Rolex Rings: Can Europe drive its next phase of growth?

Rolex Rings operates in a part of the manufacturing world that most people never see. (File photo)

15 min readOct 1, 2026 07:30 AM IST First published on: Oct 1, 2026 at 07:30 AM IST

In FY26, Rolex Rings was a tale of two export markets.

US tariffs on Rolex Rings’ auto components peaked at 53% in FY26, leading to a fall in exports to the US by roughly 30% from the previous year. US exports fell roughly 30% from the previous year.

In Europe, the business grew about 25%. More importantly, Europe accounted for more than 60% of all new business nominations the company won during the year. Nominations are supplier awards for future vehicle and industrial programmes, and they turn into revenue over the following years.

The timing is not a coincidence. SKF is separating its lower-margin automotive business into a separately listed company, SKF Vertevo, to be listed on Nasdaq Stockholm in the fourth quarter of 2026. In January, India and the European Union concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement which will officially be signed by the end of 2026.