SKF AB (Sweden) has landed two major long-term contracts.

The company's Aerospace unit, MRC Bearings U.S.A., will supply USD $55 million in superprecision jet engine mainshaft bearings to General Electric's Aircraft Engine division. The contract, running from 2002 through 2006, covers bearings used in aircraft engines and aero-derivative engines.

MRC will manufacture the bearings at its Jamestown, New York and Falconer, New York facilities.

SKF has also won a contract to supply Denmark's Vestas Group with wind turbine bearings.

Vestas Group is the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines.

SKF Sales Area Director, Helene Richmond, said, "This is an important deal for SKF, and wind energy is becoming an important business area for us. We have also been highly successful as a component supplier to companies that produce gearboxes and generators for wind power units."

The wind power business is growing at 20% to 25% every year, while SKF sales to the segment have grown 50% during the first nine months of 2001.