SKF recently announced plans to consolidate its manufacturing facilities in North America, including the closure of its sites in San Diego and Baltimore.
Production will be transferred from the SKF site in Hanover, Pennsylvania, to Flowery Branch, Georgia. The move will consolidate production of spherical roller bearings and large roller bearings into existing bearing manufacturing operations in Flowery Branch. Production of rings and seals for the aerospace industry will be relocated from SKF's existing factory in Baltimore to Hanover.
Investments totaling nearly $18 million will be made in upgrading machinery and manufacturing processes in Hanover and Flowery Branch as part of SKF's strategy to implement world-class manufacturing technologies.
Manufacturing and the development of condition monitoring solutions will be moved from SKF's existing site in San Diego to other locations in Europe. A technical support team will remain in San Diego but in a separate facility.
"These activities will strengthen our position in North America, making us more competitive and better able to support our customers by improving the utilization of our manufacturing assets," said Luc Graux, president of bearing operations at SKF. "They also provide the foundation for investments in the further development of our manufacturing processes and technologies."
The Y-bearing and units production channels in Puebla, Mexico, which serve North American customers within the agriculture segment, will also be closed, with production transferred to other SKF sites.
Consolidation of the sites in Hanover, Flowery Branch, Baltimore and San Diego is anticipated to take approximately 18-24 months. The closure of the Y-bearing and units production channels in Puebla, Mexico, is expected to be completed during the summer of 2016.
For more information, visit www.skf.com.