Part of NFRThe Schaeffler Group defines Green products as products that are responsible for less CO₂ emissions than their substitutes throughout the entire life cycle – i.e., production, transport, use, and disposal, or use of potential circular economy concepts. The results of the life cycle assessment are integrated into the product development process – for example, product design and material selection – in an effort to develop products with an improved carbon footprint.Part of NFR

Product carbon footprint

Part of NFRThe Schaeffler Group conducts life cycle assessments (LCAs) to measure the environmental impact of its products throughout their entire life cycle. Internal guidelines, based on the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards, regulate the development, processing, and reporting of LCAs throughout the entire life cycle. These methods were certified by TÜV Rheinland. The LCAs serve as a key tool for determining the sustainability performance of products, with a particular focus on the product carbon footprint (PCF). LCAs also include analysis of the supply chain and processes and therefore enable identification of suitable reduction measures for the PCF of Schaeffler products. When conducting LCAs, the Schaeffler Group usually uses the system limited to the cradle-to-gate approach (primarily material and production). In special cases, aspects of the cradle-to-grave (plus use phase) or cradle-to-cradle (plus circular economy) approaches are also taken into account.

In addition to the certified methods, the Schaeffler Group has also been using additional tools to calculate the PCF throughout the development process. A tool used for cost-value analysis is currently being expanded to include a calculating metric for the PCF, combined with corresponding databases, and validated by TÜV SÜD. This should eventually make it possible to efficiently prepare calculations for a whole host of products and thus integrate them into the product development process. The central database contains the emission factors associated with the materials used, including the primary data of suppliers and the secondary data of established databases. Based on these data, all Schaeffler series products are currently being evaluated in terms of their PCFs to determine which of them should be prioritized for decarbonization. To accelerate this product-specific reduction of CO₂ emissions, a platform is being developed that combines the materials used in the products with all available reduction measures and thus makes it possible to identify the best possible optimization scenarios. Since autumn 2023, it has also been possible to calculate the PCF for bearing production with a product configurator for rolling bearings. 

In addition, training courses on the topic of “Design for Environment” are being offered to familiarize employees with the opportunities provided by sustainable product development in particular.Part of NFR

Automotive Technologies

Part of NFRThe Automotive Technologies division partners with the global automotive industry for passenger cars and commercial vehicles to develop and manufacture components and systems for all-electric and hybrid powertrains, fuel cell powertrain, internal combustion engines, and chassis systems. The division also offers a wide range of bearings. The Automotive Technologies division manages its business based on the four business divisions (BDs) E-Mobility, Engine & Transmission Systems, Bearings, and Chassis Systems, which in turn comprise several business units.Part of NFR

E-Mobility

Part of NFRThe Schaeffler Group is broadly positioned for electric mobility and develops and produces mechanical, mechatronic, and electronic components and systems for the electrification of powertrains in passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The offering encompasses solutions for hybrid vehicles, all-electric vehicles, and vehicles with a fuel cell powertrain. The product portfolio ranges from electric motors, electric axle transmissions, electric axle drives, power electronics, hybrid modules, electromechanical and hydraulic actuators, and thermal management solutions to complete electric axle systems that form a compact unit of transmission, electric motor, power electronics, and thermal management. The Schaeffler Group works with customers to develop individual bipolar plates and components for fuel cell systems. Since the beginning of 2024, the Schaeffler Group has been producing bipolar plates in the joint venture innoplate, established in partnership with Symbio in Haguenau, France.Part of NFR

Engine & Transmission Systems

Part of NFRThe Schaeffler Group is also working on consumption-optimized internal combustion engines and solutions for hybrid powertrains to minimize emissions as far as possible. The company uses an extensive modular kit of technologies and products that, depending on customer requirements, can be combined to maximize efficiency. For example, the combination of electric cam phasers and the eRocker system for highly variable valve control increases the efficiency of engine and transmission. In hybrid drives, this reduces CO₂ by around 10 % without compromising engine performance. 

In addition to making other improvements in production, the Schaeffler Group has also introduced new stamping and hardening processes. The goal is to reduce weight and thus CO₂ emissions.Part of NFR

Bearings

Part of NFRInnovative bearing solutions play a key role in sustainable mobility by making powertrains and chassis systems more energy-efficient. In electrified vehicles, in particular, every bit of energy saved translates into increased range. Vehicle developers are therefore looking closely at every bearing location as they seek to optimize friction performance and enhance value for the customer. The Schaeffler Group’s transmission bearings for electric vehicles are specifically designed for the high rotational speeds of electric-drive transmission input shafts and therefore provide optimal load accommodation. 

Compared to a standard double-row ball bearing, the Schaeffler Group’s TriFinity triple-row wheel bearing for electric cars not only transfers greater axle loads, but also offers a longer service life.Part of NFR

Chassis Systems

Part of NFRThe Schaeffler Group has developed extensive expertise in chassis systems in recent years and, instead of offering individual components, offers complete steering systems – for example, with mechatronic rear-wheel steering. This steering system not only improves handling in city traffic but also enhances lane-change stability and makes the vehicle easier to park. 

In the area of steer-by-wire technology, the Schaeffler Group launched an electrohydraulic power steering system designed for front wheel steering in commercial vehicles for series production in 2023. This system will initially support Level 2 automation and subsequently higher-­level autonomous driving functions.Part of NFR

Automotive Aftermarket

Part of NFRThe Automotive Aftermarket division is responsible for the Schaeffler Group’s worldwide automotive spare parts business and supplies innovative repair solutions in original-equipment quality. The company is thus helping to increase the service life of vehicles.

Factors such as the growing number of vehicles and increasing system complexity are boosting the demand for repair, which makes expanded and new repair options and services necessary for workshops.

The portfolio offers an extensive selection of repair solutions and individual components for all vehicle classes, with a focus on expanding the range for full hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric vehicles. The spare parts program encompasses a comprehensive portfolio of kits and components for all key systems and products in hybrid vehicles. 

E-Mobility solutions are introduced in the aftermarket in close collaboration with the Automotive Technologies division. Trends such as electric and increasingly automated transmissions, autonomous driving, and the circular economy have an influence on how vehicles will be used and serviced in the future.

Thanks to the Schaeffler E-Axle RepSystem-G, workshops can properly repair the latest generation of electric drives in battery- and hybrid-powered vehicles. Repairing the drive unit is around 20 % as expensive as replacing it entirely.Part of NFR

Industrial

Part of NFRThe Industrial division develops and manufactures precision components, both rotative and linear bearing solutions, drive technology components and systems, and service solutions such as sensor-based condition monitoring systems for a large number of industrial applications. 

Through the divisional subprogram of the Roadmap 2025, the Industrial division is focusing on growth and expansion of the core business, the scaling of the service business, and development of new business fields in growing markets. Global production and overhead structures as well as sales and delivery processes are regularly assessed and, if necessary, revised along the way.

The product and service range is divided into four market clusters: Renewables, Transportation & Mobility, Machinery & Materials, and Industrial Automation. Products are sold directly to end customers or through machine and plant manufacturers, trade partners, or service providers.Part of NFR

Renewables

Part of NFRAs a partner of the energy industry, the Schaeffler Group supplies key components for the expansion of renewable energy production. Efficient and high-performance bearing solutions increase energy production and the level of efficiency.

The Schaeffler Group’s large tapered roller bearings have undergone slip-free induction ¹ hardening for some years now, with the heat required for material hardening generated by a coil. The heat is produced directly in the workpiece itself and therefore does not need to be transmitted via convection, radiation, or thermal conduction. This approach offers a much better carbon footprint when using renewable energy. The example with a tapered roller bearing reveals that CO₂-reduced steel, higher material utilization, and induction hardening can reduce the PCF by 70 % to 1.5 kg of CO₂ per kilogram of bearing.Part of NFR

Transportation & Mobility

Part of NFRThe Transportation & Mobility market cluster represents a range of solutions that the Schaeffler Group offers the aerospace, rail, off-road, and two-wheeler sector clusters. For rail transport, the Schaeffler Group develops and produces new product solutions with optimized functions, high energy efficiency, an extended service life, and longer maintenance intervals.

Two-row tapered roller bearing units, or TAROL units, are generally used for high-speed rail applications and have been further optimized for friction by the Schaeffler Group using the “OptiKit” BearinX tool. Compared to existing high-speed bearings, they can reduce frictional torque by 20 % in industry-specific test runs. Company calculations reveal that, based on a high-speed train with 80 integrated bearings and a mileage of one million km, CO₂ emissions can be reduced by around 50 metric tons.Part of NFR

Machinery & Materials

Part of NFRIn the Machinery & Materials market cluster, the Schaeffler Group is continuously working to develop solutions for optimizing friction and extending the service life of rolling bearings, which also includes the remanufacturing of rolling bearings. Remanufacturing bearings rather than producing new ones can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90 %.

The Schaeffler Group offers other options for reducing CO₂ when it comes to producing new bearings. By introducing changes to the production process for rolling mill bearings, the company can utilize the case hardening steel Mancrodur, which requires less energy to produce and offers a better PCF.

The Schaeffler Group is further reducing CO₂ in the area of service – for example, with augmented reality, as assembly, servicing, and maintenance can now be conducted virtually rather than on-site.Part of NFR

Industrial Automation

Part of NFRAs a development partner in the sectors of medical technology, machine tools, robotics, foods, packaging, and general industrial machinery, the Schaeffler Group is interested in increasing efficiency. In addition, the Industrial Automation department is increasing its focus on highly efficient, electromechanical actuators to replace older technologies based on hydraulics, thereby doubling drive energy efficiency in many applications.

In the growing robotics business, which the Schaeffler Group strengthened with its acquisition of Melior Motion in 2022, the company has an innovative drive concept for robotic applications in the form of PSC drives. Compared to cycloidal drives, the PSC product range offers more than 5 % higher efficiency and therefore minimizes energy consumption, allowing customers to use smaller drive motors, which in turn offers additional CO₂ reduction potential.Part of NFR

Cross-divisional approach to hydrogen

Part of NFRThe Schaeffler Group views hydrogen as a promising, renewable source of energy and raw material that is universal and suitable for storage and global transportation. Green hydrogen can also be used across all sectors, as it can supply different industry sectors and bring them together. Examples of the various applications include uses as an electricity-based, industrial raw material for the steel and chemical industry, a stationary supply of electricity, and hydrogen-based electric mobility for road, rail, sea, and air.

The Schaeffler Group uses the opportunities provided by green hydrogen technology to develop its own products as well as decarbonize both the company and the supply chain. These activities are bundled at the hydrogen competence center in Herzogenaurach and managed by the internal “Schaeffler Hydrogen Council.” Made up of leading specialists and members of the Board of Managing Directors of Schaeffler AG, the Council discusses the program’s progress on a quarterly basis and develops measures accordingly.

The Schaeffler Group’s cross-divisional approach is based on production expertise and further development of fuel cells and electrolyzers. With the industrialized production of these core technologies for green hydrogen, the Schaeffler Group aims to help expand availability and make it more cost-efficient. In addition, the company is preparing to use green hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels in internal production. For that reason, the Schaeffler Group is developing production capacities for green hydrogen at the Herzogenaurach and Schweinfurt locations, which also use their own electrolysis technology.Part of NFR

Fuel cells

Part of NFRThe Schaeffler Group firmly believes that hydrogen will play a key role in the sustainable mobility of the future, which is why the company relies on the fuel cell powertrain and efficient industrialization of the required technology. Collaboration in the “Innoplate” joint venture is an important step on this journey. The partnership aims to produce bipolar plates, which are key components of fuel cells, in large numbers in the future. 

Currently under construction in Haguenau, France, the joint facility is expected to produce 4 million bipolar plates annually as of early 2024 and around 50 million plates a year by 2030. The Schaeffler Group is contributing to industrialization and series production with two of its most important technologies: high-precision forming and punching technology as well as innovative coating processes with internally developed coating recipes that address the specific requirements of fuel cells. 

The Central Technology department is responsible for developing new material and coating solutions.Part of NFR

Electrolyzers

Part of NFRAt the end of 2023, the Schaeffler Group received a test bench suitable for testing products with electrical power of several hundred kW. The test bench will be commissioned in 2024 and accelerate the development of new electrolysis products at the Herzogenaurach hydrogen competence center, eliminating a variety of obstacles such as the need to wait on external partners. Larger, scalable stack platforms for the megawatt range can also be tested.Part of NFR