Kaydon

What Kaydon does

Kaydon, founded in 1941 in Muskegon, Michigan, designs and manufactures thin section and slewing ring bearings under the Reali-Slim®, Ultra-Slim®, and Endurakote® registered brands, and operates a bearing remanufacturing service line. Its core technology centers on a constant cross-section bearing architecture that achieves up to 80% weight and space savings versus standard bearings, proprietary thin dense chrome plating (Endurakote®) for corrosion resistance, and custom wire race and slewing ring designs spanning 4-inch to 282-inch outside diameters. Manufacturing is conducted at four facilities: the Muskegon, Michigan headquarters and Plant 1 (custom bearings for aerospace and defense), a Sumter, South Carolina precision facility (AS9100B-certified), Monterrey, Mexico (~500 employees producing ~490,000 slewing ring bearings annually), and a Sao Paulo, Brazil facility serving the Brazilian wind market.

The company operates a hybrid revenue model. Standard catalog bearings (Reali-Slim® open, sealed, stainless, metric; Ultra-Slim®; multiple slewing ring series) are sold quote-based through direct sales and an extensive North American and international distributor network, with engineering support and Reali-Design® selection software supporting design-in. Custom bearings are engineered to application specification for unique size, capacity, or material needs. A third revenue stream is professional services: bearing remanufacturing for wind turbine pitch and yaw systems, offering documented 40%+ cost savings versus new replacement bearings. Kaydon sells into aerospace and defense, semiconductor, robotics, renewable energy, mining, heavy equipment, medical systems, and oil and gas, with reference customers including NASA (Mars rovers, ISS), Boeing (Apache since 1983), Bell Helicopter, Keck Observatory, and ViaLight Communications. Since 2013, Kaydon has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SKF Group, leveraging SKF's global distribution and capital while maintaining its dual-brand identity.

Name

Kaydon

Legal name

Kaydon Corporation

Website

https://kaydonbearings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Kaydon designs and manufactures thin section and slewing ring bearings, plus bearing remanufacturing services, for aerospace and defense, renewable energy, heavy equipment, semiconductor, medical, and industrial customers. Founded 1941, now a wholly-owned SKF Group subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Bearings Manufacturing

NAICS

Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing (332991), Motor Vehicle Steering and Suspension Components (except Spring) Manufacturing (336330)

SIC

Ball & Roller Bearings (3562)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace Bearings, Bushings & Motion Components (IMABANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wheel Hubs, Bearings & Knuckles (Hubs/Bearings/Spindles/Knuckles) (IMACAIAI)

Keywords

• Thin section bearings
• Slewing ring bearings
• Bearing remanufacturing
• Custom bearing manufacturing
• Industrial bearing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Standard Bearing Sales: Sale of standard catalog thin section and slewing ring bearings. Products include Reali-Slim® open, sealed, stainless steel, and metric bearings; Ultra-Slim® bearings; and various slewing ring bearing series.
2. Custom Bearing Manufacturing: Custom designed and manufactured bearings to meet specific application requirements for unique size, capacity, or material needs.
3. Bearing Remanufacturing Services: Remanufacturing services for wind turbine pitch and yaw bearings, offering 40% or more cost savings compared to new bearings. Restores bearings to original functionality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kaydon designs and manufactures thin section bearings (Reali-Slim® and Ultra-Slim®) and slewing ring/turntable bearings for highly demanding applications, with bore sizes from 3/4 inch to 40 inches for thin section and outside diameters from 4 inches to 282 inches for slewing rings. The company also produces custom-designed bearings and offers proprietary Endurakote® corrosion-resistant chrome plating. Beyond manufacturing, Kaydon provides bearing remanufacturing/repair services — particularly for wind turbine pitch and yaw bearings — delivering 40%+ cost savings versus new replacement bearings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reali-Slim®: Thin section bearings designed to save weight, use less space, reduce friction, increase design flexibility and provide high running accuracy. Available in open, sealed, stainless steel, and metric configurations.
• Ultra-Slim®
• Endurakote®
• Reali-Design®

Products and services

• Reali-Slim® Thin Section Bearings Constant cross-section thin section bearings available in open, sealed, stainless steel, metric (MM®), and TT® turntable configurations with bore sizes from 3/4 inch to 40 inches, designed to save weight, use less space, reduce friction, increase design flexibility and provide high running accuracy for aerospace, robotics, semiconductor, industrial machinery, machine tools, and medical devices.
• Ultra-Slim® Extra Thin Section Bearings Exceptionally thin cross-section bearings providing extreme precision, speed, low friction, small size, and light weight for specialized applications.
• Slewing Ring Bearings Slewing ring/turntable bearings available in a variety of stock bearing sizes and configurations, including four-point contact, eight-point contact, cross roller, and three-row roller designs, with outside diameters from 4 inches to 282 inches (10 cm to 7.2 m). Used in industrial machinery and automation, food processing, heavy equipment, construction and utility vehicles, mining, oil and gas, solar energy, and wind energy applications.
• Endurakote® Corrosion-Resistant Bearings Bearings featuring Kaydon's proprietary thin dense chrome (Endurakote®) plating that protects bearings from corrosion and provides substantial life improvements in hostile environments, available across the Reali-Slim® product line.
• Custom Bearing Manufacturing Custom designed and manufactured thin section and slewing ring bearings to meet specific application requirements for unique size, capacity, or material needs, supported by engineering and specification data sheets via the Kaydon bearing application and slewing application forms.
• Bearing Remanufacturing Services Remanufacturing services for wind turbine pitch and yaw bearings as well as industrial slewing bearings, restoring bearings to original functionality and offering 40% or more cost savings compared to new replacement bearings; pitch bearing upgrades can extend wind turbine life by up to 10 years.
• Reali-Design® Engineering Software Kaydon's branded engineering design software for bearing selection and design, available for download by engineers specifying thin section and slewing ring bearings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Weight and space savings of more than 80% in most applications
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• SKF GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaydon Corporation, including the Bearings Division, was acquired by the SKF Group of Sweden. SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, and lubrication systems. Kaydon operates as an SKF Group brand with dual-branding (SKF Kaydon) and benefits from SKF's global distribution network and resources.
• Cooper BearingscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoth divisions of Kaydon Corporation - Kaydon Bearings and Cooper Bearings - are leading global manufacturers of bearings. They exhibit jointly at industry shows and combined sales teams provide customers with more bearing choices from a single source. Cooper split-to-the-shaft bearings are widely used in marine propulsion and mining applications.
• Avon Bearings CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaydon acquired Avon Bearings Corporation, a leading custom designer and manufacturer of high precision large diameter turntable bearings (slewing ring bearings) and remanufacturer of bearings. The acquisition added capacity to Kaydon's wind energy platform and broadened presence in offshore crane, construction and steel markets.
• ViaLight Communications GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerViaLight selected Kaydon Ultra-Slim® bearing for its MLT-20 micro laser communication terminal for transmitting large volumes of data from aeronautical platforms. Demonstrates Kaydon's ability to meet precision requirements for aerospace communication applications.
• NASAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaydon Reali-Slim® bearings have been used on multiple NASA space missions including the Mars Curiosity rover (since 2012), Phoenix Mars Lander (2008), and Mars Exploration Rovers (2004). Bearings are used in rover arm, steering, and remote sensing mechanisms. Also selected for the ISS CAESAR robot arm.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• NSK Ltd. NSK is a major global manufacturer of ball and roller bearings serving automotive, industrial machinery, and aerospace markets, with extensive precision bearing capabilities that overlap with Kaydon's thin section and slewing ring offerings.
• SKF Group: SKF is Kaydon's parent company and the world's largest bearing manufacturer with a full portfolio including thin section, slewing ring, and industrial bearings — a broad incumbent whose strategy and product roadmaps directly shape Kaydon's competitive context.
• The Timken Company: Timken designs and manufactures engineered bearings and power transmission products for industrial, aerospace, and heavy equipment markets, with a comparable breadth of precision and heavy-duty bearing solutions.
• Schaeffler Group (INA/FAG): Schaeffler is one of the world's largest bearing and linear motion product manufacturers, offering INA and FAG branded bearings across automotive, industrial, and aerospace applications — a broad incumbent competing in many of Kaydon's industrial end markets.
• JTEKT Corporation (Koyo): JTEKT (Koyo) is a global manufacturer of ball and roller bearings including slewing rings and thin section bearings for automotive, industrial, and wind energy applications, competing in the same end markets as Kaydon.
• Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. Nachi-Fujikoshi is a Japanese manufacturer of bearings, cutting tools, and hydraulic equipment, producing ball, roller, and slewing ring bearings that overlap with Kaydon's industrial and heavy equipment offerings.
• NTN Corporation: NTN is a Japanese global bearing manufacturer producing ball, roller, and slewing ring bearings for automotive, industrial, and wind energy applications — directly comparable to Kaydon's industrial and wind slewing ring product lines.

Direct peers

• Pacamor Kubar Bearings (PKB): Pacamor Kubar Bearings is a niche US manufacturer of thin section ball bearings and custom bearing assemblies, directly competing with Kaydon's Reali-Slim® and Ultra-Slim® product lines in aerospace, defense, and industrial applications.
• RBC Bearings: RBC Bearings is a US-based manufacturer specializing in engineered plain bearings, roller bearings, and thin section bearings for aerospace, defense, and industrial markets — directly overlapping Kaydon's thin section and slewing ring product lines and customer base.

Emerging players

• AST Bearings: AST Bearings is a US supplier and value-added distributor of specialty bearings including thin section and miniature bearings — adjacent to Kaydon's distribution channel model and overlapping in product categories served to industrial and aerospace customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kaydon_bearings
• YouTubeyoutube.com/kaydonbearings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaydonbearings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Kaydon