Sweden's SKF investing RM22mil to expand factory

NILAI: Swedish firm SKF is investing RM22 million to expand the capacity of its factory in Nilai, in response to growing regional demand.

SKF Malaysia managing director Andres Fogelberg said the company is also launching a new product, the tailored range of spherical roller bearings (SRB) and spherical roller thrust bearings.

The new product range is designed to meet the needs of the palm oil processing industry in Malaysia and South-East Asia, he said at the product's launch on THursday.

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.

The RM22 million investment is set to improve service levels and delivery times for local and regional customers.

At a press conference, 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.

The new SRB product range is designed for use in low-speed applications such as screw presses.

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.

The new SRB channel in Nilai is expected to be operational by the year-end. - Bernama