THE ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS INDUSTRY IN THE SOVIET BLOC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R01141A000200090004-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 199
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 25, 2013
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: October 30, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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SECRET
ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
THE ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS INDUSTRY
IN THE SOVIET BLOC
CIA/RR 26
30 October 1953
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND REPORTS
SECRET
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WARNINCx
This material cont~,iris information. affecting
the National Defense of ~-the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC; Secs. 793' .and.:. 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited liy law.
3,
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ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
THE ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS INDUSTRY IN THE SOVIET BLOC
CIA~RR 26
(ORR Project 43-51)
Office of Research and Reports
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CONTENTS
A. General Nature and Use of Antifriction Bearings .
B. Importance of Antifriction Bearings to an
Industrial Economy
Page
Summary 1
I . Introduction . 5
II. USSR.
A. Development and Organization of the Industry. 7
1. Development ~ 7
2. Organization. 9
B. Production. 9
1. Estimated Output . 9
2. Technology. 13
? ~ 3. Material and Equipment. 16
C . Imports and Exports 17
D. Distribution and Requirements 21
E. Balance (Surplus or Deficit) . 26
III. East Germany. 28
A. Development and Organization of the Industry. 28
1. Development 28
2 . Organization . 30
B. Production. 32
1. Estimated Output. 32
2. Technology. 38
3. Material and Equipment. 39
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C . Imports ~. 41
D. Planned Distribution and Requirements 42
E. Balance (Surplus or Deficit) . 1+3
IV. Czechoslovakia. ~+5
A. Development and Organization"of the Industry. 45
1. Development ~+5
2 . Organization . ~+6
B. Production. 47
. 1. Estimated Output. . " . 47
2. Technology. 50
3, Material and Equipment. 51
C . Imports 52
D. Distribution?and Requirements 61
E. Balance (Surplus or Deficit). 62
V . Poland . 62
A. Development of the Industry _. 62
B. Production. 63
1. Estimated Output. 63
2. Types and Sizes of Bearings in Production 63
3. Material and Equipment. 6~+
C . Imports ~ 65
D . Requirements , 71
E. Balance (Surplus or Deficit) . 71
VI. Rumania 72
A. Development of the Industry 72
B. Production. . 72
1. Estimated Output. 72
2. Types and Sizes of?Bearings in?Production 72
3. Material and Equipment. 73
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C . Imports .. 7~+
D . .Requirements . 79
E, Balance (Surplus or Deficit) . 79
VII. Hungary 80
A. General Information _. - 80
B . Imports ... 81
C. Requirements. ... 86
D. Balance (Surplus or Deficit). 86
'1
VIII. Bulgaria. 87
A. Imports $.7
' B . Requirements . 87
C. Balance (Surplus or Deficit). 87
IX. Position of the Soviet Bloc, 1951 :~.. 87
A. Soviet Bloc 87
B . USSR . 91
C. Satellites. 93
XI. Conclusions 98
A. Capabilities. 9$
B. Vulnerabilities 10~+
C . Intentions . 105
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Appendixes
Page
Appendix A. Major Industries Consuming Antifriction
Bearings 107
Appendix B. Plant Facilities for Producing Antifriction
Bearings in the Soviet. Bloc . 109
Part I : USSR . ~ . 109
I. No. 1 State Bearings Plant imeni Kaganovich,
Moscow 109
II. No. 2 State Bearings Plant, Moscow. 112
III. No. 3 State Bearings Plant, Saratov 114
IV. No. 4 State Bearings Plant, Kuybyshev 117
V, No. 5 State Bearings Plant, Tomsk 119
VI. No. 6 State Bearings Plant, Sverdlovsk. 121
VII. No. 7 State Bearings Plant, Baku. 123
VIII. No. 8 State Bearings Plant, Kharkov. 125
IX. No. 9 State Bearings Plant, Kuybyshev 127
X, Plant under Construction, Minsk 129
Part II: East Germany. 131
I. SAG-Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik, Leipzig 131
II. VEB-Thueringer Kugellagerfabrik,
Zella-Mehlis . ' . 135
III. VEB-Walzkoerperfabrik, Schweina-Marienthal. 136
IV. VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth. 138
V. VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Ronneburg. 140
VI. VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Berlin (Lichtenberg) 142
VII. VEB=Gelenkwellenwerk, Stadtilm. 144
VIII. VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Arnshall 146
Part III: Czechoslovakia. 14$
I. Zbrojovka Brno Plant No. 04, Lisen. 148
II. Plant No. 28, Zbrojovka Brno Corporation,
Perste jn 151
III. Viliama Sirokeho Plant, Kysucke Nove Mesto. 153
IV. Zbrojovka Brno Plant, Tyniste nad Orlici. 156
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Part IV :
Poland
158
Fabryka Wyrowbow Metalowych, Krasnik
158
Part V :
Rumania...
160
Steagul Rosu Plant, Orasul Stalin.
160
Part VI:
Other Plants
164
I. USSR
164
II. East Germany
166
III. Czechoslovakia
167
Appendix C.
Equipment Used in the Antifriction Bearings
Industry.
169
Appendix D.
Supporting Statistical Tables for the Antifriction
Bearings Industry in the USSR
171
Appendix E .
Methodology.
181
1.
Announced Annual Increases in Production of Antifriction
Bearings in the USSR, 1846-51
11
2.
Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in the USSR,
1946-55
12
3.
Antifriction Bearings in Production in the USSR, 1950.
13
4.
Output of Antifriction Bearings per Unit of Equipment and
per Worker at No. 1 State Bearings Plant in Moscow,
1946-51 16
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.- Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by the USSR
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions,
1948_- 5.1 .. 18
6. Estimated Distribution of Antifriction Bearings in the
USSR, 1951. 22
7?
Requirements for Ball and Roller Bearings in Selected
Soviet Equipment, 1951. 23
8. Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in the USSR, 1951 .. 27
9. Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in East
Germany, 1949-55 ? 33
10. Steel Requirements Position of the Antifriction Bearings
Industry in East Germany, 1951. 40
11. Planned Distribution of Antifriction Bearings in East
Germany, 1951 42
12. Estimated Requirements of the Antifriction Bearings
Industry in East Germany, 1951. 44
13. Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in East Germany, 1951 45.
14. Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in
Czechoslovakia,_1948-53 48
15. Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by
Czechoslovakia from Western Europe through Legal
Transactions, 1948-51 .
57
16. Estimated Requirements of the Antifriction Bearings
Industry in Czechoslovakia, 1951. 61
17. Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in Czechoslovakia, 1951 62
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18. Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Poland
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions,
1948-51 67
19. Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in Poland, 1951
20. Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Rumania
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions,
1949-51 76
21. Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in Rumania, 1951 79
22. Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Hungary
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions,
1948-51 82
23. Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in Hungary, 1951 - 86
24. Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Bulgaria
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions,
1948-51 88
25. Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings industry
in the Soviet Bloc, 1951 92
28. Estimated Inputs into the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in the Soviet Bloc and the Minimum Quantity of Equip-
. went Required by the Soviet Bloc to Produce the
Estimated Output of Bearings, 1951 101
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Page
29. Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings at
Individual Plants in the USSR, 1932-51 171
30. Average Estimate of Total Production of Antifriction
Bearings in the USSR, 19+6-51 180
Following Page
Figure 1. Types of Antifriction Bearings (Photographs) 6
Figure 2. The Antifriction Bearings Industry in the .USSR,
1931-55 (Chart) 12
Figure 3. Organization and Control of Antifriction Bearings
Plants in East Germany, 1952 (Chart) 30
Figure ~+. Organization of Purchase and Sales of Antifriction
Bearings in East Germany, 1952 (Chart) 32
Maps
USSR: Antifriction Bearings and Antifriction
Bearings Repair Plants, 1951 8
East Germany: Antifriction Bearings Plants,
1951 28
Czechoslovakia: Antifriction Bearings Plants,
1951 ~+6
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Summary
In the Soviet Bloc, as elsewhere, the antifriction bearings
industry is of vital importance, especially to the machine-building
industry and industries producing military end items, which are major
consumers of antifriction bearings. Antifriction bearings, designed
according to a great variety of specifications and in some cases to
very close tolerances, are essential in all equipment with moving
elements. Since World War II the production of antifriction bearings
in the Bloc has expanded rapidly, though not rapidly enough to meet
requirements. The USSR produces and consumes by far the greater,
part of the Bloc output of antifriction bearings. If Soviet output~,-
and requirements both continue to develop at the postwar rate, the
USSR should be able to supply its own needs in 1953 or 1954, except
for replacement in machinery originally procured from.the West,
which contains types and sizes of bearings outside the production
range of the USSR. The European Satellites are in a~much less
satisfactory position. The bearings industry has developed in the
Satellites since World War II from very small-beginnings under the
handicap of a continual shortage of steel, steel balls, brass, and
machinery. Both East Germany and Czechoslovakia have given a high
priority to the production of antifriction bearings. Poland and
Rumania produce antifriction bearings on a more limited scale.
Hungary produces a negligible amount of bearings,-and Bulgaria pro-
- duces none. Collectively, the Satellites are able to meet less than
half of their own requirements for bearings. Since they have been
able to obtain only small quantities of bearings from the USSR, they
have been compelled to seek imports from the West, both openly and
through clandestine trade. Imports from the West -- chiefly from
Sweden, Italy, and Switzerland -- have been considerable, though far
from enough to cover the deficit in Satellite production, which
probably will remain much below requirements for some years.
* This report contains information available as of December 1952?
It does not deal with the Far Eastern members of the Soviet Bloc or
with the Soviet Zone of Austria, which are special cases. Nor does
it deal with Albania, which is of negligible importance in analyzing
the Bloc position with reference to antifriction bearings.
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The total output of antifriction Bearings in the Soviet Bloc in
1951 is estimated at over 115 million bearings, of which approximately
88 percent were produced in the USSR. Net imports into the Bloc in
1951 are estimated at over 8 million bearings, valued at about
$16 million, exclusive of clandestine trade, which probably is con-
siderable but cannot be estimated. Thus total supply (output plus
net imports) in 1951 is estimated at about 124 million bearings.
Total planned requirements for bearings in the Bloc in 1951 are
estimated at between 146 million and 153 million bearings. Accord-
ingly, the Bloc deficit in 1951 is estimated at between 22 million
and 29 million bearings, or roughly 15 to 20 percent of estimated
total planned requirements.
The USSR, which had a well-established antifriction bearings
industry before World War II, was compelled early in the war to dis-
mantle two major plants, located in Moscow, to prevent their capture
or destruction. As a result of the dismantling of these two plants,
which had accounted for the bulk of prewar production, wartime
production suffered severely. There was, however, no permanent loss of
capacity, and additional equipment was received during the war through
Lend Lease. By 1944 the re-equipped plants in_Moscow and the plants
that had been constructed with the equipment evacuated from Moscow
were producing as many bearings as before the war. Because of the
general decline in economic activity after the war, output fell in 1946
to a level lower than the peak prewar level, but production recovered
rapidly thereafter, and capacity was expanded with the help of equip-
ment taken from East Germany and Austria. BY 1951 the USSR had 9 major
plants (7 of them in European USSR) producing antifriction bearings,
and a tenth (also in European USSR) was under construction. These
plants, together with 12 known bearings repair plants (a special
feature of the Soviet industry), are under the control of the Ministry
of the Automobile and Tractor Industry. Soviet output of bearings in
1951 was over 104 million units, 2-1~2 times the 1940 output of
40 million units. This amount was still about 10 percent short of
meeting the increased requirements in 1951, estimated at 110 million
to 115 million bearings, of which about one-third were directly
required for military end items.
The USSR produces a fairly wide range of antifriction bearings. A
Soviet price catalogue of 1950 listed about 1,240 different types and
sizes of antifriction bearings in size ranges which indicated that
small precision instrument bearings and special large sizes were in
production. Analysis of antifriction bearings made in the USSR has
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shown that. the Soviet industry is able to produce a standard pre-
cision bearing of good quality. In an effort to achieve greater
precision and productivity, the bearings industry has worked in close
cooperation with research institutes and planning organizations.
The production of antifriction bearings in East Germany, virtually
eliminated after World War II by Soviet dismantling, was re-established
in 191+8. By 1951, in addition to 1 plant still under Soviet control
and producing for Soviet account, there were 7 confirmed plants in
production in East Germany, under the Ministry of Machine Construction.
Three of these plants are classified as key enterprises. Total output
in East Germany in 1951 is estimated at about 5.3 million bearings.
East German supply was less than this amount, since special orders
exported tb the USSR were not offset by such imports from the West as
East Germany was able to obtain, chiefly through clandestine trade.
Requirements, on the other hand, ran to an estimated amount of
11 million bearings. Soviet troop units in East Germany, whose needs
account for 1+0 percent of requirements, probably have top priority,
followed in order by Soviet-owned corporations (SAG's), by East German
key enterprises, and finally by East German civil consumption and
export. The East German deficit in 1951 is esti~,ted at well over
5 million bearings, or roughly one-half of requirements.
The most serious problem of the East German industry has been a
shortage of materials, which has been sufficiently acute to lead to
experimentation with ceramic bearings and with cages of pressed wood
and sintered iron. East German production also has been hampered by
inadequate design and lack of prototypes.
The production of antifriction bearings in Czechoslovakia has
developed rapidly since World War II, and the industry now consists of
3 major plants and 1 small plant, under the Controller-General of the
Precision Machine Industry. Total output in Czechoslovakia in 1951 is
estimated at about 6.2 million bearings. Czechoslovakia also has
imported large amounts of bearings. It is estimated that in 1951
imports amounted to about 5 million bearings, of which 1 million were
imports from the USSR and 2.4 million were legal imports from the West.
On this basis, it appears that clandestine trade furnished about
1.6 million bearings in 1951. Requirements in 1951 are estimated at
about 1~+.5 million to 16 million bearings. Priorities in the dis-
tribution of bearings are as follows: first, to war industry, mining,
and heavy industry; second, to machine 'tool, motor, and tractor
industry; third, to light industry. The deficit of bearings in
Czechoslovakia in 1951 is estimated at about ~+ million bearings, or
roughly one-quarter of requirements.
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Czechoslovakia has rather ambitious plans for the antifriction
bearings industry. The original Five. Year Plan of Czechoslovakia
called for the production of about 8 million bearings in 1953, and
a government decree of 10 April 1951 revised the original Plan to
increase the 1953 quota to 10 million bearings. This goal would
appear to be feasible, on the basis of postwar performance. The
main cause of delays in the production of bearings to date has been
a shortage of steel rods and grinding wheels. The industry's weakness
has not been in quantity but in the limited number of types and sizes
in production, which has held back the industrial sector of the
economy. Analysis of bearings manufactured in Czechoslovakia shows
that they are of fair quality.
Since World War II, Poland and Rumania both have begun to produce
antifriction bearings, though on a smaller scale than East Germany and
Czechoslovakia. In both countries, production fell far short of
domestic requirements in 1951, and the deficit was made up only in
part by imports. Poland produced an estimated 10 percent and imported
an estimated 55 percent of its requirements, which were on the order
of 5 million bearings, leaving a def icit of about one-third of re-
quirements.~ Rumania produced an estimated 35 percent and imported an
estimated 33 percent of its requirements, estimated at about 850,000
bearings, leaving a deficit of about one-third of requirements .
Hungary is almost entirely dependent and Bulgaria entirely
dependent on imports of antifriction bearings. Although Hungary has
initiated the production of bearings at the Matyas Rakosi Combine
(formerly the Manfred Weiss Works), output in 1951 was negligible.
Moreover, Hungary was able in 1951 to import from the USSR and the
West only about 20 percent of its requirements, which were on the
order of 5 million bearings, leaving a deficit of about four-fifths
of requirements. The shortage of antifriction bearings is probably
more critical in Hungary than in any of the other Satellites.
Bulgaria, with the smallest requirements of any of the Satellites, is
also very short of bearings.. In 1951 it succeeded in importing some-
what more than 60,000 bearings, probably less than 25 percent of its
requirements, which were on the order of x+00,000 bearings, leaving a
deficit of over three-quarters of requirements.
As a whole, the Soviet Bloc is evidently vulnerable, under cold
war conditions, to economic warfare measures restricting trade in anti-
friction bearings. Although, as'indicated above, Soviet production is
due to overtake domestic-requirements by 1953 or 195+, except for
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replacements in some imported machinery, the continuance of existing
trade restrictions will impose a direct strain on the Satellite
economies and also will have some indirect effect on the USSR. A
complete severance of all East-West trade in bearings would have, of
course, a greater effect on the Bloc economies than existing trade
restrictions. Estimates of Bloc requirements are by no means firm
enough, and information on clandestine trade is too fragmentary to
evaluate the seriousness of existing trade restrictions. The
results of a complete severance of East West trade are still more
difficult to evaluate.
The antifriction bearings industry of the Soviet Bloc does not
appear to be particularly vulnerable under hot war conditions. It is
an industry relatively difficult to disorganize because of its rather
small transportation and labor requirements and in view of the feasi-
bility of emergency evacuation and relocation of production equipment.
Onl the actual destruction of vital production equipment would appear
sufficient to bring about a great reduction in the production of anti-
friction bearings over a long period, except as part of a general
deterioration in the whole economy.
A. General Nature and Use of Atifriction Bearings.
An antifriction bearing consists of two concentric metal rings
separated by freely moving balls or rollers. Plain, or sleeve,
bearings are not classified as antifriction bearings and are not con-
sidered in this report. An antifriction bearing is not just a ball
or a roller: it is an accurate and intricate self-contained mechanism,
and, as the name implies, it is the machine designer's principal way
of avoiding friction and its drain on power, speed, and endurance.
There are over 30,000 different types, sizes, and modifications
of antifriction bearings, of which 5,000 are in common use, There are,
however, only a few basic types of antifriction bearings. The most
important of these are as follows-: (1) ball bearing, (2) cylindrical
See Figure 1, Types of Atifriction Bearings, following p. (,
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roller bearing, (3) spherical roller bearing, (~+) taper roller bearing,
(5) self -aligning ball bearing, (6) needle bearing, and (7) thrust
bearing.
In general, bearings with balls are. used where high speeds are
required, and bearings with rollers are used where ability to carry
heavy loads is of most importance. Balls can rotate more rapidly than
rollers, but the latter, having a greater surface of contact, can take
greater pressures without being affected. The needle bearing is a
type of roller bearing with long thin rolls used where the space be-
tween the moving parts is too small for ordinary bearings. The thrust
bearing supports an axial load, whereas the other types of bearings
usua~y support a radial load or a combined radial-axial load.
B. Importance of Antifriction Bearings to an Industrial Economy.*
As essential components of practically all mechanical devices
with moving parts, antifriction bearings occupy a strategic position
in an industrial econoYr{y. The importance of a large, uninterrupted,
and properly distributed supply of antifriction bearings has been
confirmed by the war production experience of all major belligerents
during World War II. The importance of the bearings industry cannot
be judged from its size or the value of its product. It must be
judged, instead from the marry uses for which bearings are required and
from the exact specifications that they must meet.
Some of the more important uses of bearings are in precision
instruments, machine tools, petroleum equipment, textile machinery,
farm machinery, mining machinery, cranes; locomotives, conveyors,
trucks, automobiles, motors, tanks, guns, aircraft, torpedoes, ships,
radar equipment, and fire-control apparatus. A Soviet MIG-1,5 jet
fighter is estimated to use approximately-300 antifriction bearings in
the airframe (excluding accessories) and 16 in the engine 1~~; the
B-29 bomber, copied by the USSR and known as the TU-4, is reported tb
use 4,821 bearings (excluding accessories) 2~; the Soviet T-34 tank
uses 88 bearings 3~; the Soviet GAZ-51 truck, a minimum of 49 bearings;,
the Soviet M-20 Pobeda automobile, a minimum of 32 bearings; the
Soviet 5-80 tractor, 37 bearings 4~; and the Soviet TE-2 excavator,
about 42 bearings. 5~
~ See Appendix A for a list of the major industries consuming anti-
friction bearings.
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Needle roller
Inner ring
6. NEEDLE BEARING
(Heavy Duty)
Inner ring ^,~ej,D~/e~ Inner ring pJ~/
Inner ring ~ ~c/ !~j/~ / ~j f ~~~~ Inner ring
ball race I /
Separator Separator _ Separator
(Cage) (Cage) ,~ _ (Cage)
The parts common to all standard ball and roller bearings have, for the purpose of
this report, been given names as shown above. A number of variations of these types
are in use. (Needle bearings have no separator and may be used without an inner ring.)
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II. USSR.
A. Development and Organization of the Industry.
1. Development.
There are 9 major plants* in the USSR (7 of them in
European USSR)' producing antifriction bearings, and a tenth-plant
(also in European USSR) is now under construction. There also are 12
known bearings repair plants, 1 of which was constructed in 1952?
There appears to be no planned dispersion of the antifriction bearings
industry, although the necessary evacuation of the Moscow plants ,
during World War II caused some dispersion of the plants to the other
industrial areas of the USSR.
The first plant for the production of antifriction
bearings in the USSR was established in Moscow at the close of World
War I by the Swedish firm Svenska Kugellagerfabrik (SKF). The plant
was small and continued under SKE administration until it was taken
over by the Soviet government durin the First Five Year Plan (1928-32).
Ultimately, this plant became~State Bearings Plant. 6~ 50X1-H U M
Between 1930 and 1932, No. 1 State Bearings Plant imeni
Kaganovich was constructed in Moscow. 7~ This plant also was the pro-
duct of foreign technical ability. It was constructed under the
direction of Italian and US engineers, and no expense or effort was "
spared to make the plant the major Soviet installation for the
production of bearings, a position it still holds today. Practically
all the equipment installed a State Bearings Plant for the 50X1-H U M
production of bearings was impor ed, including Blanchard surface
grinders, Heald gagematics, New Britain chucking machines, and Fiat
race grinders.~-~- The equipment was estimated to be capable of
producing 15 million units per year of all types and sizes.-
* See Appendix B for an analysis of these plants and of other
possible production. A map showing the location of antifriction
bearings plants and antifriction bearings repair plants in the USSR
follows p. 8.
'~~ A gagematic is an internal grinder with a measuring gage;
chucking machines refer to turret lathes.
See Appendix C for a list of equipment used in the production
of antifriction bearings.
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Provision was made for the subsequent expansion of annual capacity to
approximately 30 million units. 8~
Construction on~~ State Bearings Plant at Saratov was
begun in 1936, and in 1940 it still had not been completed. Some
bearings were turned out in the first part of 1941. The two plants in
Moscow and the Saratov plant were the only producers of antifriction
bearings for the USSR at the time of the German attack. 9/
In 1942 the number of bearings plants in the USSR doubled,
50X1-HUM
although the capacity of the industry did not increase. Machinery
evacuated from the Moscow plants was used to establish0 State
50X1-H U M
Bearin s Plant at Kuybyshev,
State Bearings Plant at Tomsk, and
50X1-H U M
M
ate Bearings Plant a
ver lovsk. The Saratov plant also
50X1-H U M
received equipment from No. 1 State Bearings Plan
t. 10 By the end of
1942 the two Moscow plants were again in producti
on. Plant was
50X1-H U M
re-equipped primarily with Lend-Lease machinery,
and in Plant
50X1-H U M
some of the evacuated machinery was reinstalled.
11~
Since World War III (State Bearings Plant at Baku,
No. 8 State Bearings Plant at r ov, and No. 9 State Bearings Plant
at Kuybyshev (Bezymyanka) have been placed in operation. 12~ It has
been established that the equipment in the Kharkov plant consists of
machinery obtained through reparations and removals from Germany and
Austria. 13~ Finally, there is at present under construction at Minsk
a plant which probably is destined to become No. 10 State Bearings
Plant. 14J*
The 12 known bearings repair plants in the USSR are
located in the following cities: Alma-Ata, Gomel', Grodno, Krasnodar,
Kursk, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Rostov, Stalingrad, Tambov, Tomsk, and
Tashkent. (See Appendix B, Part VI.) It is possible that some of
these plants, particularly those in Tashkent and Novosibirsk, not only
repair but also manufacture bearings, but production would be in
limited quantities. The bearings repair plant in Moscow was set up by
* The production of ball and roller bearings has been reported at
other plants throughout the USSR. The production of bearings at these
plants would also indicate that the State Bearings Plants are unable
to supply the necessary requirements of Soviet industry and that the
various industries are attempting to fulfill some of their own require-
ments, particularly for odd sizes which a major bearings plant does not
produce on a production line setup. See Appendix B.
-8-
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80 100 120
U. S. S. R.
ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS AND ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS REPAIR PLANTS
~ Antifriction bearings plant 1951 ^ Antifriction bearings repair plant
~ (Plant under construction) ~ (Plant under construction)
Scale 1:36,700,000
0 250 500 1000 1500 2000
-??- Boundary of U.S.S.R. Statute Miles Economic region boundary
0 250 500 1000 1500 2000
Railroad, selected
- _ . Economic subregion boundary
Kilometers
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the government in 1951, and a confirmed report indicates that the plant
in Grodno was constructed in 1952.E
2. Organization. 15~
The main administrations and organizations which control
the antifriction bearings industry in the USSR are under the Ministry
of the Automobile and Tractor Industry. They are as follows: the
Main Administration of the Bearings Industry (Glavpodshipnik), the Main
Administration of Automobile and Tractor Sales (Glavavtotraktorosbyt),
the Experimental Scientif is Research Institute of the Bearings Industry
(EIVIIPP), the Central Design Bureau of the Ball Bearings Industry
(TsKBPP)~ and the All-Union State Trust for the Sale of Bearings 50X1-H U M
(Soyuzpodshipniksbyt). ~
1. Estimated Qutput.~
The estimated total output of the Soviet antifriction
bearings industry is based on the following information:- (a) pro-
duction data reported on individual plants and on over-all production
~ Except for one known small operation of repairing antifriction
bearings on coal mining equipment, the practice~of repairing bearings
in the US is considered costly and impractical. It is possible to pro-
cure a new bearing for the cost of repairing an old one. The number of
repair plants and the continued construction of them in the USSR is
significant and is a probable indication that the USSR ~is in short
supply of antifriction bearings. It is also a possible indication that
the Soviet supply of high-grade steels and specialized machinery for
producing bearings is inadequate to fulfill the needs of this expanding
industry.
~' The production of antifriction bearings by the repair plants has
not been included in this summation. Qutput by the repair plants was
planned to be 1 million units in 19?1 as compared with an output of
50 million units by primary producers (State Bearings Plants). 17~
The magnitude of Soviet production of antifriction bearings is
difficult to estimate, even for prewar years. Very few statistics on
total output are available, and the percentage increases of total output
from 1947 are dependent on the total output for the year 1946, which was
estimated from data on the individual plants. The lack of informatipn
on the .Soviet antifriction bearings industry, particularly since 1940,
has caused intelligence estimates on total output to vary considerably.
See Appendix D for supporting statistical tables.
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of bearings, (b) percentage increases in production of the individual
plants and fulfillment of plans of the individual plants, (c) percent-
age increases in over-all production of bearings, (d) increases in
production resulting from the construction of new plants or extension
of existing ones, and (e) increases in production after the introduction
of new technical processes. From 1931 to 1939 the production of the
Soviet bearings industry is estimated to have been under 150 million
units. In the early months of 1941 it reached a peak prewar rate of.
output estimated at 40 million units per year. 18/
The dismantling of the Moscow plants at the beginning of
World War II caused Soviet production of bearings to drop sharply,
although no equipment was captured by the Germans and the industry
suffered no direct loss of capacity. The low point of production
occurred in late 1941, when domestic. production. of bearings virtually
ceased. The year 1942 was the period of minimum output on an annual
basis. By 1945 the new plants at Saratov, Kuybyshev, Tomsk, and
Sverdlovsk and the re-equipped plants'in Moscow were producing almost
as many bearings as before the war.
Soviet output of bearings in 1946 began at a lower level
than in 1945 and was below the maximum amount produced before the war.
Total output in 1946 has been estimated at 27 million bearings. This
temporary decline is accounted for large]~y by two factors -- the
general decline in economic activity during the period of reconversion
and the use of half the area of 0 State Bearings Plant imeni
Kaganovich in Moscow .as a tire plant. 19/ Recovery occurred in 1947,
and output for 1950 is estimated at more'than double that of 1940.
The following method has been used to estimate the
total production of bearings in the USSR from 1946 to 1951: one
series of estimates for total output* has been compiled for the
years 1932-51 by totaling the estimated production of the indivi-
dual plants. Then, a second series of estimates for total out-
put-has been devised by applying to the 1946 total thus obtained
the annual percentage increases announced by the USSR. Since
neither series is considered superior to the other, the annual totals
have been averaged, and the resulting series is assumed to be
-the best estimate of total output. The announced Soviet percent-
age increases for the period 1946-51 are given in Table 1.
~- See Appendix D, Table 29, p. 171, below.
~ See Appendix .D, Table 30, p. 180, below.
Table 1 follows on p. 11.
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Announced Annual Increases in the Production
of Antifriction Bearings in the USSR
1946-51
Year
Achieved Percentage Incr ses
over Previous Year 20~
Index (1946=loo)
1946
N.A.
100
1947
34
134
1948
28
172
1949
28
220
1950
- 35
297
1951
30
386
The best estimate of total production is given in Table 2,* with the
,figures rounded off to the nearest million and with the production
figures for the individual plants readjusted to correspond.
As shown in Table 2, the major plants in the USSR- pro-
duced an estimated 261 million bearings from 1846 to 1950 (the period
of the Fourth Five Year Plan) and in 1951 reached a rate of output
estimated at lol million bearings per year. Information on production
for 1952 is still incomplete. Estimates of total production for 1952
and for the years up to and including 1955 have been extrapolated
mechanically from the estimates made on the previous years, assuming
that cold war conditions of the past years will continue during 1953-55?
These estimates also are shown in Table 2. The plant under con-
struction at Minsk has been assumed to begin operations in 1954. 21~
The total production of bearings in the USSR in 1955 has been estimated
at 140 million units per year.
~' Table 2 follows on p. 12.
~'* Not including the bearings repair plants, for whose production
see p . 26, note * . ~ ,
*~' See Figure 2, The Antifriction Bearings Industry in the USSR,
following p. 12, for a graphic projection of estimated bearings
production from 1931 to 1955?
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Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in the USSR?~
1946-55
State Bearing Plants
1946
1947
1948
1949
-1950
1951
1952
1953
154
1955
No. 1.
Moscow
12,000
18,200
26,000
34,000
46,000
53,000
57,000
59,000
61,000
62,000
No.
2.
Moscow
3,500
4,000
4,600
5,~0
6,000
7,000
S,ooo
9,000
10,000
10,000
No.
3.
saratov
1,900
2,100
2,400
3,400
5,000
7,800
9,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
No.
4.
Kuybyshev
5,500
8,500
9,500
11,000
13,000
15,000
18,000
21,000
23,000
24,000.
No.
5?
Tomsk
3,000
3,400
3,800
4,500
5,500
6,500
8,600
9,000
10,000
10,000
No.
6.
Sverdlovsk
400
470
650
730
910
1,080
1,250
1,350
1,500
1,600
No.
7.
Baku
o
30
50
70
90
120
150
250
300
400
No.
8.
xhar~kov
100
300
1,500
2,000
,3,200
5,500
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
No.
9.
Kuybyshev
(Bezymyanka)
600
1,000
1,500
2,300
3,300
5,~0
6,000
7,400
9,000
10,000
Plant under Construction
at Minsk
1,200
2,000
Total
27
000
000
38
000
50
63,000
83,000
101,000
115.,000
125,000
135,000
140,000
,
,
,
a. Range of estimate up to and including 1951, plus or minus 20 percent; 1952 and after, plus 30 percent or minus 20 percent.
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SECRET
KHAR'KOV `-OTHER-1%
TOMSK 5.5x
6.5%
SARATOV
8%
KUYBYSHEV
(2 plants)
MOSCOW
(2 plants)
ESTIMATED PRODUCTION
OF BEARINGS, USSR
(in millions of units)
YEAR TOTAL
OUTPUT
1928 insig.
1929 insig.
1930 insig.
1931 1
1932 3
1933 7
1934 14
1935 19
1936 22
1937 24
1938 26
1939 28
1940 36
1941 20
1942 15
1943 23
1944 28
1945 30
1946 27
1947 38
1948 50
1949 63
1950 63
1951 101
1952 115
1953 125
1954 135
1955 140
SECRET
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ESTIMATED 1951 OUTPUT
101 MILLION UNITS
Figure 2
THE ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS INDUSTRY
IN THE USSR, 1931-55
(Range of Estimate: ?20% through Ig51; +30%, 20%after Ig51)
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2. Technology.
a. Types and Sizes of Antifriction Bearings in Production.
In 191+8 the USSR reported that the antifriction
bearings industry produced more than 1,500 different types and sizes
of bearings. 22~ In 1950 the Ministry of the Automobile and Tractor
Industry published a list of wholesale prices for ball and roller
bearings which included about 1,240 different types and sizes, as
class if ied in Table 3. 23~
Table 3
Antifriction Bearings in Production in the USSR
1950
Number of
Bore Dimensions
Type
Sizes and Variations
(~)
Ball Bearings
Single Row Radial
257
3 to
165
Angular Contact
122
3 to
460
Self-Aligning
121
5 to
150
Cylindrical Roller Bearings
210
6 to
890
Needle Bearings (including
Spiral-Wound Rollers)
114
6 to
280
Spherical Roller Bearings
55
20 to
280
Taper Roller Bearings
186
17?to
750
Thrust Bearings
175
10 to 1,180,
Total
1,240
- 13 -
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The range of sizes indicates that the USSR is producing bearings for
small precision instruments and special large-size bearings as well
as standard types and sizes.
Analysis of ant ifriction bearings produced in the USSR
indicates that the Russians are capable of producing a standard
precision bearing of good quality. The tests performed on eight
Soviet-made bearings included dimensional and tolerance examinations,
measurement of surface roughness, metallurgical examination, and an
over-all examination of the assembly of the bearings. The above
examinations had been made in comparison with the equivalent type of
bearing made in the US. -The workmanship and material put into the
bearings compared favorably with US practice. The machining and
grinding operations were good, and the final assembly was within US
specifications. The steel was of .proper hardness, and the metal-
lurgical examination indicated that it was a high-carbon chrome
steel. 24~ There is no means of judging the quality of the high-
precision bearings which are reported to be manufactured in the USSR,
because this type of bearing has not been procured or analyzed.
The above analysis of Soviet-made bearings contradicts
reports which state that the USSR
refused to accept equipment from the Satellites in which Soviet
bearings had been installed 25~ and that Soviet equipment exported to
the Satellites operated improperly until the Soviet bearings had been
replaced by bearings manufactured in the West. 26~ One conclusion
that can be drawn from this contradiction is that the bearings prob-
ably were rejects which had been passed to meet the monthly or yearly
goal at the Soviet plants and had then been exported to the Satellites.
It also is possible that Soviet machinery exported to the Satellites,
as well as the bearings installed in them, may be of inferior
quality. 27~
b. Postwar Innovations.
The postwar development of the ant ifriction bearings
industry in the USSR has been characterized by a continuous attempt
to improve the technological processes, to improve the organization
of production, and to increase labor productivity. 28~ In an effort
to achieve greater precision and productivity of ball and roller ?
bearings, the bearings industry -- in particular No. 1 and No. 2 State
Bearings Plants in Moscow -- has been working in close co-operation
with the Experimental Scientific Research Institute of the Bearings
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Industry and other scientific research institutes,=and planning
organizations. 29~ It should be noted that many of the innovations
which the research institutes are attempting to pub into operation
in the USSR have been used in the US industry for years. The
following improvements in mechanization have been stressed 30~:
high-speed cutting in the automatic lathe shops, introduction~of
statistical controls in the automatic lathe shops, organization of
conveyor lines in the grinding and automatic lathe shops, mechani-
zation of the loading of parts to be machined, increased mechanization
of checking and inspection, and conversion of machinery to individual
drives.
As late as 1950, Soviet plants were still using outmoded
methods of working their metals. The following innovations had been
suggested to save materials: use of tube stock for bearing races
instead of bar stock 31~; use of stamped steel retainers instead of
nonferrous metal for larger-size bearings 32~; profile rolling of
large-size bearings instead of free forgings 33~; and improvement in
cold stamping of external rings to eliminate lathe operation. 3~+~
It is apparent from the suggested improvements that 'in 19+6
the techniques of the Soviet bearings industry were rather obsolete.*
Assuming that many of the suggested innovations were put into practice,
~ The following statement is quoted from a Soviet publication written
by S.P. Baykov, Engineer and Senior Scientific Associate of the
Experimental Scientific Research Institute of the Bearings Industry in
19-8;
"The low productivity of labor in the bearings ball shop of the IGPZ
(First State Bearing Plant imeni L.M. Kaganovich) greatly retarded the
work of the entire plant in recent years.
"Despite the fact that this shop, in volume of work, is not inferior
even to the greatest ball-bearing plants of the US, problems of techno-
logy and organization of production needed basic improvement. Such a
situation was the result of procuring equipment from different and
often casual sources. Furthermore, the technological process used in
the shop had become obsolete.
"This situation was largely due to the fact that a high regard for
foreign work had been developed and domestic production had been
neglected. The technological processes of foreign firms were blindly
copied. The fact that foreign firms permitted familiarization only
with outdated technologies and did not divulge secret production.pro-
cesses was not considered. Finally, there was insufficient use of the
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announced percentage increases in output of bearings per unit of
equipment and per worker atOState Bearings Plant in Moscow, 50X1-H U M
shown in Table 4, are not unreasonable. 3b~ '
Table 4
Output of Antifriction Bearings per Unit of Equipment and per Worker
at~~ State Bearings Plant in Moscow
~ ~
4
6
19
_ 51
Percent (1846
100)
output 19
46 19
47
1948
1949
1950
1951
Per Unit of Equipment 10
0 15
8.4
197.0
248.3
351.1
475.1
Per Worker 10
0 13
1.8
154.1
168.6
225.0
268.1
3. Material and Equipment.
Steel is the principal material used in making anti-
friction bearings. The following plants in the USSR are reported to
supply the antifriction bearings industry with steel: the Moscow
Serp i Molot Steel Plant, the Noginsk Steel Plant Elektrostal, the
Kuznetsk Metallurgical Combine imeni Stalin in Stalinsk, and the
Zlatoust Steel Plant imeni Stalin. The metallurgical examination of
Soviet bearings indicates that the high-carbon chrome steel and the
hardness of the steel are equivalent to US practice.
As noted in tracing the development of the antifriction
bearings industry in the USSR, the original machinery was all from the
potentialities of socialistic method of production, of the creative
ability of our workers and engineer technicians, and of the attainments
of our Soviet science. The inadequate state of calculation and
planning was also overlooked." 35/
* Appendix C indicates the types of machine tools required to produce
antifriction bearings.
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West. During World War II, additional machinery was shipped to the
USSR under the Lend-Lease program, and after the war the USSR dis-
~ mantled machinery from the bearings plants in East Germany and
Austria. Undoubtedly, the Russians are capable of producing machine
tools for the bearings industry, but a considerable quantity of the
machinery in the bearings plants in the USSR is from the West. A
thorough study of the machine tool position in the antifriction
bearings industry in the USSR is beyond the scope of this report.
C. Imports and Exports.
1. Imports,
a. From Western Europe.
With the rapid postwar development of the Soviet anti-
friction bearings industry, the USSR has become less dependent on
Western Europe for bearings. Since World War II the total quantity of
legal imports has decreased, but there is no way of estimating the
illicit trade, which is not included in the statistical returns of the
exporting countries.
Imports from 1948 to 1951 by the USSR from the two
important antifriction bearings producing and exporting countries in
Western Europe, Italy and Sweden, are shown in Table 5.-~ Although
Italy did not export bearings to the USSR in 1951, it was to have pro-
vided the USSR in 1952 with antifriction bearings valued at $800,000,/
under the Italy-USSR trade agreement protocol of 17 March 1952. The
Sweden-USSR trade agreement which was negotiated in January 1952 included
a 1952 quota of bearings valued at.6 million kronor, which is approxi-
mately ~l million worth of antifriction bearings. 38/
'Ithe USSR has been receiving antifriction bearings from
East Germany. The exact quantity is unknown, but the SAG-Leipziger
Kugellagerfabrik, East Germany, produces special orders for the USSR. 39/
The total imports from East Germany in 1951 have been estimated at
1 million bearings.
~ Table 5 follows on p. 18.
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Table 5
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by the USSR
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
Sweden
Weight (Metric Tons)
Value
555.5 J*
440.9 J
668.1 ~
425.3 ~/
$ US
1,083,088 J
941,261 a/.
1,232,080 ~
1,019,690 ~
Swedish Kronor
`3,896,000
4,878,700
5,282,000
Units ~
Italy
815,0 ~
647,000 ~
980,000 ~
624,000
Weight (Metric Tons)
Value
142 ~
1,673 ~
317 J
o
$ ~
370,434 ~
3,315,200 ~
671,428 J
o
Italian Lire
213,000,000
2,072,000,000
Units ~
208,000 ~
2,454,000 ~
465,000 ~
0
Totals
Weight (Metric Tons) 697.5
2,113.9
985.1
425.3
Value ($ US) 1,453,522
4,256]461
i,9o3,5~
1,019,690
ITnits J 1,023,000
3,101,000
,
1445,000
624,000
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Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by the USSR
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
(Continued)
a. Compiled .from ofPicie,l figures and converted from Swedish kronor to US dollars in 19 at 3. kronor
equaling $1.00, and Prom 1949 to 1951 at 5.18 kronor equaling $1.00..
b. In 1950, Sweden exported 656.3 long tons of bearings (converted from long tons to metric tons by multi-
plying by 1.018), valued at $1,232,080. 41~
c. Sweden increased bearing prices by 30 percent in December 1950. With this price increase and by
comparison with the value and metric tons exported in 1950, the quantity exported in 1951 would be equi-
1,019,690 x 668.1 425.3 metric tons.
1.30 1,2320
d. Sweden exported bearings valued at 2,641,000 kronor from January through June 1951. This value was
doubled to obtain the total value of bearings exported to USSR in 1951, and converted to US dollars at a
rate of 5.18 kronor equaling $1.00. 42
e. All ,estimates of bearing units have been rounded off to the nearest thousand.
f. Metric tons were converted to bearing units at a rate of 1.5 pounds per bearing, or 1,467 bearings
per metric ton. This average-weight bearing for legal exports to the Soviet Bloc was estimated on the
following bases: (1) The average-size bearing. exported under quantitative control by COCOM has been
assumed to have a 45-mm bore. Although exceptions to the COCQ+I restrictions have bee, made, the COCOM
'countries and Sweden have adhered in general to the sizes under quantitative controls in their exports
to the Bloc. (2) By tabulating ball and roller bearings with a 45-mm bore as shown below, the average
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Estimated .Imports of Antifriction Bearings by the USSR
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
(Continued)'
----
g. Compiled from official figures and converted from Italian lire to US dollars in 19 at 575 lire
equaling $1.00, and from 1949 to 1951 at 625 lire equaling $1.00. 43
h. Italy exported bearings valued at $650,000 and weighing 316 metric tons from 1 .January to 14 July 1950.
For the full year, however, Italy was reported to have exported bearings only to a value of $671,428, which
would indicate that only $21;428 worth, or approximate],y 1 metric ton, of bearings were exported in the
second half of 1950. 44~
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2. Exports.
Within the Soviet Bloc the USSR has exported some anti-
friction bearings to the Satellites, though the exact quantities are
unknown. The USSR-Satellite trade agreements during 1949 and 1950,
however, have established bearings quotas which give some indication
Hof the values and~or quantities involved.
An agreement between Poland and the USSR on the Mutual
Exchange of Commodities, 1948-52, included bearings quotas for these
years, rising from 300,000 units in 1948 to 800,000 units in 1952 (by
annual increases of 100,000 except in 1950, when the increase was to
be 200,000 units). 45~
Under the USSR-Czechoslovakia trade agreement of 1949
the bearings quota from the USSR to Czechoslovakia was 1 million
bearings.,46~
c. To Hungary.
The USSR agreed to export to Hungary during the period
from 1 October 1948 to 31 December 1949 a ball bearings quota valued
at $350,000. 47~ Converted at a rate of $2 per bearing, this quota
would amount to approximately 175,000 bearings.
d. To Rumania.
Under the 1950 USSR-Rumania trade agreement the bearings
quota from the USSR to Rumania was 120,000 bearings. 48~
D. Distribution and Requirements.
The estimated distribution of antifriction bearings to
Soviet industries in percentage of total supply as shown in Table 6*
is based on Soviet and US wartime distribution patterns 49~ and the
.estimated requirements of Soviet equipment shown in Table 7.~
Table follows on p. 22.
~~ Table 7 follows on p. ~3,
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Table 6
Estimated Distribution of Antifriction Bearings in the USSR
1951
Consumer
Percent of Total
Requirements
Aircraft
~ 22
Tanks and Assault Guns
3
Ships
3
Guns and Fire-Control Apparatus
5
Automotive Vehicles and Parts
2~+
Industrial Machinery and Equipment
30
Generators, Transformers, Electric Motors
4
Tractors
5
Agricultural Machinery
2
Railroad Equipment
Total
2
100
~/
~ 2. Requirements.
a. Estimated World War II Requirements.
th vi t lanned out ut of. ant ifriction
In 19+1 e So e p p
bearings was 50 million, 50~ and, in 1943, German and Soviet technicians
in Germany estimated Soviet requirements for ball bearings to be
approximately 60 million. 51~
b. Estimated Postwar Requirements.
There is no direct information on the postwar require-
ments for ant ifriction bearings of the USSR. Table 7* gives limited
information on the volume of ant ifriction bearings used in various
types of Soviet equipment but does not indicate the total requirements
for bearings of the USSR. There are insufficient data available to
make a complete study of requirements of bearings in the USSR by this
approach.
-~ P . 23 ~ e ow.
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Table 7
Requirements for Ball and Roller Bearings
in Selected Soviet Equipment a/*
1951
Average Bearings
Estimated Bearings Required c/
Production b/ ger Unit (Units)
Aircraft
Jet Fighter
Bomber
N.A. d/
N.A. d/
316 e/
4,821 f/
N.A.
N.A.
Tanks and Assault Guns
Motor Vehicles
10,930
88 g/
963,600
Trucks
395,000
50 ~
19,750,000
Passenger Cars
36,000
38 i/
1,368.,000
Tractors
118,000
38 j/
4,484,000
Machine Tools
Coal Mining Equipment
Coal Cutters and
78,000
23 k/
1,794,000
Combines
1,440
36,000
1/
Coal Loaders
Locomotives
750
38,000
1/
(4-Wheel)
1,700
16,000
1/
Chain Conveyors
3,000
13 1/
39,000
Belt Conveyors
Railroad Locomotives
1,500
973 1/
1,459,000
(Main Line, Steam)
2,170
118 m/
256,000
Electric Motors
633,000 n/
2 0/
1,266,000
Total
31,469,600
Footnotes for Table 7 follow on p. 24.
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Table 7
Requirements for Ball and Roller Bearings
in Selected Soviet Equipment a/
1951
(Continued)
a. Estimates do not include spares or replacement parts, nor do they
include the large quantity of bearings used in irstruments and accesso-
ries.
b. ORR estimates unless otherwise stated.
c. Total number of bearings required have been rounded off to the
e. s ima e o e MIG-15 includes 1 bearings in the engine and
approximately 300 in the airframe. The estimate does not include the
cockpit, nose gear, instruments, and accessories. The estimate of
bearings in the airframe is subject to revision. 52
f. Estimate is based on prototype of the TU-~+. 53
g. Requirements of the T-34 Tank. 5~./
h. Average requirements for bearings of ZIS-150 and GAZ-51 trucks. 55/
i. Requirements of the M-20 Pobeda automobile.
j. Requirements for bearings of the 5-80 tractor.
m. Requirements of bearings of a US freight steam locomotive, which
includes 4 bearings on the leading truck and 2~+ on the tender trucks
that could conceivably be left off Soviet models.
n. Planned output of electric motors for 1950, 57/
o. ORR estimates of requirements based ors US practice.
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The antifriction bearings requirements of the-USSR
have, therefore, been estimated in the following section by relating
the prewar output and requirements for antifriction bearings with
the planned expansion of the USSR machine building industries after
World War II.
According to the Fourth Five Year Plan (1946-50),
the machine building industry* was to double its output as compared
with 1940. 58/ The machine building industry, during the rehabili-
tation program of the Five Year Plan,- would consume approximately
60 percent of the total supply of bearings, and it could reasonably
be assumed that the over-all requirements for antifriction bearings
would also double to fulfill the demands of the machine building
industry and other users of bearings.
The planned output of antifriction bearings in 1941
was 50 million. Assuming that the 1941 planned output of bearings
was approximately 20 percent over the planned output of 1940, which
is not unreasonable, since the value of total industrial production
for 1941 was planned to increase 17 percent over 1940, 59/ the 1940
planned requirements (which have been taken to be equal to planned
output) would be over 41 million bearings. Actual output in 1940 has
been estimated at only 36 million bearings. The USSR, however, has
always imported antifriction bearings from the West, and these im-
ports were particularly important in the prewar period. Assuming
that in 1940 the difference between actual output and planned require-
ments was made up by imports,. the total supply of antifriction
bearings available to the USSR in 1940 is estimated to have been 41
million.
If the above reasoning be accepted, the planned
requirements for antifriction bearings in 1950 would be 82 million
(doubling the actual supply of antifriction bearings available in
lg4o).
* The machine building industry includes the manufacture of equip-~
went for the iron and steel, power, coal, and oil industries, the
manufacture of electrical machines, railway rolling stock, motor
vehicles, tractors, agricultural machinery, equipment for the building.
industry, machine tools, foundry equipment, and equipment for the
chemical industry.
~ See Table 6, p. 22, above.
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The antifriction bearings industry under the Fourth Five Year Plan,
however, was " to develop at a greater rate than the other types of
engineering." 60~ This greater rate of development has been assumed
to be between 5 to 10 percent of the requirements for antifriction
bearings in 1950. .Consequently, requirements for ball and roller
bearings by Soviet industry in 1950 have been estimated to be 85 million
to 90 million bearings. If the reported achieved output of bearings of
130 percent in 1951 over 1950 can be assumed to be the approximate
increased requirements of Soviet industry for bearings, the require-
ments for antifriction bearings in 1951 would then be approximately
110 ruillion to 115 million bearings.
E. Balance (Surplus or Deficit).
In 1951 the USSR was capable of supplying approximately 90 per-
cent of its requirements for antifriction bearings through the pro-
duction of the State Bearings Plants. If it is assumed that the
bearings repair plants and plants other than the State Bearings Plants
. that are reported to be producing antifriction bearings are capable
of producing 2 pillion bearings per year,* the Soviet antifriction
bearings industry was capable of fulfilling approximately 92 percent
of its domestic requirements.
The estimated exports to the Satellites reduce the quantity
of bearings available to the USSR, but the estimated imports from
Western Europe and East Germany partially balance off-these exports.
The def icit in 1951 has been estimated to be between 7 million and
12 million bearings, as shown in Table 8.~-x'
~ In 191+1 the planned output of bearings by the repair plants was
to be 1 million as compared Stith 50 million for primary producers
(State Bearings Plants). Since total output of the primary pro-
ducers is estimated to be 101 million, it .appears reasonable to assume
that the output of the repair plants would have increased by the same
proportion.
~ Table 8 follows on p. 27.
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Table 8 \
Estimated Pos:Ytion of the Antifriction Beari~ng\ Industry in the USSR
1951 ~~
a. xc u ng i is ransac ions.
b. Carry-over stocks appear to be negligible.
Requirements
Production
110,000 to 115,000
State Bearings Plants
101,000
Bearings Repair Plants
and Other Soviet Plants Producing
' Bearings
2,000
Imports
Western Europe a~
600
East Germany
1,000
Production plus Imports
10+,600
Exports
-2,000
Total Supply Available b~
102,600
102,600
Balance (Deficit)
-7,x+00 to -12,x+00
Since the range of error of the production estimate is plus or
minus 20 percent for 1951 and that of requirements is at least as great,
the significance of the deficit computed in Table 8 is somewhat indefi-
nite. Applying a range of plus or minus 20 percent to both estimates,
the Soviet bearings position in 1951 can be anywhere between a surplus
of 35 million units, about 36 percen~of estimated output, to a deficit
of 49 million units, about 47 percent of~~estimated output. Therefore,
taking into account also the fact that there may well be some unbalance
between production and requirements for particular types and sizes of
bearings, the best that can be said is that the supply of bearings in
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the USSR probably is somewhat tight and that there may be some actual
shortages.
III. East Germany.
A. Development anii Organization of the Industry.
1. Development. '
a. Before the Partition of Germany. 61~
In the middle of 1943 the main producers of the
German antifriction bearings industry were concentrated in four places:
Schweinfurt; Bad Cannstatt; Berlin; and Steyr, Austria. The most,im-
portant center was Schweinfurt in West Germany. Of these main centers,
Berlin is the only one located in what is now called East Germany.~-
The bulk of the production of German antifriction
bearings was in the hands of two firms -- the Vereinigte Kugellager-
fabrik~--~ (VKF), a subsidiary in Schweinfurt of the international
Svenska, Kugellagerfabrik (SKF), and the Kugelfischer Company in
Schweinfurt, an independent German enterprise. The 2 firms controlled
78 percent of production in Germany. The balance of German production
was divided among relatively small independent producers.
Germany's peak annual production during World War II
was 90 million to 95 million bearings. Of this total production, the
plants now located in East Germany produced 14 million bearings, or
approximately 15 percent of the total. Of the estimated 30,000 workers
in the German antifriction bearings industry at the peak production
period, the East German plants employed 4,200 workers, or 14 percent
of the total.
The plants in East Germany, a minor element in
Germany's World War II antifriction bearings industry, consisted of
four known producers.
~- A map showing the location of antifriction bearings plants in
East Germany follows p. 28.
~-~- Kugellagerfabrik or Kugellagerwerke (ball bearing factory) -- it
is common practice to use the term ball bearing to cover all types of
antifriction bearings.
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EAST GERMANY
(Soviet Zone)
ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS PLANTS
1951
Major plant
Minor plant
Scale 1:3,400,000
-??- Internetlonel boundary (1937) Gnel (aeleaed)
-?-?- 1947 zonal boundary ~ ~ 20 40 60 80 100 Miles
? National caPltal 0 20 40 60 80 100 Kilometers
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The first, the VKF subsidiary at Erkner near Berlin,
produced ball and roller bearings, using balls obtained from the VIA'
plant in Schweinfurt. Total employment was 1,826 workers, and output
represented 7 percent by value of the total German output of anti-
frictson bearings.
The second, the Norddeutsche Kugella,gerfabrik at
Berlin, was a subsidiary of the Kugelfischer Company. About half the
production in 1943 consisted of needle bearings. Balls were obtained
from the Kugelfischer plant in Schweinfurt. The employment was 560,
and output represented 1.5 percent by value of the total German output
of antifriction bearings.
The third, Deutsche Kugellagerfabrik,(DKF)~ was an
independent. small producer with two plants in different sections of
Leipzig. This plant bought its balls from other producers and pro-
duced ball and roller bearings. Employment of this firm was 1,777,
and output amounted to 6 percent by value of the total German output
of the antifriction bearings.
The fourth, Gebrueder Heller at Schweina-Marienthal,~'
bras an independent producer manufacturing balls for antifriction
bearings.
The principal conclusion to be derived from the
discussion of these producers is that they were relatively unimportant
to the German war machine and that they depended on the plants in
Schweinfurt for materials, particularly for steel balls.
c
b. After the Partition of Germany.
Although Allied bombing did only minor damage to the
plants located in East Germany, the dismantling of these plants by the
Russians immediately after partition practically eliminated the ability
of East Germany to produce antifriction bearings. Soviet authdrities,
however., did place 2 antifriction bearings plants and~l plant producing
balls for antifriction bearings- under the ownership of the SAG-Awtowelo
* These are two small towns a short di"stance apart. This area will be
referred to as Schweina-Marienthal in the text and as Marienthal on the
accompanying map.
-~ See Appendix B for an analysis of these plants and of other possible
production.
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(Staatliche Aktiengesellschaften-Awtowelo -- the Soviet Corporation,
for Motor Vehicle Construction). They were SAG-Leipziger Kugellager-
fabrik (formerly the beutsche Kugellagerfabrik) .at Leipzig, SAG-
Thueringer Kugellagerfabrik (formerly the Karl Reich Ball Bearing
Plant) at Zella-Mehlis, and SAG-Kugelfabrik* (formerly the Gebrueder
-Heller Plant at Schweina-Marienthal,).
In 191+8 the USSR abandoned its destructive economic
policy and permitted the reconstruction of the antifriction bearings
industry in East Germany. In addition to the 3 SAG plants listed
above, 5 other plants in East Germany were producing antifriction
bearings between 191+8 and 1952: VEB~-Walzlagerfabrik- at Fraureuth,
VEB-Walzlagerfabrik at Ronneburg, VEB-Walzlagerfabrik at Berlin
(Lichtenberg), VEB-Gelenkwellenwerk?~ at Stadtilm, and Maschinen-
fabrik Fritz Scholz, at Arnshall near Arnstadt. ,
In the latter part of 1952 the antifriction bearings
industry in East Germany was reorganized. No additional plants were
put into operation but two SAG plants were transferred to VEB's. The
plants are now known by the following names: SAG-Leipziger Kugellager-
fabrik~ Leipzig; VEB-Thueringer Kugellagerfabrik, Zella-Mehlis; VEB-
Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth; VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Ronneburg; VEB-
Walzlagerfabrik, Berlin (Lichtenberg); VEB-Gelenkwellenwerk, Stadtilm;
- VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Arnshall (in 1953 this plant is scheduled to
become Plant II of VEB-Thueringer Kugellagerfabrik); and VEB-
Walzkoerperfabrik,~* Schweina-Marienthal.
2. Organization.
Figure 3*=~~~ shows the organization and administrative
control of antifriction bearings plants in East Germany. One plant, the
* Kugelfabrik (ball factory) -- only steel balls were produced
at this plant.
~ VEB, Volkseigener Betriebe (People-Owned Enterprise).
Walzlagerfabrik (antifriction bearings factory).
-~ Gelenkwellenwerk (drive-shaft factory) -- also produces anti-
friction bearings.
~~ Walzkoerperfabrik -- antifriction material factory.
~ Following p. 30.
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Figure 3
ORGANIZATION AND CONTROL
OF ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS PLANTS IN EAST GERMANY
1952
SOVIET
CONTROL COMMISSION
MINISTRY OF
MACHINE CONSTRUCTION
SAG-LEIPZIGER
KUGELLAGERFABRIK
Leipzig
MAIN ADMINISTRATION OF
HEAVY MACHINE CONSTRUCTION
VEB-THUERINGE,R KUGELLAGERFABRIK
Z~IIa-Mehlis
PLANT II, VEB-WALZLAGERFABRIK
Arnshall
VEB?WALZLAGERFABRIK
Ronnenburg
(Key Enterprise)
VEB?WALZKOE RPERFABRIK
Schweina-Marienthal
VEB-WALZLAGERFRABRIK
Fraureuth
(Key Enterprise)
VEB-WALZLAGERFABRIK
Berlin (Lichtenberg)
(Key Enterprise)
SECRET
MAIN ADMINISTRATION OF
MOTOR VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION
VEB-GELENKWELLENWERK
Stadtilm
East German control
Soviet control
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SAG-Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik, is still owned by the SAG-Awtowelo.*
The other plants have been incorporated into the East German economy
as VEB's under the Ministry for Machine Construction (Ministerium
fuer Maschinenbau).
a. SAG's.
The main administrations of the individual industrial
sectors of the SAG's are subordinate to the .Soviet Control Coirmiission
in the Soviet Zone of Occupation, which replaced the Military Govern-
ment in East Germany in January 1950. 63/ The holding corporation
for the SAG's is located in Moscow. The East German branch office
is located at Weimar, and the administration office of the SAG's i~
located at Berlin (Weissensee). 64 The Soviet general director of
the SAG-Awtowelo is Nikolayev, 5 and the German representative at
Berlin (Weissensee) is reported to be a person named Radtke. 66
b. Ministry for Machine Construction.
In the Five Year Plan extending to 1955 the industrial
production plan of East Germany is based on the output of certain
industries known as key industries (schwerpunkt industrien). The
antifriction bearings industry is one of these industries. Within
these key industries, certain plants are selected as key enter-
prises. Three of the VEB antifriction bearings plants controlled
by the Main Administration for Heavy Machine Construction
(Hauptverwaltung Schwermaschinenbau) under the Ministry for Machine
Construction have been selected as key enterprises. These enter-
prises receive the top priorities. 67/
The East German Ministry for Machine Construction
consists of 6 main administrations (Hauptverwaltungen), of which
2 have control over antifriction bearings plants. The Main
Administration for Motor Vehicle Construction is in control of
the WB-IFA (Vereiningung Volkseigner Betriebe - Industrie
Vereiningung Fahrzeugzubehoerwerke -- Federation of People-Owned
Enterprises -Industrial Federation for Vehicle Construction),
which is in charge of one VEB plant producing antifriction
bearings. The Main Administration for Heavy Machine Construction is
trolled y t e G- ansmasc .
* this plant may-now be con-
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in control of the VVB-WMW (Werkzeugmaschinen and Werkzeuge -- Machine
Tools and Tools), w~iich in turn is in charge of 6 antifriction bearings
plants, including the 3 key enterprises. 68/
The procurement of materials and components (that is,
brass, steel tubing, and balls) and the distribution of antifriction
bearings are carried out by the EVA (Einkaufs and Verkaufs Abteilung --
Purchase and Sales Department) for ball bearings under the DHZ-MF
(Deutsche Handelszentrale Maschinen and Fahrzeugbau -- German Trade
Center for Machines and Motor Vehicles), which also controls the EVA's
for iron goods, farm machinery, tools, and motor vehicles. The six
branch offices of the EVA for ball bearings, the managers of the offices,
and the administrative area served by each of these off ices are shown
in Figure 4.~ 69/
1. Estimated Output.
The estimated total output of the East German antifriction
bearings industry shown in Table 9~ is based on actual and planned
production data for the individual plants.
In 1948 the 2 SAG antifriction bearings plants were the only
major producers in East Germany, and the total output is estimated to
have been about 2 million bearings. 70/ It was in this year that the
USSR allowed the East Germans to rebuild the antifriction bearings in-
dustry. By 1949 the 3 VEB's with top priority as key enterprises were
in partial operation, and total output is estimated at 2.5 million
bearings. In 1951 the industry was still rebuilding its facilities,
and total output is estimated at approximately 5.3 million bearings.
In 1952, all of the bearings plants except the SAG-Leipziger Kugellager-
fabrik were turned over to the VEB's. No new plants were put into
operation, and the output is estimated to have been about 6.8 million
bearings. The estimated output of 8.7 million bearings for 1953 is
based on a report of 19 September 1952 from the ball bearing section
of the German Trade Center for Machines and Motor Vehicles to the State
* Following p. 32.
~-x- Table 9 follows on p. 33?
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 Figure 4
ORGANIZATION OF PURCHASE AND SALES
OF ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS IN EAST GERMANY
1952
DHZ-MF
EVA
(For Ball Bearings)
~,
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BERLIN
(Becker, Rudi)
LEIPZIG
(Ufer)
West Saxony
DRESDEN
(Zenau)
East Saxony
HALLE
(Thor)
SECRET
ERFURT
(Wallisch)
Thueringia
SECRET
SCHWERIN
(Helbig)
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Table 9
Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in East Germany
1949-55
SAG-Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik, Leipzig ~
1,100 ~
1,680 dJ
1,840 ~
1,900 ~
2,000 ~
2,100 ~
2,200
VEB-Thueringer Kugellagerfabrik, Zella-Mehlis ~
900 J
1,400 ~
1,900 ,
2,700 ~
3,6~ ~
3,900 ~
4,100
VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth
330 ~
390 J
730 1/
900 ~
1,100 ~
1,400 ~
1.,750
VEB-~Ialzlagerfabrik, Ronneburg ~
3 ~
15 ~
20 ~
30 ~
40 t~
50 ~
60
VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Berlin (Lichtenberg) ~
120 ~
250 ~
600 ~
1,000 ~
1,600 ~
2,100 ~
2,500
VEB-Gelenkwellenwerk, Stadtilm ~
100 ~
180 cc
200 dd
200 ~
200 ~
200 ~
200
VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Arnshall
N.A.
N.A.
55 ee
100 ff
125 ff
250 ff
375 ff
a. Range of estimate, plus or minus 20 percent.
b. In 1947, production of bearings at the Leipziger Kugellsgerfabrik was estimated to be 900,000 at an average price of 8 DM.*-
This estimate is based on reported production for 2 months as follows ~1
1947 Output (Units) Value DM
March 73,772 608,786
April 74,431 597,363
Total 148,203 1 206 14
~- Unless otherwise noted, East German currency will be noted as DM throughout this report.
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Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in East Germany
1949-55
(Continued)
c. to i949~ production of bearings valued at 22 million DM 2 was comrerted at a rate of 20 DM per bearing. The average price per
bearing was raised because the I,eipziger Kugellagerfabrik discontinued the production of bearings below a 35-mm bore but still continued to
mass-produce medium-size bearings. The production of bearings in sizes below a 35-mm bore was transferred to the VEB-Thueringer Kugellager-
fabrik at Zeus-Mehlis.
d. In 1950, production of bearings valued at 33.6 million DM ~ was converted at a rate of 20 DM per bearing (see footnote c). The
estimated output of 1.7 million bearings is not unreasonable, because, although the plant discontinued the production of bearings below the
35-mm bore, the plant is reported to. have flL].filled an order of 1.5 million needle bearings for the USSR in 1950. (See Appendix B.) Needle
bearings can be produced more rapidly than ball or roller bearings.
e. In 1951, production of bearings was estimated to be 1,840,000. This estimate is based on reliable reports of the production schedule of
this plant for 8 months as follows: '
1951 Output (Units)
'
January-May
658,586
July
298,960
75/
August
120,636
~/~'
September
146,708
Total (8 Months) .1,224,890
Average 1,840,000
The plant is reported to have completed a part of an order for 2 million needle bearings in 1951 for the USSR. (See Appendix B.)
f. Schedule production of bearings for January, April, and May oY 1952 was as follows:
1952 Output (Units)
January 131,716 ~8
April 181,000 79/
May 163,000 ~/
This would be a monthly average of 158,572. Assuming that production remained at this level throughout 1952, output in 1952 is
estimated to be 1.9 million bearings.
g. There have been no reports on this plant which would indicate an expansion of the production facilities in 1953 or 1954. Improvements
in production techniques, better use of machinery, and increased skill of labor, however, would cause the output of the plant to increase
during these and ensuing years.
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Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in East Germany
1949-55
(Continued)
h. Prewar capacity of the plant was 100,000 bearings per month. In September 19 the production of bearings amounted to 50,000, which
corresponds to an annual output of 600,000. 81 In the first 5 months of 1951 a production report of the SAG's reported an output of
800,305, ~ which corresponds to an annual output of 1.9 million.
i. The ball bearings section of the German Trade Center for Machines and Motor Vehicles reported to the State Planning Commission on
18 September 1952 that, on the basis of the current machine park, 3.6 million bearings can be produced at VEB-Thueringer Kugellagerfabrik.
Total capacity of plant is also reported to be ~+.1 million bearings. ~ A smooth curve was drawn through the estimated output in
19~, 1951, 1953, and the reported capacity of the plant to obtain the estimates for the other years.
j. In 1949, actual production of bearings valued at 8,168,000 DM was converted at a rate of 25 DM per bearing. ~ A rate of 25 DM per
bearing was used because Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth, produced bearings in the medium-size ranges from 80-mm to 200-mm outside diameter.
k. In 1950, actual production of bearings valued at 9,708,000 DM was converted at a rate of 25 DM per bearing. ~ (See footnote j.)
1. Planned production of bearings in 1951 was valued at 28.9 million DM. In the first quarter of 1951, actual production was valved at
4,539,000 DM. ~ Assuming production at same level for the year, annual output would be 18,156,000 DM, which is approximately 10 million
DM under the planned output (converted from value at a rate of 25 DM per bearing). (See footnote j.)
m. Planned increase in production of bearings was reported to be 910 percent in 1955 as compared with 1950. ~ Although the plant has
high priority and is expanding, this increase is unlikely. The planned increase has been reported to have been worked out in the Ministry
of Planning without any contact with the technical personnel in the field and without any planning for the procurement of materials and
skilled personnel to fulfill the planned expansion. 88 An increase of approximately 350 percent has been assumed for 1955 as compared
with 1950. Employment was planned to increase approximately fivefold by 1955 over 1950. (See Appendix B.) Assuming a lower labor
productivity by the new personnel, the estimated percentage increase appears reasonable. The output for 1952, 1954, and 1955 was inter-
polated along a smooth curve from 1950 passing through the 1951 and 1953 estimates.
n. The ball bearings section of the German Trade Center for Machines and Motor Vehicles reported to the State Planning Commission on
18 6eptember 1952 that, on the basis of the current machine park, about 1.1 million bearings can be produced.
o. In 1948, Walzlagerfabrik, Ronneburg, produced 150 roller bearings per month and repaired 150 ball bearings per month in size ranges
between 150-mm and 350-mm outside diameter.
p. In the first quarter of 1y49, planned production of bearings was 750, which corresponds to an annual output of 3,000 units in large
sizes up to 400-mm outside diameter..
q. In 1950, actual production of bearings was reported to be valued at 3,217,000 DM. 92 Ronneburg's production is in large-size bearings
over 100-mm bore. The actual output was converted at a rate of 200 DM per bearing. (The estimated quantity was rounded off to 15,000.)
r. In 1951, planned production of bearings was reported to be 4 million DM ~ (converted from value at a rate of 200 DM per bearing).
(See footnote m.)
s. Planned increase in production of bearings was reported to be 772 percent in 1955 as compared with 1950. 94 Although the plant is
being expanded, this increase is unlikely. The planned lncrease has been reported to have been worked out in the. Ministry of Planning
without any contact with the technical personnel in the field and without any planning for the procurement oP materials and skilled
personnel to fulfill the planned expansion. ~ An increase of approximately 300 percent has been assumed for 1955 as compared with 1950.
The output for 1952, 1954; and 1955 was interpolated alone a smooth curve Prom 1950 passing through the 1951 and 1953 estimates.
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Estimatied Production of Anti?riction Bearings in East Germar~y
1949-55
(Continued)
t. The ball bearings section of the German Trade Center for Machines and-Motor Vehicles reported to the State Planning Commission on
18 September 1952 that, on the basis of the current machine park, 33,000 ball and roper bearings can be produced. 96
u. Iri 194$, Walzlagerfabrik, Berlin (Lichtenberg) produced 5,000 lie1:1 bearings per month in size ranges up to 62-mm outside diameter.
v'. Ln the first quarter 1949, planned production of bearings was 30,000, which corresponds to an annual output of 120,000 iu small sizes
up to 62-mm outside diameter.
w. m 1950, actual production of bearings was reported to be valued at 1,491,000 DM ~ (converted from value at a rate of 6 DM per bearing,,;
since the production of this pleat is in small-size bearings).
x. In 1951, planned production of bearings was valued at 3.6 million DM. Iri the first quarter of 1951, actual production was valued at
822,000 DM. 100 Output probably would be at a higher rate for the balance of the year, and the planned production has been assumed to have
been fulfilled (comrerted from value at a rate of 6 DM per bearing). (see footnote w.)
y. Planned increase in production of bearings was reported to be 1,734 percent in 1955 as compared with 1950: 101 Although the plant is
being expanded, this_ increase is unlikely., The planned increase has been reported to have been worked out in the Ministry of Planning
without any contact with the technical personnel in the field and without arty planning for the procurement of materials and skilled personnel
to fulfill the planned expansion. 102 An increase of approximately 900 percent has been assumed for 1955 as compared with195O. Employment
was planned to increase approximately fivefold by 1955 over 1951. Assuming lower productivity by the new personnel, the estimated percentage
increase appears reasonable. The output for 1952, 1954, and 1955 was interpolated along a smooth curve from 1950 pas-sing through the 1952
and 1953 estimates.
z. The ball bearings section of the German Trade Center for Machines and Motor Vehicles reported to the State Planning Commission on
18.September 1952 that, on the basis of the current machine park, 1.6 million bearings can be produced. 103
aa. In 1948, Gelenkwellenwerk, Stadtilm, produced 8,000 taper roller bearings per month, which corresponds to an annual output of 96,000. 104
bb. In the first quarter of 1949, planned production of bearings was 27,000 taper roller bearings up to lOG-mm outside diameter. l~ Monthly
production was reported to be 7,000 to 10,000 taper roller bearings, which corresponds to an annual output of 84,000 to 120,000 bearings. 106
cc. In 1950, .nonthly production of bearings was reported to be 12,000 to 15,000 taper roller bearings, which corresponds to an annual outpu
of 144,000 to 180,000 bearings. 10
dd. The ball bearings section of the German Trade Center for Machines and Motor Vehicles reported to the State Planning Commission on
18 September 1952 that this plant has the necessary machine park to produce 200,000 taper roller bearings in 1953 and that the additional.
orders for universal drive shafts, which this plant also produces, will prevent any increases in ball bearings production. 108 The output
of the plant is therefore estimated to remain at 200,000 bearings.
ee. In 1948 this plant was repairing ball bearings. Information on output is not available. In the first quarter of 1951 the plant required
27 metric tons of bearings steel, which corresponds to annual steel requirements of 108 metric tons. 109 Experience in US industry shows
that a minimum of 65 percent of the steel is scrapped in the production of antifriction bearings. On this basis, annual output in 1951 would
be 38 metric tons.
This plant has also been reported to produce bearings for replacement on trucks. 110 The average-size bearing has been assumed to have
a 45-mm bore. Metric tons were converted to bearings units at a rate of 1:5 pounds per bearing, or 1,467 bearings per metric ton. (See
Table 5, footnote f, _p. 19, above, for methodology.) ~
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Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in East Germany
19+9-55
(Continued)
Yf. The ball bearings section of the German Trade Center for Machines and Motor Vehicles reported to the State Planning Commission on
18 September 1952 that, on the basis of the current machine park, 100,000 antifriction bearings can be produced in 1952 and that a capacity
of 125,000 bearings can be reached in 1953 as a result of improvements in production methods. 111 The ball bearings section also reported
that, because of additional orders for 250,000 units of taper roller bearings, considerable expansion will be required at the plant. 112
Assuming that the expansion is completed by 1955, output in 1955 has been estimated to be 375,000 antifriction bearings.
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Planning Commission. The estimates up to 1955 are based on adjusted
percentage increases and the reported capacities of these plants.
2. Technology.
a. Types and Sizes of Bearings in Production.
The East German planbs are producing a number of
different types of antifriction bearings. During the first 9 months
of 1951, 2,4?+6 different types in 3,239 different designs were ordered
by users of bearings through the ball bearing section of the German
Trade Center for Machines and Motor Vehicles. The types and size
ranges produced at each plant are noted to the extent available in the
plant studies in Appendix B. The bearings industry is constantly
attempting to increase the variety of types and sizes in order to meet
the requirements of East German industries but have been hampered by
inadequate design and lack of prototypes.
In East Germany the antifriction bearings industry has
been principally rebuilding and equipping the plants. 113 However,
the shortages of critical materials (steel and brass principally) have
caused experiments with substitutions.
The Hescho plant in Kahla, Thuringia, .East Germany,
which was experimenting with ceramic roller bearings fabricated from
ceramic materials during World War II, has continued its research.
The ceramic roller bearing would be useful where bearings are used
with corrosive materials or under conditions which would adversely
affect the characteristics ~f metallic roller bearings. 114
The shortage of brass and sheet steel has caused the
use for medium-size roller bearings of pressed wood cages made from
beechwood veneer. 115 This cage was a development of the former
Thuringia Pressed Wood Company, now the VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth.
The shortage of brass and steel has caused experi-
mentation in and possibly the manufacture of sintered iron cages for
large-size roller bearings. 116 Sintering is a process of pressing
powdered metal to produce a dense homogeneous form.
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3. Material and Equipment .
a. Procurement.
? Materials for the antifriction bearings plants in
East Germany are ordered through the EVA Branch Office for anti-
friction bearings in Berlin. The required material is then
requested from the producing plants or DIA (Deutscher Innen- and
Aussenhandel -- Intra-German and Foreign Trade Agency). Most
deliveries of materials to the antifriction bearings plants are made
through the EVA offices in Berlin or Leipzig. The balls for anti-
friction bearings are delivered through the EVA branch office in
Erfurt. 117/
b. Material Suppliers.
~i~
iii'
I~ ~
i
Steel is the principal material used. The following
plants in East Germany supply the antifriction bearings industry with
steel: Maxhuette. Unterwellenborn, Hennigsdorf Steel Mill, Riesa Steel
Works, and the Taale Iron Works. 118/ Unknown but limited quantities
of steel are reported to be delivered from the USSR and Czechoslo-
vakia. 119/
Steel balls-and rollers are partially supplied by the
SAG-Kugelfabrik (VEB-Walzkoerperfabrik) at Schweina-Marienthal. 120/
c. Shortages of Materials.
The East German antifriction bearings industry is in
short supply on almost all materials. The principal bottlenecks have
-been steel tubing and bar steel for bearing rings, sheet steel for
cages, steel wire for balls, steel balls, abrasives, and grinding
wheels. 121/ Table 10~- indicates the steel requirements of the anti-
friction bearings industry in 1951 and the inability of the East
German industry to fulfill these requirements.
-~ Table 10 folldws on p. 40.
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Steel Requirements Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in East Germar~y 122
1951
Planned Capacity Shortage to'be
Requirements to Fulfill Fulfilled by Imports
Material (Metric Tons) (Metric Tons) (Metric Tons)
Steel Tube
Bar Steel
Sheet Steel
Steel Wire for Balls
7,500
5,100
840
1,130
~+, 500
2,100
N.A.
420
3,000
3,000
N.A.
d. Machine Tools.
The Soviet dismantling of East German plants immediately
after World War II removed a considerable amount of machine tools from
the East German antifriction bearings plants. In late 1948, wY~en the
VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth, established the plan for an improved
East German antifriction bearings supply, it was noted that a supply of
about 500 different types of machine tools would be required, of which
~ Appendix C indicates the types of machine tools required to produce
antifriction bearings.
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70 machine tools were scheduled to be delivered from West Germany,,
23 from Czechoslovakia, and more than 400 from East German pro-
duction. 126 East Germany is capable of manufacturing the standard
types of machine tools required for the bearings industry but at this
time would probably have difficulty in manufacturing the special tools.
A thorough study of the machine-tool position in the antifriction
bearings industry in East Germany is beyond the scope of this report.
C. Imports.
In 1949, East Germany was reported to have a planned import.
quota of 150,000units. 127 In 190, East Germany was reported to
have established a planned import quota of antifriction bearings
valued at $3 million and by 30 September 1950 had actually imported
$3,082,000, 128 which would correspond to an annual rate of approxi-
mately $4 million. Value was converted to bearings units at a rate
of $10 per bearing. Although this is approximately 5 times the average
price per bearing, it has been used because the known shipments to East
Germany with reported values and quantities during 1950 average $10 per
bearing. The calculated imports of 400,000 are therefore considered as
a minimum estimate. It is reasonable to assume that the, imports in 1951
have not decreased. For the purposes of this report, the estimated
imports in 1951 have been assumed to be similar to the estimated
imports in 1950.
~' Conversion from value to bearings was based on the following shipment
made in 1950 (official exchange rate $1 = 4.2 DM):
Export Company.
VKF, Schweinfurt 129
Cornelius and Richter, Minden 130
Kugelfischer, Schweinfurt 131
Quantity
of Bearings
Value
(DM West
Value
($ US)
2,279
70,994
327
30,432
1,601
80,515
4,207
188,941
45,224
On the basis of these shipments, which were principally large sizes,
the average cost per bearing was over $10.00.
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D. Planned Distribution and Requirements.
In 1951 the planned distribution of ant~ifriction bearings
in East Germany in percent of total supply was reported as shown in
Table 11. 132
Planned Distribution of Antifriction Bearings in East Germany
? 1951 .
Consumer Percent of Total Supply
Soviet Troop Units in East Germany 1+0.0
East German Machine Construction,
Electrotechnic Construction, and
Vehicle Construction
x+7.5
Other Industry (including Exports 12.5
Total 100.0
Since World War II the demand for antifriction bearings
has been in excess of the total available supply in East Germar~y. For
this reason, the distribution of the output would probably conform to
the following priorities: first, to the Soviet troop units in East
Germar~y; second, to the SAG; third, to East German key enterprises;
and fourth, in limited amounts, to other German civil consumption and
exports. 133 ?
2. Requirements .
In 191+9 the requirements for antifriction bearings in East
Germar~y were reported by the VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth, at
8,006,000 ball and roller bearings. 131+ In 1951 the State Secretariat
for Material of the State Planning Commission in East Germany prepared
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an allotment plan of antifriction bearings which totaled 6,754,915
bearings, including an export of 1 million.- 136/ The 1951 allotment
plan was less by 1,251,085 bearings than the 19T+9 requirements, which
did not include exports. It may be assumed. that the 1951 allotment
covered only the requirements of the industries reported under this
plan, and thus did not indicate the requirements of the Soviet troop
units in East Germany. The estimated requirements for 1951 of over
11 million bearings as shown. in Table 12,x' were obtained by adjusting
the reported 6,751+,915 figure to include the 40-percent requirement
of the Soviet troop units in East Germany.
E. Balance (Surplus or Deficit).
In 1951, East Germany was capable of supplying about 52 percent
of its requirements for antifriction bearings through domestic production.
Although East Germany only exported 8 percent of its export quota of
1 million bearings in 1951,, the special orders for the USSR from the
SAG-Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik increased the total exports to an estimate
of 1 million bearings. The imports, however, have been estimated to have
been approximately 400,000 units. Consequently, the total supply avail-
ab le to East Germany is only 46 percent of the requirements of the East
German industry and the Soviet troop units in East Germany. The deficit
in 1951 has been estimated to have been over 5.5 million bearings as is
shown in Table 13.E
* the planned amount of exports in 1951
was equal to 2 ,5 0,000 rubles, which would corres and to a price of about
25 rubles per bearing. only 8 percent of
the planned export, or approximately 0,000 bearings, had actually been
exported in 1951. 135/
It appears that the special order of needle bearings produced for
the USSR by the SAG-Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik is not included in the
allotment plan of East Germany. It has been assumed that in 1951
approximately 1 million bearings of the 2 million order were completed.
The total exports in 1951 from East Germany are therefore estimated to
be approximately 1 million bearings.
~' Table 12 follows on p. 44,
Table 13 follows on p. 45
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50X1
50X1
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Estimated Requirements of the Antifriction Bear~,ngs Industry
in East Germany a~
1951 -
Percent Bearings
Total b/ Required
Requirements - Units
Soviet Troop Units in East Germany 40.0 4,503,275
East German Machine Construction,
Electrotechnic Construction, and
Vehicle Construction
47.5
s~G
1,900,000
Ministry for Machine Construction
and Electrical Engineering
~
2,409,159
Ministry for Light Industry
~-0,000
Magistrate for Greater Berlin
75,000
Thuringia
140,000
Saxony-Anhalt
80,000
Mecklenburg
45,000
Brandenburg
40,000
Saxony
683,500
Other Industries and Exports
12.5
1,342,256
11,258,190
a. Requirements of East German Machine Construction, Electrotechnic
Construction, and Vehicle Construction and Other Industries and Exports
are reported requirements totaling 6,754,915 bearings, 137 which is
believed to be 60 percent of total requirements. Total requirements
have then been estimated to be 11,258,190 (6,754,915 0.60). The re-
quirements of the Soviet troop units in East Germany would then be
4,503,275 bearings.
b. Percentage of total requirements was assumed to have the same break-
down as the percentage distribution pattern as shown in Table 11,
p. 42, above.
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Table 13
Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in East Germany
1951
Requirements a~ 10,300
Production 5,300
Imports x+00
Production plus Imports 5,700
Exports -1,000
Total Supply Available b~ x+,700 x+,700
Balance (Def icit~ -5 600
a. Including industry and Soviet troop units in East
Germany and not including planned exports in 1951.
b. Carry-over stocks assumed to be negligible.
N. Czechoslovakia.
A. Development and Organization of the Industry.
1. Development.
Before World War II, Czechoslovakia depended almost com-
? pletely on imports of ant ifriction bearings, principally from Sweden
and, to a lesser degree, from Germany, Italy, and the US. The only
plant in Czechoslovakia assembling antifriction bearings was a plant
at Perstejn owned by the Swedish firm SKF. The plant was dependent on
Swedish and German sources for supplies of balls and outer and inner
rings. 138
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During the war, SKF continued its ownership'of the plants.
After the bombing of the German antifriction bearings industry, however,
machinery from the Schweinfurt plants in Germany was sent to Perstejn.'.
In July 1943, output of this plant was just under 60,000 bearings. 139/
In 1945, when industry?in Czechoslovakia was nationalized, the Perstejn
plant was confiscated. 140/ In 1947, it became Plant No. 28 of the
Zbrojovka Brno Corporation.
Since the war, Czechoslovakia has been attempting to build
up an antifriction bearings industry capable of fulfilling most of its
requirements. 141/ Up to 1949, new machinery purchased from Sweden was
being installed in the Perstejn plant. 142/ During the Two Year Plan
(1947-48) and under the Five Year Plan 1949-53), two other major ant~-
friction bearings plants have been established, the Zbrojovka Brno
Plant at Lisen and the Viliama Sirokeho Plant at Kysucke Nove Mesto. 143/
A small branch plant of the Zbrojovka Brno Corporation with an
insignificant production is also in production at Tyniste nad Orlici.~
2. Organization.
a. Antifriction Bearings Plants.
The antifriction bearings plants of Czechoslovakia are
subordinate to the Controller-General of the Precision Machine Industry
(Generalni Reditelstvi Presneho Strojirenstvi) at Prague. Engineer
Eimuth, formerly employed in the industry, was reported to be chief of
the bearings department in 1951. 144/
The Zbrojovka Brno Corporation, which was nationalized
after the war, has been nominally in charge of the operation of the
antifriction bearings plants. The corporation also was in charge of
the construction of the new plant at F~ysucke Nove Mesto. The central
office of the corporation was located at Prague (Dejvice), Velflikova
Street, in 1949. 145
b. Procurement and Distribution.
The Central Control Off ice for Bearings and Tools
(Stredisko LN) is reported to control both the procurement and
distribution of antifriction bearings. This off ice is reported to
~_ See Appendix B for an analysis of these plants and of other
possible production. A map showing the location of antifriction
bearings plants in Czechoslovakia follows p. 46.
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12 14 16 16 20 22
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14 16
18 20 22
? CZECHOSLOVAKIA
ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS PLANTS
1951
Major Plant 0 Minor Plant
12520 CIA, 10.53
SECRET
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receive statements of planned and special requirements for antifriction
bearings in Czechoslovakia and, after checking these statements
against domestic production, to determine import requirements. Orders
for bearings are then forwarded to the state foreign trade organization
KOVO a.s. and to the foreign representatives in Prague of the firms
SKF of Sweden, RIV of Italy, and SRO (Kugellagerwerke J. Schmid-Roost,
AG) of Switzerland. 11+6
B'. Production.
1. Estimated Output.
The estimate of total output of antifriction bearings in
Czechoslovakia shown in_Table 14~ is based~on the estimated output of
the individual plants, on the planned capacity of the individual plants,
and on the planned output of the industry under the Five Year Plan
(19~-9-53)
Immediately after World War II, production of bearings in
Czechoslovakia was insignificant. Production was begun in 191+7, with
an. output of approximately 800,000 bearings. In 191+8 the output was.
increased to 1.1+ million units.. According to reports, the available
productive capacity was fully utilized at that time, and the pro-
duction corresppnded approximately to the scheduled quota: 147 The
i capacity of the Lisen and the Perstejn plants was then being increased,
and the total output in 191+9 is estimated to have risen to 2.7 million
bearings.
The expansion of the Lisen plant has continued under the
Five Year Plan, and the new plant at Kysucke Nove Mesto has been in
limited operations since 28 October 1950. Total output is estimated
at 1+.6 million bearings in 1950 and 6.2 million bearings in 1951.
The original Five Year Plan called for a production of
about 8 million bearings in 1953. 11-I$~ A government decree of
10 April 1951, which revised the original Five Year Plan, increased the,
antifriction bearings quota by 23 percent over the original plan. The
1953 production of antifriction bearings is now scheduled to be about
10 million units, which would correspond to an increase of more than
600 percent over 191+8. 11+9
~ Table 1 follows on p. tag,
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Table 14
Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in Ozechoslovakia
19~-53
a. Range of estimate, plus or minus 20 percent.
b. Production of bear~igs was planned to be at a rate of 150,000 units per month. The shortage of raw materials
and the lack of.skilled workers, however, prevented the fulfillment of this plan. The output at the end of 1948
wad reported to be approximately 60,000 to 80,000 units per month. 150 Assuming that the monthly average for the
year fa11s somewhere between these reported figures, total output of bearings in. 1948 was estimated to be 800,000
units.
c. The quota was reported to be 350,000 bearings for the first quarter of 1949 and 500,A00 for the second quarter.
In mid-1949, output was reported to have reached a monthly average of 150,000 units, 151 which would correspond
to an annual output of 1.8 million.
d. In 1950, total production was reported to be 2.5 million bearings. 152
e. Plant-capacity was reported originalI,y to be 4 million bearings. 153 It is believed that this capacity pro-
duction woihld be reached and probably surpassed by 1952. In 1951 the capacity of the plant was reported. to be
eventually 20,000 ball bearings per day, 154 which would correspond to an annual capacity of over 6 million
bearings. On 10 April 1951 a government decree which revised the original Five Year Plan increased the 1953
antfric$iori bearings quota by 23 percent. over the original plan. The 1953 production of antifriction bearings
,is now scheduled to increase about 600 percent as compared with .the 1948 output. 155 Assuming that this plant
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Table 14
Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings in Czechoslovakia
19~-53
(Continued)
will increase output between 500 and 00 percent over 19~ total output in 1953 is estimated~to be 5 million units
and capacity production of 6 million units would probably be reached in 1954?
f. Total production of the Czechoslovak antifriction bearings industry in 1948 was reported to be 1.4 million. 156
Output of the Lisen plant is estimated to be 800,000, which would leave a balance of 600,000 to be produced at tho
Perste~n plant. This figure equals about 85 percent of the maximum-production rate achieved during World War II.
g. Daily productior. of bearings was reported to be 3,000 per day in 1949, which would correspond to an annual
out ut of 00 000. 1
n ece er , annual. roduction of bearings was reported to be 2.3 mi113on. i59 This output for late
1950 and for the year 1951 was 7,000 per day, 160
which would correspond to an annual output in 1951 of approximately 2.1 million to 2.3 million. The total output
in 1950 would be less than in 1951,-and an output of 2 million. has been estimated for 1950.
i. No information on future expansion of this plant is available. Capacity of this plant without further
expansion is assumed to be about 3 million bearings which has been estimated to be the output in 1953-
~. This plant is reported to have produced 140,000 ball bearings from late October 1950 to June 1951, 161 which
corresponds to an average of 20,000 units per month. The operation of this plant was reported to have been delayed
because of the lack of skilled personne1~162 and the fact that the Soviet machinery installed in the plant proved
unsuitable for the quality of production intended. 163 On the basis of these reports, total output in 1951 has
been estimated to be approximately 300,000 bearings.
k. Capacity of this plant is reported to be eventually 6 million to 8 million bearings. 164 Estimates have been
made for T952 and 1953 on the assumption that the capacity of 6 million will be reached in 1955?
1. In late 1949, annual production of bearings at this plant was reported to be 2 percent of the total output of
the industry. 165 Applying this 2-percent output to the estimated production in 1950, the output of this plant
is estimated to be approximately 100,000 bearings. There is no report of expansion at this plant, and production
has been assumed to remain unchanged.
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2. Technology.
a. Types and Sizes of Bearings in Production.
In l.a.te 1950 the plants in Czechoslovakia were
producing on7~y ball, tapered roller, and thrust bearings ranging
in bore sizes from 12 to 75 mm. 166/ The types of antifriction
bearings which are required for heavy industry and for the con-
struction of machine tools -- in particular, cylindrical roller
bearings, self-aligning ball bearings, and spherical roller
bearings -- have not been produced in Czechoslovakia and must be
imported. The shortage of these types of antifriction bearings
is one of Czechoslovakia's principal bottlenecks in its drive to
make the industrial sector of the economy independent of the
West. 167/ Because of this shortage, the operation of the new
rolling mills of the Iron Works at Vitkovice in 1951 had been
delayed. Attempts to procure the heavy antifriction bearings
from England; SKF, Sweden; and RN, Ita],y were unsuccessful.
Czechoslovakia is reported to have decided in the summer of 195.
to produce the needed bearings in Lisen piece by piece. The same
type of bearing reportedly is needed for a new rolling mill which
is being installed in a big steel combine in Slovakia. 168/
The antifriction bearings manufactured in Czecho-
slovakia are apparently of fair to good quality. Tests performed
on two Czechoslovak bearings have shown that the steel was a
high-grade steel and that the surface finish was good but that the
bearings ran rough because of poor manufacture of the rolls and
the cage. A large number of tests of this type would have to be
performed before definite conclusions could.be drawn of the quality
of the bearings manufactured in Czechoslovakia. Soviet engineers
,apparently consider the Czechoslovak bearings of inferior quality;
it has been reported that the USSR insists on the installation of
ball bearings of Swedish or Swiss origin in the electromotors which
Czechoslovakia exports to the USSR. 169/
b. Postwar Innovations.
In Czechoslovakia the antifriction bearings industry
has devoted its major effort to building and equipping its plants.
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One development caused by the shortage of certain types and sizes
of antifriction bearings has been the formation of an industry-wide
designing office (Konstruktionsbuero) and a d~nt division,.
which are located in the Zbrojovka Brno Plant at Lisen. Since50X1-H U M
according to the Five Year Plan, Czechoslovakia is. to become self-
sufficient in the production of antifriction bearings, these divisions
are required to establish the theoretical and practical means of pro-
ducing those types of bearings. required by Czechoslovak industry which
are not now produced domestically. 170/
3. Material and Equipment.
The high-grade steel required in the manufacture of
antifriction bearings has been supplied by the following steel plants:
Vitkovice Iron and Steel Works near the Polish border, Poldi Steel
Works at Kladno, and the Poldi Steel Works at Chomutov in North
Bohemia. 171/ In late 1948, steel deliveries were reported to be
irregular and the alloy content inconsistent. 172/ A shortage of steel
.rods for the bearing rings is reported to have been most acute. These
steel rods reportedly were delivered to the bearings plants bent and
twisted. 173/ The Swedish firm SKF had supplied the Perstejn plant
with steel. The last shipment of~Swedish steel to this plant is
reported to have been made in August 1849. 174/
b. Steel Balls.
The Lisen plant is reported to have started the manu-
facture of steel balls in 1951. All other steel ball requirements have
been fulf filled by imports. The Swedish firm SKF has supplied the
Perstejn plant with steel balls. Most of the other requirements for
steel balls are reported to be fulfilled by imports through Kellenberg
and Company, the Swiss representative of Steyr, Austria. 175/
c. Grinding Wheels.
Grinding wheels are reported to be manufactured at
Benatky nad Jizerou near M1ada Boleslav. These wheels are reported to
be copies of the Norton wheels previously imported from the UK and the
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US. The Czechoslovak grinding wheels are reported to be of variable
quality and inferior to the previously imported products. There is
a reported shortage of the silicon carbide which is required for the
manufacture of the wheels. 176/
Czechoslovakia, which is considerably industralized,
would be capable of manufacturing the standard types of machine tools
required for the antifriction bearings industry but probably would
have considerable problems in designing and manufacturing the special
tools. A study of-the machine tool position in the antifriction
bearings industry in Czechoslovakia is beyond the scope of this report.
C. Imports.
1. Import Quota. 177/
' The planned budget for the import of antifriction bearings
in 1951 is reported to be 1 billion Czechoslovak crowns (koruny -- Kcs)
which, at a rate of exchange of US 1.00 = 150 Kcs, is estimated to be
about $6.7 million. The average price per antifriction bearing
~ Appendix C indicates the types of machine tools required to pro-
duce antifriction bearings.
~~ The transactions of SKF, Prague, in 1950 have been used to estimate
the rate of exchange between .Kcs and US dollars. The import of anti-
friction bearings through SKF, Prague, is regulated by a trade treaty
in which 6:2 million Swedish kronor worth of bearings were imported in
1950. This quantity of bearings is reported to be the equivalent of
180 million Kcs. 178/ The official exchange rate of US dollars to
Swedish kronor is~1.00 = 5.18 kronor. The estimated rate of exchange
used in this report to convert Kcs to US dollars has been calculated
as follows:
US $1.00 =
5.18 kronor
6,200,000 kronor =
180,000,000 Kcs
1 kronor =
29.0 Kcs
therefore, US 1.00 =
150 Kcs
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imported by Czechoslovakia has been estimated to be 175 Kcs.- Con-
sequently, the 1951 import quota valued at 1 billion Kcs is estimated
to be about 5.5 million bearings.
The import of antifriction bearings is handled through the
state foreign trade organization KOVO a.s. and through the Prague
offices of the foreign firms, SKF of Sweden, RIV of Italy, and SRO of
Switzerland. The location of these firms in Czechoslovakia is as
follows': KOVO a.s., Prague II, Soupkupovo nam 3; SKF a.s., Prague
VII, U. Mestanskenho Pivovaru 7; RIV, Prague 11, Opletalova ul.; and
SRO, Prague II, Nekazanka.
~- The average price per bearing imported by Czechoslovakia has been
estimated as follows:
(1) In 1951, KOVO a.s. had an import quota of antifriction bearings
valued at about 500 million Kcs, of which 30 percent was reportedly
to be obtained from the USSR. 179/ Under the USSR-Czechoslovakia
'trade agreement of 1949, the USSR agreed to export 1 million bearings
to Czechoslovakia. 180/ Assuming that this trade agreement is still
in effect, the price per bearing imported from the USSR has been
estimated to be 150 Kcs:
0.3o x 500 . 15o Kcs
l,ooo,ooo
(2) In 1950, SKF, Prague, is reported to have imported 6.2 million
Swedish kronor, or 180 million Kcs, worth of antifriction bearings into
Czechoslovakia. 181/ In 1950, Swede, however, is reported to have
exported a total of 1,650,720 (8,550,730 Swedish kronor) worth of
bearings and bearing components to Czechoslovakia, which was converted
to a quantity of 1,260,000 bearings. (See Table 15, p.?57, below, and
footnotes b and f of this table.)
Therefore, the quantity of bearings imported by SKF, Prague,
has been estimated to be about 900,000 bearings: ?
6 200 000 x 1,260,000 = 913,500 (900,000) bearings .
55$ o
The average price per bearing imported by Czechoslovakia through SKF,
Prague, has been estimated to be 200 Kcs:
180,000,000 Kcs = 200 Kcs per bearing
900,000
(3) In this report, to convert Kcs to quantity of antifriction
bearings imported by Czechoslovakia, the average price per bearing
is assumed to be between the prices estimated by the two methods
above, or a price of about 175 Kcs.
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2. KOVO a.s.
In 1951 the state foreign trade organization KOVO a.s.
is reported to have had an import quota of about 500 million Kcs
($3.3 million), which would correspond to about 2.7 million anti-
friction bearings. In the first quarter of 1951, KOVO a.s. is reported
to have imported about 100 million Kcs of antifriction bearings. It
is believed that KOVO a.s. did not attain the import quota planned for
1951 because of the shortage of hard currency required to pay for the
imports. It has been assumed that KOVO~s 1951 imports were at the
same rate in the last 9 months of 1951 as in the first 3 months. Thus
the total imports of KOVO in 1951 are estimated to be 400 million Kcs
($2.7 million), which would correspond to about 2.2 million bearings,
a drop of about 0.5 million bearings from the import quota. KOVO a.s.
is reported to obtain its bearings from the USSR, Austria, Switzerland,
Italy, France, the UK, and Germany.
Under the USSR-Czechoslovakia trade agreement of 1949,
the, USSR agreed to export to Czechoslovakia 1 million antifriction
bearings per year. 182/ It has been assumed that this trade agreement
is still in effect. The deliveries of bearings from the USSR are
reported to constitute about 30 percent of KOVO's import quota. Since
there are no apparent currency difficulties in this transaction, it is~
reasonable to assume that 1 million bearings were imported in 1951 from
the USSR.
b. Austria.
On the basis of an Austro-Czechoslovakian trade
a greement, Austria was to export to Czechoslovakia ~l million worth of
antifriction bearings during the period of October 1950-October
1951. 183/ The bearings are obtained from the Steyer-Daimler-Poch
Werke, Styria.
c. Switzerland.
The embargo on antifriction bearings is reported to
have caused the traffic through the various intermediaries in Switzer-
land to decline. The following suppliers are still active: RN
Waelzlager, Zurich (roller bearings); Keller and Kellenberg, Zurich
(balls); KFA (Kugellagerfabrik Arbon), Arbon (ball and roller bearings);
and General Transport AG, Basel (ball and roller bearings). 184/
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d. Italy.
The most important Italian supplier of antifriction
bearings is RIV, Turin, whose affairs are handled by the RIV repre-
sentative at Prague. Besides RIV, there are a number of interrriediaries,
of whom the most important is. reported to be Jacob M. Loewy in Rome.
He is reported to have concluded two transactions with KOVO in 1950
for 20 million Kcs and 10 million Kcs. 185/
The biggest French supplier of antifriction bearings
is reported to be the firm Nadella, Rouen. Other suppliers are re-
ported to be Prometall, Landi Freres, Paris, and Rossi Freres, Paris.
f . tJK .
The firm Pollard, Birmingham, is reported to deliver
special antifriction bearings to the steel works at Vitkovice, because
of an old contract. Deliveries are made through Poland.
3. SKF a.s., Prague.
The SKF a.s., Erague, is a corporation controlled by the
Swedish firm, SKF. The imports by SKF, Prague, are regulated by a
trade treaty which contemplates the import of about 6.2 million Swedish
kronor worth of antifriction bearings per year. Besides this, KOVO
a.s. imports about 2 million Swedish kronor worth of partially fabri-
cated items, such as bearing rings and steel balls from Sweden for the
factory at Perstejn. The activities of SKF, Prague, have been reduced
by the Czechoslovak government. The turnover was reported to be
180 million Kcs (~1.2 million) in 1950 and is reported to have decreased
to 120 million Kcs ($800,000) in 1951.
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~+. RN, Prague .
The RN branch office is controlled by the Italian firm
RN, Turin. All transactions between Czechoslovakia and Italy are :Wade
on a barter basis. Imports of antifriction bearings through RIV,
Prague, are reported to have been about 200 million Kcs ($1.3 million)
in 1950.
5. SRO, Prague.
The operations of the Swiss corporation SRO in Prague are
reported to be relatively small and are estimated to be about 20 million
Kcs (130,000) worth of antifriction bearings per year.
6. Estimated Imports through Legal Transactions.
Table 15~ shows the estimated weight, value, and quantity
of antifriction bearings exported legally to Czechoslovakia by Western
European countries from 19+8 through 1951. The most important ex-
porters have been Sweden, Italy, and Austria. Other suppliers have
been France and Switzerland. In 1948 the total value was about
~5,3~+0,000, representing an estimated 2,772,000 bearings. The effects
of the trade embargo appear to have been disappointing, since in 1951
the total value. was about ~+.5 million, representing an estimated
2,385,000 bearings.
7. Estimate of Total Imports, 1951.
The planned import of antifriction bearings in 1951 has
been estimated to be 5.5 million. KOVO's import quota, however, is
believed to have been reduced by approximately 0.5 million bearings
because of hard currency difficulties. Consequently, the total
imports in 1951 have been estimated to be approximately 5 million
units, of which 1 million are estimated to have been obtained from
the USSR and approximately 2.~+ million (see Table 15) have been shipped
legally from Western Europe. The balance of approximately 1.6 million
bearings is believed to have been obtained through clandestine trans-
actions.
~- Table 15 follows on p. 57?
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Estimated Imports of Ant ifriction Bearings by Czechoslovakia
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
weight (Metric Tons)
Value
$ Us
Swedish xronor
Units e/
Italy
808.7 ~*
1,885,035 J
6,780,700
1,186,000 ~
468.7 ~
961,623 J
4,982,500
688,000 ~
859.3 b_/
1,650,720 ~
8,550,730
1,260,000 ~
481.6
1,202,702
707,000
Weight (Metric Tons)
Value
323 ~
565 ~
337 ~
478 h/
$ us
1,119,916 ~
2,241,600 ~
1,608,000 ~
1,529,000
Italian Lire
644,000,000
1,401,000,000
1,005,000,000
Units e/
474,000 ~
829,000 ~
494,000 ~
701,000
Austria
Weight,(Metric Tons)
416 ~
385.6 ~
N.A.
N.A.
Value
$ us
1,656,480 i~
1,257,309 ~
1,110,038 ~
978,676
Units e/
870,000 m/
808,000 ~
642,000 ~
568,000
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Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Czechoslovakia
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948_51
(Continued)
France
Weight (Metric Tons)
Value
1948 1949 1950 1951
N.A. 19 ~ N.A. 70 plus
$ US 15,339 J 173,857 J 321,814 y/ 419,175 ~/
Units J 5,000 r/ 51,000 ~ 95,000 ~ 123,000
Switzerland
Weight (Metric Tons) 92.7 ~ 81.6 ~ 159.0 ~ 111.7
Value
$ US ~ 663,136 sJ 469,910 s/ 680,690 s~ 380,190 s~
Units e~ 237,000 ~ 209,000 t/ 407,000 ~ 286,000
Totals
Weight (Metric Tons) 1,519.9
Value ($ US) 5,339,906 5,104,299 5,371,262 4,509,743
Units e/ 2,772,000 2,585,000 2,898,000 2,385,000
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Table 15
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Czechoslovakia
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
(Continued)
a. Compiled from official figures 1 and converted from Swedish kronor to US dollars in 19 at 3.
kronor $1.00, and from 1949 to 1951 at 5.18 kronor = $1.00.
b. In 1950, Sweden exported 844.2 long tons of bearings valued at $1,650,720 187/ (converted from long tons
to metric tons by multiplying by 1.018).
c. Sweden increased bearing prices by 3Q percent in December 1950. With this price increase and by com-
parison with the value acid metric tons exported in 1950, the quantity exported in 1951 would be equivalent
to 4$1.6 metric tons.
1,202,702 x 854.3 = 481.6 metric tons
1.30 1,50,720
d. Sweden exported 3,115,000 kronor from January to June 1951. 188 .This value was doubled to obtain the
total value of bearings exported to Czechoslovakia in 1951 (converted to US'dollars at a rate of 5.18
kronor = $1.00).
e. Estimates of units have been rounded off to the nearest thousand.
f. Metric tons were converted to bearing units at a rate of 1.5 pounds per bearing, or 1,467 bearings per
metric ton. (See Table 5, footnote f, p. 19, above, for methodology.)
g. Compiled from official figures 189 and converted from Italian lire to U5 dollars in 1948 at 575
lire = $1.00, and from 1949 to 1951 at 625 lire = $1.00.
h. US official statistics. 190
i. In 1948, Austria exported a total of 668 metric tons of bearings valued at 27 million Austrian schillings
of which Czechoslovakia received 416 metric tons valued at 16.8 million schillings. 191/ Official exchange
rate in 1948 was 10.14 Austrian schillings = $1.00.
,j. In 1949, Austria exported 385.6 metric tons 192/ valued at 12.9 million Austrian schillings to Czecho-
slovakia. 193/ Exchange rate in 1949 was 10.14 Austrian schillings = $1.00.
k. In 1950, Austria was reported to have exported $1,110,038 worth of bearings to Czechoslovakia. 194/
1. Compiled from official figures. 195/
m. Official statistics. 196/
n. Converted at a rate o~1.73 per bearing, which is the average price for the 194$ and 1949 shipments of
bearings to Czechoslovakia.
o. Compiled from official figures. 197/
p. US official statistics. 198/
q. In 1950, France was reported to have exported $321,814 worth of bearings to Czechoslovakia. 199
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Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Czechoslovakia
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
19+8-51
(Continued)
r. Converted at a rate of 0.30 per bearing. See Table 1S, Polish imports, footnote t, p. 70, below,
for methodology.)
s. Swiss official statistics. 200
t. Swiss exports of bearings were converted from metric tons to bearings at a rate of 0.86 pound
per bearings or 2,558 bearings per metric ton. Swiss bearings manufacturers produce a wide variety of
bearings. They do specialize, however, in small-size bearings and are not restricted by the COCOM size
ranges in their shipments to the Soviet Bloc. Therefore the average-size bearing has been estimated to
have a 35-mm bore. ~y tabulating ball and roller bearings with a 35-mm bore, as shown below, the average
weight bearing was estimated to be 0.86 pound.
Average
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D. Distribution and Requirements.
1. Distribution.
Since World War II the demand for antifriction bearings
has been in excess of the total supply available in Czechoslovakia.
This condition has led to an order of priority in the distribution of
bearings to industry which has been reported as follows 201: first,
to war industry, mining, and heavy industry; second, to machine tool,
motor, and tractor industry; and third, to light industry.
2. Requirements.
The annual requirements of Czechoslovakia have been re-
ported at about 14.5 million to 16 million antifriction bearings. 202
Since this inf ormation was reported in December 1950, it appears
reasonable to assume that these requirements, and, in particular, the
reported maximum of 16 million bearings would also apply to the annual
requirements in 1951. An estimate of the percent of total requirements
and of the quantity required by the various industries is shown in
Table 16.
Estimated Requirements of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in Czechoslovakia
1951
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Table 16
Consumer
Percent
of Total
Requirements
Bearings Required
(Thousand Units
Tractors, Aircraft, Vehicles
43
6,000- 7,000
Railroads ~
7
1,000
Machine Tool Industry
26
4,000
Light Industry, Precision Industry
13
2,000
Mining and Heavy Industry
11
1,500- 2,000
14,500-16,000
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E. Balance (Surplus or Deficit).
In 1951, Czechoslovakia was capable of supplying about 40 per-
cent of its requirements for antifriction bearings through domestic
production. It is evident that Czechoslovakia is dependent on imports
to supplement domestic production. The import of bearings in 1951 has
been estimated at 5 million, which is still short of the total required.
The total supply available to Czechoslovakia, domestic production plus
imports, fulfills about 74 percent of the requirements of industry in
Czechoslovakia. The deficit in 1951 has been estimated at about
4 million bearings, on the basis indicated in Table 17.
Estimated Position of the Ant ifriction Bearings Industry
in Czechoslovakia
1951
Requirements
14,500 to 16,000
Production
6,200
Imports
5,000
Production plus Imports
11,200
Total Supply Available a~
11,200
11,200
Balance (Deficit)
-3,330 to -4,800
a. Carry-over stocks assumed be negligible.
A. Development of the Industry.
Before 1949, Poland had been completely dependent on imports of
antifriction bearings to fulfill its requirements. Under the Three
Year Plan (1947-49), 94 million zlotys were to be invested in the
Based orb exchange rate of US 1.00 = 400 zlotys (taken from
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construction of an antifriction bearings plant. 203 In March 1948
the precision and optical instruments branch of the metal manu-
facturing industry was reported to have begun work on the problem of
producing antifriction bearings in Poland. 204 In the latter half
of 1949, machinery reportedly was installed in the newly erected
shops of a plant at Krasnik, known as the Fabryka Wyrowbow Metalowych
(Metal Products Plant). Production of antifriction bearings began
in 1950. 205/
The plant at Krasnik is the only confirmed antifriction
bearings plant in Poland, although there is a report that a steel
plant at Stalowa Wola near Nisko is manufacturing antifriction
bearings. 206 '
1. Estimated Output.
The total confirmed output of antifriction bearings in
Poland consists of the production of the plant at Krasnik. Estimates
of output have been developed based on the reported planned pro-
duction of this plant.*
Series production actually began in 1950, but a negligible
quantity of bearings may have been turned out in the latter part of
1949. The output of the plant, which was estimated to be 200,000
bearings in 1950, increased to an estimated 500,000 in 1951. There,is
no information available on the output in 1952 or on the planned output
in Poland for later years. At the rate at which the industry expanded
in 1951, it is reasonable to assume that output in 1952 may have been
up to 800,000 bearings.
2. Types and Sizes of Bearings'?in Production.
The plant at Krasnik reportedly has produced ball and
roller bearings in the medium-size range and of types which require
a low degree of technical skill. 207 The smaller- and the larger-
size antifriction bearings had not been produced in Poland up to the
middle of 1951, 208 nor is there any evidence that they have been
produced to date
Inte national Financial Statistics, May 1851, published by the Inter-
national Monetary Fund , the 9 million zlotys would be equivalent tc
$2,350,000.
* See Appendix B.
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The shortage of antifriction bearings and the limited
number of types and sizes in production are sensitive points in the
industrial development of Poland. The-shortage of bearings led to
an order issued by the Minister of Foreign Trade on 3 April 1950 in
which CEBILOZ~(Centralne Biuro Lozysk Tocznejch -- the Central
Off ice of Antifriction Bearings) was to supervise the use of anti-
friction bearings in all enterprises in Poland. The object was to
assure the most efficient exploitation of antifriction bearings,
with special attention to the application, maintenance, assembly, and
warehousing of antifriction bearings and parts. 209 The super-
vision by CEBILOZ apparently did little to alleviate the shortage of
antifriction bearings in Poland. In September 1950 the lack of
antifriction bearings at the J. Stalin Works (formerly the Cegielski
Plant) at Posen and at various industrial installations in Rzeszow
was reported to be extremely critical. 210
3. Material and Equipment.
Under the trade agreement between Poland and the USSR
signed in June 1950, the USSR was to export to Poland mope than 30
key industrial installations, including a ball bearings plant. In
addition to supplying complete equipment for the plant, the USSR
was to supply technical literature, technical plans, records of
Soviet experience, and Soviet licenses and patents. The USSR was
also to assist in the design and construction of the plant and in
the installation of the equipment. Polish engineers, technicians,
and workers were to receive practical training in Soviet industrial
plants. 211
Although this trade agreement was signed in June 1950, it
is reasonable to assume that the ball bearings plant mentioned in the
agreement referred to the plant at Krasnik. Apparently, the USSR has
not been fulfilling certain parts of this agreement. The 1951 develop-
ment plan for the Krasnik plant is reported to have included delivery
of machinery from the USSR. This assistance has not materialized, and
production at the plant has been hampered by the lack of suitable
machinery.* 212
There is no information available on supplies of bearings
steel and steel balls in Poland.
* Appendix C indicates the types of machine tools required to produce
antifriction bearings.
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C. Imports.
1. Method of Procurement.
Imports of antifriction bearings are procured principally
through CEBILOZ and through a state-owned organization called POLIMIX
(Polsie Towarzystwo Eksport-Importowe Mazyn i Narzedzi -- Polish Enter-
prises for the Imports and Exports of Tools and Machines). Both CEBILOZ
and PQLIMIX are under the Ministry of Trade. 213 The imports are
obtained from the USSR and, legally and illegally, from Western European
2. Estimated Imports.
As stated above,* the agreement between Poland and the
USSR on the Mutual Exchange of Commodities, 19~-52, included quotas
for antifriction bearings for these years rising from 300,000 units in
191+8 to 800,000 units in 1952 (by annual increases of 100,000 except
in 1950, when the increase was to be 200,000 units).
b. Western Europe.
Table 18~- shows the estimated weight, value, and
quantity of antifriction bearings exported legally to Poland by Western
European countries from 191+8 through 1951. The most important exporters
have been Sweden, Italy, .and Austria. One reason for the large exports
of antifriction bearings from these countries is the need for Polish
coal, a need which has given Poland leverage to obtain bearings from
them in return. The exports of Sweden and Italy decreased in 1951 com-
pared with 1950, but those of Austria increased for the same period.
In 1952 the trade agreements of Sweden, Austria, and Italy with Poland
followed almost the same pattern as in previous years. Other suppliers
have been France and Switzerland. In 1948 the total value was about
$3.3 million, estimated to be 1,411,000 bearings. By 1950 the total
value had increased to about $5.3 million estimated to be 2,306,000
bearings. Evidently, the export control program has had some effect,
for in 1951 the total value was about $4.3 million, estimated to be
~- P. 21.
~~ Table 18 follows on p. 67.
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2,076,000 bearings, a decrease of $1 million and of 230,000 units.
However, exports of bearings to Poland were still considerably
higher in 1951 than in 19118.
(1) Sweden.
Under the terms of the Sweden-Poland trade
agreement, signed on 3 December 1951, Sweden agreed to an antifriction
bearings commitment valued at 10 million~Swedish kronor ($1.9 million).
This commitment represents a large increase over bearings commitments
in 1951, valued at 6 million kronor, but Sweden insists that because
of price increases Poland will receive in real terms, the same amount
of bearings in 1952 as in 1951. 214
(2) Austria.
The quota under the Poland-Austria trade agree-
ment for 1952 is for 800,000 worth of antifriction bearings, 215/
which is similar to the quota of previous years.
(3) Italy.
Under the terms of the .Italy-Poland trade agree-
ment in force in 1952, Italy granted to Poland quota for antifriction
bearings of $2 million, 216/ which is comparable to the quota granted
in previous years.
c. Estimated Imports in 1951.
The total known imports by Poland in 1951 have been
estimated at 2,776,000 antifriction bearings, an amount made up of
imports from the USSR under the agreed bearings quota. and the legal
imports from Western Europe shown in Table 18.E
~' P. 7,~ - below.
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Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Poland
,from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
Sweden
Weight (Metric Tons)
Value
516.8 ~?*
549.3 ,
522.2 ~
422.6
$ ~
1,226,592 J
1, 075,010 of
1, 073,880 b/
1,129,728
Swedish Kronor
4,412,200
5,570,000
Units e/
758,000 ~
806,000 ~
766,000 ~ ~
617,000 f/
Italy
Weight (Metric Tons)
.276 ~
383 ~
676 ~
'410 h/
Value
$ us
1,398,156 ~
1,804,800 ~
3,043,200 ~
1,434,000
Italian Lire
804,000,000
1,128,000,000
1,902,000,OOp
Uaits ~
405,000 f
J
62 000 f
5 ,
992,000 ~
601,000
Austria
Weight. (Metric Tons)
693 ~
225 ~
117.9 k~
260,9 k/
Value
$ ~
2'76,~o J
956,420 ~
500,965 ~
-
1,105,949 J
Units J
129,0 ~
63'~,~ J
275,000 J
608,000 0~
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Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Polsnd
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
(Continued)
Weight (Metric Tons) 73 p/ .239 g/ 81.5 q_/ 80.2 c~/
Value
$ us
Units e/
Switzerland
387,152 J ,
114,000 t/
1,435,240 ~
422,000 ~
489,188 J
144,000 t/
1+80,999 s/
141,000 t/
Weight (Metric Tons)
Valu2
2 u/
92.7 J
50.5 ~
42.8 u/
$ Us
10,919 u/
663,136 u/
167,860 u/
153,915 J
Units e/
5,000 v/
237,000 ~
129,000 ~
109,000 v/
Totals
Weight (Metric Tons) 937.1
1,489.0
1,448.1
1,216,5
Value ($ US) 3:298,899
5,931+,606
X275,093
1+,304,591
Units e/ 1,411,000
2,664,000
2,306,000
2076,000
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? ~ .:
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Table 18
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Poland
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
~9~+8-51
(Continued)
a. Compiled from official figures 217 and converted from Swedish kroner to US dollars in 19 at 3.
kronor n. $1.00, and Pram 1949 to 19 at 5.18 kronor . $1.00.
b. In 1950, Sweden exported 513 long tons of bearings valued at $x,073,880 218 (converted from long tons
to metric tons by multip],ying by 1.018).
c. Sweden increased prices of bearings by 30 percent in December 1950. With this price increase and by
.comparison with the value and metric tons exported in 1950, the quantity exported in 1951 would be equivalent
to 422.6 metric tons.
1,129,728 x 522.2 ~ 422.6 metric tons
1.30 1,073,880
d. Sweden exported bearings valued at 2,926,000 kronor from January to June 1951. 219 This value was
doubled to obtain the total value of bearings exported to Poland in 1951 (converted to US dollars at a rate
of 5.18 kronor ~ $1.00.
e. Estimates of units have been rounded off to the nearest thousand.
f. Metric tons were converted to units at a rate of 1.5 pounds per bearing, or 1,467 bearings per metric
tons. (See Table 5, footnote f, p. 19, above, for methodology.)
g. Compiled from official figures 220 and converted from Italian lire to US dollars in 19!+8 at 575
lire a $1.00, and from 1949 to 1951 at 625 lire : $1.00.
h. US official statistics. 221
i. In 1948, Austria exported 9.3 metric tons of bearings valued at 2.8 million schillings to Poland 222
(converted at an exchange rate of. 10.14 schillings $1.00).
,~. In 1949, Austria exported 225 metric tons of bearings 223 valued at 9.7 million schillings to
Poland 224 (converted at an exchange rate of 10.14 schillings = $1.00).
k. Converted at a rate of $4,250 per metric ton, which is the price Austria charged Poland per metric ton
in 1949.
1. In 1950, Austria was reported to have exported bearings valued at $500,965 to Poland. 225
m. Compiled from official figures. 226
n. Official statistics. 227
o. Converted at a rate of 1.82, which is the average price of bearing on the 1948 and 1949 shipment,
to Poland.
p. Compiled from official figures. 228
q. Converted at a rate of $6,000 per metric ton, which is the price France charged Poland per metric ton
in 1949. - 69 -
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Table 18
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Poland
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
(Continued)
r. In 1950, France was reported to have exported bearings valued e,t 9,1 to Poland. 229
s. US official statistics. 230
t. Converted at a rate of $3. per bearing. This estimated price is based on the French-Polish bearings
list for 1951 in which France was to export 189,759 bearings valued at $66,060 (converted at an exchange
rate of 350 French francs $1.00). 231/ Although the total quantity was not exported, it does give an
indication of the average price per bearing to Poland, which has also been assumed t.o be the average price
per bearing to the Soviet Bloc from France.
u. Swiss official statistics. 232/
v. Swiss exports of bearings were converted from metric tons to units at a rate of 0.86 pounds per bearing,
or 2,558 bearings per metric ton. (See Table 15, footnote t~ p. 60~ above, for methodology.)
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D. Requirements.
on Poland's require-
meats.for antifriction bearings. _ I 50X1
There is no direct information available
in 1951 the Polish antifriction bearings industry was capable of 50X1
furnishing not more than 10 percent of Poland's requirements. 233 The
output of the Krasnik plant in 1951 has been estimated at approximately
500,000 bearings. Poland's requirements for antifriction bearings may
thus be computed at about 5 million. This estimate has been considered
? acceptable in view of the industrial development of Poland relative to
that of Czechoslovakia or East Germany.
E: Balance (Surplus or Deficit).
In .1951, Poland was capable of supplying about 10 percent of
its requirements for antifriction bearings through domestic production.
It is evident that Poland is dependent on imports to supplement domestic
production. The import of bearings in 1951 has been estimated to be
2,776,000 bearings, aside from illegal transactions. The total supply
available to Poland, domestic production plus imports, fulfills about
65 percent of the requirements of the industry in Poland. The deficit
in 1951-has been estimated to be over 1.5 million bearings, on the
basis indicated in Table 19.
Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in Poland
1951
Requirements
5,000
Imports
2,776
Production ~
500
Production plus Imports
3 276
l
Total Supply Available a~
3.,276
3,276
Balance (Deficit)
-1,72+
a. Carry-over stocks: appear to be negligible.
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A. Development of the Industry.
Before.19~+9, Rumania had been completely dependent on imports
of antifriction bearings to fulfill its requirements. As a result of
.constant shortages of antifriction bearings, there were serious delays
in the output of tractors and other industrial equipment. Under the
19+9 Economic Plan, therefore, Rumania established an antifriction
bearings section in the Steagul Rosu Plant (formerly Astra Vagoane) at
Orasul Stalin ( formerly Brasov) . 23~+/
The Steagul Rosu Plant is the only confirmed antifriction
bearings plant in Rumania. There is a report, however, that a plant
has been .under construction since March 1951, 2 miles north of the
Barlad railway station, which will be either a ball bearings plant or
a war materiel plant. 235/ In 1952 the Vasile Rosita metallurgical
plant in Bucharest reportedly began producing roller bearings. 236/
1. Estimated Output. ~
The total output of antifriction bearings in Rumania con-
sists of the production of the bearings section in the Steagul Rosu
Plant. The estimates of output have been developed in the plant study
of Steagul Rosu (see Appendix B). They are based on the reported
actual and planned production of this plant.
Output, which was estimated to be about 'x,000 bearings
during the last 7 months of 1949, increased to an estimated 200,000
in 1950. On the basis of this growth in output, production has been
estimated to be about 300,000 bearings in 1951. There is no information
available on total output in 1952 or on the planned output in Rumania
for later years. At the rate the industry has expanded in 1950, it
is reasonable to assume that output of bearings in 1952 may have
increased to ~+U0,000.
2. Types and Sizes of Bearings in Production. .
Steagul Rosu has produced a small number of types and
sizes of .roller bearings. Actual production up to April 1950 consisted
of taper roller, spherical roller., and cylindrical roller bearings in
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bore sizes of 50 mm, 60 mm, and 110 mm. According to the planned
production in 1950, this plant has been planning to produce over 40
different sizes in various types of ball and roller bearings. 237/
In 1951 the plant reportedly succeeded in manufacturing a ball
bearings with a 50-mm bore. 238/
The limited number of types and sizes in production is a
sensitive point in the industrial development of Rumania. 239/- It
would appear that the industry itself suffers from a lack of skilled
labor, since the bearings turned out by the plant are reported to be
rejected frequently because of improper tolerances. 240/
3. Material and Equipment. ??
a. Steel.
The`high-grade chrome steel required for antifriction
bearings has been produced in Rumania at the following mills:
Industria Sarmei (Wire Industry) in Campia-Tuxzii, 241/ the steel
combine.at Hunedoara, 242/ and the Sovrometal Steel Plant at Recita. 243/
A person by the name of Ionescu is reported to be responsible for the
procurement of the bearings steel, 244/ the quality of which is re-
ported to be good. 245/
In early 1950, steel balls were reported to have been
supplied by the USSR and by RIV, Italy. 246/ Steagul Rosu
produced only roller bearings in 1950, and the production of ball
bearings was not accomplished until 1951.
Machinery for the bearings section of Steagul Rosu
was imported from the USSR under the USSR-Rumania trade agreement
of 1949, and other machinery is reported to have transferred from
the IA.R (Industria Aeronomica Romana) factory in Orasul Stalin. 247/
Only roller bearings had been manufactured up to 1951, because
Rumania did not have the special machinery required to produce ball
bearings. 248/ Evidently Rumania received an oscillating groove
-~ Appendix C indicates the types of machine tools required to .produce
antifriction bearings.
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grinder, which is one of the special machines needed to grind the races
of the rings of ball bearings, since Steagul Rosu is reported to have
produced ball bearings with a 50-mm bore in May 1951. As noted above,
the balls were imported, which would be an indication that the plant
does not have the special machines for grinding and lapping balls.
C. Imports.
Imports of aritifriction bearings are made principally
through Masinimport and Technoimport, which are controlled by the
Ministry of Trade. 249 The imports are obtained from the USSR and
legally and illegally from Western European countries.
2. Estimated Imports.
Under the 1950 USSR-Rumania trade agreement the USSR
agreed to export to Rumania 120,000 bearings, 250 reported to have a
value equivalent to $1.5 million, 251 or an average price of $12.50
per bearing. The fact that this is a rather high average price
suggests that the USSR is either exporting large-size bearings or is
charging Rumania higher prices. It is reasonable to assume that this
trade agreement was still in effect in 1951.
b. Western Europe.
Table 20* shows the estimated weight, value, and
quantity of antifriction bearings exported legally to Rumania by Italy,
Austria, and Switzerland from 1949 through 1951. In 1950 the total
value was. over $1 million, estimated to be 478,000 bearings. In 1951
.the total value had decreased to about $300,000, estimated to .be
161,000 bearings. From these figures, it would appear that the trade
embargo has been partially effective. Rumania. is not self-sufficient
in the production of bearings and, even if it were, the needs of the
other Satellites-would prevent an,}r voluntary decrease in imports.
~- Table 20 follows on p . 76 .
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Sweden has discontinued exporting bearings to Rumania
because property owned by Swedish companies was nationalized by the
Rumanians. 252 However, Rumania has been attempting to procure
Swedish bearings through Poland. Under the :Rumania-Poland trade
agreement of 1950, Poland agreed to re-export $300,000 worth, approxi-
mately 160,000 units,* of antifriction bearings acquired from Sweden
or Germar~y. 253 Since Sweden needs Polish coal, the Soviet Bloc had
evidently intended to use this lever to procure antifriction"bearings
for Rumania. It is doubtful that this operation was completed, since
,exports of bearings from Sweden to Poland decreased in both 1950 and
1951 compared with 19+9 (see Table 18-~-),and since Poland lacks
adequate supplies of antifriction bearings for tts own industry.
c. Estimated Imports in 1951.
,The total known imports of antifriction bearings by
Rumania in 1951 have been estimated to be 281,000 bearings, including
shipments to Rumania by the USSR and the legal exports from Western
Europe shown in Table 20.
* In 1951, Rumania imported bearings valued at $300,000, estimated
to be 161,000 bearings. The quantity of money involved in the'Rumania-
Poland trade agreement is also $300,000. Therefore, the quantity of
bearings has been estimated to be about the same.
~ P. 67. above.
1
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Table 20
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by R~a,nia
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1949-51
1949 1950
Italy
Weight (Metric Tons) 135.2 ~~ 191.7 ~ .50.0 aJ
Value
~ trs
Unita
Austria
x+56,000 ~ 646,910 J 169,000 ~
198,000 ~ 281,000 ~ 73,000 ~
Weight (Metric Tons)
Value.
N.A.
N.A.
28.0
~
N.A.
200,000 J
91,852
Units ~
R.A.
116,000 ~
53,000
Footnotes for Table 20 follow on p. 7'j,
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Table 20
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Rumania
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1949-51
(Continued)
1949 1950 1951
Switzerland
Weight (Metric Tons) 16.3 J 31.6 ~ 13.6 k/
Value
$ US 62, 3'23 ~ 155, 550 k/ 38, 7~
Units e/ 42,000 ~ 81,000 ~ 35,000 ~
Totals
Weight (Metric Tons) 91.6
Value ($ US) 1,002,?+60 299,592
units J 478,000 161,000
a. Value has been converted to metric tons at a rate of 3 37 per metric
ton. This estimate gave the weight
as 135 metric tons or a pnr ion o a y s s ipmen s o earings to Rumania
in 1950, valued at $455,484. 256/
b. Italy was reported to have exported bearings valued at $456,000 to Rumania
in 1949? _2.57/
c. Italy was reported to have exported bearings valued at $646,910 to Rumania
in 1950. 258
d. Italian exports to Rumania for the first 8 months of 1951 were reported
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Table 20
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Romania
.from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
19+9-51
(Continued)
as X124,000. 259 Italian licenses granted for exports of bearings to
Rumania for the last 3 months of 1951 were reported as $x+5,000. 260 -The
combined.~otal of $169,000 was accepted as total exports for 19510
e. Estimates of units have been rounded off to the nearest. thousand.
f. Metric tons were converted to units at G rate of 1.5~pounds per bearing,
or 1,467 bearings per metric ton. {See Table 5, footnote f, p. 19, above,
for methodology.)
g. Austria was reported to have exported 21 metric tona to Rumania in the'
first g months of 1951. 261 For the full-year, if exports continued at the
same rate, this would be 2t3 metric tons.
h. The Rumania-Austria trade agreement signed 17 April 1950 included a
.200,000 quota of bearings... 262
i. Compiled from official data. 263
j. Converted from value at the rate of $1.73 per bearing, which is the aver-
age price of bearings that Austria charged C2echoslovakia. (See Table 15,
P? 57, above.)
k. Swiss official atatistics. 26~+
1. Swiss exports of bearings were converted from metric tons at a rate of
0.86 pounds per bearing, or 2,.558 bearings per metric ton. (See Table 15,
footnote t, p: ~0, above, for methodology.)
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D. Requirements.
is posse e o ma a an es e o e
requirements in 1950 by totaling the estimated domestic production,
the estimated imports from Western Europe, and the proposed imports
from the USSR. On this basis the requirements in 1950 would have
been about 798,000 bearings. Assuming an increase of 10 percent
in requirements for bearings, it is estimated that the requirements
in 1951 would have been over 850,000 bearings. Obviously, this is
not a desirable method of computing requirements, but in the absence
of more accurate information the estimate has been considered ac-
ceptable. Rumania is not a highly industrialized country, and the
requirements for bearings would be considerably smaller than those
of Czechoslovakia or of Poland.
E. Balance (Surplus or Deficit).
The following computations must be viewed while keeping in
mind the method of estimating requirements for bearings. It is
estimated that in 1951 Rumania supplied about 35 percent of its re-
quirements through domestic production. Including the estimated
imports, about 68 percent of the requirements have been fulfilled.
The def icit in 1951 has been estimated to have been over 250,000
bearings, as indicated in Table 21.
Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry in Rumania
1951
Requirements
850
Production
300.
Imports
281
Production plus Imports
581
Total Supply Available a~
581
581
Balance (Deficit)
-269,
a. Carry-over stocks assumed to be negligible.
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VII. Hungary.
A. General Information.
Hungary depends almost entirely on imports of antifriction
bearings to fulfill its requirements. During the past few years the
Matyas Rakosi Combine (formerly the Manfred Weiss Works) has been
manufacturing a small quantity of antifriction bearings for motor-
cycles and motor vehicles. The ualit of the bearings is reported
to be poor. the Keletmagyarorszagi
Golyoscapagygyar East Hungarian Ball Bearings Factory) is being
constructed on the outskirts of Debrecen, and it is expected that
this plant will be in production before the end of the current Five
Year Plan. 265/ Present production is on so limited a scale as to
be negligible for purposes of this report.
The limited production at the Matyas Rakosi Combine was started
with the assistance of Sweden, which claims that this action was
necessary to prevent the erection of a complete government-owned ball
bearings plant, as had been planned by the Hungarians. 266/ Apparently
Sweden is continuing to lend assistance -- under the proposed Hungary-
Sweden trade agreement in 1951, there is included 1.5 million Swedish
kronor worth of bearings steel. 267/
The shortage of antifriction bearings is probably more
critical in Hungary-than in any of the other Satellites. In 1951 the
Hungarian State Planning Office issued a decree that all antifriction
bearings and cages which were 20 mm or greater in diameter and which
had previously been used but were not currently in service must be
reported in writing and offered for sale. 268 The severity of the
shortage underlying this stringent decree is corroborated by reports
that in 1950 the shortage of antifriction bearings had caused a number
of work stoppages in the machine and motor-vehicle industries. 269
The shortage apparently continued to be extremely critical in 1952?
a complete embargo of antifriction
earings y the West would result in a serious breakdown of Hungary's
industry. For the embargo to be effective,
it should be continued for 6 months or longer. 270
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B. Imports.
1. Method of Procurement.
Although the trading operations are carried out through
the official state import corporation, Metalimpex, all-those Hungarian
commercial agencies previously in this line of business and with good
contacts in the West have received every encouragement to facilitate
imports of antifriction bearings..271~ The imports are obtained from
the USSR and, legally and illegally, Prom Western European countries.
There is inadequate information to make an estimate of the quantity
of bearings which Hungary acquires from the West by illegal trans-
actions.
2. Estimated Imports.
The USSR agreed to export to Hungary during the
period 1 October 1948 - 31 December 1949 a quota of bearings valued at
$350,000. 272/ Converted at a rate of $2 per bearing, this would be
approximately 175,000 bearings.. It is reasonable to assume that this
quota of bearings as a minimum was still in effect in 1951.
b. Western Europe.
Table 22* shows the estimated weight, value, and
quantity of antifriction bearings exported legally to Hungary by
Western European countries from 1948 through 1951. The most important
exporters have been Italy, Austria, and Switzerland. In 1950, Sweden
is. reported to have exported no bearings, and the quantity exported
in 1951 was small as compared with exports from Sweden to Hungary in
1948 and 1949. France has also exported some bearings to Hungary.
In 1948 the total value of bearings imported by
Hungary was about $900,000, estimated to be 415,000 bearings. Even
without exports by Sweden in 1950, the total value had increased to
about $2.7 million, estimated to be 1,171,000 bearings. This sub-
stantial increase in exports by the West was caused by the increased
exports by Italy. Western exports to Hungary decreased in 1951 to
about $2.2 million, estimated to be 924,000 bearings. The 1951
exports, however, are still more than double those of 1948.
* Table 22 follows on p. 82.
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Table 22
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Hungary
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
Weight (Metric Tons) 170.9 ,~`
Value
302.2 ~
0
58
$ US 499,510 ,
693,237 a/
0 ,
224,710 ~
Swedish Kronor 1,796,800
3,591,900
Units ~ 251,000 ~
Italy
443,000 ~
0
85,000 f/
Weight (Metric Tons) 26 ~
Value
212 ~
426 ~
312
$ Us 144,337 ~
774,400 ~/
1,584,000 ~
1,287,000 ~
Italian Lire 83,000,000
484,000,000
990,000,000
Units ~ 38,000 ~
Austria
311,000 ~
625,000 ~
456,000
Weight (Metric Tons) 16.0 i/
Value
52.4 ~
124.9 ~
85.7
69,020 ~
Units
~
226,780 ~
540,540 J
370,865 J
41,000 k,
93,000 ~/
262,000 ~
180,000
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1948 1949 ~ 1950 1951
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Table 22
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Hungary
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
(Continued)
1948 1949 1950 1951
Weight (Metric Tons) N.A. 7 ~ 42.6 ~' 14.4
Value
$ US
Units ~
Switzerland
N.A.
N.A.
45,189 ,
13,000 ~
274,903 9/
81,000 ~
92,686 J
27,000
Weight (Metric Tons)
33.1 ~
49.5 ~
79.2 ~
68.9 ~
Value
$ US
178,563 ~
230,566 ~
313,800 ~
249,620
Units ~
85,000 ~
127,000 ~
203,000 ~
176,000 uJ
Totals
Weight (Metric Tons)
623.1
672.7
539.0
Value ($ US)
1,970,172
2,713,243
2,224,881
Units ~
987,000
1,171,000
924,000
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Table 22
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Hungary
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
(Continued)
a. Compiled from official figures 273 and converted from Swedish kronor to US dollars in 19 at a rate
of 3.6 kronor ~ $1.00, and from 1949 to 1951 at 5.18 kronor n $1.00.
b. Sweden increased prices 30 percent in early 1950 and another 30 percent in December 1950. This would
be a total increase of 169 percent in 1951 over the 1949 prices. With this price increase and by com-
parsion with the value and metric tons exported in 1949, the quantity exported in 1951 would be equtvalent
224 710 302.2 = 58 metric tons
i ~- x 937
c. Official records show no exports to Hungary in 1950. 274
d. Sweden exported bearings valued at 582,000 kronor from January to June 1951. 275 This value has been
doubled to obtain the total value of bearings exported to Hungary in 1951 (converted to US dollars at a rate
of 5.18 kronor $1.00).
e. Estimates of units have been rounded off to the nearest thousand.
f. Metric tons have been converted to units at a rate of 1.5 pounds per bearing, or 1,467 bearings per
metric ton. (See Table 5, footnote f, p. 19, above, for methodology.)
g. Compiled rrom official figures 276/ and converted from Italian lire to US dollars in 1948 at a rate of
575 lire : $1.00, and from 1949 to 1951 at a rate of 625 lire $1.00.
h. US official statistics. 277
i. Converted at a rate of $,,328 per metric ton, the price which Austria charged Hungary per metric ton
in 1949.
,j. In 1949, Austria was reported to have exported to Hur.~ary 93,000 bearings valued at 2.3 million
schillings, 278 and weighing 52.4 metric tons 279 converted at an exchange rate of 10.14 schillings $1.00.
k. In 1948, Austria exported to Hungary 41,000 bearings valued at 700,000 schillings 280 (converted at an
exchange rate of 10.14 schillings $1.00).
1. In 1950, Austria was reported to have exported to Hungary bearings valued at $540,540. 281
m. Compiled from official figures. 282
n. Converted at a rate of $2.06, which is the average price of a bearing on the 1948 and 1949 shipments
to Hungary.
o. -Official figures. 283
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Table 22
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Hungary
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
(Continued)
p. Converted at a rate of , 5 per metric ton, the price which France charge Hungary per metric ton in
19+9 .
q. In 1950, France Was reported to have exported to Hungary bearings valued at $274,903. 284 "
r. US official statistics. 285
s. Converted at a rate of $3. 0 per bearing. (See Table 18, footnote t, p. 70, above,
for methodology.)
t. Swiss official statistics. 286
u. Swiss bearings exports have been converted from metric tons to bearings at a rate of 0.86 pounds
per bearings or 2,558 bearings per metric ton. (See Table 15, footnote t, p. 60, above, for
methodology )
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c. Estimated Imports in 1951.
The total known imports of antifriction bearings by
Hungary in 1951 have been estimated at 1,099,000 bearings, including
the quota of bearings from the USSR and the legal exports from
Western Europe, as shown in Table 22.
C. Requirements.
There is no information available on the requirements for
antifriction bearings in Hungary. In view of the industrial develop-
ment of Hungary as compared with Czechoslovakia and East Germar~y, an
estimate of over 5 million bearings is believed to be reasonable.
D. Balance (Surplus or Deficit).
.The following computations must be viewed while keeping in
mind the method of estimating requirements-for bearings. Hungary's
domestic production is believed to have been negligible. It is
apparent that Hungary is dependent on imports to fulfill requirements
for bearings. The legal imports of bearings in 1951 fulfilled only
22 percent of the estimated requirements. The deficit in 1951 has
been estimated at about 4 million bearings, as indicated in Table 23.
Table 23
Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry in Hungary
1951
Requirements
5,000
Production
Imports
1egligible
1,100
Total Supply Available a~
1,100
1,100
Balance (Deficit)
-3,900
a. Carry-over stock assumed to be negligible.
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VIII. Bulgaria.
A. Imports.
Bulgaria is entirely dependent on imports of antifriction
bearings to fulfill its requirements. The imports are procured
through Metalimport, a state-controlled import corporation. 287
Table 2~+~ shows the estimated weight, value, and quantity of anti-
friction bearings exported legally to Bulgaria by the West from
19+8 through 1951. Very few statistics are available, and the ex-
ports of bearings by Sweden and Italy in 1951 have been assumed to
be the same as those in 1950. Total imports in 1951 have been
estimated at about 60,000 bearings.
Bulgaria's requirements for antifriction bearings are small.
In view of the small amount of industrial development in Bulgaria as
compared with the other Satellites; it is unlikely that the require-
ments for bearings in 1951 are greater than x+00,000 units.
C. Balance (Surplus or Deficit).
On the basis of the above estimate of requirements for
bearings and the rather meager infgrmation available on imports, it
is believed that Bulgaria had a deficit of over 300,000 bearings
in 1951.
IX. Position of the Soviet Bloc, 1951.
In 1951 the antifriction bearings industry of the Soviet Bloc
had 16 major plants and 7 minor plants producing antifriction bearings.
In addition, there was 1 major plant under construction, ,and there were
12 confirmed plants repairing antifriction bearings and 1 plant pro-
ducing steel balls and rollers for the industry. The distribution of
these plants in the Bloc is shown in Table 25.~~ The balance of the
* Table~llows on p. 88.
~ Table 25 follows on p. 92.
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Estimated Imports oP Antifriction Bearings by Bulgaria
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
Country
Sweden
Weight (Metric Tons) N.A. N.A. N.A. ft.A.
Value
$ US 168,069 ,~ 119,454 , 50,193 ~ 50,193 J
Swedish Kronor 605,0 430,000 260,000
units ~ 92,000 J 66,000 J 28,000 J 28,000
Italy
Weight (Metric Tons) N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.
Value
$ us 200,000 ~ 264,748 J 54,000 ~ 54,000 g,
Units J 88,000 J 116,000 J 24,000 J 24,000 J
Austria
Weight (Metric Tons)
Value
N.A. N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A. 98,600 ~
36,293 ~
467
Units
N.A. 73,000 ~
27,000 J
300 J
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T Table 2.4
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Bulgaria
from Western Europe through Legal Transactions
1948-51
(Continued)
Switzerland
Weight (Metric Tons)
Value
$ Us
Units ~
Totals
Weight (Metric Tons)
Value ($ US)
Units ~
1948
1949
1950
1951
0.1 ~
14.5 J ~
9.5 ~
3.1 J
841 ,
42,165 J
27,650 ,
11,365 m/
300 ,
37,000 J
24,000 J
s,ooo
524,967
168,136
ll6,025
292,000
103,000
60,300
a. Compiled from official statistics 2 converted from Swedish kronor to US dollars at a
rate of 3.6 kronor s $1.00 for 1948 and 1949).
b. Sweden was reported to have exported bearings valued at 260,000 kronor to Bulgaria in
1950 289 (converted at a rate of 5.18 kronor $1.00).
c. No information availsblej taken as for 1950.
d. Estimates of units have been rounded off to the nearest thousand.
e. Converted Prom value at a rate of $1.82 per bearing. By taking the value and estimated
.quantity of bearings Sweden exported to Czechoslovakia in 1950 (see Table 15, p. 57, above), the
average price per bearing has been estimated to be $1.82.
f. The Bulgaria-Italy trade agreement, signed in 1947, which is still in effect, included a quota
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Table 2~+
Estimated Imports of Antifriction Bearings by Bulgaria
Pram Western Europe through Legal Transactions
19+8-51
(Continued)
of bearings of~200,000. The exports in 19+9 and 1950 varied from the quota as indicated. 290
g. Na information available; taken as for 1950. - -
h. Converted from value at a rate of $2.28 per bearing, which is the average price which Italy
charged Czechoslovakia in 1951 (see Table 15, p. 57, above).
i. Compiled from official figures. 291
~. In 1950 Austria was reported to have exported bearings valued at $36,293 to Bulgaria. 292
k. Official report. 293
1. Converted from value at a rate of $1.35 per bearing, which is based on the average price per
bearing of Austria's 19+9 exports to Bulgaria.
m. Swiss official statistics. 29~+
n. Swiss exports of bearings were converted from metric tons. at a. rate of 0.86 pounds per
bearing, or 2,558 bearings per metric ton. (See Table 15, footnote t, p..60, above, for
methodology..)
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estimated total supply against the estimated total requirements is
also shown in Table 25.
The total output of these plants in 1951 has been estimated to
be over 115 million bearings, with approximately 88 percent of the
total output being produced by the plants in the USSR.
The imports into and within the Soviet Bloc in 1951 have been
estimated to be over 11 million bearings, including the estimated
legal imports and a portion of the illegal imports from the West and
the quotas of bearings which the USSR has established with the
Satellites. 'The exports within the Bloc consist of the quotas of
bearings mentioned above and a small quantity of bearings which East
Germany exported to the USSR. The net imports into the Bloc in 1951
have therefore been estimated at over 8 million bearings, which, it
is believed, would be considerably greater if it were possible to
estimate the total clandestine trade in antifriction bearings.
The estimated total supply of antifriction bearings -- output
plus net imports -- in the Soviet Bloc in 1951 has been estimated at
about 124 million, and the total requirements of the Bloc in 1951 have
been?estimated at between 146 million and 153 million bearings, with
the USSR requiring approximately 75 percent of the total requirements.
Thus the deficit of antifriction bearings in the Bloc in 1951 has been
estimated to be between 22 million and 29 million.
The USSR is by far the largest producer of antifriction
bearings in the Soviet Bloc and has made significant progress in the
postwar years in its bearings industry. In 1951 the antifriction
bearings industry of the USSR had 9 major plants operating, and 1 major
plant was under construction. In addition, there were 12 conf firmed
plants repairing bearings.
As a result of the high priority given in Soviet planning to
the expansion of the machine-building industry and industries producing
military equipment, which are major consumers of antifriction bearings,
the increased production of bearings in the Soviet Bloc has not, as
yet, been able to fulfill the requirements for bearings of these
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Estimated Position of the Antifriction Bearings Industry
in the Soviet Bloc
1951
123.6 146.0-152.5 22.x+-28.9
a. The method used to estimate these figures has been discussed in previous sections of this report.
b. The mayor plants are estimated to have produced 101 million bearings and the repair plants 2 million bearings.
c. Estimated .legal imports from the West and estimated imports from East Germany.
d. Soviet quotas of bearings to the Satellites.
e. Estimated legal and illegal imports from the West.
f. Estimated East German exports to the USSR.
g. Includes a quota of bearings from the USSR and estimated legal and illegal imports from the West.
h. Includes a quota of bearings Pram the USSR and estimated legal imports from the West.
i. Estimated legal imports Pram the West. _ ~ -
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industries. At the rate the antifriction bearings industry has
been expanding, it is estimated that in 1953 or 1954 the requirements
for bearings of the USSR should be fulfill?ed by domestic production.
Imports of bearings, however, will continue to be needed for replace-
ment purposes in the machinery already procured from the West, which
contains types and sizes of bearings outside the production range of
the USSR. '
The antifriction bearings industries in the Satellites have
been principally developed since World War II. After"the partition of
Germany the bearings plants in East Germany were almost completely
dismantled by the Russians. An active antifriction bearings industry,
however, consisting of 4 major plants, 3 minor plants, and 1 plant
manufacturing steel balls and rollers, has been re-established in East
Germany. Since the war the 1 small plant assembling bearings in
Czechoslovakia hasibeen expanded into an active antifriction bearings
industry, consisting of 3 major plants and 1 minor plant. A plant to
produce antifriction bearings has also been established in each of
the following Satellites: Poland, Rumania, and Hungary.
In 1951 the antifriction bearings industries of the Satellites
were in a much worse position than was the industry in the USSR.
Although the antifriction bearings industries of East Germany and
Czechoslovakia have made progress in the production of antifriction
bearings, the shortage of steel, steel balls, abrasives, and equipment
has been a continuous problem to these countries as well as to the
other Satellites. These difficulties have resulted in a very poor
supply of bearings~in the Satellites relative to their requirements.
The Satellites require about 25 percent of the estimated requirements
for bearings of the Soviet Bloc and produce only 12 percent of the
total supply of the Bloc. Since the USSR requires domestically all
of its production of bearings, only small quantities of bearings are
furnished to the Satellites from the USSR. The Satellites, therefore,
must import a substantial quantity of bearings from the West. It is
believed that the Satellites will 'continue to import antifriction
bearings in substantial quantities.
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Inputs into the Antifriction Bearings Industry in the US ~~
1947
Items
Percentage
of
Total Cost
Cost
of Inputs ~
(Dollars)
Inputs
Required ,
Inputs Corrected
to the
Raw Product
Steel
Steel Mill Products (Tubing, Bar,
Sheet, Wire)
49,663,000
309,549 short tons
413,174 metric tons
Iron and Steel Forgings
2,757,000
9,730 short tons
15,550 metric tons
Balls and Rollers
16,417,000
5,224 metric tons
Subtotal
68.9
68,837,000
433,9 metric tons
Copper and Copper Base Alloys
Fuels
Bituminous Coals
2.3 _
2,348,000
578,000
2,459 short tons
102,000 short tons
2,232 metric tons
92,620 metric tons
'Fuel 011
740,000
262,000 barrels
59,910 metric tons
Natural Gas
402,000
1,005 million cu ft
40,340 metric tons
Manufactured Gas
371,000'
639 million cu ft
13,380 metric tons
Subtotal
2.1
2,091,000
206,250 metric tons
Electric Power
POL
Lubricants
3.6
1.8
3,593,000
1,842,000
318 million kwh
318 million kwh
4,640 metric tons
Abrasives
3.6
3,553,000
8,060 metric tons
Cutting Tools
2.7
2,666,000
152,000 units ~
Other. Industries J
15.0 ~
15,020,000
Total
100.0
99:950.,000
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Inputs into the Antifriction Bearings Industry in the US
1947
(Continued)
a. The value of the ball and roller bearings produced in the US for 19 7 was given in the Census of Manufactures as
$339,9~7,OOb. In 1947 the US is estimated to have produced 20 million precision-type bearings per month, and it is
believed that 3 companies in the US which produce unground, low-carbon steel bearings were capable of producing another
7 million bearings per month. This would be a total of 324 million bearings produced in the US in 1947 for an average
price of $1.05 per bearing.
b. The cost inputs have been obtained Prom the Division of Interindustry Economics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and
Prom the Census of Manufactures, 1947,. Bureau of the Census. The total Input costs and total production value for
the industry have been corrected to cover ball and roller bearings only. The cost of castings has been deduced from
the input costs, and the value of the cast items has been deduced from the total value of the industry. The values
deducted were relatively small and would cause very little discrepancy in the other input calculations.
c. When the Census of Manufactures gives inputs for components of the industry by weight or by other units than dollars,
these units are shown.
d. Inputs of steel were converted to metric tons of raw steel by using the following conversion factors: (1) 1 ton
(short ton . 2,000 pounds) = 0.908 metric ton; (2) correction for steel mill components is 1.47; and (3) correction
for iron and steel forgings is 1.76.
e. Inputs of balls and rollers were converted to metric tons of raw steel by using the following conversion factors:
(1) Average-size ball of 3~8 inch outside diameter is priced at $2.38 per pound; (2)?a 20-percent loss of steel may
be expected in manufacturing the ball and rollers from the rolled product; (3) correction factor for the steel wire is
1.39; and (4) 1 ton a 0.908 metric tons.
16 417 000 x 1.20 x 1.39 x 0.908 = 5,224 metric tons
2.3~, 0~0
f. Converted to metric tons by multiplying by 0.908.
g. Fuels listed herein have been converted to equivalents of bituminous coal of 13,000 Btu per pound at the following
ratio: fuel oil, 19,500 Btu per poi5.nd; natural gas, 1,150 Btu per cu ft; manufactured gas, 600 Btu per cu ft. One
barrel fuel oil ^ 336 pounds; 1 metric ton = 2,204 pounds.
Fuel oil: 262 000 x 336 x 19,500 = 59,910 metric tons
2,20 13,000
Natural gas: 1005 000 000 x 1,150 40,340 metric tons
2,20 13,000
Manufactured gas: 639 000 000 x 600 . 13,380 metric tons
2~- 13,000
h. Converted Prom the cost price to pounds at a r&te of 0.18 per pound, which was the 1947 price of greases used ,
in the assembly of shielded and sealed bearings. - ~ -
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Inputs into the Antifriction Bearings Industry in the US
1947
(Continued)
i. The principal abrasive used in the bearings industry is in the form of a wheel. An aluminum oxide grain with a
rubber or vitrified bond makes up the majority of the wheels used in the industry. The average cost of abrasive in
grinding wheels spas estimated at 0.20 per pound for 1947?
j. Cutting tools in the bearings industry are mainly high-speed steel tools of ,the circular-formed and reamer types.
The average cost of a cutting tool in the US bearings industry was estimated to be approximately 17.50 per cutting
tool for 1947.
k. Other industries are composed of three groups: (1) small hand tools, wood and paper products, assorted items
such as leather goods, soap, carbon black, and canvas products; (2) a small group of maintenance repair parts for
motors and generators, machine tools, and industrial furnaces; and.(3) an unallocated group valued at $9395,000.
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XI. Conclusions.
A. Capabilities.
1. USSR.
Because of the importance of antifriction bearings to an
industrial economy and the need for a large uninterrupted supply 9f
antifriction bearings in a war economy, the USSR has given this
industry high priority. The major objective of the USSR is to become
self-sufficient and independent of the West. The industry had
originally been developed with foreign equipment and foreign technical
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Estimated Inputs of Machine Tools, General Industrial Equipment, and Gage and Laboratory Equipment Required in the Production
of Antifriction Bearings in a Ball Bearings Plant and a Roller Bearings Plant
with a Combined Annual Capacity of 6 Million Units ~*
Ball Bearings
Roller Bearings
Ball and Roller Bearings
(Annual Capacity of 3 Million Units)
(Annual Capacity of 3 Million Units)
(Annual Capacity of 6 Million Units)
Number
Total Weight
Number
Total Weight
Number
Total Weight
Items
Required
(Pounds)
Required
(Pounds)
Required
(Pounds).
Machine Tools
Wet Grinders
127
479,400
78
296,000
205
775,400
Eioning and Lapping -
35
207,600
31
187,200
66
394,800
Lathes
28
81,980
20
133,500
48
215,480
Screw Machines
22
357,050
35
382,450
57
739,500
Milling Machines
6
24,580
4
15,380
l0
39,960
Shapero
~ 3
21,750
2
14,500
5
36,.250
Boring Mills
4
103,155
2
67,550
6
170,705
Surface Grinders
11
50,425
11
5D,425
22
100,850
Dry Grinders
28
116,800
0
0
28
116,800
I1ri11 Presses
10
18,065
10
18,065
20
36,130
Planers
1
11,850
1
11,850
2
23,700
saws
~
5
1,640
5
1,640
l0
3,280
Total
280
1,474,295
199
1,178,560
~
2,652,855 b~
General Industrial Equipment
Washers
8
22,000
3
16,000
11
38,000
Bench Grinders
10
2,500
9
2,375
19
4,875
41
257,E
48
223,350
90
480,350
Hammers
000
38
1
38
000
2
6
000
Tumblers
42
,
1
000
u
,
6
7
,
Headers
31
,
5
132,600
30
25,200
134,400
3
61
76,000
267,000
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Estimated Inputs of Machine Tools, General Industrial Equipment, and Gage and Laboratory Equipment Required in the Production
of Antifriction Bearings in a Ball Bearings Plant and a Roller Bearings Plant
with a Combined Annual Capacity of 6 Million Units ~*
(Continued)
Ball Bearings
Roller Bearings
Ball and Roller Bearings
(Annual Capacity of 3 Million Units)
SAnnual Capacity of 3 Million Units)
(Annual Capacity of 6 Million Units)
Number
Total Weight
Numher
Total, Weight
Number
Total Weight
Items
Required
(Pounds)
Required
(Pounds)
Required
(Pounds)
General Industrial Equipment
(Continued)
Cleaning Equipment
5
32,500
4
25,500
9
58,000
Heat-Treating Equipment
47
128,200
34
134,000
81
262,200
Welding Equipment
42
870
2
870
4
1,740
Miscellaneous
113
257,150
115
239,538
228
496,688
(Plus)
(Plus)
(Plus)
Total
301
921.820
267
83_9,233
568
1,761,053
Plus
(Plus)
(Plus)
Gaging Machines and Laboratory Equipment
Ball and Roller Gaging Machines
84
24,920
14
10,420
98
j5,340
Laboratory Equipment
19
23,250
17
19,050
36
42,300
Total
103
48,170
31
29,470
~
77,640 J
s. The itemized equipment has been taken from reports oY proposed installations of plants for the production of ball and roller bearings prepared with the
assistance of englneera from the US bearings industry in 1943. The equipment is the minims required for economic operation of the plants. 2 6
b. Equivalent to 1,203 metric tons, or an average weight per item of equipment of 2.5 metric tons.
c. Equivalent to 799 metric tons, or an average weight per item of equipment of 1.4 metric tons.
d. Equivalent to 34 metric tons, or an average weight per item of equipment of 0.25 metric tons.
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Estimated Inputs into the Antifriction Bearings Industry in the Soviet Bloc
and the Minimum Quantity of Equipment Required by the Soviet Bloc
to Produce the Estimated Output oY Bearings
1951
Item
Soviet Bloc
USSR
East Germagy
Czechoslovakia
Poland
Rumania
Hungary
Bulgaria
Labor (Man-Years) ~
63;~
52,E
6,500
3,100
1000
400
Negligible
0
Steel (Metric Tons) J
154,493
137,958
7,159
8,304
670
402
Negligible
0
Copper and Co per Base Alloys
(Metric Tons ~
795
710
37
43
3
2
Negligible
o
Coal (Metric Tons) ~
75,752
67,645
3,510
4,072
328
197
Negligible
0
Electric Power (Million Kwh) ~
112.8
101
5
6
0.5
0.3
Negligible
0
POL and Lubricants (Metric Tops) ~
1,650
1,473
77
89
7
4
Negligible
0
Abrasives (Metric Tons) ~
2,870
2,563
133
154
12
8
Negligible
0
Cutting Tools (Units)
54,109
x,317
2,508
2,908
235
141
Negligible
0
Equipme~
Machine Tools (Units)
9,205
8,219
427
495
40
24
Negligible
0
General Industrial
Equipment (Units)
10,919
9,751
505
587
47
29
Negligible
0
Gaging Machines and laboratory
Equipment (Units)
2,575
2,300
119
138
11
7
Negligible
0
e. Labor Man-Yearn' have been compiled from the pls~ studies. Appendix B).
b. The inputs into the Soviet Bloc have been estimated by setting up the following ratio with the estimated inputs into the US industry
for 1947, ae calculated in Table 26, and. with the estimated total production in the US for 1947 (see Table 26, footnote a; p. 96, above):
Boviet Bloc Country Input =Soviet Bloc Country Production x US Input
US Production
Soviet Bloc Country Input =Soviet Bloc Country Production x US 7n t
32
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Estimated Inputs into the Ani.ifriction Bearings Industry in She Soviet Bloc
and the Miaimimm Quantity of Equipment Required by the Soviet Bloc
to Produce the Estimated Output of Bearings
1951
(Continued)
c. The estimate of bituminous coal equivalent shown in Table 26, Yootnote g, p. 96, above, has been comex-Eed to a Soviet Standard Fuel equiv-
alent of 12,600 Btu per pound, as follows:
Coal (Soviet Standard Feel equivalent) = 206,250 metric tons x 13 OOO Btu 16 =212,790 metric tons
12, 0 Btu 1
The ratio set up in b, above, was then used to estimate the quantity of the Soviet Standard F1ie1 equivalent required in the Soviet Bloc.
d. The quantity of equipment noted consists of the estimated minimimm machine park required to produce the estimated output in 1951. The
inputs oP equipment into the Soviet Bloc have been estimated by setting up the following ratio with the inputs of equipment required to
produce 6 mi]lion bearings as shown in Table 27; p. 99, above:
Soviet Bloc Country Input =Soviet Bloc Country Production x E ui ~ In uts
,000,000
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assistance. During World War II, additional machinery was received
through Lend Lease. After the war, dismantling of the German and
Austrian industries by the Russians was another source of equipment.
Since the war the Soviet antifriction bearings industry
has been built up, and it now has nine major plants in the principal
industrial areas and a number of bearings repair plants dispersed
throughout the country. These plants are not, as yet, capable of
fulfilling the needs of the machine bui],ding industries and industries
producing military equipment.
The use of repaired bearings as a substitute for new
bearings is a probable indication of the shortage of antifriction,
bearings in the USSR. The practice of using repaired bearings as a
substitute for new bearings in the US has been found to be costly
and inefficient. Sleeve bearings are also used in a limited number
of applications in which antifriction bearings are normally used.
The sleeve bearing, howeverJ_is limited by speed and efficiency of
operation. Recently, an air or fluid bearing was designed and
developed in France 297/ which may eventually become a practical sub-
stitute for the antifriction bearings. The possible design and
development of this type of bearing; in the USSR should be closely
observed.
At the rate at which the antifriction bearings industry
has been expanding in the USSR, the Soviet requirements for bearings
should be fulfilled by domestic production by 1953 or 1954. The USSR
is still handicapped by Western economic warfare, but production in
the USSR is reaching a point at which the country will not be directly
handicapped by the economic trade restrictions on antifriction
bearings. The continued restrictions of trade with the Satellites,
.however, will cause a strain on the Soviet antifriction bearings
industry if it attempts to fulfill the shortage in the Satellites.
The antifriction bearings industries in the Satellites
have been developed largely since World War II. They have received
high priority during this period., The major objective, as in the USSR,
is to become self-sufficient and independent of the West. The
shortage of steel, brass, steel balls, abrasives, and machine tools
has been a continuous problem to the development of the industry in the
Satellites. Because of the shortage of materials, East Germany has
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been experimenting with ceramic materials as a substitute for high-
carbon chrome steel and with pressed wood retainers and sintered
iron retainers as substitutes for brass. 298
The shortage of antifriction bearings in the Satellites
would prevent the development of a strategic stockpile. The Russians,
however, have been storing antifriction bearings for tank repair at
Kirchmoeser near Brandenburg~Havel.
Since the USSR requires domestically all of its production
of bearings, only small quantities of bearings are furnished to the
Satellites from the USSR. Because the Satellites are dependent on
the West for antifriction bearings, they are directly handicapped by
Wes~::;.^n trade restrictions.
B. Vulnerabilities.
Because the Soviet Bloc is still dependent on the West .f or
antifriction bearings, the embargo by the West would continue to
handicap the development of the machine building industries and
industries producing military equipment.
In the event of a hot war, the shortage of antifriction
bearings would be a considerable handicap to the maneuverability of
the Soviet war machine. The vulnerability of the antifriction bearings
industry itself to aerial attack is questionable. In 1~+3 the anti-
friction bearings industry of Germany was selected as a target bombing
system by the Allied Air Forces. In all, over 12,000 tons of bombs
were dropped. Destruction of buildings in these raids amounted to
almost half the prewar floor space of the industry. The suscepti-
bility of machine tools to damage was not very great -- only 12 percent
of the original inventory was destroyed. Fire proved to be more
effective than blast. The organization of a bearings plant into
departments, each of which carried through the manufacture of one com-
ponent, was such that, even though production of one or more components
was halted, the other manufacturing processes could continue and final
assemblies could be made from stock. To prevent slowdowns in production
caused by damaged equipment, machinery in one department could be adapted
for use in another department. Vigorous production measures, dispersal
from large centers of production to numerous small plants, the con-
struction of underground plants, the bomb proofing and erection of blast
walls around vital machinery, and the rapid repair or replacement of
damaged machinery and equipment enabled production to return to adequate
levels before the cushion provided by stocks had ceased to exist.
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In conclusion, the Soviet Bloc has been, and will continue to
be, handicapped by economic warfare in antifriction bearings. Aerial
attack on the antifriction bearings industry could possibly be
effective if it were by complete surprise and if it were completed in
conjunction with an over-all attack on all industries.
C. Intentions.
The antifriction bearing is essentially a vital commodity
required in the machine building industries and in equipment with
moving elements. To keep industry and equipment rolling, the basic
objectives of the antifriction bearings industry in the Soviet Bloc
are to obtain an output of bearings capable of fulfilling the require-
ments of the expanding machine economy of the Bloc and to increase
the number of types and sizes of antifriction bearings in production.
Because of the wide use of bearings in both civilian and military
items, little can be deduced about Soviet intentions until very
detailed factual information is available.
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APPENDIX A
MAJOR IIQDUSTR IE S CONSUMING ANT IFR IC T ION BEARINGS
.The industries and commodities which are the principal consumers
of antifriction bearings during peace and war are as follows:
Tanks and Armored Force Vehicles
General Ordnance
Naval Construction
Shipbuilding
Aircraft
Automotive
Machine Tool
General Industrial Equipment
Railroad Equipment
Iron and Steel Industry
Electric Motor
Electrical Equipment
Farm Equipment
Home Appliances
The antifriction bearings industry in an industrial economy
occupies a dual position, being an important contributor to both
war and peace economy. In time of war, highest priority on the output
of the antifriction bearings industry would be for military end items
and for those industries which directly support the production of
military equipment. During peacetime, under normal conditions,
there would be a reduction in the output of military equipment and
in the demand for antifriction bearings by the military. However,
the demand for antifriction bearings by an expanding industrial
economy would continue to absorb the output of the antifriction
bearings industry. It is assumed that under cold war conditions
antifriction bearings are used to the same extent as under actual war
conditions.
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PLANrt' FACILITIES FOR PRODUCING ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS
IN THE SOVIET BLOC
I,. No. 1 State Bearings Plant imeni Kaganovich, Moscow.
A. Background.
State Bearings Plant in Moscow was built between 1930 50X1-H U M
and 1932 under. the direction of Italian and US engineers. Practically
all the equipment installed for the production of bearings was im-
ported. The equipment was estimated to be capable of producing an-
nually 15 million units of all types and sizes. Provision was made
for the subsequent expansion of capacity to approximately 30 million
bearings.
In the fall of 1941, equipment evacuated from this
plant was sent to Kuybyshev, Tomsk, and Saratov. By the end of
1942 the plant was in partial operation, re-equipped with Lend-
Lease machinery. It is now the largest ball and roller bearings
plant in the IISSR. 299
State Bearings Plant is located in Moscow at No. 45
Sharikopodshinnikovskaya street 300
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50X1-HUM
50X1-HUM
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C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.-
Year Output (Thousand Units)
1946 12,000
1947 18,200
1848 26,000
1949 34,000
1950 46,000
1951 53,000
1952 57,000
2. Types Produced.
State Bearings Plant produces a wide variety of 50X1-HUM
types and sizes of ball, roller, spherical roller, taper roller., and
needle bearings, including high-precision instrument bearings and
-extra large roller bearings up to 1.5 meters outside diameter and
weighing up to 4 tons. 301
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
Devyatov Director (1952). 302
N.M. Potapov Director (1951.,) 303 ;
now Deputy. Director of the Automobile
and Tractor Industry (1952)? 304
A.A. Gromov Chief Engineer (1952)? 305
N. Gorin ~ Chief Designer of the Central Design
Bureau of the Bearings Industry
(1952). 306
~ The estimates of output for the Soviet plants as liven in this
appendix are taken from Table 2, p. 12, above.
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M. Ovchinnikov Engineer and Chief of Production
(1952)? 307
Z.I. Cherkasskiy Chief Designer (1951). 308
Tsvetkov Chief of the precision bearings shop
(1952)? 309
a. Employees.
The original plan in 1932 called for 15,000 workers
.and technicians with the plant at full capacity. 310 Employees in
1945 numbered 8,000, of which approximately 60 percent were women. 311
No information is available on the total employment in 1952; however,
it is believed to be about 15,000.
b. Shifts.
There were three shifts in 1950. 312
3. Buildings.
The original plan called for all departments to be located
in a one-story brick building. 313 Office buildings and other
smaller buildings surround the main building. The area of the main
building is approximately 1,500 by 1,-300 feet. 314.
In 1946 a Lend-Lease tare plant was reported to have
been installed in approximately one-half of the No. 1 State Bearings
Plant. 315
Confirmation of a reduction in floor space for production
of bearings was noted in a Soviet newspaper in July 1951: "Although
the production are State Bearings Plant, Moscow) has. been 50X1-H U M
considerably reduced as compared to the prewar period, the plant
produced, in 1950, bearings worth considerably more than 1940 output,
and the output of bearings per worker increased considerably." 316
4. Plant Expansion.
Since World War II this plant has been installing new
equipment and machinery. Precision bearings eh~ps and a modern
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foundry, 400 by 800 feetr with a.capacity of 100 metric tons of complex
brass or steel castings a year-have been established in the plant. 317
In July 1945 the building had a considerable amount of
floor space available 318 and could easily have absorbed the tare
plant while continuing to install additional equipment for the pro-
duction of bearings.
5. Electric Power.
In 1943 the electric power was reported to be obtained
from the Moscow municipal network. 319/
E. Distribution of Output.
As the major producer of ball and roller bearings in the
USSR, this plant supplies bearings to almost all the industries in
the USSR.
Steel is reported tp be delivered from the Serp i Molot
and Elektrostal steel plantsaboth in the Moscow area. 320
State Bearings Plant, Moscow. ~ 50X1-HUM
A. Background.
State Bearings Plant was set up by the Swedish firm SKF
at the end o World War I. It was operated by SKF until 1931, when
the plant waS taken over by the Soviet government.
In the fall of 1941 the ball bearings department was
evacuated to Tomsk and Sverdlovsk. In 1942 the plant as a whole
was in operation again, re-equipped with some of the original
machinery and some new machinery. 321
B. Location.
State Bearings Plant is located in Moscow on Shabolovka
street 322 approximately 250 meters north of the Moscow Radio and
Television Center at coordinates 550+3'16"N-37?36`52"E? 323
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C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.
Year
Output (Thousand Units)
' 1946
3,500
1947
~+, 000
1948
~+, 600
1948
5,000
1950
6,000
1951
7,000
2. Types rroduced.
Ball and roller bearings of various types are produced.
Instrument .and precision bearings are reported to be produced in an
independent shop with a closed production cycle. 324
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
I. Bakhvalov Director (1952)? 325
N. Koptsov Chief Engineer (1849). 326
I. Ginden Chief of the automatic lathe shop
(1950)?.327
a . Employees .
An estimate of 2,800 employees was reported for 1937
and 4,400 for 1945. 328 No information is available on the present
employment, but it is believed to be approximately 4,000 to 5,000
employees.
in 1950. 329
The plant was awarded the title of "Stakhanovite"
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b. Shifts.
Tiro 11-hour shifts were reported. 330
3. Buildings.
State Bearings Plant has been reported to consist 50X1-HUM
of 2 narrow multistoried buildings and several small workshops with
a ground area of 391,000 square feet and a roof cover of 90,000
square feet. 331
~+. .Plant Expansion.
No expansion of the building or floor space has been
proposed, but the equipment and production methods have been greatly
improved and modernized. 332
The .electric power is reported to come from the Moscow
municipal network. 333
E. Distribution of Output.
Bearings are reported to be delivered to a. number of the
industries in the Moscow area, and a large quantity of bearin s is
also reported to be delivered to the Irkutsk Airframe Plant 33~+ 50X1-H U M
In 1951, steel wire for balls and sheet metal were to be
received from the Serp i Molot Steel Plant in Moscow in 240 metric-
ton lots per quarter. Production is handicapped, however, by the
irregularity of deliveries. 335
State Bearings Plant, Saratov.
A. Background.
The construction of No. 3 State Bearings Plant was begun in
.1936, and it was in partial operation by 19+0. In the fall of 19+1,
some of the machinery evacuated from th State Bearings Plant 50X1-H U M
in Moscow was sent to this plant. 336/ was slightly damaged by air
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attack i_n 1942..337 The war damage was repaired in late 1945, and
in 1946 the construction of a new forge and a new production building
was started. The equipment from the Norddeutsche Kugellagerfabrik,
Berlin (Lichtenberg), was transferred to this plant in August 1946. 338
State Bearin s Plant 50X1-HUM
immediately west50X1-HUM
of the Saratov Airfield South, and approximately 2 miles west of the
Volga River at coordinates 51o29'N-45o56'E. 339
C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.
Year
Output (Thousand Units.)
1846 1,900
1947 2,100
1948 2,400
19+9 3, 400
1950 5, o00
1951 7, 800
Q. Types Produced. 340
Various types and sizes of ball, roller, and needle
bearings are produced. Aircraft bearings made of a plastic material
known as "peritnax" also were reported in production.
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
N.N. Orlov Director (.1949)? 341
2. Personnel.
a. Employees. 342
In late 1948 the plant was reported to have 2,800
employees in each of the-2 main shifts and 1,500 in the third shift.
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In addition, a varying number of prisoners of war were used both in
production and in construction operations.
b . Shifts .
There are 3 shifts, 6 days per week.
Buildings.
The plant .area is approximately 2,000 by 3,000 feet. The
approximate sizes of the buildings are as follows: 343 the main
production shop, 690 by 590 feet, which includes ball forge, grinding,
and polishing sections, a heat treating shop, a, machine shop .and
punch presses, a small foundry and an assembly; a new production
shop, 525 by 425 feet; a forge, 360 by 115 feet; a new forge, 328 by
100 feet; a machine shop, 360 by 180 feet; a machine shop .and garage,
360 by 180 feet; a boiler house] and warehouses and .other unidentified
buildings.
4. Plant Expansion. 344
By late 1949 the new forge and the new production shops
were completed and in.part3,a,1 operation. Excavation for the construc -
tion of 1 or 2 new buildings in the southern area of the plant was
started in 1949.
5. Electric Power.
Electric power is supplied by the Saratov Heat and Paver
Plant and the Saratov Thermal Power Plant. 345 A factory power
station in the main building operates as a standby unit. 346
E . Distribution of Output .
The bulk of the bearings produced is used by industries
manufacturing aircraft, tractors, and tanks. 347 Some be arings are
reported to be used in ship construction, and, in particular, for
submarines: 348 A Soviet newspaper in July 1951 stated that this
plant had received and was fulfilling orders for the Volga-Don Canal
projects. 349
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State Bearings Plant1 Kuybyshev.
A. Background.
No. 4 State Bearings Plant was set u in late 1941, using
machinery which had been evacuated from State Bearir~s 50X1-HUM
Plant in Moscow. 350 The plant occupie e uildings and
barracks of a former military garrison and was in operation by 1942.
New buildings have been constructed since 1941. 351 It had an
affiliate bearings plant producing rings in nearby Bezy~yan~a', which
is now known as No. 9 State Bearings Plant. 352
No. 4 State Bearings Plant is located approximately 12
miles northeast of the main railway station in Kuybyshev and
approximately 5,000 feet southeast of the east barnk of the Volga.
River at coordinates 53?12'20"N-5o?09'23"E? 353/
C.
Production Informat~.on.
1. Estimated Output.
Year
Output (Thousand Units)
1946
5,500 .
1947
8, 500
1948
9,500
1949
11,000
1950
13,000
1951
15,000
2. Types Produced. 354 .
Various types of ball, roller, taper roller, and
needle bearings are produced. This plant also produces or processes
the following items for tank production: crankshafts, bogie wheels,
armor, and bearing housings.
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1. Personalities.
Vasil'yev Director
Yusim Director
Domokurov Engineer
2. Personnel. 358
a. Employees.
(1952)? 355
(1947)? 356
(1947)? 357
Labor figures vary widely, but it is believed that
there were approximately 6,000 to 8,000 employees at the plant in
1949, of whom approximately 60 percent were women.
From 1945 to 1949 there were three 8-hour shifts,
7 days per week with the first day of the month off.
3. Buildings.
The plant area is triangular in shape, measuring
approximately 4,400 feet east to west, 3,800 feet southwest to north-
east, and 2,400 feet northwest to southeast.. Production is dispersed
in no clear-cut pattern among the more than 100 small- and medium-
size buildings comprising the plant. 359
4. Plant Expansion.
In 1945 the construction of new buildings was started,
and machinery dismantled in East Germany was transferred to this
plant. 360
5. Electric Paver.
Electric power is furnished from power plants. in the
Kuybyshev area.. 361
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E. Distribution of Output.
The bearings are reported to be distributed to industries
which manufacture aircraft, tractors, tanks, and industrial
machinery. 362
Steel is reported to be obtained from the Kuznetsk
Metallurgical Combine imeni Stalin and from the Zlatoust Steel Plant
imeni Stalin. 363
V. No. 5 State Bearings Plant, Tomsk.
A.. Background.
In late 1941 State Bearings Plant was set up in the
barracks of a former mi i ary garrison, using some of the machinery
evacuated from No. 1 State Bearings Plant in Moscow, and began
operations in January~l942. TWO new buildings were constructed,
and the machinery was installed in them by 1943. This plant has con-
centrated on the production of small ball and roller bearings. 364
State Bearings Plant is located in the northeastern
outskirts of Tomsk, about 2 miles east of the Tom River and about a
half mile southwest of the Tomsk railroad station and train yards
No. 2 at coordinates 56o30'N-85o00'E. 365/
C.
Production Information.
1. Es
ti
mate
d Output.
Year
Output (Thousand Units) `
1946
3,000
1947
3,400
1948
3,800
1949
4,.500
1950
5,500
1951
6,500
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2. Types Produced.
Various types of ball and roller bearings, mainly in the
smaller sizes, are produced. 366 At the end of 1947 it was reported
that the plant was planning to construct a shop to produce extra-large
bearings. 367
1. Personalities.
Slinko Director (1948). 368
Edelstein Director (1943)? 369
Beskin Chief Mechanic (1843)? 370
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
Approximately 2,000 employees, of whom 60 percent
were women, were reported in 1943. 371
b. Shifts.
Two 11-hour shifts were reported in 1943. 372
3. Buildings.
~+. Plant Expansion.
The construction of a new forge, grinding department,
and automatic machine department recently has been reported, but
there is no further information available on construction at this
plant. 374
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5. Electric Power.
Electric power is reported to be provided by a 3,000-kw
station in the plant, supplemented by the Tomsk Power Plant. 375/
E . Distribution of Output .
In 1947, approximately one-fifth of the total output was
intended for the coal industry of the eastern area. Large quantities
were also reported to be consigned for the ministries of the
following industries: aviation, transport engineering, ferrous
metals, agricultural engineering, armaments, electrical, and auto-
mobile and tractor. 376
In 1943 the plant received steel from the Kuznetsk
Metallurgical Combine imeni Stalin. 377
VI. No. 6 State Bearings Plant, Sverdlovsk.
A. Background.
Equipment from th~ State Bearings Plant was evacuated -50X1-H U M
to No. 6 State Bearings Plant in Sverdlovsk, which may have already
been producing a small quantity of heavy industrial bearings before
World War II. Two new wooden buildings were built during the
war, 378% and in 1947 two of the workshops were destroyed by fire. 379/
In 191~the plant was reported to be installing new machinery and
introducing new techniques in production. 380/
B. Location.
State Bearings Plant is located about 2 miles south-
east of Sverdlovsk's main railway station and about 2 miles west
of Lake Shartash. 381
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C. Production Information.
1,. Estimated Output.
Year Output (Thousand Units)
1946 400
1947 ~ 47p
1948 650
1949 730
1950 910
1951 1, 080
2. Types Produced.
Various types of ball, roller, and taper roller bearings
are produced for heavy industrial equipment, 382 and, during the war,
crankshafts were also produced. 383
1. Personalities.
Khudyeyev Director (1949)? 384
Smirnov Chief Engineer (1946). 385
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
It is reported that there were 5,000 employees at
this plant in 1946. 386
b. Shifts.
There is no information on the number of shifts.
3. Buildings.
The plant area is situated in the middle of a residential
section and measures approximately 500 by 300 feet. Three or four
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main production buildings and some smaller buildings occupy this
area . 387
4. Plant Expansion.
Construction of additional buildings was reported in the
summer of 1947, 388 although the buildings destroged by fire still
had not been rebuilt in the summer of 1948. 389
5. Electric Power.
Electric power is obtained from the municipal system. 390
E. Distribution of Output.
This plant supplies bearings to the machine building plants
in the Urals area,-such as the Sverdlovsk Heavy Equipment Plant
Uralmash. 391 In 1947 it was reported to be delivering roller
bearings for coal mining machinery .and petroleum industrial equip-
ment . 392
State Bearings Plant, Baku.
A. Background.
No. 7 State Bearings Plant was being built and was in partial
operation during 1947. 393 The second section of the construction
was to be in operation by the middle of 1948. 394
B. location.
The plant is reported to be loca-Ged at Kishly, a suburb
of Baku. 395
C.Production Information,
1. Estimated Output.
Ye ax
Output (Thousand. Units)
1946 0
1947 30
1948 50
.1949 70
1950 90
1951- 120
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2. Types Produced.
Large-size roller bearings are produced for swivels and
for other types of equipment in the oil industry. 396
D. Plant Information
1. Personalities. 397
I. Dzhavarov Director (1951).
Nikel'berg Chief Engineer (1951).
Prokof'yeva Chief Metallurgist (1951).
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
The number of employees is unknowns however,
specialized workers trained in Moscow, Tomsk, and Saratov were trans-
ferred permanently to this plant in 1947, and teams of specialized
workers were sent temporarily to this plant from other bearings
factories to supervise the initial production. 398
The number of shifts is unknown.
3. Buildings.
Very little information is available. The first part of
the plant which was in operation by 1947 was reported to be the forge
and mechanical assembly shops. The number of buildings is unknown,
but this part of the plant is reported to have the following shops:
a heat treating shop, a chromium plating shop, a forge, a ball shop,
a foundry, a grinding shop, a machine shop, and an assembly shop. 399/
4. Plant Expansion.
There is no information on possible plant expansion. The
building under construction in 1948, however, probably is in operation.
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5. Electric Power.
The source of electric power for this plant is unknown,
but it is believed that it comes from the Baku municipal network.
State Bearings Plant specializes in bearings for
plants pr~~ng oil-drilling equipment, 400 including the Machine
Building Pant imeni Stalin of the Azerbaydzhan Petroleum-Machine
Building Trust, the Sverdlovsk Heavy Equipment Plant Uralma,sh, and
the Novokramatorsk and Starokramatorsk plants. 401
E. Distribution of Output.
State Bearings Plant, Kharkov.
A. Background.
The buildings used for ~ State Bearings Plant were 50X1-H U M
damaged during World War II, and their reconstruction was begun in
1846. This plant was in limited operation in late 1946 and in
partial operation during 1947. In May 1948, ane main production
shop had been completed, and during the summer of 1948 a second
building was in-the process of construction. 402 Machinery .and equip-
ment from the Erkner plant in Berlin and the Steyr plant in Austria
are believed to have been shipped to this plant. 403
This plant is located in the eastern extremity of Kharkov,
about 8 miles east of the center of the city, approximately 2 miles
northeast of the northern edge of the Kharkov Airfield Grobli,
and 2 miles northwest of the northern tip of the Kharkov Airfield
Rogan at coordinates 49o57'N-36o24!E
.. 404
C.
Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.
Year
Output (Thousand Units)
1946
loo
1947
300
1948
1,500
1949
2,obo
1950
3,200
1951
5,500
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2. Types.Produced.
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Various types and sizes of ball, roller, and taper roller
bearings up to 250-~ outside diameter are produced. 405
D.
Plant Information.
1.
Personalities.
Ikryanistov
Director (1949).,406
2.
Personnel.
a. Employees.
In 1947 there were 1,000 employees, approximately
30 to 50 percent being women. 407 In 1949 there were an estimated,
3,000 employees, approximately 30 to 35 percent being women. 408
There was one 8-hour shift in .1947 which was
believed changed to three 8-hour shifts, 6 days per week. 409
3. Buildings.
The plant area is generally rectangular with maximum
dimensions of about 2,200 feet west-northwest -east-southeast by
1,600 feet north-northeast.- south-southwest. 410 In 1949 there
were approximately 10 buildings in the plant area 411 the main
production building, 400 by 650 feet, included 2 machine shr~ps,
punch presses and shears a forge, a ball mill shop, electric
furnaces, heat treating, and an assembly shop; a transformer station
attached to the main building; an administration building; barracks
(5 to 6 wooden buildings); and a new building under construction.
4. Plant Expansion.
The new building under construction was approximately
the same size as the main building. 412 It should at present be
in operation.
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E. Distribution of Output.
The plant specializes in the production of bearings for
tractors, combines, automobiles, and machine tools. 413 It
supplies bearings to the adjoining Kharkov Tractor Works imeni
Ordzhonikidze as well as to other plants in the city. 414/
The. production capacity of this plant is planned to be 10
million bearings per year. 415
50X1-HUM
B. Location. '
State Bearings Plant, Kuybyshev (Bezymyanka). Since World War I
has been producing and assembling. antifriction bearings. 418
ducing rings far the No. 4 plant. 417 The plant is now known a~
set up as a branch of No. 4 State Bearings Plant in Kuybyshev, pro-
IX. No. 9 State Bearings Plant, Kuybyshev.
A. Background.
Before World War II,~ State Bearings Plant was aloco- 50X1-H U M
motive and railway equipment repair shpp 416 .and during the war was
No. g State Bearings Plant is located in the eastern part of
the Kuybyshev urban area, known as Bezymyyanka. It lies adjacent to
and southeast of the main rail line to Ufa near-the Bezymyanka rail-
way station at coordinates 53?12'N-50o16'E.. 41
C.
Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.-
Yea
Output (Thousand Units)
1846
600
1947
1, 000
1948
1,500
1949
2,300
1950
3, 300
1951
5,000
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2. Types Produced.
Various sizes of ball and roller bearings and bearing
rings are produced. 420 The foundry of this plant is also reported
to produce items such as cylinders and drive wheels for tanks. 421
D. Plant Information..
1. Personalities.
Dunduko~ Director (1952). 422
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
Estimates varied considerably, but a figure of 4,000
to 5,000 employees in 1949 appears reasonable. x+23
b . Shifts .
In 1949 t}~ere were reported to be three 8-hour shifts,
7 days per week with the first day of each month off. 424
3. Buildings. 42~
The plant .area. is roughly rectangular in shape with
maximum measurements of about 2,800 by 1,900 feet.. The- plant is com-
prised of approximately 30 buildings. The principal buildings are .as
follows: administration buildings; mechanical repair shops; a boiler
house; a foundry; a production shop, which includes forge, heat
treating, and grindir~ departments; a main machine and assembly shop;
-and a new production shop.
~+. Plant Expansion.
The new production shop is believed to have been put into
operation since 1949. 426
5. Electric- Power.
system. 427
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E. Distribution of Output.
in Kuybyshev. x+28
The bearings from this plant are reported to be used by motor
vehicle, tank, tractor, and aircraft plants, including the Kuybyshev
Aircraft Engine Plant imeni Frunze, the Kuybyshev Airframe Plant imeni
Stalin, and the Zaporozh'ye Agricultural Machiner Plant Kommunar.
Bearing rings have also been shipped to th~~State Bearings P1ant50X1-H U M
X. Plant under Construction, Minsk.
A. Background.
the construction of a bearings plant at Minsk was undertaken
by two sections of the SMU (Stroitel'no-Montazhnoy Upravleniye -- Con-
struction-and Installation Administration . SMU-9 was to build the
workers' settlements, and SMU-2 was to build the ball bearings plant
itself. The work on the site was scheduled to begin in 1}50. To
keep up with their norm, SMU-9, however, started clewing ground on
the workers' settlement in May 19+9. x+29 The clearance of the woods
and excavation work for the plant was started in February 1950 by
SMU-2. x+30 The plant was scheduled to begin production in 1952, but
the construction reportedly has been sa far behind schedule that pro-
duction may not begin until 195+? x+31
The plant may be in operation during 1953, but it is more
likely that the operation of the plant will begin in 195+? x+33
C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Qutput.
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2. Types Produced.
Although there is still no definite proof that this plant
Will be producing antifriction bearings, all reports call it a ball
bearings plant.
D. Plant Information.
There is no information available on personalities or on
employment. ,
E . Distribution of Output .
The plant will probably supply antifriction bearings to the
Minsk motor vehicle plant and other industries in the Minsk area. x+35
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PART II: EAST GERMANY
I. SAG-Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik, Leipzig.
A. Background.
The Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik (formerly Deutsche
Kugellagerfabrik) was taken over by the SAG-Awtowelo in 1946. 436/
It had not been dismantled nor had it suffered much war damage.
The Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik, consisting of three plants is, at
present, one of the' largest bearings producers in East Germany.
Although the original equipment was partly worn out and partially
obsolete, the plant has been installing new machinery and equip-
ment. 437/
B.
Location. 438
1.
Main Plant:
Gutenbergstrasse 6, Boehlitz-Ehrenberg,
near .Leipzig.
2.
Plagwitz:
Naumburgerstrasse 23, Leipzig..
3.
Zellerhausen Plant: Torgauerstrasse, Leipzig.
C.
Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.
Year
Output (Thousand Units)
1949
1, loo
,1950
1,680
1951
1,840
1952
1, goo
2. Types Produced. 439 ..
a. Ball bearings with bores of 40 mm and up to 200 nnn
are mass-produced.
~- The. estimates for the East German plants as given in this
appendix are taken from Table 9, and the method of making them is
discussed in the footnotes for Table 9, P? 33, above.
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b. Thrust ball bearings with bores up to 200 mm are in
mass productions and those up to x+00 mm are in limited production for
the USSR.
c. Roller bearings, self-aligning, barrel-shape, with
bores of 60 mm to 2~+0 mm, ,are produced in quantities of about 100
of each size .
d. Roller bearings, self-aligning, double barrel-sh&pe,
with bores of 300, 350, x+20, 6t+0 or 650, 680, and 725 mm are
produced on special orders and were planned for mass production in
the proposed extension of the grinding shop to be completed by May
1951. Production of bearings with bores of 600 mm and 870 mm
started at .a rate of 5 each per month in early 1951 and was raised
to 10 per month. It is plas~:ned to raise production to 20 per month
by the end of 1951.
e. Self-aligning ball bearings with bores of ~+0 mm to
200 mm are mass-produced.
f. Roller bearings with bores of 20 mm to .120 mm are
produced in lots of about 100.
g. Taper roller bearings with bores from 60 non to
300 mm .are produced in small sizes in lE3ts of 100 to 120 pieces and
in large sizes in lots of 5 to 10.
h. Needle bearings (Nadellager) with bores of 20 mm to
80 mm are also produced.
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities . ~+~+0
Kulkov Russian General Director
Babanov . Russian Chief Engineer
Heinz Thiemicke German Technical Director
Herbert Grobe u"erman Commercial Director
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Boettger German Chief Engineer
Erick Kunkel German Works Manager, Main Plant
Otto Vetter ~ German Works Manager, Plagwitz Plant
Winkler German Works Manager, Zellerhausen Plant
2. Pex~sonnel. 441 .
a. Employees (1950).
Main Plant 1,700
Plagwitz Plant 600
Zellerhausen Plant 300
Total 2,600
It was planned to increase employment to 3,200
by the end of 1951.
There were 3 shifts (if raw materials allowed), 6 days
per week.
3. Buildings. 442
The main plant has the following buildings: a machinery
department, a hardening department and forge, a grinding department,
technical offices, storage facilities, and a main administration
building.
4. Plant Expansion, Main Plant. 443
The grinding shop of the main plant has been expanded by
40 by 30 meters. The extension was to be completed by May 1951. A
second story was planned for the main storage building -- dimensions,
50 by 10 meters. Negotiations with the government to purchase land
site to north of the work area. were reported in 1950.
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a. The main plant receives its power from the power station
at Kulkwitz, whose output is unknown. It was built in 1930 and is in
good condition. 444/
b. The Leipzig plants are reported to receive their
power from the ,Leipzig power station. It generates between 60,000
to 70,000 kw and is reported to be in good condition. 445
E. Distribution of Output.
In 1950, bearings from this plant were reported to be
distributed as follows: USSR, 42 percent of current production
(which did not include special orders for the USSR) 446 ; for Soviet
storage in Wildau, 5 percent 447 ; and for Soviet storage in
Kirchmoeser, near Brasideburg, 5 percent (this has been reported as
headquarters of a. tank unit). 448 The .East German Heavy Machine In-
dustry distributed through the DHZ the balance of current production --
48 percent of current production. 449
Bearings have been s~xpplied to the following firms 45O :
SAG-BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) at Eisenach, SAG-Krupp Gurson at
Magdeburg, SAG-Maschinenfabrik. Buchau-Wolf at Magdeburg, ~'ichtel and
Sachs at Reichenbach, and shipyards at Rostock and Stralsund.
In 1950 the Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik received an order for
10,000 roller bearings with ati 80-mm bore. These bearings were to be
delivered to a repair shop for Soviet tanks at Kirchmoeser near
Brandenburg~Havel. The bearings were reported to be needed for a
heavy Soviet tank, which recently had arrived in East Germany. Eight
of these roller bearings are built into each t.arik and require replace-
ment after 70 operational hours. The special chromium-molybdenum
steel required for the manufacture of these bearings was not available
to Leipziger Kugellagerfabrik. The plant was granted 300,000 DM
.(West) to make purchases in West Germany for this tank program. 451
In April 1950 this. plant bought 90 tons of steel in the Ruhr for the
production of roller bearings. 452 In addition, this plant received
another order from the Russians for 500,000 ball bearings which
reportedly were to be used for the tank program of the Soviet Army.
This order was to be completed by December 1950. 453/
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Two orders for needle bearings in quantities of 1.5 million and
2 million, respectively, reportedly were to be-used for the Soviet sub-
marine and. torpedo boat program. The first order of 1.5 million
needle bearings was completed in 1950, and the order for 2 million
needle bearings was to be completed in 1951. 454
II. VEB-Thueringer Kugellagerfabrik, Zella-Mehlis. '
A. Background.
During World War II this plant (then known as the Karl Reich
Ball Bearings Plant) was a small independent producer having a
capacity of 100,000 bearings per month with a peacetime labor force
of 400 men. After the war, the plant was assigned to the SAG -
Awtowelo. 1+55 In 1952 this plant was turned over to the VEB's and
is now known as the VEB-Thueringer Kugellagerfabrik. 456
~
B.
Location.
C.
Zella-Mehlis.
Production Information.
1.
Estimated Output.
Year
Output (Thousand Units)
1848
600
1949
goo.
1950
1,400
1951
1,900
1952
2,700
2. Types Prgduced.
Phis plant specializes in the manufacture of ball bearings
of small dimensions up to 25-mm outside diameter. 457 Ball bearings
up to 62-mm outside diameter have been produced, and roller bearings
are a~so produced 'at this plant. 1+58
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D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
Paprikov Russian General Manager in 1949 459
' Wagner German Works Manager 460
Kind German Chief Designer 461
Schyschka German representative at the Antifriction
Bearings Conference., Leipzig, December
1950. 462
2. Personnel.
In 1948 there were 250 to 300 employees 463 ; in 1951,
250 to 300. 464
There is no available information on the buildings,
proposed expansion, or sources of electric power.
E. Distribution of Output.
Production is reported to go to the SAG's or to the USSR. 465
III. VEB-Walzkoerperfabrik Schweina-Marienthal.
A. Background.
After the war this plant (formerly the Gebrueder Heller Plant)
was assigned to the SAG Awtowelo. 466 It is the only large producer
of steel balls in Eastern Germany.- It has. been referred to as the
Schweina Bearing-Ball Factory and as the SAG-Gebrueder Heller. 467
In-1952 this plant was turned over to the VEB and is now known as the
VEB-Walzkoerperfabrik. 468
B. Location.
The plant has been reported to be located at Schweina-
Marienthal, 500 meters from the outskirts of Bad Liebestein on the
Bad Salzungen - Steinbach railroad line. 469/
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C. Production Information.
Planned production for 1951 was to be 420 metric tons of
steel balls. 470 This plant also manufactures some rollers, ball
retainers, and knives. 471
D.
Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
Volukshin
Soviet General in charge 472
Loehr ~
German Director '473
Haefnen
German Plant Manager 1+74
Huebner
German representative at the Antifriction
Bearings Conference, Leipzig, December
1950 475
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
Employees were reported to number 200 to 500 in
1951. 476
b . Shifts .
There are 3 shifts, 6 days per week. 477
3. Buildings.
The plant has 10 to 12 small brick buildings. 478/
4. Plant Expansion. 479
Ball--grinding machines were reported to have been acquired
clandestinely from.West Germany through the Schmalz Company in
Offenbach in 1951. The lack of steel wire prevented the utilization
of the newly installed machines.
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There is no available information on sources of electric
E. Distribution of Output. 480
Output of balls and rollers goes to the East German ball and
roller bearings plants. This plant is incapable of meeting the
needs of the East German antifriction bearings industry.
The requirements for steel balls in East Germany in 1951
amounted toyapproximately 1,130 metric tons; the SAG's required
approximately 530 metric tons; and the VEB's needed approximately 600
metric tons. The needs of the VEB's for steel balls reportedly are
expected to reach 1,200 metric tons in 1953 and 1,500 metric tons in
1955. There is no information available on the SAG's expansion in
production of antifriction bearings or requirements for steel balls.
The construction of a second VEB plant with a minimum capacity of
1,000 metric tons of steel balls was recommended at the Antifriction
Bearings Conference held at Leipzig in December 1950. 481/ The Trade
Ministry approved the construction of a ball bearings plant at
Waltershausen in Thuringia. 482/ the
Soviet Control Commission cancell e cons ruc ion o is p ant and
that the VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth, will be expanded to produce
balls and rolls for antifriction bearings. 483/
IV? VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth.
A. Background.
During World War II (before 1944) the Kugelfischer Company of
Schweinfurt, West Germany, took over the Frazzreuth Porcelain Factory
and began to produce cages for antifriction bearings. After World
War II this plant was known as the Thuringia Pressed Wood Company
and continued to produce cages for East Germany. 484 In December
1948 this plant became the VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Fraureuth, and the
officials of the factory established a plan for an improved East
German antifriction bearings supply. 485 The VEB-Walzlagerfabrik,
Iiraureuth, is directly controlled by the Main Administration for
Heavy Machine Construction and is listed under the WB-WMW. 486 It is
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scheduled to become the most important ball and roller bearings plant
in East Germany. 487
B. Location. 488
Julius Bartosch Strasse, Fraureuth, near Werdau.
C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Output .
Year Output Thousand Units )
1949 330
1950 390
195? 730
1952 900
2. Tyke s Produced.
a. Antifriction bearings with an outside diameter of
from 80 mm to 200 mm are produced in the following types 48 : ball
bearings, elf-aligning ball bearings, roller bearings, and thrust
ball bearings.
b. Experiments have been made with beechwood sheets to
replace brass cages in media-size roller bearings, and with sintered
iron cages for large size roller bearings. By the end of 1951, 70 per-
cent of brass cages were to be re~nlaced by beechwood or cast iron
cages. 490
c. VEB-WalzlagerPabrik, 50X1
Fraureuth, will be expanded to produce the balls and ralls which
were originally to be produced at Waltershaazsen. 491
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities. 492
Schack German Managing Director
Mewes German Technical Director
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Sonntag German Works Manager
Koerner German Sales Manager
2. Personnel.
a. Employee. s .
In 1951, employees numbered 1,200. 493 In 1952
there were reported to be 1,950 workers, including 1 0 office
employees. 494 In the course of the Fifth Five Year Plan (1951-55)
this total is to increase to 5,000 or 6,000 workers. 495
3. Buildings. 496
The following buildings have been reported:
a single-story building (housing automatics and grinders
story buildings connected by a corridor, and a foundry.
4. Plant Expansion.
a warehouse,
two 3-
Construction of this plant was still under way in
1951. X97
5. Electric Power.
There is no available information on sources of electric
power .
E. Distribution of Output. 498
Output is distributed through DHZ.
V. VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Ronneburg.
A. Background.
After World War II this plant was engaged mainly in the re-
pair of roller bearings, and the production of new bearings was in-
significant. 499/ In 1948 this plant became VEB Walzlagerfabrik,
Ronneburg, and it has received top priority under the key industries
program. It is now controlled by the VVB-WMW under the Main Administra-
tion for Heavy Machine Construction. It is scheduled to become an im-
portant producer of ball and roller bearings in East Germany. 500
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B. Location.
Ronneburg. The plant has been reported to be located pn the
premises of the former Felgenfabrik Herring (tire rim factory). 501
C. Production Information..
1. E st ima,ted Qutput .
Year Output (Thousand Units)
1949 3
1950 15
1951 ~ 20
1952 30
2. Types Produced. 502
This plant produces cylindrical roller bearings, 215 mm
to 400 mm in outside diameters and thrust ball bearings, 215 mm to
400 mm in outside diameter.
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities. 503
Herbert Rocktaeschel German Works Manager
Otto Rapold German Technical Director
Lindisch German Production Manager
2. Personnel.
a. Employees .
workers. 504
In 1951, employment was reported to be 225 to 400
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3. Buildings.
There is no available information on the buildings
housing this plant.
~+. Plant Expansion.
Iri 1951 a new, gas-fired heat tre~.ting department was built
but was not in operation by November. 505
5. Electric Power.
power.
E. Distribution of Output.
Output is distributed through the DHZ. 506
F. Remarks.
In the first quarter of 1949 the plant officials reported
that the following material was required for the. planned production
of 750 bearings up to 350 mm in outside diameter 507: forged rings
for new bearings, approximately 40 metric tons; forged rings for re-
paired bearings, approximately 15 metric tons; rounded material for
rolls, 6 metric tons; brass for solid cages, 6 metric tons; and rivet
wire, 6-mm gage, 120 kilograms.
VI. VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Berlin (Lichtenberg).
A. Background.
This plant, formerly a Kugelfischer subsidiary known as the
Norddeutsche Kugellagerfabrik, had been partially dismantled by the
Russians, but in 1946 the firm was given machinery which was to be
used for the reconditioning of ball and roller bearings. By the end
of 1948 the plant had about 35 workers. The production equipment
was outmoded. 508 It is now known as the VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Berlin
(Lichtenberg), and has received top priority under the key industries
program. It is controlled by the VVB-WMW under the Main Administra-
tion for Heavy Machine Construction. It is scheduled to become an
important producer of ball and roller bearings in East.Germany. 509
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B. Location. 510
Rittergutstrasse ~+~+-46, Berlin (Lichtenberg).
C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Cutput.
Year Output (Thousand Units)
1949 120
1950 250
1951 600
x,952 1, o00
2. Types Produced. 511
Ball bearings, self-aligning ball bearings, and
cylindrical roller bearings are produced with bores up to 62_rmn
putside diameter.
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
Kuehnert German Works Manager 512
Zugehoer German Technical Manager 513
Achterberg German representative at the Antifriction
Bearings Conference, Leipzig, December
1950 514
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
Employees in 1951 numbered 200 workers, including
office help, 515 and it was planned to increase employees to 970. 516
b. Shifts.
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3. Buildings.
There is no available information on the buildings
housing this plant.
~+. Plant Expansion.
Repair of existing buildings and the installation of
additional machinery are under the key industries program. 517/
5. Electric Power.
There is no available information on s azrces of electric
power.
E. Distribution of Output.
It has been assumed that distribution is through the DHZ.
VII. VEB-Gelenkwelle.nwerk, Stadtilm.
A. Background.
The VEB-Gelenkwellenwerk, which was formerly known as
Rheinmetal-Borsig, is riow controlled by the IFA under the Main
Administration for Vehicle Construction (Hauptverwaltung
Fahrzeugbau). 518 This plant, however, has not been considered as a
key enterprise. It is sometimes referred to as the Thuringia Cardan
Shaft Plant. 51g
B. Location.
Strasse der Freundschaft, Stadtilm, Thuringia. 520
C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.
Year Output (Thousand Units)
19+9 loo
1950 180
1951 200
1952 200
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2. Types Produced.
This plant produces taper roller bearings, 521 needle
bearings. for universal joints, 522 and universal joints. 523
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
Joseph Schuth German Plant Director 524
Mueller German Technical Director 525
Hans Nuding German Commercial Director 526
Eger German representatives at the Antifriction
Bearings Conference, Leipzig, December
195Q 527
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
The total number of employees averages 500, 528 and
the number of employees in bearings production, including office
workers, averages 150 to 200. 529
There are 3 shifts, 5 days per week. 530/ An
apprentice training program has been set up in the plant. 531/
Buildings. 532
The main building is U-shaped and three stories high. The
2 wings and the middle portion vary in size between 60 by 12 meters and
80 by 12 meters. This building contains the following shops: a
machine shop, an assembly section (bearings), an inspection section
(bearings), an apprentice workshop, a. universal joint production shop,
a universal joint production shop, administration offices, a warehouse,
and a tempering shop.
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Building Number 2 was the plant boiler house. The turbines
and generators were dismantled and sent to the tJSBR in 1946. It now
contains the power switchboard, boilers for heating the main building,
a compression station, and the repair departments.
Machinery .and tools are in good condition.
4. Plant Expansion.
There are no reports of proposed expansion.
5. Electric Power.
Electric power is reported to be transmitted via high-
tension cable from power plant reported to be called Gispersleben, 533
which is prob-ably the Stadtilm power plant.
E . Distribution of Output .
Output is distributed through the DHZ. 534/
F. Remarks.
During 1952 this plant intended to produce the whole taper
roller bearings series, but all the prototypes were not available. 535/
VIII. VEB-Walzlagerfabrik, Arnshall.
A. Background.
The factory was completely dismantled by the Russians. In 1948
the plant was repairing ball bearings on a small scale. 536 It has
recently been reported to be a VEB directly subordinate to the Main
Administration for Heavy Machine Construction. 537 After 1 January
1953 this plant is to operate as Plant II of the VEB-Thueringer
Kugellagerfabrik. 538
B. Location.
Arnshall, Arnstadt.
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C.
Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.
Year
Output (Thousand Units)
1949 ~
N.A.
1950
N.A.
1951
55
1952
loo
2. Types Produced.
The plant produces special bearings stamped with an
Opel- replacement parts number to be used as replacement parts for
trucks. These bearings were originally designed by the Vereingite
Kugellagerfabrik, Schweinfurt, West Germany. The assortment of types;
is to be extended in 1952; however, the prototypes can be found only in
West Germany. 539 In 1953 this plant is to expand its facilities to
produce taper roller bearings. 540
D. Plant Information.
1. Personality.
Lohse German representative at the Antifriction
Bearings Conference, Leipzig, December 1950 541/
There is no available information on personnel, number of
;buildings, possible plant expansion, or source of electric power.
E. Distribution of Output.
Output probably is c}istributed through the DEZ.
~ The Opel was originally the General Motors automobile produced
in Germany. The Russians moved the machinery into the USSR, and
this machinery probably is now being used to make the Soviet
Pobeda.
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PART III: CZECHOSLOVAKIA
I. Zbrojovka Brno Plant e Lisen.
A. Background.
The plant, built during the German occupation and known as
the Ostmark Aircraft Engine Plant, produced aircraft engine parts
and shells during World War II. The war damage which occurred in
1g44 was partially repaired by 1947, -and new buildings were also
erected next to the destroyed areas. The area and plant facilities
were turned over to the Zbrojovka Brno Corporation by the
Czechoslovak government. 542 The plant was set up as a producer
of ball bearings in September 1947, and production of bearings began
in 1948. 543 Machinery weighing approximately 770 tons was delivered
to this plant as reparations from the Kugelt'ischer plant in
Schweinfurt, West Germany. 544 This equipment had been reported as
damaged and with principal parts misplaced. 545 Under the Five Year
Plan (1949-53), $200,000 was to be spent on buildings and $2.4 million
on machine equipment.. 546- The official name of the factory is
Zavody Presneho Strojirenstvi, Zavod Antonina Zapotock~eho, Lisen. 547
C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.~-
Ye ar
1848
1949
1950
1951
1952
Output (Thousand Units)
800
' 1, 800
2, 500
3, 500
4,500
* The estimates for the Czechoslovak plants as given in this
appendix are taken from Table 14, and the method of making them is
discussed in the footnotes for Table 14, p. 48, above.
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2. Types Produced. 549
The following types are produced: ball bearings with bore
diameters of from 12 mm to 80 mm, taper roller bearings with bore
diameters of from 17 mm to 60 mm, thrust ball bearings with bore
diameters of from 10 mm to 75 mm, and steel balls and rollers.
The plant also manufactures tractors and textile
mach~.nery. 550
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities. 551
Dsrorak Director (1949)
Joseph Siroky Deputy Director (1949)
Dvorak Security Chief (1949)
Joseph Jilek President of Trades Union Council
Obdrzalek Technician
Petru Technician
2. Personnel.
a. Employees. 552
In 1950, total employment was reported to be 4,000
workers, including 1,200 in the bearings section. In 1951, reported
employment in the bearings section was 1,500, including approximately
25 percent women.
b. Shifts.
Three shifts have been reported in the bearings
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3. Buildings. 553
The natal area of the plant covers approximately 3,316,500
square feet. There are approximately 15 :single-story buildings (the
numbers listed below are the actual designations used for these
buildings at the plant): No. 1, general work shop, 330 by 175 feet;
No. 2, assembly of tractors and small foundry, x+25 by 300 feet; No. 3;
assembly of textile machinery, x+25 by 300 feet; No. ~+, mechanical
workshop for textile machinery, 200 by 300 feet (planned to be con-
verted into workshop for ball bearings); No. 5, workshop for ball
bearings, x+25 by 300 feet; ,No. 6, workshop for balls and hardening
shop; No. 8, a warehouse for raw materials, 255 by 50 feet, hardening
of rings; No. 10, warehouse, 335 by ~+0 feet; No. 32, workshops for
presses for raceways, assembly line and inspection room for balls,
offices of general management, and offices of chief technicians;
boiler house and central heating plant, 110 by 70 feet; and other
buildings including sales office, locker rooms, railroad station,
canteens, and main entrance buildings.
~+. Plant Expansion. 55~+
New buildings for tractors were partly completed in 1950.
Two additional buildings are to be erected on adjoining land, but
their use is not known.
5. Electric Power. 555
Electric power is supplied by the West Moravian Electric
Works power grid, Oslovany. The plant has generators which are not
capable of driving all the machinery in the plant.
E. Distribution of Output.
The bearings produced are to be used in motor cars, tractors,
and electric motors and are probably distributed to Czechoslovak
industry through the Central Control Office for Bearings and Tools
(Stredisko IN). 55~
Before the restrictions of exports to Czechoslovakia in
February 19+8, the Zbrojovka Corporation received 12 precision grinders
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from US concerns. 557 The machine tools for the grinding of balls
were produced in Czechoslovakia pursuant to a license obtained from
the Hoffman Manufacturing Company, Ltd., of Chelmsford, England,
and in accordance with drawings and specifications supplied by
Hoffman under an agreement concluded in 1947. 558
II. Plant No. 28, Zbrojovka Brno Corporation, Perstejn.
A. Background.
Before World War II the Perstejn ball bearings plant was a
branch of the Swedish SKF firm. It was a comparatively small plant,
dependent on Swedish and German sources for supplies of balls and
rings. During the war the plant was taken over by the Germans. In
1945, when the government confiscated the plant, the Swedes removed
all machinery of Swedish origin. However, the Swedes later sold to
Czechoslovakia machinery which was being installed in this plant up
to 1949. In 1947 the Perstejn plant became Plant No. 28 of the
Zbrojovka Brno Corporation. 559
C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.
During the war, its maximum output was 59,000 assembled
bearings per month (July 1943). 561
Year?
Output (Thousand Units)
1948
600
1949
goo
1950
2,000
1951
2,300
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2. Types Produced. 562
The following types are produced: ball bearings with bore
diameters of from 12 ~ to 80 ~,~taper roller bearings with bore
diameters of from 17 uun to 60 mm, and thrust ball bearings with bore
diameters of from 10 to 75 mm.
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
Jan Froehlich (Engineer), Director (1951) 563
C. Suchanek (Engineer), Supervisor of Labs and Steel
Tempering (1949) 564
Stepnicka Construction Supervisor (1949) 565
Ludmila Patkova Sales Director (1949) 566
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
Total employment was 550 with 350 to 400 on production
in 1950. 567
b . Shifts .
One 8-hour shift was reported. 568
3. Buildings.
The total area of the plant site covers approximately
350,000 square feet. 569 The following buildings are located in
the plant 570: the main production buildings, consisting of 2 or
possibly 3 buildings constructed close to one another in an L-shaped
assembly of buildings, which includes a machine shop, 152 by 120
feet, housing an automatics shop and a grinding shop, a machine
shcip, 161 by 92 feet, and a foundry, 86 by 92 feet; the production
building, housing the engineering offices and the grinding .and
assembly shops, 274 by 68 feet; a hydroelectric power station;
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administrative offices and warehousing of finished products,
approximately 350 by 35 feet; a warehouse, 52 'by 52 feet; a canteen
(L-shaped building); and the Director's residence.
4. Plant Expansion.
No new buildings have been erected or are planned. It
has been reported that the plant may be moved to Klasterec, which is
7 kilometers north of Perstejn. 571 A branch plant is reported to
be located at Kadan. 572
5. Electric Power.
The plant produces its own electric power. The power
plant consists of two water-powered turbines. When the water level
is low, steam-driven turbines produce the power. 573
E . Distribution of Output .
Bearings reportedly are to be distributed to Czechoslovak
national enterprises. 574
Sweden supplied this plant with steel up to 1948. The last
shipment of Swedish steel was received in August 1949. 575
III. Viliama Sirokeho Plant, Kysucke Nove Mesto.
A. Background.
The construction of this plant was started under the Two Year
Plan (1947-48) and was originally called the Vallo (Valiva Loziska)
National Corporation. 576 The foundation stone for the plant was
laid by Deputy Prime Minister Viliam Shiroky on 1 May 1948. 577
Under the Five Year Plan (1949-53), $4.2 million was to be spent on
buildings and $5.8 million on machine equipment. 578 One workshop
was reported to have been opened on 28 October 1950, a second shop
on February 1951, and three other shops were nearing completion by
June 1951. The plant is an affiliate of the Zbrojovka Brno Corp-
oration. The construction of the plant was supervised by engineers
fz-om the Lisen plant, who were placed in supervisory positions. 579
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C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.
Year
1949
1950
1951
2. Types Produced. 581
0
Negligible
140
Up to June 1951, ball bearings in 2 sizes were reported
in production: No. 6204, with a bore of 20 mm; and No. 6203, with
a bore of 17 mm. A total of 10 different sizes were to be in
production by-the end of 1951, and during 1952 the number of
different types and sizes was to be increased to 40.
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities. 582
Muskar Plant Director (1951)
Wolf Supervisor, Workshop No. 1 (1951)
Kucar Supervisor of Production Planning (1951)
Homola Security Chief (1951)
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
In 1951 there were X50 to 400 workers, 50 percent of
whom were women. In addition, there Taere about 60 apprentices. 583
Planned employment is 3,000 workers. 584
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b. Shifts.
There are three 8-hour shifts, 6 days per week. 585
3. Buildings.
The following installations were under construction or in
partial operation in June 1951 (approximate sizes) 586
a. Production Workshop, 160 by 40 metersr with brick
partition wall dividing this building into 2 sections. One section
was in partial operation in June 1951 with a machine and grinding
department and aheat-treating department.
June 1951.
b .
Workshop, 140 by 40 meters, not equipped as of
June 1951.
c.
Workshop, 70 by 40 meters, not equipped as of
June 1951.
d.
Workshop, 40 by 40 meters, not equipped as of
e.
Workshop, 40 by 40 meters. Machinery installed was
reported to have been used mainly for maintenance at the plant as of
June 1951.
f. Boiler house, 40 by 40 meters, 3-story building with
3 brick smokestacks. Still under construction as of June 1951.
~+. Plant Expansion.
Foundation walls for an ~dmi..nistration building, 100 by
12 meters, and a garage, 50 by 12 meters, were laid in 1951. 587
Underground installations have been reported under construction in
the hills approximately 1,500 feet west of the plant site. 588
5. Electric Power.
Power is ;su lied from Zilina through ahigh-tension
transmission line. 589
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IV. Zbrojovka Brno Plant, Tyniste nad Orlici.
A. Background.
This plant (formerly owned by a per.san known as K.J. Stasek)
was built before World War II. The plant was .assigned to the
Zbrojovka Brna Corporation after the war. It is a small plant with
ively insignificant output. 59o Old machinery from Plant
t Perstejn was reported 'to have been sent to this plant in 50X1-H U M
19 9..591
The plant is reported to be located on the northwestern out-
skirts of Tyniste nad Orlici at a junction of the road running from
Tyniste nad Orlici to Opocno. ~~
C. Production Information.
In late 1949, annual production was reported to be
approximately 2 percent of the total output of the industry. 593
This would be equivalent to approximately 100,000 bearings in 1950.
- Production is reported.tb be of an inferior quality. 594
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
Unknown.
2. Personnel.
a. Employees .
Employment was reported to be 120 workers in 1948, of
whom 15 percent were women. 595
b . Shifts .
One 8-hour shift was reported. 596
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3. Buildings.
The plant was reported to be small, covering an axes.
of about 70 by 150 meters and consisting of 2 workshop buildings
~19~+9)? 597 There is no available information on proposed plant
expansion, source of .electric power, or method of distribution of
output.
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PART N: POLAND
Fabryka Wyrowbow Metalowych, Krasnik.
A. Background.
This plant, built prior t4 1939, was used as a';m!unitions
factory. It was partly demolished as a result of wartime opera-
tions. 598 Reconstruction of the plant began during the Three
Year Plan (1947-49), and 94 million zlotys were to be invested in
its construction. 599 Toward the end of 1949, machinery was re-
ported to have been moved into the shops, and the plant began to
produce antifriction bearings in 1950. 600 Very little informa-
tion is available on the plant.
B. Location.
C. Production.
1. Estimated Output.
Output in 1949 was reported to be negligible and that
for 1950 was estimated to be 200,000 bearings. A Warsaw newspaper
on 30 January 1951 reported that the plant had experienced its
first year (1950) under the production plan, which it not only
fulfilled but exceeded by 60,000 antifriction bearings. 601
Output for 1951 was estimated on the following basis:
In the first quarter of 1951 the antifriction bearings industry in-
creased output by 388 percent as compared with the first quarter of
1950. 602 Assuming a straight line .increase in production for 1950,
the output in the first quarter of 1950 has been estimated to be 20,000
bearings. Therefore, the output in the first quarter of 1951 has been
estimated to be .about 100,000 bearings (20,000 x 4.88 = 97,600). By
continuing to pro,~ect estimated production on a straight line, out-
put in 1951 has been estimated to be 570,000 bearings. In the third
quarter of 1951, however, the plan was not achieved, although output
did surpass the production in the third quarter of 1950. 603 There-
fore, output in 1951 has been estimated to be 500,000 bearings.
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Ball and roller bearings in the medium-size range are re-
ported to have been produced up to April 1951. 60~+
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
Jan Tuszynski Managing Director (19+9) 605
2. Personnel.
The plant was reported to employ 1,000 workers in 1950,
and this number was to increase to 3,000 when the plant operated at
capacity. 606 Thirty percent of the employees are reported to be
women, and nearly all the workers are reported to be of ~ asant
origin. The unskilled workers receive a 6 to 8 weeks's training
program in the operation of the machinery. 607
There is no available information on buildings or source
of electric power.'
E. Distribution of Output.
Roller bearings are being produced for tractors constructed
by the State Engineering Works at Ursus near Warsaw. 608 It would
appear that this plant will supply bearings to the automotive factory
under construction at Lublin. 609
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PART V: RUMANIA
Steagul Rosu Plant, Orasul Stalin.
A. Background.
A ball and roller bearings section was established in the
Steagul Rosu Plant (formerly Astra-Vagoane) at Orasul Stalin
(formerly Brasov), 610 and production was begun in June lg4g. 611
Machines for the bearings section were imported from the USSR under
the USSR-Rumanian trade agreement of 1849. 612 Other machines are
reported to have been transferred from the IAR factory in Orasul
Stalin. 613 Soviet technicians were sent to train the local
workers, ~ and two Italian bearings technicians hard also worked
in the plant until 1951. 615
The plant is located about 2 miles southeast of the main
railway station in Orasul Stalin, 1,500 feet southwest of the
Orasul Stalin - Ploesti main highway at coordinates 47037'30"N-
25?38'30"E. 616 The Metrom metallurgical plant is reported to be
located about 1,500 feet northwest of this plant toward Orasul
Stalin. 617
C. Production Information.
1. Estimated Output.
Production commenced in June 1849. Output in December
lg4g was reported to be 1,860 bearings.. 618 Output for the year
1849 was ,estimated at 7,000 units and was obtained by projecting a
smooth curve from June to December 1949.
Output in January 1950 was reported to be 6,400
bearings. 619 In 1950, planned production was reported to be
192,273 bearings weighing 280,000 kilograms. Actual production in
the first quarter of 1950 was reported to be 24,000 bearings. 620
On 27 August 1950, Steagul Rosu was reported to have manufactured
its 100, 000th bearing. 621 A Soviet publication reported on
14 March 1951 that the 1950 planned output in bearings at Steagul
Rosu was fulfilled by 111.5 percent. 622 The estimate of output
for 1950 is 200,000 units.
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The same publication also reported that the January and
February plans (1951)~had been fulfilled by 140 percent. 623 The
estimate of an output of 300,000 bearings in 1951 is based on the
reported growtYi in output in 1950 and in the first 2 months of 1951.
2. Types Produced.
In 1949, two types were reported in production: taper
roller and spherical roller bearings. 624
In 1950 the plant was planning to produce over 40 different
sixes in 4 different types of antifriction bearings: taper roller
bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, spherical roller bearings, and
ball bearings. Actual production up to April 1950 consisted of taper
roller bearings with a bore size of 50 mm and cylindrical roller
bearings with bore size of 60 mm and 110 mm. 625
Ball bearings were not produced at this plant until
1951. In May 1951 the plant produced ball bearings with a 50-mm
bore. 626
The .principal production of this plant actually is rail-
way freight cars, oil tankers, and armaments. 627 Production of
antifriction bearings is a small segment of the output of this plant.
D. Plant Information.
1. Personalities.
Marcel Klein Director General of the factory (195.2) 628
Victor Gavet Chief Engineer (1950) 629
2. Personnel.
a. Employees.
The plant in 1952 employed approximately 6,000 to
7,000 workers. 630 The bearing section employed 150 workers in
1949, 631 with a planned employment of 400 workers for January
1950. 32
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b. Shifts.
It was reported that in 1950 there were 2 shifts,
12 hours per day, 7 days per week. 633
3. Buildings.
The plant area is reported to be surrounded by a
rectangular fence measuring approximately 2,300 by 1,150 feet. 634
There are more than 10 large-size production buildings iri this plant
area. The production of aritifriction bearings is reported to be.
located in Building No. 530 (this $s the number used at the plant
for. this building), which is in the northwest portion of the plant.
The building measures approximately 425 by 325 feet, and the bearings
section uses approximately 325 by 325 feet of this building. 635
4. Plant Expansion.
The capacity of this plant in the production of anti-
friction bearings has been increasing. There is no known information,
however, that further sections of this plant will be used for pro-
duction of bearings.
5. Electric Pawer.
Electric power is supplied by the plant's own hydro-
electric power station, which is situated in the center of the plant
axe a. 636
E. Distribution of Output.
Bearings are used in tractors and petroleum producing equip-
ment. 637
F. Remarks.
The Astra Corporation was founded as a private concern in
1920. Before World War II it had gained control over 4 plants,
1 of which was the Astra Vagoane (now the Steagal Rosu). In 1941
the Astra Corporation virtually became state-owned, when the Malaxa
Trust, which was controlled by the Rumanian government, absorbed all
of a new stock issue of the corporation. Tn June 1948 the Astra
Corporation was nationalized. The individual plants became in-
dependent of the parent corporation and were renamed. 638
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Tne first charge of special steel for antifriction bearings
Was smelted at Industria Sarmei (Wire Industry) in Campia-Turzii in
July 1949. 639
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PART VI: OTI~R PLANTS
A. Confirmed Bearings. Repair Plants and Minor Bearings Plants.
Alma-Ata
Gome 1'
Grodno
Krasnodar
Moscow
Novosibirsk
Stalingrad
The Alma-Ata Bearings Repair Plant repaired 59,000
bearings in the first 6 months of 1948. 640
This hearings repair plant fulfilled a 7-month
program ahead of schedule in 1848. 641
Reported to be a bearings repair plant, constructed
in 1952. 642
This bearings repair plant concluded contracts with
industry and tractor stations for repair of ball
and roller bearings in 1950. 643
A bearings repair plant, .reported to have begun
operations in 1951. 644
A special plant setup for repairing bearings. 645
The Novosibirsk Roller Bearing Plant took first
place among the enterprises in the April competi-
tion, 1949. 646
A bearings repair plant listed in the All-Union
Bearings Repair Directorate. 647 Qutput was re-
ported to be about 70,000 bearings in first half
of 1948. 648 The plant was awarded the second
All-Union prize for the fourth quarter of 1949. 649
In 1949 this bearings repair plant, which was con-
structed after World War II, was manufacturing
new ball and roller bearings as-well as repairing
them. Capacity iri 1949 was reported to be 10,000
bearings per month. 650.
Listed under All-Union Bearings Repair Directorate
in 1948. 651 In 1947 it produced approximately
50 reconditioned bearings per day which were sent
to Moscow, Stalingrad, and Tashkent. 652
Qutput of this repair plant was reported to be
62,900 bearings in the first half of 1948, 653
and bearings production was reported as lagging
in 1950. 654
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Tomsk Listed under All-Union Bearings Repair Directorate
in 1948. 655
B. Unconfirmed Bearings Repair Plants and Minor Plants.
The production of ball and roller bearings at the following
plants in the USSR is either unconfirmed or in limited quantities to
fulfill the requirements of the plant for production of other products.
In addition, there are approximately 70 other plants which have been re-
ported to be producing ball and roller bearings. There is no confirma-
tion on the latter reports.
Alapayevsk The Serp i Molot Steel Plant was reported to be
making ball and roller bearings (1946). 656
Alma,-Ata Ball bearings were reported to be manufactured at the
Alma,-Ata Heavy Machine Factory (1946). 657
Chita A ball bearings plant was reported to be located 15
miles north of the No. 1 Chita Railroad Station
(1846)?
Chkalov 'T'his tank factory at Chkalov was reported to be pro-
ducing rolls and roller bearings for tanks (1949).
659
Irkutsk Roller bearings were reported to be produced at the
Kuybyshev Machinery Manufacturing Plant (1948). 660
Ivanovo A ball and roller bearings factory was reported at
Ivanovo (1949). 661
Kamenka A be arings repair plant was reported to have been
built in 1937 and to be producing roller bearings
with about 1,500 workers in 3 shifts (1949). 662
Kiev Ball bearings were reported to be produced at the
Kiev Steel Plant (1947). 663
Kirov Ball bearings were reported to be manufactured at
the Aumzunition and Farm Machine Factory (1947). 664
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Kramatorsk Novo Ks~amatorsk Plant of Heavy Machine Construction
was reported to be required to manufacture large
ball and roller bearings for the heavy machinery
made at the plant (1941). 665 Novo Kramatorsk was
reported to produce ball 'bearings (1949)? 666
Krasnoyarsk A ball bearings shop was reported to be loca ed in
the No. 2 Foundry Farm Implement Factory (1946).
667
Leningrad An instrument factory was reported to be manufactur-
ing small ball bearings (1946). 668
Rustavi Machinery from the Steyr Bearings Plant, Austria, was
reported to be used to set up a plant (1948). 669
Sverdlovsk Uralmash Machine-Building Plant was also reported to
be producing large bearings. 670 Ball bearings
were machined at this plant (~). 671
II. East Germany.
There is no confirmation of the following reports of the production
of ball bearings at these locations.
Magdeburg - Backau The production of the Ernst Thaelmann Works,
formerly the Krupp Gruson Works, consists mainly
of armor plate and ball bearings for tanks. 672
Nordhausen The IWA Tractor Factory is manufacturing crank
shafts, drive shafts, and ba11 bearings for
tanks. 673
Erkner The former subsidiary plant of VKF' in Erkner,
which had been completely dismantled by the
Russians in 1945, was reported in operation,
again producing antifriction bearings. 674/ A
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There is no confirmation of the following reports of the production
of ball bearings ~,t these locations.
Dolni Mecholupy A factory reported to have been built by the
(about 7 km southeast Germans during World War II is now producing
of Prague) nonprecision bearings of inferior quality.
The factory in 1950 was reported to consist of
2 buildings with the main building measuring
approximately 120 meters by 30 meters and to
produce about 700,000 nonprecision bearings
for agricultural machinery. 676 -This may be
a plant referred to as the former Solman
plant. 677
Turciansky Svaty A ball bearing plant was reported to be under
Martin construction at the foot of the Mala Fatra
Mountains in the town of Turciansky Svaty
Martin (19+9). 678
Spisska Nove Ves A factory for the production of ball bearings
was reported to be built at Spisska Nove Ves
(19+9) ? 679
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APPENDIX C
EQUIPMENT USED IN THE ANTIFRICTION BEARIlVGS INDUSTRY
The machine tools used in the antifriction bearings industry are
for the most part considered as standard metalworking equipment. It
must be understood, however, that this equipment is specially adapted
to the materials and processes used in the industry. Special tooling
includes forming tools, gages, fixture s, and other accessories which
are peculiar to the manufacture of bearings.
There follows a list of the ,principal types of equipment used in
the antifriction bearings industry. Those which can be considered as
specially designed for the industry are designated by an asterisk (~).
A. Balls and Rollers.
1. Heading machines, or upsetters.
2. Furnaces (for hardening and tempering).
3. Gages (for sizing and sorting).~-
4. Rough grinders, vertical spindle type.-
5. Furnaces (for annealing).
6. Finish grinders and lappers.-~
7. Tumbling, or burnishing, barrels.
Rollers.
8. Centerless grinders (for taper rollers very special
tooling is required).
End grinders (for taper rollers very special tooling
is required) .
B. Rings.
1. Forging machines.
a. Upsetters.
b. Steam hammers.
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2.
Power saws, or cut-off machines.
3.
Automatic turning machines.
a.
b .
c.
Single spindle type .
Multiple spindle type .
Chucking machines.
~+.
Centerless grinders.
5.
Bore grinders.
6.
Surface grinders (Blanchard type).
7.
Presses (for stamping manufacturer's identification).
Ball Bearing Rings.
8. Turret lathes.
g. Hand millers (for notched races).
10. Furnaces (for annealing, hardening, and tempering).
11. Oscillating groove grinders.
Roller Bearing Rings.
12.' Furnaces (for carburizing) .
C. Retainers.
1. Stamping presses (for steel stampings, involving
complicated die sets).
2. Presses (presses for retainer assembly are required for
ball retainers)..
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APPENDIX D
SUPPORTING STATISTICAL TABLES FOR THE ANT]FRICPION BEARINGS INDUSTRY IN THE USSR
Table 29
Estimated Production oY Antifriction Bearings at Individual Plants in the USSR ~~
1932-51
State Bearings
Plants
1932
1933
1934 1935 1936 1937 1938
1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944
1945
No.
1.
Moscow
1,100 ~
5,100 b,
,,/
11,300 ~ 16,600 J 19,5 J 21,500 , 23,E J
25,000 ~ 32,000 ~ 17,000 ~ 10,000 ~ 15,000 ~ 18,000 g~
19;000 g~
No.
2.
Moscow
1,500 ,
2,000 J
2,300 ~ 2,600 ~ 2,800 ~ 3,000 ~ 3,2~ J
3,400 ~ 3,5~ ~ 1,5~ J 3,~0 J 3,000 ~ 3,3~ J
3,500
No.
3.
5aratw
5~ ~ 1,500 ~ 2,000 ~ 2,000 p~ 1,900 J
1,900 9/
No.
4.
KLLybyshev
N.A. 800 ~ 1,800 ~
3,000
No.
5?
Tomsk
Negligible 1,800 ~ 2,400 ~
2,700 c/
No.
6.
Sverdlovsk
Negligible 100 ~ 150 ~
300,
No.
7.
Baku
No.
8.
Khar'kw
No.
9.
Kuybyshev
(Bezyajyanka)
2,600 7,100 13,600 19,200 22,300 24,500 26,200 28,400 36,000 20,000 15,E 22,700 2 0 30,400
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Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings at Individual Plants in the USSR
1932-51
(Continued)
State Bearings
Plants
1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951
No. 1. Moscow 12,000 ~ 19,200 ~ 28,400 ~ 36,000 ~ 48,000 ~ 51,5 J
No. 2. Moscow 3,500 ~ 4,400 y~ 4,600 ~ 5,200 z~ 6,000 ~ 7,000
No. 3. Saratov 1,900 g/ 2,100 cc 2,500 ~ 4,000 ee 5,7~ ~ 7,4~ J
No. 4. Kuybyshev 5,5~ ~/ 9,000 ~ 10,000 ~ 11,000 ii 12,000 ~j 13,,000
No. 5. Tomsk 3,000 J ~ 3,400 ~ 4,200 J 5,000 c~ 6,000 ~ 7,000 J
No. 6. Sverdlovsk 400 ~ 550 ~ 7~ ~ 850 ~ 1,000 ~ 1,100
No. 7. Baku 30 ~ 53 00 67 00 90 00 120
No. 8. Kharkov 100 ~ 400 rr 1,800 ss 2,200 ~ 4,000 ~ 6,400
No. 9. Kuybyshev
(Bezy~yanka) 600 ~ 1,000 ~ 2,000 ~ 3,~ ~ 3,5~ zz 4,600 aaa
Total, 1946-51 27,000 40,080 54,253 67,317 86,290 98,120
a. Range of estimate, plus or minus 20 percent.- Blank spaces indicate that this plant was not yet in production.
ti. Planned production: 1932, 3 million bearings; 1933, 12 million bearings; 1934, 24 million bearings. 680 Reported actual
production: 1932, 1.1 million bearings; 1933, 5.1 million bearings; 1934, 11.3 million bearings; 1935, 16.6 million bearings. 681/
c. For years for which data were lacking, estimates were interpolated mechanically between reported production estimates.
d. No. 1 State Bearings Plant planned to produce 3,855,000 bearings in August 1939 and actually produced 1,759,000 bearings in
August 1939, or 45.6 percent of planned output. 682 Assuming that the rate of output would increase in the last 4 months of 1939,
actual production for 1939 was estimated to be 25 million bearings.
e. A Soviet publication reported on 24 September 1947 that production of bearings was 100,000 bearings per day. This figure
would correspond to 32 million bearings per year in 1940 (based on 320 working days). 683
f. Evacuation oY the plant in the fall of 1941 caused production to drop. 684 The plant was in partial operation by 1942;
with the yearly output at the lowest level. 685
g. Output in late 1943 was reported at approximately 2.5 million bearings per month. 686 This monthly figure appears to be in
excess of the probable output of antifriction bearings at this plant considering that the plant had been evacuated in late 1941 and
only in partial operation in 1942. Annual output in 1943, therefore, has been estimated to be about half the annual output of this
reported monthly figure. Output for 1944 and 1945 was estimated on the basis of this adjusted annual output in 1943.
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Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings at Individual Plante in the USSR
1932-51
(Continued)
h.
State Bearings Plant produced OO,000.bearings in 1931 and planned to produce 2 million bearings in 1933 and 3 million
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on completign of the reconstruction.
1.
State Bearings Plant planned to produce 337,600 bearings in. August 1939 and actually produced 158,800 bearings in
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Augur
~ On the basis of this reported output, an estimated monthl3r average of 290,000 was assumed, which corresponds to
-
ea annual output of 3.4 million.
,~. Production in 1940 was reported to be million bearings.
k. In the fall of 1941, equipment fr~State Bearings Plant was evacuated to Tomsk and Sverdlovsk, but the pleat was re- 5OX1- H U M
equipped and in operation again by the middle of 1942? ~ Production was reported to be 3 million bearings in 1942. 6 1
1. Output of bearings in 1951 was reported to be double over 1945 output, 6 2 which would put 1945 output at 3.5 million
m. Construction of~State Bearings Pleat was not crmpleted before World War II. 6 3 Output in 1940 was estimated to be
approximate]y 500,000 ear s.
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n. Production was reported in 1941 at 1.5 million bearings. 6 4
o. Production was reported in 1942 at 2 million bearings. 6 5 The plant was bombed by Germans in 1942.
q. In 1845 the war damage was being repaired. Between 1g45 and 1947 the daily rate of production was. reported at approximately
4;300 ball bearings, 1,5~ roller bearings, sad 600 needle hearings. ~ On the basis of this report, output was estimated to be
appraacimately 1.9 million in 1945 and 1946.
r. In late 1941 State Bearings Pleat wa.s set up with machinery evacuated from Moscow. ~ In 1946 the statement was
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published that pr c en of bearings in 1943 was 60,000 to 70,000 bearings per month and 290000 bearings in October 1945?
This output was reported to be for tractors, but tractor and farm machinery production was negligible during this period, and
the reports were therefore assumed to be the total production at the plant.
s. In 1941 this plant was set up by machinery evacuated from Moscow, O1 anal the plant began operations in January 1942. 02
In 1943, production was. reported at 1.8 million. 03
t. In 1941~State Bearings Plant was set up with some of the machinery evacuated from the Moscow pleats.. ~ Information
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on production s ted; however, this pleat produces large-size hearings. On 4 June 1948 it was reported that the plant produced
several million bearings to date. 05 On the basis of this report, production of approximately 2 million bearings was distributed
over the period from 1942 to 1948.
u. A Soviet publication on 29 March 1947 stated that in 1950 the plea ca11s for an increase to 400 percent of the 1946 planned
output, 706 which is interpreted as a fourfold increase. With production estimated to be 48 million bearings in 1950 (see footnote w),
output of bearings in 1946 has been estimated to be 12 million bearings (48 + 4 = 12). This is regarded as a reasonable figure
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Table 29
Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings at Individual Plants in the USSR.
1932-51
(Continued)
for 1 ~ since a Soviet newspaper on~20 July 1951 reported that the production area had been considerably reduced as comipared with the
paewar period (output by 1950, however, was worth considerably more than output in ].940) ~ and in 194b a tare plant wsa reliably re-
ported to occupy parts of the pleat,.
v..~Phe percentage increases in production over the preceding year at State Bearings Plant ar8 as follows: a Soviet publication on
3 February 1948 stated that in 1947 production of ball bearings increased by 60 percent as compared with 1946 709 ; and .another on
17 October 1948 stated that compared with the first ~ months of 1947, production of ball bearings increased by 4t5 percent. 710 It has
been assumed that the percentage increase was maintained for the balance of the year. On 3 Aovember 1949 it was stated that in 1949 pro-
duction was to be increased by 38 percent for each square meter of effective floor space and by 39 percent for each unit oP plant as
compared with 1948. ~ The same source on 4 November 1949 stated that the plan for the plant for 1949 was an increase of 32 percent
over 194$, and another newspaper on 2b November 1949. stated that it was em~isaged to fulfill the plan for 1949 by 1'December 1949. 712
It would appear from these reports that the p18n oP ~2 percent was going to be fulfilled; however, on ES April 1950 it was reported that
elute July 1949 the pleat has not been operating satisfactorily. There is no known report which definitely states that the planned
production of antifriction bearings at this plant had been achieved in 1949. Therefore, the achieved percentage increase wsa estimated
to be shout 27 percent as compared with 1948. This figure has been estimated by using the achieved percentage increases and estimated
production figures for 1948 and 1950.
A Soviet newspaper on'20 Jtiiy 1951 stated that output of basic products per unit of equipment increased 27.1 percent in 1950 as com-
pared with 1949, and that output per square meter, of production area increased 35.2 percent. The article stated that to increase output
by more than a third and lower the production coat of goods by 29 percent, as the state Plan demanded, every link of the plate's production
had to be put on a higher orstanization~+.l and technicalsespl.
A Soviet newspaper on 16 August 1951 stated that output of bearings in the first quarter of 1951 was 5.5 percent higher than same
period of 1950.
On 9 February 1952 it was reported that in 1952 this plant plans to increase the volume of production oP bearings by 10 percent, using
the present production area and the same ntmmber of workers as in 1951. ~ _
Year
Percentage Increases Over Preceding Year
Estimated Production
(Million Units)
1946
R.A.
12.0
1947
Achieved
60
19.2
1948
Achieved
48
28.4
1949
(Planned 32; Estimated Achieved
27
36.0
1950
(Achieved
33
48.0
1951
(First Quarter of 1951)
5.5
51.5
1952
(Planned)
10
56.7
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Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings at Individual Plants in the USSR
1932-51
(Continued)
w. A Soviet newspaper on 9 February 1952 stated that in 1950 this. plant exceeded the prewar output of bearings by ll times.
Another publication stated that in 1950 the output of bearings at this plant increased 79 percent, as compared with 19+0. ~ Pro-
duction in 1950 was estimated to be 48 million bearings, since the increase in production of 12 times was believed to be a more
reliable report on actual production.
x. On 19 April 1947 it was reported that production d ball bearings in 1947 in to be increased by 27 percent, as compared with
1946, and. on 22 November 1947 that the annual Plan Yor 1947 was YUlfilled on 15 November 1947. ~ Using. the 1947 estimate (see
footnote y below), output of bea*-~,as.in 1946 was estimated to be approximately 3.5 million bearings (4.4 + 1.27 = 3.47)?
y. Production in 1947 was reported on 7 Aiaguat 1947 to be in excess oY 1940 output. ~l f on the basis of this report, actual
output in 1947 was estimated to he 4.4 million bearings.
z. A Saviet publication in August 1949 .reported that the Fourth Five Year Plan (1946-50) waa to be fulYilled in 4 years and_that
a 50.percent increase as compared with prewar production was to be achieved in 1949 instead of in 1950. On 10 August 1950 it was
reported that the Five Year Plan was fulfilled in November 1949? 20 On the basis of a 50-percent increase over 1940, production
in 1949 was estimated at 5.2 mi111on bearings.
ae. On 10 August 1952 it was reported that in the first 6 months of 1950 production of ball bearings increased by 28.4 percent as
compared with the same period of~the previous-year and by 70 percent as compared with before the war. ~ On the basis oY_a 70.per-
-cent increase in 1950 over 1940 (which was estimated to be 3.5 million bearings), actual production for 1950 was estimated to be
6 million bearings.
bb. On 22 December 1951 it wsa reported that in 1951.output increased by 20 percent as compared with 1950. ~ Production of
bearings in 1951 was estimated at 7 million bearings.
cc. On 19 April 1947 it was reported that in 1947 production oY bearings was to increase by 25 percent e;s compared with 1940. A
technical journal in April 1948 reported that in 1947 the Plan gyres not 11.tlfilled. 723 Planned production of the ring department
was Yar tinge-for the assembly oY 3.5 million to 4 million bearings, but the resection rate in 1947 was also reported at about 40 percent.
production in 1947 was estimated at 2.1 million bearings by app]ying the 40-percent refection rate against the planped. output
of 3.5 million bearings. This estimate is an increase of approximately 10 percent as compared with 1946.
dd. The old production shop was party re-equipped with new machine tools from Germas~. The construction of a large new work-
shop which wee started in 1946 was nearing completion in late 1948 and was also to be equipped with German machine tools. By late
1948, production is reported to have increased by 30 percent as compared with 1945 production, 25 or 2.34 million bearings; how-
ever, on 13 February 1949 it was reported that. production of ball bearings in Saratov Province in 1948 increased by 24 percent as
crompered with 1947, 26 or 2.60 million bearings. Actual output in 1947 is estimated to he 2.5_million, which is an average of the
2 reported percentage increases.
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Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings at Individual Plants in the USSR
1932-51
(Continued)
ee. ~+ late 1949 the ne-a forge and the large new production shop were completed and equipped with machinery. 2 On 30 October
1949 it was reported that the Plan for the first 10 months of 1949 was fulfilled 10 days before schedule. On 13 February 1949 it
was reported that in 1949 the production of precision ball bearings for precision machinery and instruments was to be twice as much
se is 1948 and that of cylindrical roller bearings for machine tool, automobile, and tractor industries, 2.5 times as much as in
1948? ~ In 1949, Production was estimated at 4 million bearings, 2~ which is approximately 1.5 times as much as in 1948. This
estimate appears reasonable, since the new shops were not in operation until late 1949 and since their effect would be felt is 1950
rather than 1949?
ff. On 13 June 1946 it was reported that in 1950 this plant planned to produce 3 times as matey bearings as in 1945. 7 0 On 10
May 1950 it was reported that the Plan for the first quarter oY 1950 was overfulfilled. Assuming that the-plant overf~zlfilled the
planned output, production in 1950 was estimated to be 5.7 million, which is more than 3 times the estimated output of 1.9 million
for 1945.
gg..A report of 29 December 1945 stated that daily production ,jumped frame 40,000 to 45,000 pieces of bearing rings in the first
half of December to 52,400 pieces on 25 December. ~ This would be an average oY approximately 48,000 rings, which corresponds to
24,000 hearings per day (2 rings per bearing) for December 1945 and 1946. Assuming a 350-day work year and neglecting a rejection
rate, this would be 8.4 million per year. A rejection rate of 30 to 40 percent on aver-ell operations in 1946 was not unreasonable,
since some prisoner-of-war reports mention a higher re,ection rate for rings alone. By appljring a refection rate of 35 percent,
productiotihvas estimated to be approximately 5.5 million in 1946.
hh. Oa 19 April 1947 it way reported that production of ball bearings was to be increased by 33 percent in 1947 as?compared with
1946? On 3 May 1947 it was stated that the Plan for the first 4'months of 1947 was fulfilled before schedule and that 1 million ball
bearings were delivered in excess of the plan. On 20 November 194.7 it was reported that the plan for 1947 was fulfilled 2Z months before
schedule. 33 On the basis of these reports and the estimated output in 1946, the monthly output in 1947 has been estimated at
770,000 bearings (1.33~x 5.5}? Therefore, the output in 1947 i:a estimated at approximately 9 million.
9.5
ii. In 1946 it was reported that output of bearings would be increased by 50 percent at the end of 5 years. 34 ; however, on
1 November 1948 it was reported that the Five Year Plan called for production to be doubled. ~ The Estonian SSR on 8 December
1949 reported. that the Five Year .Plan was fulfilled in 3 years and 11 months. 36 Because of the increased output reported
dtn:ing.1947,.the report that production was to double during the Five Year Plan is believed to be the more reliable planned ful-
fil.lmezrt. In 1949, output is estimated to be 11 million.
JJ? ~ 25 J~i7,y 1950 it was reported that the Plan for the first 6 mon~th's/. oY 1950 was fulfilled, and on 3 November 1950 it was re-
ported that the Plan for the third quarter of 1950 was overfulfilled. LL Without direct information on output, the increased
production trend of 1949 and the reports on fulfillment of the Plan were uaed~e.s the basis for the estimates in 1950 and 1951.
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't'able 2y
Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings at Individual Plants in the .USSR
1932-51
(Continued)
kk. On 21 December 19 7 the Plan for the fourth quarter of 19 7 for ball bearings for agricultural machinery was reported to be
vll On 18 Ju]y 1946rit was reported th the capacity of the plant was to be doubled during the Five Year Plan. 740 This would
be 6 million in 1950 which is 2 times the output in 1946.
mm. In September 1948_ a publication reported that production is now increasing and that high-speed grinding is to be introduced
in October 1948. 741 On 2 February 1949 it was reported that the Sverdlovsk Bearings Works was lagging in the production of
tractor spare parts (bearings), 42 which would indicate that the increased production is still at a modest rate. Production was
estimated to be 850,000 in 1949 and 1 million in 1950.
nn. On 17 May 1947 it was reported that the main structure of this plant was put into operation .and that the plant planned to
produce 30,000 bearings in 1947. 43 A newspaper on 10 October 1947 reported that the year's plan for 1947 was fulfilled, 744
which would be a monthly average of approximately 5,000 bearings from the end of April to the middle of October. Assuming that
the plant would then produce 15,000 bearings in the last 32 months of the year, total output in 1947 would be 45,000. However,
an independent and apparently reliable report stated that in the last 7 months of 1947 the factory produced approximately 18,000
bearings. 45 By taping the average of these two production estimates, the total output in 1947 was believed to be approximately
30,000 (45,000 ? 18,000 = 31,500).
2
oo. A newspaper on 8 February 1951 reported percentage increases of this plant in bearings production over 1946, but this plant
did not begin production until the middle of 1947. The percentage increases were changed to a 1947 base year, and production for
the ensuing years calculated as follows:
Year
Soviet Reported Percentage Increases
(Base Year, 1946) 746/
Actual Percentage Increases
(Base Year~1947)
Actual Output of Plant No. 7
(Units)
1946
loo
0
1947
277
loo
30,000
1948
485
175
52,5
' 1949
622
224
67,200
1950
826
298
89,400
pp. This plant failed to meet the 1951 gross
percentage increase in 1951 as in 1950.
production Plan (96
percent). ~ Output was estimated to have the same
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Table 29
Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings at Individual Plants in the USSR
1932 -51
(Continued)
qq. On 22 December 19 it was reported tha Bearings Plant-planned to go into production by June 1946
duce 470,000 bearings during 1946; however,. production actually started in August 1946. The following table will show a comparison
between planned and actual output ~:
Month (1946)
Planned
Actual
June
30,000
0
August
000
X5,000
0
6,000
September
60,000.
18,000
October-
80,000
30,000
November
100,000
12,000
December
120.,000
55,000
Total
~~000
121,000
In the same report it was also stated that the output of 55,000 units in December is still to be found only in the plan of the
ministry, which does not entirely agree with an earlier plan of the same ministry. ~ The December figure does appear as
though the actual output figures for the end of the year were being padded. Assuming that the output in December was no greater
than anpr previous montht the output in 1946 was estimated at approximately 100,000.
rr. On 31 December 1947 a report stated that the first units of this plant started operating and are supplying products to auto-
mobile and tractor industries. On 18 November 1947 it was stated that on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the October Revolution
the first ball bearings plant in the tAsraine started working in Kharkov. 50 It is. evident from these reports and from the re-
port (see footnote qq) on December output in 1946 that the plant was only in partial operation in 1947.. Assuming that the plant
averaged 20,OOD per month (average of estimated output in 1946 for 5 months) until the end of October 1947 and that in the last 2
mozsths.of 1947,. when the new units were reported to be in operation, production was assimied to increase to the planned out~tnzt re-
acted for November and December in 1946 (see footnote qq), total output in 1947 has been estimated at approximately 400,000
20,000 x 10 + 100,000 + 120,000 = 420,000). t
~'ss. On 20 November 1948 it was. reported that the year's Plan for 1948 was fulfilled; and on 20 December .1948 that, in the first
11 months of 1948, 4.4 times as-many ball bearings were produced in the same period in 1947, with the works being in full opera-
tion in 1948. 51 In 1948, production was estimated at 1.8 million (400,000 x 4.4).
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and planned to pro- 50X1-HUM
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Table 29
Estimated Production of Antifriction Bearings at Individual Plants in the USSR _
1932-51
(Continued)
tt. On 1 January 1950 it was reported that in 19 9 more ball bearings were delivered as compared with 19 ; however,. in
January 1950 it was reported that the year's plan for 1949 was not fulfilled. 52 The percentage increase of the bearings in-
dustry in 1949 was 128 percent. Assuming this plant fulfilled a 25-percent increase, output was estimated at 2.2 million
(1.8 x 1.25).
uu. On 9 November 1950 it was reported that the Fourth Five Year Plan (1946-50) was fulfilled on 7 November 1950. ~ In
1950, production was estimated .at 4.0 million bearings (using th,~ 35-percent increase of the bearings industry as a basis for
the estimate).
vv. In 1951 production of ball bearings in the Ukrainian SSR was fulfilled and increased by 59 percent as compared with
1950. 4 Bearings Plant in.Kriar'kov is the only manufacturer of bearings in the Ula?aine (excluding bearings repair
plants~In 1951, production was estimated to be 6.4 million bearings.
ww. This plant produced bearing components for0 State Bearings Plant during World War II. 55 It has, however, been
producing and assembling bearings since the war. On 19 April 1947 it was reported that this. plant planned to produce 61 percent
more ball bearings in 1947 than in 1946. On 26 November 1947 it was reported that the annual Plan for 1947 was fulfilled.
In 1947, production was reported to be approximately 1 million bearings, ~ which would put 1946 output at approximately
600,000.
xx. On 20 December 1949 it was reported that the level of production envisaged for 1950 was achieved in June 1949 and that the
average daily output of bearing rings had been raised Pram 14,000 to 20,000 and on inAividus]. days to 28,000. ~ Two rings are
required per bearing. In 1948 the rejection rate was reported to be approximately 15 percent. ~ Taking into consideration
this rejection rate, a 350-day work yeartt and an output of 14,000 rings, production in 1948 was estimated at approximately 2
million (14,000 x 350 x 0.85 = 2,~2,5~1?
2
yy. The reported output of an occasional 28,000 rings. per day evidently came toward the end of the year, and the average out-
put of rings in 1949 has been asswned to be 20,000. (See footnote xx.) By applying the same approach to 1949 as was applied to
1948, production in 1949 was estimated to he approximately 3 million (20,000 x 350 x 0.85 = 2,975,0
. 2
zz. Assuming that the output. of rings in 1950 would fall between the reported 20,000 and 28,000, the average output of tinge
in 1950 would be approximately 24,000.. (See footnote xx.) It is also probable that the refection rate would. be reduced, and a
refection rate of 15 percent for 1950 has been assumed. Output in 1950 has been estimated to be approximately 3.5 ~-~on
(24,.000 x 350 x 0.85 = 3,5'To,000).
2
aaa. On 7 April 1951 it was reported that. production of bearing rings had increased by 50 percent in the last 6 months. '60
In January 1952 it was reported that this plant still has afar too high percentage refection rate and does not meet its pro-
duction plans. 61 Evidently the plant did not maintain the 50-percent increase throughout the year. Assuming a 30-percent
increase for the year, which is the reported achieved increase of the bearings industry, total output in 1951 was estimated at
4.6 million (24,000 x'1.30 x 350 x 0.85 = 4,640,000).
2 _ 179 _
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Average Estimate of Total Production of Antifriction Bearings in the USSR a~
1946-51
Estimated Total Production
1946
19+7
1948
1949
1950
1951
Based on Individual Works.
27,000
40,080
54,253
67,317
86,290
98,120
Based on Yearly Percentage Increases ~
27,000
36,180
46,440
59,400
80,190
104,220
Total
27,000
38,130
50,347
63,359
83,240
101,170
a. This estimate was made by taking the average of the estimated total production of individual works and the estimated
total production by yearly percentage increases, 1946-51. Range of estimate, plus or minus 20 percent.
b. From Table 29.
c. Using the estimated total production for 1946 of 27 million units based on individual works and the published yearly
percentage increases shown in Table 1, p. 11, above, the estimated total production based on yearly percentage increases was
calculated.
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APPENDIX E
METHODOLOGY
The principal objective of this report was to determine the
ability of the Soviet Bloc to meet the requirements for antifriction
bearings through domestic production. In conjunction with this
objective, this report was to determine whether, if domestic pro-
duction was unable to meet the requirements, the imports from the
West would cover the deficit. A second purpose of the report was to
determine the inputs needed in the domestic production.
In order to answer these questions, it was necessary to analyze
the position of the antifriction bearings industry in each country as
follows:
1. Plant studies were completed.
2. Output was estimated on the basis of the plant studies
and on additional information obtained from the Soviet press and
radio.
3. Imports were computed principally from trade statistics
of the exporting countries.
4. Requirements for bearings were determined.
5? Finally, the total supply of output plus imports was
balanced against requirements to compute a surplus-deficit position.
The information computed for each country was then compiled to
estimate the position of the antifriction bearings industry in the
Soviet Bloc. Whenever necessary, the details of the methods used have
been explained in the text.
Inputs into the Soviet Bloc antifriction bearings industry, with
the exception of labor, have been calculated by comparison with the
inputs required by the US antifriction bearings industry. Labor in-
puts, however, have been estimated from reports which, although
fragmentary, gave the number of workers employed at the bearings
plants in the Bloc.
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In preparing this report, units of bearings were used as a means
of estimating the output, requirements, imports and exports, and the
surplus-deficit position of the Soviet Bloc. It is believed that it
was advantageous to use units as a means of measurement because:
(1) output, requirements, and imports of the Bloc, particularly of
the Satellites are often reported in actual quantities of bearings;
(2) earlier years ,from which current
estimates have been made are given in units; (3) the bearings in-
dustry and the engineering industries refer to units mare frequently
than to value ar to metric tons when discussing output or require-
ments; (~+) explanation of types and sizes and end~use requirements is
simplified when the aver-all estimates are made in terms of actual
quantities; and (5) the reader is in a better position to understand
the surplus-deficit position of the Bloc.
The use of units of bearings as a -means of measurement, however,
creates certain difficulties, since the sizes of bearings vary con-
siderably. In applying the unit as a yardstick to measure total
Output in the USSR, it was difficult to interpret ,whether the
fragmentary percentage increases referred to the actual number of
bearings produced or whether the percentage increases applied to some
other units, such as metric tons or ruble value. The estimate of
output in this r-eport is an .attempt to measure actual output in
quantities of bearings.
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