Swedish multinational SKF, synonymous with bearings, has been present in India from the year 1923, and set up its first manufacturing plant for bearings in Pune in the early 1960s. The company inaugurated its global technical centre at Bangalore recently. Built with an investment of Rs 500 million, the global technical centre complements the centre of excellence for two wheelers, and will employ 400 engineers. Containing an application engineering centre, the global technical centre is expected to give a boot to the group's push for a local approach, concentrating on areas of product engineering, development and testing. Also including a global laboratory for metallurgy, chemistry and bearing performance analysis, the centre will have a strong focus on serving customers in India and South East Asia as well as global projects at SKF. Coming at a time when the company inaugurated a large (slew) bearing plant at Ahmedabad under its Industrial Division, and a plant at Haridwar to make automotive bearings, the global technical centre is one of the only two technical centres the Swedish group has invested in the Asia region. The other centre is at Beijing, China.

With Euro 6.7 billion sales in the year 2010, the group, employing 44,000 people across 32 countries, takes pride in terming itself as the company that is about knowledge engineering with a strong belief in sustainability. With five business platforms to flaunt - seals, bearings and units, lubrication systems, mechatronics, and services, the biggest revenue earner for the company is industrial distribution. Experiencing a broad based growth at SKF, which is somewhat shifting, according to Mr Tom Johnstone, President and Chief Executive Officer of AB SKF, the company made 21 acquisitions between 2003 and 2010, the most recent acquisition being the acquisition of Lincoln Industrial Corporation in the USA, a 100 year-old manufacturer of lubrication pumps, for US$ 1 billion to tap demand for equipment in North America and Asia. Having launched three major initiatives, to accelerate profit growth, reduce costs and eliminate waste, the group in

India, apart from the Rs 500 million invested in the setting up of the global technical centre at Bangalore, has also invested Rs 150 crore in 2011 towards upgrading the brownfield sites. Two new plants, at Mysore and Bangalore, are expected to go on stream in early 2012 and early 2013 respectively. Both the plants, according to Johnstone, are built to LEEDS standards. While the Mysore plant will re-house the Bangalore seals factory, the one being built at Bangalore will be dedicated to Lincoln. Not counting the two upcoming plants, SKF has 6 plants in India. These are part of the 25 plants the group has in Asia.

With a high focus on aftermarket, according to Mr Rakesh Makhija, President (Asia), SKF Group, 46% of SKF India's sales come from the company's automotive business. Recording sales of Rs 23 billion in the year 2010 and employing over 2800, the Indian operations' aftermarket drive is through 350 authorised distributors. Following the automotive business is the industrial aftermarket business, which contributes 25%. The industrial business contributes another 21%, and exports contribute the rest 18%. With the automotive business (two wheeler business especially) driving the company's India sales, and catering to well established clients like Maruti Suzuki, Hero Motorcorp, Bajaj Auto, TVS Motors, Tata Motors, Fiat India, Toyota, and others, the global technical centre at Bangalore, averred Johnstone, reflects a hike in the innovate nature of SKF. As far as innovations go, the latest from the company includes the introduction of a stop-start solution for two wheelers. Called StopGo, the stop-start solution for two wheelers is claimed to lower CO2 emissions, and improve fuel economy by an estimated 6 to 10% depending on driving conditions. Customisable as a ready-to-fit unit, the StopGo unit consists of a digital sensor unit fitted on the front wheel. It combines a speed sensor for the speedometer as well, and sends signals to a compact ECM, which is connected to the bike's CDI ignition unit. Pre-programmed to cut off the engine after idling for certain seconds, twisting the throttle brings the engine to life. This is made possible by connecting the throttle sensor unit most bikes have come to posses. Capable of being employed on a bike that has an electric start, the StopGo system does not put much additional load on the starter, or the battery, and actually avoids engagement of the starter even after the engine has started, which could lead to premature failure of the starter.

Touching upon the StopGo innovation, which is one of the many interesting innovations and product enhancements Mr Harsha Kadam, Director, Global Two Wheeler Business, SKF India, and his team have come up with, Dominico Bosco, Manager, Application Engineering, Europe & Asia, and Automotive Division Car Chassis, Italy, said that global warming and energy security are influencing auto industry big time, followed by globalisation and mobility. Speaking to select media in Mumbai, Bosco added that the target for future is electrification and hybridisation. He added, "Weight reduction, downsizing (giving rise to boosting technology), cost of ownership and meeting regional demands are the growth drivers." Drawing attention towards SKF's focus on incremental development (step changers), and new innovative products, Dominico asserted that his company developed energy efficient bearings, X-tracker, low weight hub bearing unit, low friction engine seal, turbocharger bearing unit, high pressure valve stem, start-stop, wheel bearing range for small cars that addresses local demand, and a high quality truck hub unit with split outer ring. The highlight of the activity at SKF, said Bosco, is the new Vehicle Environmental Performance Simulator (VEPS) that accounts for vehicle maps and ensures reduction in emissions.

Referring to the low weight hub bearing unit (HBU) as a step changer that reduces weight by 30%, Bosco remarked that the hub core and the raceways where retained to have iron as the new material. The flange is made of aluminium. Bosco also drew attention towards the turbocharger bearing unit. It was developed to meet the rising boosting needs, and includes a super precision bearing unit, and aids in addressing high rotational speed and high temperature. Announced Dominico: "We are using ceramic balls, precision lubrication, and high accuracy. Pointing towards SKF bagging the status of a single source supplier to Harley Davidson in India, Harsha Kadam, stated that they are starting to use VEPS software in the two-wheeler products in India, and have moved to a level of sub-assembly supplier. Opining that the inauguration of technical centre at Bangalore has completed the development process chain, Kadam added that his business unit has developed and supplied a number of innovative, and interesting products. Among them, apart from the StopGo innovation mentioned above, are needle roller bearings for two wheeler engines. They are supplied by SKF as part of the rocker arm. Another innovation, the one-way clutch the company supplies to a manufacturer, weighs less by 100gm when compared to a similar product supplied by the competitor. "The one way clutch we developed uses four components as compared to the seven components found on a one-way clutch from our competitor," said Kadam. "Not stopping at that, we have developed a sensor bearing for Ducati bikes that gives signals to the engine," he added.

With the StopGo innovation set to pave a way for two wheeler ABS system that is simple, light and price competitive, the self healing bearing with a single ceramic ball is yet another innovation that goes well with the image of SKF as a bearing manufacturer. If the rise in instances where bearings are getting intelligence with the addition of sensors, and other electronics, Kadam refused to believe that a bearing will lose its fundamental form, and the ability to carry load, the main challenge lies in meeting good level of performance, offer value, reduce weight, and lower friction.