China's Bearing Industry Advances Under 14th Five-Year Plan

Under the dual drive of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the global intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry, China's bearing industry is presenting remarkable achievements with a development focus on "high-end, intelligent, and green" growth.

According to the latest data from the China Bearing Industry Association, the industry’s revenue surpassed 231.5 billion yuan in 2024, a 6.2% year-on-year growth. Bearing production reached 33.7 billion units, setting a historical high, with a 17.3% increase. The momentum continued in the first quarter of 2025, with the total industrial output value of 160 major bearing companies reaching 25.397 billion yuan, growing by 11.14% year-on-year, and the industrial added value hitting 7.631 billion yuan, up 10.97%. Chinese-made bearings not only perform strongly in the domestic market but also exhibit competitiveness in the international market, with bearing exports growing by 8.7% in the first quarter. In March alone, exports reached 68,366 tons, up 25.3%. These figures highlight the scale advantage of domestic bearings and reflect the profound transformation from “quantity growth” to “quality change.”

Beijing University of Technology Professor Shi Zhaoyao, in an interview, pointed out that bearings are core components and part of the fundamental strategic industry. The self-reliance and strength of the basic components industry, such as bearings and gears, have gained unprecedented attention, injecting strong momentum into the development of the bearing industry.

The "2025-2030 China Bearing Industry Development Trends and Competitive Strategy Report" reveals that domestic bearings have made significant breakthroughs in high-end applications, particularly in aerospace and precision machinery. For example, in April 2025, the Long March 2F Yao-20 rocket successfully launched the Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft. The three-point contact ball bearings and high-precision self-lubricating bearings used in the spacecraft's rotating mechanism were independently developed by the China National Machinery Industry Group, achieving internationally advanced performance levels. In the “China Sky Eye” radio telescope, developed by the Luoyang Bearing Group, the feed cabin bearings helped make it the world's largest and most sensitive single-dish radio telescope, with bearings providing high sensitivity and pointing accuracy to guide lunar exploration missions.

The breakthroughs in the wind power sector are also noteworthy. In March 2024, Luoyang Bearing Research Institute successfully developed the world’s first 25 MW wind turbine main shaft and gearbox bearings, setting a record for the single-unit capacity, marking China’s achievement in self-sufficiency in key components for ultra-large wind turbine generators. From relying on imports to surpassing in technology, the "reverse growth" of domestic bearings has demonstrated both the leap in industrial chain security and innovation capabilities.

The domestic market’s demand for upgrades and international market recognition together form the dual engines driving the growth of domestic bearings.

Currently, the high-end bearing output value of Luoyang Bearing Group accounts for 70% of the company’s total output value. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, 13 scientific and technological achievements have reached international standards. The domestic market share of wind turbine main shaft bearings exceeds 40%, and the development of shield machine series main bearings has broken the long-standing dependence on imports.

"From an international perspective, Luoyang Bearing’s technological innovations can provide effective solutions to solve the 'bottleneck' problems in the high-end bearing field by increasing R&D investment, undertaking national projects, deepening industry-academia-research cooperation, collaborating on research, establishing strategic alliances, and developing standard systems. These measures can also break the imbalance of heavy reliance on imports through product manufacturing, service supply, and other ways," said Wang Haibing, an associate researcher at the Industrial Economics Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

In addition, high-performance bearings play a crucial role in emerging applications like intelligent manufacturing. Take robot joints, for example, whose flexible operation relies on precise bearings. Luoyang Hongyuan Bearing Technology Co., Ltd. has successfully mastered the related technology through years of research and has been exporting these products to international markets like Japan since 2020.

Similarly, Luoyang Bearing has enhanced its cometitiveness through digital intelligence. The application of technologies such as "5G + industrial IoT" has enabled the full digitalization of product design, material selection, production, and delivery. It is reported that Luoyang Bearing Group has invested over 1 billion yuan in upgrading traditional production lines and has independently developed a series of bearing application software with proprietary intellectual property rights.

"Luoyang Bearing’s successful practices in core technologies for high-speed rail, wind power bearings, smart factory construction, and industrial chain collaborative innovation have significant demonstration value, offering replicable and scalable experiences for the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries. Collaborative innovation in the industrial chain helps build a more competitive industrial ecosystem," said Shi Zhaoyao.

From high-speed rail bearings to robot joints, from wind turbine main shafts to smart factories, every breakthrough is redefining the boundaries of this trillion-yuan market. According to Zhongyan Puhua’s prediction, by 2030, China’s bearing industry chain output value will exceed 500 billion yuan, with high-end bearings accounting for 40% and smart bearings penetrating over 30%.

Looking ahead, Shi Zhaoyao believes that companies should continue to increase R&D investment, particularly in precision heat treatment and other basic processes; align with international certifications and strictly control quality throughout the process; strengthen industry-academia-research joint innovation bodies, integrate upstream supply chains, and build a new industrial ecosystem.