SKF is investing SEK 45 million (RM22 million) in expanding its spherical roller bearing (SRB) capacity in Nilai, Malaysia. This investment will further improve utilisation of the Group’s manufacturing capacity.
This factory expansion and launching of new products namely, Tailored range of spherical roller bearings (SRB) and spherical roller thrust bearings, were launched on 20 April 2017.
The new product range is designed to meet the needs of the palm oil processing industry in Malaysia and South-East Asia, said SKF Malaysia managing director Anders Fogelberg.
Fogelberg said the company is very proud to be able to offer customers across the region a full product range that was designed and engineered by SKF’s leading engineers and manufactured in the country.
“By continuously innovating our products and investing in our presence here, we can also continue to contribute to key growth industries in Malaysia, whilst enabling customers to buy Malaysian-made bearings.
“SKF’s expertise in rotating equipment performance can help maximise the efficiency of processing equipment and reduce unplanned downtime, especially in harsh operating conditions, where bearings are exposed to varying loads, steam and aggressive chemical components,” he added.
“By investing in increased capacity and flexibility we can swiftly improve our ability to meet the demands of our customers, on a regional and global level,” says Luc Graux, President, Bearing Operations.
“The new channel will include the latest in internally developed solutions for automatic pairing of rings and bearing traceability. It will also be scalable, should we decide to make future investments in automated assembly processes, similar to those already operational in Gothenburg.”
The new SRB channel in Nilai is expected to be operational during the end of 2017.
Also present at the event were Second Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan, SKF Group president and chief executive officer Alrik Danielson and Swedish Ambassador to Malaysia Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt.
Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said Malaysia is pleased that Swedish companies continue to view the country as an attractive investment destination.
Ka Chuan said Malaysia as an open economy continues to welcome quality foreign investments and via collaboration with foreign companies such as SKF, it can foster greater partnership with global firms and facilitate strategic linkages between them and local entities.
SKF’s Nilai facility was set up in 1991 on a 106,000-sq-m site with an investment to date of more than RM850 million.
The facility manufactures and supplies deep groove ball bearings, self-aligning ball bearings and spherical roller bearings to multinational customers across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Sources: SKF, thestar.com.my, Bernama
