Bearing Specialists Association

Name

Bearing Specialists Association

Legal name

Bearing Specialists Association

Website

https://bsahome.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Glen Ellyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: BSA is financially supported through member dues. The dues structure is designed to equalize dues costs by company size and allows dues to grow as member companies grow.
2. Annual Convention Fees: Revenue generated from the BSA Annual Convention, including registration fees and manufacturer conference table fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bearing Specialists Association is a not-for-profit industry trade association serving authorized bearing distributors and bearing manufacturers. It provides membership services, the Certified Bearing Specialist (CBS) certification program, the Product Information Exchange (PIE) data-sharing technology platform, financial benchmarking through Performance Analysis Reports (PAR), educational resources via the Knowledge Center, and hosts annual conventions and networking events for the bearing supply chain.

Product overview

Bearing Specialists Association (BSA) is an industry association serving the bearing distribution and manufacturing sectors. Rather than a unified software product, BSA operates as a platform of interconnected programs: the Certified Bearing Specialist (CBS) certification program provides professional credentialing; the Product Information Exchange (PIE) Technology Platform enables data sharing between manufacturers and distributors; the Performance Analysis Report (PAR) offers financial benchmarking; and the Knowledge Center delivers educational resources including Bearing Briefs and Industry Briefs. Additional offerings include the Sensor Technology Resource, Sustainability Resource Center, Excellence Awards program, and the annual BSA Convention. The association also provides data standards (PPIF), committee/task force initiatives, and various member benefits through its digital platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Bearing Specialist (CBS) Program The only bearing industry-specific certification program that identifies and quantifies specific skill sets to certify an industry professional as a bearing specialist. It is offered to bearing distributors and manufacturers through study guides, pretests, exam administration by NCTA, and recertification every five years.
• Product Information Exchange (PIE) Technology Platform Industry data sharing system that facilitates exchange of rich content product information between manufacturers and distributors of industrial products. Includes the PIE Attribute Template for common bearing product information fields, enabling streamlined data exchange across the supply chain.
• Performance Analysis Report (PAR) Financial benchmarking service that provides industry-specific financial profiles and operational ratios for bearing distribution companies, enabling benchmarking against similar businesses by size, product mix, and geographic location.
• Price Information Format (PPIF) Standardized data format designed to increase efficiency of vendor/purchaser information exchanges by providing common categorization of product pricing data. Current version is PPIF v2.6.
• Knowledge Center Repository of operational information from BSA Members and Participating Manufacturers including Bearing Briefs, Industry Briefs, White Papers, and educational materials on bearing technology.
• Sensor Technology Resource Landing page providing BSA Participating Manufacturer sensor data including vibration sensors, temperature sensors, acoustic emission sensors, load and strain sensors, lubrication condition sensors, IoT/wireless sensor nodes, and integrated smart bearings.
• Sustainability Resource Center Knowledge center sharing sustainability education, ESG/CSR best practices, and sustainability reports published by BSA Participating Manufacturers and Member Distributors. Includes regulatory tracking for CBAM, CSRD, SEC Climate Disclosure, and California Climate Disclosure.
• BSA Annual Convention Annual networking event bringing together top-level leaders from both distribution and manufacturing sectors of the bearing supply chain for industry networking and knowledge sharing.
• Excellence Awards Program Annual awards program recognizing companies for outstanding service including Manufacturer Excellence of Innovation in Product Design Award, CBS Excellence Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Honorary Member Award, and Special Manufacturer Award.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 283 Certified Bearing Specialists have been successfully tested and certified through the CBS program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSA maintains an educational partnership with ABMA, offering ABMA Training and Education programs at BSA Member Discounts. This includes Advanced Concepts of Bearing Technology, Lubrication and Wear: Advanced Concepts, and Essential Concepts of Bearing Technology courses.
• National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerBSA offers NAW Programs at NAW member rate to its members, including publications, Distribution Online Courses, Financial Management, Human Resource Management and Training, Sales Management, Supply Chain Management, and Warehouse and Inventory Management. Also offers NAW Health Insurance Program and Property and Casualty Insurance through the Hartford.
• The Industrial Careers Pathway (ICP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-faceted program working to ensure North Americas competitive advantage in industrial distribution by attracting future employees and providing training and skills needed. Supported by associations and organizations committed to the advancement of industrial distribution.
• World Bearing AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal bearing industry association focused on combating fake bearings. BSA participates in the Stop Fake Bearings initiative to protect the industry from counterfeit products.
• Southern Illinois University (SIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSA collaborated with Southern Illinois University to develop the CBS examination that tests the skill sets necessary to certify an individuals reliability as a bearing specialist. The university assisted in developing the professional bearing expertise framework.
• National College of Testing Association (NCTA)coreOthersNCTA conducts testing for Bearing Specialist Certification at their test centers across the U.S. and Canada. BSA has also arranged testing with colleges and universities in each Canadian province.
• Joe EllersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSales Training Programs provider partnered with BSA for member training offerings.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW): NAW is the broad U.S. trade association for the wholesale distribution industry across all verticals. BSA partners with NAW to offer member programs (insurance, education, HR), making NAW a larger, more general incumbent that serves BSA's members at the umbrella level.

Direct peers

• American Supply Association (ASA): ASA is the trade association for PHCP and industrial pipe, valves, and fittings distributors and suppliers. It offers similar member services (annual convention, networking, industry-specific training) for an industrial distribution channel with the same economic logic as bearings.
• Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA): PTDA is a trade association for distributors and manufacturers of power transmission/motion products. It mirrors BSA's structure (distributors + manufacturers), offers a similar industry-specific certification (Certified Power Transmission Specialist), and hosts an annual convention with comparable networking focus.
• Fluid Power Distributors Association (FPDA): FPDA represents distributors and manufacturers of fluid power and motion control products. It uses an analogous membership, convention, and certification model (CFPAE/CFPDM/IUID certification paths) targeting a closely adjacent industrial distribution niche.
• American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA): ABMA is the U.S. trade association for manufacturers of ball and roller bearings and closed-loop raw materials. It is BSA's closest peer: both serve the bearing industry, they co-deliver educational programming, and ABMA represents the manufacturer side of the same distributor-manufacturer ecosystem BSA serves.
• Association for High Technology Distribution (AHTD): AHTD is a trade association for high-tech industrial distributors and manufacturers. It offers analogous programs (annual conference, networking, manufacturer-distributor relations committees) and serves a closely adjacent industrial distribution membership model.
• Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Distributors (HARDI): HARDI is a trade association for HVACR equipment distributors and manufacturers. It parallels BSA's structure (distributor-manufacturer conferences, performance benchmarking, manufacturer excellence awards) in another industrial distribution vertical.

Regional players

• World Bearing Association (WBA): WBA is the global bearing industry association focused on combating counterfeit bearings. BSA partners with WBA on the Stop Fake Bearings initiative, and WBA serves as the international counterpart covering jurisdictions (Europe, Asia) where BSA has only a few members.

Others

• National Industrial Distribution Association (NIDA) / Industrial Distribution magazine community: Industrial Distribution magazine and its associated industry events cover the broader industrial distribution ecosystem in which BSA's members operate. While not a peer association in the membership sense, it is an adjacent media and event platform serving overlapping distributor audiences.

Emerging players

• Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE): STLE is a professional society focused on tribology and lubrication engineering, with technical certification and education programs that overlap with bearing technology. It addresses a portion of the same technical audience as BSA's CBS program but with a research/engineering orientation rather than a distribution focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bearing-specialists-association
• Xx.com/bearingspecassn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bearing Specialists Association