In yet another step in its ongoing efforts to "reduce vertical integration," SKF Industrie SpA, division of SKF AB (Gothenberg, Sweden) is selling its sheet metal components plant in Airasca, Italy.

The plant, near Turin, manufactures bearing components such as retainers (cages) and shields.

The facility is being taken over by CMSP s.r.l., an Italian company specializing in sheet metal pressing and a long-term SKF supplier. CMSP will actually continue to operate the business within the walls of SKF's Airasca plant.

Approximately 100 jobs are affected; the employees will be transferred from SKF to CMSP.

SKF's Automotive Division bearing plant in Airasca is unaffected. It manufactures automotive bearings for customers such as Ford. Airasca is also the home of SKF's Drive-By-Wire Business Unit, also unaffected by the divestiture.

The CMSP s.r.l. SKF plant will have annual sales to SKF in the region of SEK 100 million (USD $ 9.6 million).