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Waukesha adds RPB to its bearings business

01 September, 2001

Waukesha Bearings has bought Federal-Mogul RPB, formerly known as Glacier Rotating Plant Bearings, from Federal-Mogul for an undisclosed sum. The business, which has four factories in the UK and one in the US, produces hydrodynamic and magnetic bearings for customers in the industrial, power generation, and petrochemical markets.

Waukesha says that RPB provides synergies both in technology and in market coverage. It claims that the acquisition will make it:

• the world`s largest supplier of hydrodynamic bearings for rotating machines;

• the global technology leader in the design and application of these bearings; and

• the supplier of the widest range of custom bearing technologies including polymer, ceramic and magnetic types.

RPB has been in the bearings business for more than 100 years and notched up sales last year of more than $20m. Its headquarters are in Northwood Hills, outside London, and it produces traditional fluid film bearings at factories in Glasgow and Manchester. It also develops and makes magnetic bearing systems in Shoreham, UK, and Mystic in the US. The company has 215 employees.

Don Fancher, Waukesha Bearings` president, says that the acquisition is in line with he company`s "strategic vision to emerge as the leader in the design, manufacture and sales of precision hydrodynamic film bearings". Waukesha is part of the $5.4bn Dover Corporation.

Federal-Mogul acquired the RPB business when it bought T&N plc in 1998. The company now plans to focus its bearings activities on the vehicle engine market as part of its Power Cylinder systems business.




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