Integrated technology solutions provider SKF South Africa has launched the SKF Solutions Factory Africa.

The company has invested R9-million in infrastructure, equipment, people and business processes to establish the factory.

“Over the past few years, the company has added a number of technologies to its bearings foundation and, through ive acquisitions, now offers elastomeric seals, lubrication systems, mechatronics, and mechanical and reliability services,” says SKF South Africa MD Gavin Garland.

To further enhance the company’s current product line, it approached its customers in over 40 industry segments to discuss their needs. 
This led not only to the enhancement of the company’s products, but also to the manufacturing of new products aimed at solving customers’ problems.

“By harnessing and leveraging this application knowledge and by integrating any number of SKF’s core technologies, we can better integrate solutions,” he adds.

The Solutions Factory Africa comprises 2 500 m2 of purpose-built infrastructure, including workshops, technology centres and training facilities. 
The company has also built an ISO 9000 quality system and developed business pro-cesses and computer systems to allow effective management of projects and deployment of technical resources.

The initial investments were in the mechanical workshops and the remote analysis centre, and, in 2008, in the bearings remanufacturing service centre and reliability maintenance institute. The latest additions to the factory are the lubrication application centre, the maintenance products repair and calibration centre, the seals, power transmission and mechatronics customisation centre and the machine tool spindle refurbishing centre.

The lubrication-application centre includes a workshop, a training unit, a customisation facility, a physical assembly area, specialised test machines, a fireproof grease store and ISO 14000-compliant grease traps.

The machine tool spindle refurbishment centre has a computerised test bench with a minimal quantity lubrication system and an online condition monitoring system.

“This addition diminishes the need for our customers to ship spindle repairs to Europe, as we now offer a full machine tool spindle service and repair solution,” he notes.

SKF services division president Vartan Vartanian says that there is a push to increase customer productivity. 
“We are entering a period where collaboration is important in a sustainable way. The whole industry is in a mode to solve the daily problems that the industry faces.

“Customers should not think of us as just a bearings company, but neither should they forget us as a bearings company. 
“We seek to constantly offer new products and solutions on a wider base, and are purposefully constructing a portfolio to help customers make their products more efficient.”

Vartanian tells Engineering News that the SKF group expects to further expand into South Africa by establishing a branch of its sealing and engineering plastics division, Economos, in the country within the next 12 months.

The division produces the seal-jet system, a production system for machined seals and advanced engineered plastic parts, which produces single seals and prototypes, as well as low-quantity orders.

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