What CIMAP does

CIMAP is a privately-held, family-owned French manufacturer and distributor of precision industrial components, founded in 1958 by Marc ZELVEYAN in Paris and currently led by his son Christophe ZELVEYAN as President. The group generated consolidated revenue of more than €40 million in 2025 across roughly 130–135 employees and operates from a Paris headquarters, a logistics center in Garges-lès-Gonesse, a wholly-owned manufacturing subsidiary in Qingdao, China (BRBC, established 1997, producing since 2004), and a manufacturing facility in Uboldo, Italy (MAP, acquired 2019).

The company's core products are organized into five categories: precision balls (steel, stainless steel, ceramic, plastic, glass, and alloy, in grades G3–G2000 per ISO 3290 with diameter tolerances to 0.1 micron); rollers and needle rollers (diameters 2.5–50 mm); rod ends, clevises, and hydraulic rod ends (manufactured to DIN standards, distributed under the DURBAL brand); universal joints, synthetic ball bearings, waved washers, and ball transfer units (HEYD cardans); and KORDEL gearboxes and reducers manufactured in Germany and distributed exclusively by CIMAP for forklift, material handling, agricultural, and construction applications. Specialty lines include calibration balls, metrology probes, custom machined balls, and grinding balls for mining. Manufacturing is anchored by proprietary precision processes: eddy-current microcrack detection, ultrasonic cleaning for medical/pharma applications, hardness and metallographic testing, and ISO 9001:2015-certified quality management.

CIMAP runs a sales-led B2B distribution model: customers obtain quotes through a direct sales team organized by product line (with named contacts for balls/rollers, transmissions, and quality), access technical documentation via the corporate website, and place orders through a secured Pro Portal. No public pricing or e-commerce channel is offered, and the business operates on multi-year industrial supply contracts. End markets span automotive, aerospace, wind energy, cosmetics and pharmaceutical, medical devices, machine tools, food processing, mining, material handling, agriculture, and construction. The group is self-described as a European leader in precision component manufacturing and holds a 2025 EcoVadis Bronze Medal for ESG performance.

Name

CIMAP

Legal name

CIMAP

Website

https://cimap.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CIMAP is a family-owned French precision industrial components manufacturer and distributor, founded in 1958. It produces and sources balls, rollers, needle rollers, rod ends, universal joints, and KORDEL gearboxes for automotive, aerospace, wind energy, medical, and industrial OEMs across Europe and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Industrial Components Manufacturing

NAICS

Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (333613), Speed Changer, Industrial High-Speed Drive, and Gear Manufacturing (333612), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Screw Machine Products (3451), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Precision ball bearings
• Industrial transmission components
• Rod ends clevises
• Gearboxes and reducers
• Precision rollers needles

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Precision Components Sales: Sale of industrial precision components including balls (steel, stainless steel, ceramic, plastic, glass, alloy), rollers, needles, transmission components (rod ends, universal joints, clevises, gearboxes). Products range from unit pieces to large series production.
2. KORDEL Gearbox Distribution: Exclusive distribution of KORDEL gearboxes manufactured in Germany (near Dortmund) for over 60 years. Main applications in forklifts, material handling, agricultural machinery, and construction equipment.
3. Custom/Special Components: Custom-manufactured balls with special features (flats, grooves, holes, threads), calibration balls, metrology probes and accessories. One-time and project-based orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CIMAP manufactures and distributes precision industrial components including steel, stainless steel, ceramic, plastic, glass, and alloy balls; rollers and needle rollers; rod ends, clevises, and hydraulic rod ends; universal joints, synthetic bearings, and ball transfer units. The company also exclusively distributes KORDEL gearboxes manufactured in Germany, serving forklifts, material handling, agricultural machinery, and construction equipment applications.

Product overview

CIMAP is a European leader in precision industrial components manufacturing, founded in 1958. The company offers a diversified portfolio of precision products organized into five main categories: (1) Precision Balls in steel, stainless steel, ceramic, plastic, glass, and alloy materials; (2) Rollers and Needles for heavy-load bearing applications; (3) Rod Ends and Clevises for transmission components; (4) Transmission and Bearings including universal joints, synthetic bearings, and ball transfer units; and (5) KORDEL Gearboxes (distributed German brand). The portfolio also includes specialty products such as calibration balls, metrology probes, special balls, and grinding balls for mining. CIMAP serves diverse industrial sectors including automotive, aerospace, wind energy, cosmetics, medical, machine tools, and watchmaking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Precision Balls Industrial precision balls manufactured in various materials including steel, stainless steel, ceramic, plastic, glass, and alloy. Used in antifriction applications (bearings, linear guides), sealing (valves, taps), and grinding/mixing applications. Diameters range from under 0.5mm to 200mm, classified in grades G3 to G2000 per ISO 3290, AFBMA, and DIN standards.
• Rollers and Needles Steel and stainless steel rollers and needle rollers for bearing systems designed to withstand heavy loads. Provide linear contact surface for better load distribution compared to ball bearings. Roller diameters range from 2.50mm to 50.00mm and lengths from 2.50mm to 100.00mm.
• Rod Ends and Clevises Rod ends (rotules de commandes), angle joints, clevises, and hydraulic rod ends for transmitting static and dynamic forces in swivelling, tilting, and rotating movements. Manufactured according to DIN standards, including DURBAL high-performance rod ends and spherical plain bearings.
• Transmission and Bearings Universal joints (cardans, including single and double types), waved washers, synthetic ball bearings, and ball transfer units for power transmission and bearing applications in automotive, military, energy, and machine tools sectors.
• KORDEL Gearboxes Gearboxes and reducers manufactured by KORDEL (Germany, near Dortmund) for over 60 years. Used primarily in forklifts, material handling, agricultural machinery, and road construction. Enables power transmission and rotation angle change between electric motor and wheel (MDU: Motor Drive Unit). CIMAP is the exclusive global distributor.
• Calibration Balls

Quantifiable outcome

• Diameter measurement accuracy of 0.1 micron
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• MAP (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Italian roller manufacturer acquired by CIMAP in 2019, located in northern Italy near Milan. MAP Europe Uboldo produces rollers for the CIMAP Group, strengthening manufacturing capabilities in Europe.
• BRBC (China)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997CIMAP subsidiary established in Qingdao, China in 1997 to manage distribution and sourcing of CIMAP products in China and Asia. Manufacturing of balls and rollers began in this subsidiary in 2004.
• DURBALmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1972DURBAL is a brand of high-performance rod ends and spherical plain bearings. CIMAP distributes DURBAL products as part of its transmission components portfolio.
• HEYDmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1972HEYD is a manufacturer of universal joints (cardans) that CIMAP distributes. Products manufactured according to DIN standards meeting requirements of automotive, military, energy, and machine tools sectors.
• KORDELcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKORDEL, based in Germany near Dortmund, has been manufacturing reducers and gearboxes for over 60 years. CIMAP distributes KORDEL products globally. Main applications are forklifts and material handling sector, as well as agricultural machinery and road construction. The KORDEL gearbox enables power transmission and rotation angle change between the electric motor and wheel (MDU: Motor Drive Unit).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bal-Tec (Division of Micro Surface Engineering): Manufacturer of precision balls, calibration spheres and metrology accessories — directly comparable to CIMAP's calibration balls and metrology probe product lines, serving CMM and quality-control customers.
• Hartford Technologies: US-based precision ball manufacturer producing steel, ceramic and specialty balls in similar grades and tolerances. Overlaps directly with CIMAP on industrial bearing, automotive and metrology applications.
• Tsubaki Nakashima: Japanese manufacturer of precision steel balls and rollers, the most direct global peer to CIMAP. Competes head-to-head in the same precision ball grades and serves overlapping automotive, bearing and industrial OEM customers.
• DURBAL (Durbal Industrial Components): German manufacturer of rod ends and spherical plain bearings, whose brand CIMAP distributes. Competes with and complements CIMAP's transmission component offerings in the same DIN-standard product space.
• KORDEL Getriebe: German manufacturer of reducers and gearboxes (60+ years, near Dortmund) whose products CIMAP distributes globally. Direct peer in the gearbox and MDU application space and a critical commercial partner.

Broad incumbents

• SKF Group: Global bearing and rotation products leader. Overlaps with CIMAP on bearings and transmission components but at vastly greater scale and with a much broader industrial portfolio; CIMAP serves as a specialty complement in customers' supplier bases.
• Schaeffler Group (INA/FAG): Major automotive and industrial supplier of bearings, linear guides and motion components. Competes indirectly via OEM-approved bearing supply chains but does not specialize in CIMAP's standalone precision-ball distribution model.
• NSK Ltd. Japanese bearing and motion-control manufacturer with a global industrial footprint. Overlaps with CIMAP on precision steel balls and bearing components as part of a much wider product portfolio.
• NTN Corporation: Global bearing manufacturer producing precision balls, roller bearings and transmission components. Comparable on raw bearing-component technology but operating at much larger scale and a different go-to-market model than CIMAP.

Emerging players

• MAP (now part of CIMAP): Italian roller manufacturer acquired by CIMAP in 2019, now operating as the group's roller production site near Milan. Useful as a peer reference for European specialty roller manufacturing capacity.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cimap-france

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 CIMAP