26.10.2023 | Press release

The tech enterprise Rheinmetall has won an order for plain bearings for use in a planetary gear set, which will be installed in an environmentally friendly vehicle powered by an electric motor. The customer is an internationally operating automaker active in the e-mobility domain with a strategy geared to systematic growth. For Rheinmetall, this will mean additional annual order volume of several hundred thousand euros.  The first components will be delivered starting in January 2024. Rheinmetall’s quote remains valid until 2027; there is currently no time limit on the customer’s order. 

The high quality of Rheinmetall’s plain bearings was crucial in winning the order. Compared to the competition, the materials used in the Group’s plain bearings produced the best results. Moreover, they display outstanding damping and smooth-running characteristics as well as excellent resistance to wear and tear, coupled with strong mixed friction performance. The products are designed and fabricated in strict accordance with customer specifications, with performance-optimized selection of materials.

The plain bearing application is highly complex, making resistance to wear essential for the component’s longevity. In terms of volume, planetary gear sets themselves are very compact, a space-saving solution that also contributes to greater torque transmission. Higher torque at a lower rpm can lead to efficient and powerful acceleration when starting, helping to save operating power, especially in urban traffic.

Having already succeeded in winning an order from the customer in the first phase of its e-mobility strategy, Rheinmetall expects to see further e-mobility-related orders from this customer in future. This is particularly true since the current contract is structured for long-term cooperation. 

In the field of high-precision sliding elements, Rheinmetall is a world leader in plain bearings for automotive and industrial applications, offering extremely high production depth for material applications, primary forming and reshaping, and final processing of components with various coating technologies. Each new incoming order in the e-mobility domain marks a further step on the path to the Group’s transformation toward forward-looking, environmentally sustainable forms of mobility and away from the internal combustion engine.