What Kingsbury, Inc. does

Kingsbury, Inc. is a fifth-generation, family-owned manufacturer of hydrodynamic fluid-film bearings, founded in 1912 in Philadelphia by Dr. Albert Kingsbury. The company designs and produces engineered bearings — tilting pad thrust bearings, journal bearings, and combination bearings — that support axial and radial loads in rotating machinery via a pressurized oil film rather than rolling contact. It also operates Messinger Bearings, a wholly-owned subsidiary that supplies large-diameter rolling element bearings up to 25 feet across, extending the product scope beyond pure fluid-film technology.

Kingsbury serves heavy-industrial OEM and end-user customers in power generation (including hydropower), marine propulsion, oil and gas, renewable energy, and industrial pumps. Named customers include Siemens, Sulzer, MAN, General Electric, Solar Turbines, and Dongfang Turbine. The firm maintains an international footprint through Kingsbury GmbH, a wholly-owned German subsidiary established in 2012, and supports U.S. operations from Philadelphia with an additional manufacturing facility announced in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Revenue is generated through two streams: engineered hardware sales of new bearings, configured to each customer's machinery specifications and typically procured via long-cycle, quote-based contracts, and professional services including field installation supervision, condition monitoring, and repair/refurbishment of installed units. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales backed by a global representative network, with engineering consultation embedded in the design-in phase. The company is privately held with no external private equity or venture investment disclosed, and pricing reflects the multi-year service life (frequently 30+ years) of installed bearings.

Name

Kingsbury, Inc.

Legal name

Kingsbury, Inc.

Website

https://kingsbury.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kingsbury, Inc. is a fifth-generation, family-owned manufacturer founded in 1912 that designs and produces hydrodynamic fluid-film and large rolling element bearings for power generation, marine, oil and gas, and industrial pump applications worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Fluid Film Bearings

NAICS

Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing (332991)

SIC

Ball & Roller Bearings (3562)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Aerospace Bearings, Bushings & Motion Components (IMABANAB), Propulsion Drives, Gearboxes & Shaftlines (IMAJAHAD), Wind Component Service, Repair & Refurbishment (Blades, Gearboxes, Bearings) (EUAMACAI), Propulsion, Shafting & Rudder Repair (Engines, Gearboxes, Thrusters) (IMAJAFAC)

Keywords

• Fluid film bearings
• Tilting pad bearings
• Hydrodynamic bearings
• Thrust bearings
• Bearing repair services

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fluid Film Bearing Manufacturing: Kingsbury designs and manufactures hydrodynamic fluid film bearings including thrust bearings, journal bearings, combination bearings, and fixed profile bearings for critical rotating machinery in power generation, marine, industrial, and renewable energy applications. Products range from standard catalog items to custom-engineered solutions.
2. Bearing Repair and Refurbishment Services: Comprehensive bearing service including turbine thrust and journal bearing repair for hydrodynamic systems, babbitting and babbitt repair, ultrasonic and dye penetrant inspection, dimensional measurement, and field service support for installation and commissioning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kingsbury designs and manufactures hydrodynamic fluid film bearings—including tilting pad thrust bearings, journal bearings, combination bearing systems, and fixed profile bearings—for critical rotating machinery in power generation, marine, oil and gas, and renewable energy applications. In addition to engineered bearing products, the company provides comprehensive bearing repair and refurbishment services, including turbine thrust and journal bearing repair, babbitting, ultrasonic and dye penetrant inspection, dimensional measurement, and field service support for installation and commissioning.

Product overview

Kingsbury, Inc. is a fifth-generation family-owned manufacturer of hydrodynamic fluid-film bearings founded in 1912, headquartered in Philadelphia, USA. The company's product portfolio centers on tilting pad bearing technology with two main categories: Thrust Bearings (including Tilting Pad, Fixed Profile, LEG Leading Edge Groove, EQH Equalizing, VK Vertical Hydro, NE Non-Equalizing, G-MD Modular, KingCole, and SlimLine variants) and Journal Bearings (including Tilting Pad, LEG, BPG Between-Pad-Groove, PJ Flooded Lubrication, and Fixed Profile types). The company also offers integrated combination systems including the CH Thrust & Journal Bearing System and Pedestal-Mounted (PMH) bearings. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Messinger Bearings, Kingsbury provides large rolling element bearings. Products are manufactured in facilities in the United States and Germany (Kingsbury GmbH in Göttingen), serving industries including hydropower, marine, renewable energy, power generation, turbomachinery, and pumps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings Kingsbury's primary product line featuring hydrodynamic fluid-film thrust bearings with tilting pad technology for high load capacity and smooth operation in rotating machinery used by OEMs in power generation, marine, oil and gas, and turbomachinery industries.
• Tilting Pad Journal Bearings Fluid film journal bearings providing high load capacity, durability, and efficiency for smooth, reliable operation in demanding industrial rotating equipment.
• Combination Bearings Integrated Thrust and Journal Bearing System within a single housing, designed to save OEMs money by combining both bearing functions for industrial rotating equipment.
• Fixed Profile Bearings Fixed Profile Fluid Film Bearings designed for less challenging low load and low speed applications, offering streamlined solutions for standard-speed rotating equipment.
• Leading Edge Groove (LEG) Thrust Bearings Directed lubrication thrust bearings that deliver cool oil directly into the hydrodynamic film at the leading edge of each pad, reducing power loss by 30-50% and operating temperatures by 6-17°C compared to flooded designs.
• Leading Edge Groove (LEG) Journal Bearings High-speed, high-load journal bearings with directed lubrication that delivers cool oil directly into the hydrodynamic film at the leading edge of each shoe.
• Between-Pad-Groove (BPG) Journal Bearings Directed lubrication journal bearings with oil groove between each pad, reducing total oil flow by up to 50%, lowering operating temperatures by 8-28°C, and improving load capacity by 10-20% compared to flooded designs.
• Pivoted Shoe Journal (PJ) Flooded Lubrication Bearings Tilting pad journal bearings using a flooded oil cavity design with pivoted shoes that maintain hydrodynamic stability in moderate-speed rotating machinery by allowing each pad to align independently with the rotating shaft.
• Fixed Profile Journal (FPJ) Bearings Plain journal style bearings with babbitt-lined steel backing for moderate-load, moderate-speed applications, accommodating sliding speeds from 5 m/s to 90 m/s on shaft diameters from 25 mm to 700 mm.
• Equalizing Hydrodynamic (EQH) Bearings Self-equalizing thrust bearings with leveling plates and spherical pivots that distribute loads evenly across multiple pivoted shoes, accommodating shaft deflection and misalignment for reliable performance in extreme load conditions.
• Vertical Hydro Thrust (VK) Bearings Non-equalizing pivoted-shoe thrust bearings designed for vertical turbine applications with a low axial height design and hydrostatic lift for enhanced start-up performance, replacing older spring-plate thrust designs.
• Non-Equalizing (NE) Thrust Bearings Compact thrust bearings for moderate axial loads up to 2.76 MPa (400 psi) and sliding velocities below 70 m/s, designed for pumps, horizontal motors, and light-to-medium-duty rotating equipment.
• G-MD Modular Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings Multi-directional thrust bearings engineered for applications with reversing load conditions, featuring modular design for stable operation in demanding conditions including industrial gearboxes, gas turbines, and compressors requiring bi-directional rotation.
• KingCole Tilting Pad Thrust Bearing Proprietary tilting pad thrust bearing design from Kingsbury for high-performance turbomachinery applications.
• SlimLine Tilting Pad Thrust (LEG) Bearing Compact LEG-design thrust bearing optimized for space-constrained applications while maintaining leading edge groove technology benefits.
• CH Thrust & Journal Bearing System Self-contained bearing solution combining an equalized thrust bearing and precision journal bearing within a single housing with internal viscous pump for self-lubrication, eliminating the need for external lubrication skid or auxiliary oil system; operates with air, fresh water, or seawater cooling options.
• Pedestal-Mounted (PMH) Thrust & Journal Bearings Custom engineered support solution combining thrust and journal bearings in a pedestal-mounted housing for high-power rotating equipment requiring both radial and axial load capacity.
• Messinger Large Rolling Element Bearings Wholly owned subsidiary specializing in large rolling element bearings for heavy industrial applications, including bearings up to 25 feet in diameter for industrial and heavy machinery markets.
• Bearing Repair & Refurbishment Services Comprehensive bearing service including turbine thrust and journal bearing repair for hydrodynamic systems, babbitting and babbitt repair, ultrasonic and dye penetrant inspection, dimensional measurement, and field service support for installation and commissioning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Oil flow reduction up to 50% compared to flooded designs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Durrell Wildlife Conservation TrustminorOthersKingsbury supports the mission of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, an international charity headquartered at Jersey Zoo in the Channel Islands working to save species from extinction. Kingsbury provides direct financial contributions to help protect endangered species and restore threatened ecosystems, supporting efforts that preserve biodiversity and promote healthier natural landscapes.
• Messinger BearingscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMessinger Bearings is a wholly owned company of Kingsbury, specializing in the design, manufacture, and repair of custom rolling element bearings for heavy industrial applications since 1912. Messinger offers extremely large bearings up to 25 feet in diameter, extending Kingsbury's product portfolio beyond fluid film bearings to include large rolling element solutions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• SKF: SKF is the world's largest rolling-element bearing manufacturer offering bearing solutions across industrial, marine, energy, and aerospace. While primarily rolling-element, SKF competes with Kingsbury (and Messinger) in adjacent bearing categories and at the OEM design-in stage.
• Siemens Energy: Siemens Energy manufactures large gas turbines, steam turbines, and grid technology and is both a major Kingsbury customer and, through in-house bearing engineering, a partial competitor for the design-in of bearing solutions on next-generation turbomachinery.
• Schaeffler / FAG / INA: Schaeffler (with FAG and INA brands) manufactures a complete range of rolling-element and some plain bearings serving industrial, automotive, wind, and aerospace markets. Comparable to Kingsbury as a broad incumbent with overlapping industrial and renewable-energy customers.
• Timken (Timken / Philadelphia Gear): Timken designs engineered bearings, power transmission, and gear-drive solutions for industrial and energy markets. Through Philadelphia Gear and Torrington lines it overlaps with Kingsbury in industrial turbomachinery and marine bearing applications.
• RBC Bearings (Glacier): RBC Bearings, through its Glacier brand, offers sleeve and fluid-film bearings alongside a broad portfolio of rolling-element and engineered bearings. While not hydrodynamic-exclusive, it overlaps with Kingsbury in industrial and aerospace fluid-film bearing applications as a larger, publicly-traded incumbent.

Regional players

• Elliott Group: Elliott Group designs and manufactures turbomachinery (compressors, steam turbines) and supplies associated bearing systems for oil & gas, petrochemical, and power applications. It is comparable because it specifies and integrates Kingsbury's competing-class bearings into its turbomachinery solutions.

Direct peers

• RENK Group: RENK Group is a German manufacturer of specialized drive, propulsion, and bearing systems, including hydrodynamic sliding bearings for naval, marine, and industrial applications. It is a direct competitor in European marine and industrial bearing markets alongside Kingsbury GmbH.
• Waukesha Bearings: Waukesha Bearings (a Dover Corporation company) designs and manufactures hydrodynamic fluid film bearings — tilting-pad thrust, journal, and combination bearings — for turbomachinery, marine, and power generation. It is the closest direct competitor to Kingsbury in hydrodynamic bearing technology and target markets.
• Michell Bearings: Michell Bearings (part of British Engines Group) is a heritage hydrodynamic bearing manufacturer founded by the inventor of the tilting-pad journal bearing concept. It competes head-to-head with Kingsbury in marine propulsion, power generation, and industrial turbomachinery hydrodynamic bearings.

Emerging players

• Hydro Inc. Hydro Inc. specializes in turbine-generator repair, refurbishment, and aftermarket bearing services. Comparable because it competes for the high-margin service and refurbishment revenue stream that anchors Kingsbury's bearing repair and field-service business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Kingsbury, Inc.