What RWG Germany GmbH does

RWG Germany GmbH is a precision bearing manufacturer based in Höchstadt a. d. Aisch, Bavaria, Germany, focused primarily on the aerospace industry. Its product portfolio spans ball bearings, spherical plain bearings, rod ends, cylindrical bushes, self-lubricating bushings, and custom-engineered special solutions, supplied into aircraft, helicopter, motorsports, space launch vehicle, and industrial machinery applications. The company traces its origins to a 1943 Erlangen-based bearing refurbishment business, was restarted by Robert Wirth with 12 employees in 1993 after the predecessor's insolvency, sold to KAMAN Corporation in 2002, and currently operates within KAMAN's Specialty Bearings & Engineered Products division. KAMAN itself was acquired by Arcline Investment Management in April 2024, placing RWG under a privately-held sponsor. RWG holds EN 9100:2018, EASA Part 21G, and NADCAP NDT certifications, and supplies into platforms including the Ariane launch vehicle family and Formula 1.

The company's technical differentiation rests on decades of process know-how in exotic aerospace-grade materials—bearing steel 100Cr6, CRES 17-4PH, 13-8Mo, S80, 440C, Cronidur, Inconel, titanium, aluminum, bronzes, and ceramics—and on proprietary surface treatments including CBC carbon-based coatings, PTFE self-lubricating liners, hard chrome plating, hard anodizing, dry lubricant film coatings, passivation, and zinc-nickel coating. In 2024, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research awarded RWG a BSFZ innovation seal for in-house R&D on a fully automated manufacturing process for self-lubricating fabric-equipped plain bearing bushes, signalling investment in process automation.

Commercially, RWG operates a direct enterprise field-sales model, selling engineered-to-order components to aerospace OEMs, helicopter manufacturers, motorsports teams, and space programs globally, with no reseller or distribution intermediary. Pricing is project-specific and negotiated directly with customer engineering and procurement teams. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the workforce has grown from 12 employees in 1993 to nearly 200 by 2024, and the company ranks 26th out of 2,950 Bavarian mid-sized companies in the 2024 SZ Institut/Creditreform Mittelstand study. Marketing is limited to a corporate website, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram profiles, supplemented by regional career events.

Name

RWG Germany GmbH

Legal name

RWG Germany GmbH

Website

https://rwg-germany.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

RWG Germany GmbH manufactures high-precision specialty bearings and components—including ball bearings, spherical plain bearings, rod ends, and bushes—for aerospace OEMs, helicopter manufacturers, motorsports teams, space launch programs, and industrial machinery customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Precision Bearings

NAICS

Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing (332991), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)

SIC

Ball & Roller Bearings (3562), Aircraft & Parts (3720), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace Bearings, Bushings & Motion Components (IMABANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Aerospace Fasteners & Hardware (IMABANAA)

Keywords

• Precision bearing manufacturing
• Aerospace bearings
• Spherical plain bearings
• Self-lubricating bushes
• Rod ends bushings

Headquarters

HQ city

Höchstadt An Der Aisch

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Precision Bearing and Component Sales: RWG Germany generates revenue through the manufacture and direct sale of high-precision specialty bearings (ball bearings, spherical plain bearings, rod ends, bushes) and mission-critical components to the aerospace, aviation, motorsports, space, and industrial sectors. Revenue is derived from long-term B2B customer relationships with major aerospace manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RWG Germany GmbH designs, develops, tests, and manufactures high-precision specialty bearings and mission-critical components—ball bearings, spherical plain bearings, rod ends, cylindrical and self-lubricating bushes—primarily for the aerospace industry and adjacent demanding sectors (helicopters, space launch vehicles including Ariane, motorsports, and industrial machinery). The company serves as the European precision bearing manufacturing hub of U.S.-parent KAMAN Corporation's "Kaman Specialty Bearings & Engineered Products" division and holds EN 9100:2018, EASA Part 21G, and NADCAP certifications required by aviation customers.

Product overview

RWG Germany GmbH operates as a precision bearing manufacturer for the aerospace industry, offering a unified product portfolio under the Specialty Bearings category. The core offering comprises four main product groups: (1) Selbstschmierende Buchsen (Self-Lubricating Bushes) for slow rotational and linear movements; (2) Gelenklager & Gelenkköpfe (Spherical Bearings and Rod Ends) for multi-axis movement applications; (3) Wälzlager (Rolling Bearings) including ball, needle, and tapered roller bearings for high-speed rotation; and (4) Speziallösungen (Special Solutions) for custom customer-specific requirements. Supporting these products are materials and processes including CBC carbon-based coating technology, various surface treatments (hard chrome plating, hard anodizing, dry lubricant film coating, passivation, zinc-nickel coating), and precision manufacturing of components from materials including bearing steel 100Cr6, CRES 17-4PH, 13-8Mo, S80, 440C, Cronidur, Inconel, titanium, aluminum, bronzes, and ceramics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Self-Lubricating Bushes (Selbstschmierende Buchsen) Self-lubricating bushings designed for bearing applications requiring rotational and linear movements, optionally coated with a PTFE liner for reduced friction. Targeted at aerospace and industrial customers needing maintenance-free or low-maintenance operation.
• Spherical Bearings and Rod Ends (Gelenklager & Gelenkköpfe) Spherical bearings and rod ends with spherical inner rings capable of movement in all three axes, available as metal-to-metal versions or with PTFE liner for improved sliding properties. Sold to aerospace, helicopter, motorsports, and industrial OEMs.
• Rolling Bearings (Wälzlager) Rolling bearings comprising outer ring, rolling elements, and inner ring in bearing steel or corrosion-resistant steel grades, including tapered roller, ball, needle, cylindrical roller, and spherical roller configurations. Designed for fast rotational movements with low starting friction torque for aerospace, motorsports, and industrial applications.
• Special Solutions (Speziallösungen) Custom-designed special solutions including modified rolling elements, threaded bolts, and special nuts developed in close collaboration with customers for unique application requirements. Targeted at aerospace and industrial customers with bearing needs not met by standard catalog parts.
• Rod Ends (Stangenköpfe) Rod ends with lollipop-like geometry combining shafts with external or internal threads and integrated spherical or rolling bearings, for applications requiring housing-free bearing solutions in aerospace, motorsports, and industrial systems.
• Cylindrical Bushes (Zylindrische Buchsen) Cylindrical bushes made of steel, aluminum, or copper alloys, optionally with self-lubricating PTFE liner coating, available with flange for axial loads. Sold to aerospace and industrial OEMs requiring compact, durable plain bearing solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 26th out of 2,950 evaluated companies in SZ Institut/Creditreform study of Bavaria's strongest mid-sized companies (Mittelstand) in 2024

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KAMAN CorporationcoreOthers · 1 January 2002RWG Germany GmbH is a fully-owned subsidiary of KAMAN Corporation, acquired in 2002 by Robert Wirth. The company operates under the business division 'Kaman Specialty Bearings & Engineered Products' (KSB). KSB develops, tests, and manufactures high-performance bearings, drive components, and mission-critical parts for the aerospace industry. KAMAN Corporation was founded in 1945 by Charles H. Kaman and was previously listed on the New York Stock Exchange before being acquired by Arcline Investment Management in April 2024. RWG serves as KAMAN's primary European precision bearing manufacturing hub.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• SKF: Global bearing and motion technology leader with an aerospace division offering ball, roller, and specialty bearings — competes with RWG in aerospace applications but operates at much larger scale across broader end markets.
• NSK Ltd. Japanese global bearing manufacturer with an aerospace product line including ball bearings, roller bearings, and specialty bearings for aircraft and space applications — broad competitor in RWG's core markets.
• Schaeffler (INA/FAG): German-headquartered automotive and industrial supplier with a significant aerospace bearings business through INA/FAG, offering spherical plain bearings, rod ends, and rolling bearings for aviation applications.
• NTN Corporation: Japanese bearing manufacturer with aerospace offerings including ball and roller bearings, with strong European presence through NTN-SNR — a broad competitor to RWG in aerospace and motorsports bearings.
• Timken Aerospace:

Direct peers

• RBC Bearings: U.S.-based specialty bearing manufacturer focused on aerospace and defense, including spherical plain bearings, rod ends, and ball bearings — directly comparable to RWG's product mix and customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RWG.Germany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rwg-germany-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/rwg_germany

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 RWG Germany GmbH