SKF
With a seldom seen product that literally makes the wheels of life go around, SKF is a company that has
grown to become the world’s largest manufacturer of rolling bearings.SKF was Launched in 1907 in Gothenburg, Sweden, when company founder Sven Winquist, a young maintenance engineer, invented the
double row self-aligning ball bearing to solve misalignment problems in the textile mill’s overhead lineshafts.
Rapid growth ensued around the world and in 1909 SKF’s American operation, now know as SKF USA
Inc., was established. The US operations moved to the Philadelphia in 1919, where it has remained in the
area ever since.
Today, SKF has expanded beyond bearings and is also a leading global supplier of seals, mechatronics
(combining mechanics and electronics into intelligent systems), lubrication systems, and technical, maintenance and reliability services. SKF sales in 2011 were SEK 66,216 million with 46,039 employees. Its
global reach includes more than 130 manufacturing sites in 32 countries and is represented in over 130
countries and 15,000 distributor locations.
SKF USA Inc. employs around 6,000 employees at 41 locations (27 are manufacturing sites) and continues
to grow substantially organically and through acquisition. Recent purchases include PEER Bearing Company and Lincoln Industrial the leader in lubrication systems.
From the beginning SKF has had a long standing commitment to sustainability. Today the Group has a
global IS0 14001 environmental certification and has been selected for the12th successive year as a member in both the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) and the pan-European sustainability benchmark for the Industrial Engineering sector. In 2010, the new USA headquarters in Lansdale, PA gained
the Green Building Council’s LEED platinum certification, standards that have been adopted globally to
ensure world class environmental performance in all new SKF buildings and factories.
Since May 2012 SKF is one of the companies accepted into the WWF Climate Savers program, a program
for companies setting sector-leading targets for greenhouse gas reduction in their own emissions and
working with other companies, suppliers and partners to implement innovative solutions for a clean,
low-carbon economy. To support its customers, SKF launched the BeyondZero portfolio, products and
solutions which will both improve energy efficiency and support more environmentally friendly energy
production.
Over the years, SKF has built a highly respectable reputation for not only its engineering knowledge and
solutions, but also for its commitment to a sustainable world. These fundamental values give the company
and its employees’ great pride in shaping a positive future for SKF and future generations.