SKF Seals

SKF Seals, a product of SKF, offers a wide range of sealing solutions for automotive and industrial applications. This product line includes hydraulic seals, power transmission seals, machined seals, fluid handling seals, HSS seals, low friction engine seals, bearing seals, driveline seals, steering seals, and suspension seals.

History

SKF was founded in 1907 as Aktiebolaget Svenska Kullagerfabriken. The inventor of the double-row self-aligning ball bearing, Sven Wingquist was one of the company's founders as well as the first Managing Director. Later in the year, the company's first factory was constructed in Säve Strandgata, Gothenburg. In 1908, the company opened branch offices in France and Germany as well as appointed agents in Austria, Australia, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, and Finland. A year later, SKF Ball Bearing Co., a subsidiary, was established in New York. The company also opened a small workshop in France as well as appointed agents in Japan, Argentina, and Italy within the same year. In 1910, SKF registered a new company in the UK: Skefko Ball Bearing Co. Ltd and started building a plant in Luton. In addition, the company appointed agents in Portugal, The Netherlands, and Norway. A year later, the Luton factory was opened. In addition, the French and German branch offices became limited companies. Agents were appointed in Spain, Poland, and Russia within the same year. In 1912, SKF built a lab in Gothenburg. The company also increased its reach into the international market by appointing agents in Romania, Mexico, China, India, South Africa, and Bulgaria. In 1913, the branch office in Denmark was formed into a company and an agent was appointed in Serbia. SKF formed subsidiaries in Holland, Russia, Norway and Belgium a year later. To manage its business in Brazil, the company also formed a company in Gothenburg named Aktiebolaget S.A. des Roulements à Billes Suédois SKF. A South African sales company was established by the British SKF company in the same year. In 1915, production of the "Volvo bearing" started and a new company was established in Hartford, US. SKF aslo built a factory in the same area. In addition, a sales company was established in Norway while a branch office was opened in Rio de Janeiro and an agent was appointed in Uruguay. In 1916, SKF acquired Hofors Bruk in Sweden, The Hess-Bright Manufacturing Co. in Philadelphia, and Grönkvists Mekaniska Verkstad in Katrineholm, Sweden. SKF also established a new company in South America to manage its sales there. This led to the opening of branch offices in Argentina and Chile. In 1917, SKF build a new ball bearing factory in Bois-Colombes, France as well as established sales companies in Uruguay and Canada, the latter one being a subsidiary of the US company. More agents are appointed, this time in Hungary and Siam. In 1918, SKF acquired the Atlas Ball Co. and opened a sales office in Peru. Subsidiaries were established in Italy and Czechoslovakia in 1919. Meanwhile, the sales and manufacturing organizations located in the US were combined and renamed SKF Industries, Inc. During the 1920s, SKF continued to expand as it formed sales companies and subsidiaries in Switzerland, Mexico, Poland, Yugoslavia, Japan, Cuba, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Egypt, Portugal, Bolivia, Venezuela, New Zealand, Turkey, and Hungary. Offices were also opened in Australia, Algeria, Vienna, British India, and Prague. In addition, the company's continuous expansion included the appointment of agents in Latvia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Estonia, Lithuania, and the Philippines. The acquisitions during this period included seven German ball bearing factories, Nordiska Kullager AB in Gothenburg, Lidköpings Mekaniska Verkstads AB, and majority shareholding in Compagnie d'Applications Mécaniques (CAM). Over the next several decades, more agents were appointed, factories opened (68 by 1970), and subsidiaries and/or sales companies formed in various locations. It was in 1990 that SKF introduced a new product line: seals. This was due to the acquisition of seals manufacturer CR Industries and the oil seals activities of Italian Gallino Gomma S.p.A. Four years later, the company acquired another seals manufacturer, Goetze Elastomere GmbH. In 1997, SKF entered into new joint ventures in China, one in particular was for a new manufacturing company to produce oil seals - a joint venture between ANZAG and Chicago Rawhide. In 2000, the company acquired Sealpool AB of Sweden which was a supplier of sealing systems. Six years later, SKF acquired yet another seals manufacturing company, Economos Austria Gmbh.

Headquarters & Locations

The SKF Group is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden with an estimated 100 manufacturing locations as well as offices and technical centers in over 130 countries including Albania, China, Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Finland, Japan, France, Switzerland, Indonesia, and Taiwan. SKF also has a growing number of SKF Solution Factory locations worldwide.