Competition record
Schaeffler
Deep profile · 1 linked library matter
Schaeffler is the German bearings and auto-parts company behind brands such as INA and FAG. The European Commission fined Schaeffler in the automotive-bearings cartel with SKF, NTN, and JTEKT.
Overview
Schaeffler is a German supplier of bearings and other parts that go into engines, gearboxes, and chassis. INA and FAG are brands inside the group. Carmakers know Schaeffler as a tier-one supplier: it quotes a price for a bearing that will be designed into a model and bought for years.
The Commission fined Schaeffler for coordinating those automotive-bearing prices with SKF, NTN, and JTEKT. A German parts group, a Swedish bearings specialist, and two Japanese makers were the core of the decision. Aligning quotes to a carmaker removes the tension purchasing teams rely on when they run a dual source.
Library status is fined. No euro amount is stated. The bearing is a small part of a vehicle's bill of materials and a large part of this group's competitive record.
Competition footprint
Quotes to carmakers for ball and roller bearings are the cartelized transactions.
INA and FAG are Schaeffler brands a buyer might see on the part even when the contract is with the group.
SKF, NTN, and JTEKT are the rivals named in the same decision.
Consumer & business angle
Vehicle manufacturers and their large suppliers are the customers who took the coordinated bearing prices.
A repair shop buying a replacement bearing later is further from the original quote, and closer to a retail price that may still carry the upstream cost.
What to watch
- Carmaker claims that name Schaeffler, INA, or FAG against the bearings decision.
- Dual-source policies at vehicle plants that were supposed to keep Schaeffler and SKF honest with each other.
Markets
automotive bearings · vehicle components
Also known as: schaeffler group, ina, fag