The certificate issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency: FAG's Aerospace Division underwent an audit by the European Aviation Safety Agency at the end of 2009 and was awarded a certificate as a European aviation research and development company. FAG's aerospace division is the only rolling bearing manufacturer in the world to possess this certificate. Edgar Streit, President of Research and Development at FAG's Aerospace Division, said: "Currently, we have the authority to declare that our produced rolling bearings possess so-called airworthiness, and they can be applied in the aviation field." This certificate is valid throughout Europe. In 2002, FAG's aerospace division received this national-level certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. When national aviation safety standards were replaced by unified standards across Europe, the responsibility for this audit was transferred to the European Aviation Safety Agency, which currently handles the certification of companies across the entire European region. Therefore, this certificate needed to be updated to cover the expanded regional scope.
Achieving the highest quality standards in the research, production, and overhaul processes of aviation import bearings is key to obtaining this certificate. All processes must be continuously documented. In the aerospace engineering field, the Schaeffler Group, with its FAG and Barden brands, is a world-leading producer of ultra-precision bearings used in aircraft and helicopter engines and aviation applications. Almost all modern passenger planes use this bearing technology. The product range includes everything from main shaft and gearbox bearing supports in aircraft engines and gearbox and rotor bearing supports in helicopters, to turbine pump bearings in rocket engines and special bearing supports in satellites and spacecraft. These highly reliable, advanced special bearings can also be applied in nuclear energy and medical technology.
Highest Requirements for Quality and Safety
Rolling bearing supports in aircraft and rocket engines must withstand extreme loads. High thrust loads at extreme temperatures push components to the limits of their operational performance. At the same time, they must meet extremely high safety requirements. For Schaeffler Group's aerospace division, this means the highest quality levels and reliability, as well as a very high level of innovation drive. Research and development has thus been pushed to new heights. For example, in material research, a special steel has been developed that, when combined with ceramic rolling elements, can withstand extreme loads and speeds.
The Schaeffler Group owns three major brands: INA, FAG, and LuK, and is a leading global producer of rolling bearings and linear motion products. It is also a well-known supplier of high-precision products and systems in the automotive industry for engine, transmission, and chassis applications. The group represents a high degree of customer focus, exceptional innovation capability, and the highest quality standards. The group has approximately 61,000 employees globally, with over 180 branches in more than 50 countries, and had sales of about 7.3 billion euros in 2009. This makes the Schaeffler Group one of the largest family-owned enterprises in Germany and Europe.
Under the industrial division of the Schaeffler Group are the INA and FAG brands, which provide rolling bearings, plain bearings, and linear drive technology to around 60 different industrial sectors globally through market proximity and application support services. The product range includes 225,000 products, from miniature bearings just a few millimeters in size, such as those used in dental drills, to large bearings with diameters reaching several meters, used in wind turbines.