingual web presence (German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Korean) and exposure to markets including Germany, China, and Vietnam. Two Managing Directors - Daniel Groz and Sascha Eberhard - lead the founder-aligned business under the Erich Franke Stiftung ownership structure.

Revenue is generated through one-time license sales of custom-engineered and standardized bearings, turntables, and linear guides, with pricing quote-based, non-publicly disclosed, and frequently structured as multi-year contracts. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales with technical consultation (account managers and on-site engineers supporting customers from development through assembly) and the MeinFranke self-service portal, which provides registered users with pricing, instant catalog quoting, order placement, CAD downloads, and load-case calculation tools. The company holds DIN EN ISO 9001 and DIN EN ISO 14001 certifications and does not have any subsidiaries, parent company, or disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Franke

Legal name

Franke GmbH

Website

https://franke-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Franke GmbH is a private German manufacturer of patented wire race bearings (Drahtwälzlager) and linear guide systems, supplying custom-engineered motion components to industrial OEMs across automation, automotive/e-mobility, semiconductor, food processing, and aerospace from its Aalen headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Bearings and Linear Motion Systems

NAICS

Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing (332991), Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (333613)

SIC

Ball & Roller Bearings (3562)

akta.pro primary industry

Linear Motion & Mechanical Power Transmission (Ball/roller screws, linear guides, bearings, couplings) (IMAHAGAM)

Keywords

• Wire race bearings
• Linear guide systems
• Slewing ring bearings
• Industrial bearing solutions
• Direct drive systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Aalen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Wire Race Bearings: Sale of custom-designed wire race bearings and rotary joints for specialized industrial applications. Products are engineered to customer specifications with individual bore patterns, gearing, and materials.
2. Standard Linear Guide Systems: Sale of standardized linear guide systems including profile rails with carriages in various types (FDA, FDB, FDC, FDD, FDE, FDG, FDH, FDI) for different requirements.
3. Rotary Tables and Direct Drives: Sale of rotary tables (LTA, LTB) and direct drive systems (LTD) with integrated torque motors for high-performance rotary applications.
4. Aftermarket and Accessories: Sale of bearing accessories including cages, adjustment washers, seals, carriages with clamps, bottom fastening, metal scrapers, stop screws, and cover caps.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Franke GmbH manufactures wire race bearings (Drahtwälzlager) and linear guide systems for industrial customers, including slewing rings, turntables, and direct drives. The company's patented wire race bearing technology embeds raceways directly into surrounding structures, enabling compact, lightweight, and customizable mechanical motion solutions. Products are engineered to individual customer specifications with alternative materials and additive manufacturing options, starting from lot size 1.

Product overview

Franke GmbH is a manufacturer of wire race bearings (Drahtwälzlager) and linear guide systems based in Aalen, Germany. The product portfolio centers on two main categories: (1) Rolling bearings including wire race ball bearings (types LEL, LER, LEW), thin-section bearings (LSA), and slewing rings (types LVA through LVG), plus turntables and direct drives (LTA, LTB, LTD); and (2) Linear guide systems including profile rails with carriages (types FDA, FDB, FDC, FDD, FDE, FDG, FDH, FDI) and profile rail pairs with roller shoes. Both product lines share the patented Franke principle of embedded wire race tracks, enabling integration into surrounding constructions. Franke offers extensive customization through alternative materials (steel, stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, carbon fiber, bronze, brass), additive manufacturing/3D-printing capabilities, and individualized bearing solutions starting from lot size 1. The company serves industries including machinery and automation, robotics, automotive/e-mobility, medical technology, packaging, textiles, intralogistics, energy generation, and research & development. A customer portal (MeinFranke) provides online ordering, CAD downloads, and calculation tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wire Race Bearings (Drahtwälzlager)

Quantifiable outcome

• Plastic bearings can be up to 80% lighter than steel equivalents
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• media touchminorOthersExternal hosting provider for Franke's website and online services. Located in Aalen, Germany (Inhaber: Michael Gänsler, Blezingerstr. 15, 73430 Aalen). They provide website hosting services with data processing agreements in place.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• NSK Ltd. NSK is a Japanese bearing and linear motion manufacturer with deep presence in industrial ball/roller bearings and linear guides. Its product breadth overlaps Franke's bearings and linear guides in factory automation and machine tool applications, making it a key global incumbent reference.
• NTN Corporation: NTN is a Japanese bearing and constant-velocity joint manufacturer with broad product coverage including ball/roller bearings and linear motion components. It competes with Franke across industrial bearings and linear products, and serves overlapping automotive, industrial machinery, and aerospace customers.
• The Timken Company: Timken is a US-based engineered bearings and mechanical power transmission manufacturer with a broad industrial portfolio. While its tapered roller bearings differentiate it from Franke's wire race approach, both compete for industrial automation and rotating equipment applications.
• SKF Group: SKF is the world's largest rolling bearing manufacturer with deep presence in industrial bearings, slewing rings, and linear motion. It competes with Franke across bearings and slewing rings, and is one of the dominant reference players Franke is benchmarked against in industrial precision applications.
• Schaeffler AG: Schaeffler is a German motion technology giant with INA (linear motion/needle roller bearings) and FAG (ball/roller bearings) brands competing directly with Franke's wire race bearings and linear guides across Franke's full product range. Notably, Schaeffler's ELMOTEC STATOMAT unit is also a Franke customer for EV motor stator winding rotary joints, illustrating the overlap and intersection between incumbents and specialty suppliers.

Direct peers

• THK Co., Ltd. THK is the inventor and global leader of linear motion guides and a direct competitor in Franke's linear guide product line. Both companies target factory automation, machine tools, and precision positioning customers, and THK's scale and brand make it Franke's primary global benchmark in linear guide technology.
• Rothe Erde (thyssenkrupp): Rothe Erde is the global market leader in large-diameter slewing rings and the most direct comparator to Franke's Drehverbindungen (LVA–LVG slewing rings). Both serve wind energy, heavy machinery, medical imaging, and radar applications, making them the primary head-to-head competitor in Franke's slewing ring business.
• Hiwin Technologies Corp. Hiwin is a Taiwanese linear motion specialist producing linear guides, ballscrews, and linear motors — the most direct structural competitor to Franke's profile rail / roller carriage linear guides. Both target precision automation, semiconductor, and machine tool OEMs with comparable product specifications.
• Rollix (Mesas Group): Rollix is a French slewing ring specialist focused on custom-design slewing rings for defense, aerospace, robotics, and medical applications — directly comparable to Franke's slewing ring portfolio. Its specialization in low-volume, high-stakes applications mirrors Franke's niche strategic position.
• IKO (Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.): IKO is a Japanese linear motion specialist known for needle roller bearings and linear guide/positioning systems. It competes with Franke's linear guide product line in factory automation, semiconductor, and medical equipment markets, particularly in Asia-Pacific geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FrankeGmbH
• Facebookfacebook.com/frankebearings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/franke-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/frankegmbhaalen
• TikToktiktok.com/@franke_next

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Franke