Daido Announces New Czech Bearing Plant

Daido Metal Co. Ltd. (Japan) has announced it will build a new engine bearing manufacturing facility near Brno, in the Czech Republic. The factory will initially produce thinwall automotive engine bearings, targeting automakers setting up shop in eastern Europe, but it also intends to export a large proportion of its bearings. Currently, Daido has five bearing manufacturing facilities in Japan, two joint-venture facilities are in Taiwan, and one each in the United States, Korea, Indonesia and Thailand. Daido manufactures thinwall bearings for automotive and truck engines, and heavywall bearings for off-highway, industrial, marine and stationary engine applications. They are one of only a few manufacturers of "super-large" plain bearings up to 1,250mm OD, while their marine bearings are designed for internal combustion engines putting out over 70,000 horsepower. The company also manufactures a wide array of mounted and unmounted polymer plain bearings and slides, and plain steel bearings and slides. They are used in air conditioners, industrial and office equipment, automotive shock absorbers, and a variety of other applications with customers around the world. A shorter lineup of polymer/steel roller bearings rounds out the product line. Daido's Brno factory is expected to be online by early 2006, and eventually employ over 200 workers by the time it is fully operational in 2008. The total cost of the project is projected to approach USD $17 million. While Czech workers currently earn the equivalent of $3 per hour, they are also considerably less efficient than their counterparts in western European countries such as Germany. Daido joins several other foreign bearing manufacturers operating in the Czech Republic: Oiles, Timken (formerly a Torrington facility), Koyo Seiko, Nachi, INA/FAG, and NSK among them.