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Company History

GGB has a long history of leadership in technology, which has laid the foundation for our position today as the world's largest plain bearings manufacturer.


1887O.J. Garlock patented his first industrial sealing system. 
 
1899Findlay and Battle founded Findlay Motor Metals. The company was renamed to Glacier Antifriction Metal Company two years later.
 
1910sBegan making plain bearings in response to increased demand for internal combustion engines.
 
1930sDeveloped a sintered copper/lead process.
 
1948Began experimenting with PTFE as a bearing material.
 
1950sEstablished Aluminum-Tin (Al20Sn) as a superior engine bearing lining material. 
 
1950Launched SP.
 
1954Test pilot plant built for making sinter bronze-lined steel strip. 
 
1955Patented a mush impregnation process of porous bronze. Shortly thereafter, introduced DU bearing and AS15 engine bearing material. 
 
1956Introduced DU, the first steel-backed bearing material based on PTFE.
 
1958Garlock Inc. was created as a bearing distributor when an agreement was reached with Glacier. 
 
1965Launched the self-lubricating DX product for greased applications.
 
1970sGlacier licenses technology to a number of overseas bearing manufacturers to pay for further R&D. Licensees include: SIC (France), Kolbenschmidt (Germany), Daido Metal Co. (Japan), Garlock Bearings (USA). 
 
1976Glacier and Garlock Inc. establish joint venture company Garlock Bearings Inc. Glacier delivers strip manufacturing plant and sintering furnace for production of DU and DX.
 
1986Launched Hi-eX product (a variation of DX), designed for high temperature applications. 
 
1988Glacier establishes the Industrial Bearings Business Unit to specialise in industrial applications. IBBU is replaced in 1992 by Glacier Industrial Bearings (GIB), headquartered in Heilbronn, Germany.
 
1993Introduced DS for ski lifts.
 
1995Introduced DP4 for shock absorbers and other hydraulic applications.
 
1996Launched new range of injection-moulded thermoplastic materials.
 
Late 1990sManufacture of DU and derivatives estimated at more than one billion pieces per year. 
 
2001Goodrich, the owner of Garlock Bearings Inc., acquired GIB and formed Glacier Garlock Bearings. 
 
2002Goodrich creates a new public company and splits it off to its shareholders. EnPro Industries, Inc. becomes the new parent of Glacier Garlock Bearings.
 
2003

Introduced new, lead-free DP31 material for automotive applications

Bernd Fischer named new president of Glacier Garlock Bearings

Acquisition of Saver North America, a producer of self-lubricating composite bearings

Glacier Garlock Bearings expands activities in Asia; Singapore distribution centre opened

DP31
 
2004

Glacier Garlock Bearings changes name to GGB 

Offices opened in New Delhi, India and Moscow, Russia; distribution centre opens in South Africa

Opening of new manufacturing plant in Sučany, Slovakia

ggb

GGB Plant

 
2005

Office opened in Shanghai, China

GGB moves its headquarter to Chadds Ford, Philadelphia, USA

 
 
2006

Office opens in Singapore

Introduces expanded range of solid polymer materials

 
 
2007

Introduced sealed bearing cartridges for off-highway equipment applications; opened second sales office in China in Beijing; introduced EP™ series of solid-polymer rod stock for machined parts; acquired Böhringer Kunststofftechnik GmbH, precision injection molder of high-performance plastics

Sealed Bearings
2008

Production facilities established in Suzhou, China, and Pune, India; new DX®10 with DuraStrong™ technology bearings won Frost & Sullivan’s product innovation of the year award in the Class 7-8 truck bearings category.

2009

Filament-wound product range introduced to the European and Asian markets; GGB North America certified to AS9100B, the aerospace industry’s standard for quality management systems; Poland sales office reopened.

2010

Introduces a line of hydrodynamic, fluid film bearings for use in electrical motors and generators, turbines, pumps and compressors.

2011

Acquired PI Bearing Technologies, now GGB Chicago, a producer of aluminum alloy bushing blocks for demanding fluid power applications.