SKF AB (Sweden; Stockholm: 5251R9N7) has finished shutting down automotive and light truck wheel bearing hub assembly production at its plant in Glasgow, Kentucky. It is on track to shutter the facility completely by September.

The Glasgow plant's closing was announced in early 2008, as the North American automotive market had been softening and price competition increasing. The rapid economic downturn, however, sealed Glasgow's fate even sooner than expected.

article: SKF shutting Glasgow hub bearing plant [detailed]
article: SKF accelerates Glasgow shutdown
Glasgow's fate has actually been moved up twice. As originally planned, it would close at the end of 2009. But as the automotive market continued weak, shutdown was moved up to July, and finally to April. The plant's employees had their final full workday on April 1.

George Dettloff, President and CEO of SKF USA, set an example for other executives by traveling to the plant and talking with remaining workers on that final day. As Mr. Dettloff said, SKF had anticipated some downturn in the North American automotive sector, but, "the current situation is beyond our imagination."

Glasgow originally opened in 1966, to manufacture Tyson branded roller bearings. Wheel bearing hub assembly units were added in 1995 with a significant investment in plant and equipment. The Tyson roller bearing facility was sold to RBC in 1999, while SKF maintained the hub assembly manufacturing operations separately.

article: RBC acquires Tyson from SKF
Production of Glasgow's wheel bearing units is being moved to an expanded SKF facility in Puebla, Mexico, which received a $73 million upgrade.

With Glasgow's closing, SKF no longer manufactures wheel bearing hub assembly units in the United States. It once had hub plants in Aiken, South Carolina and Glasgow.

In 2005, SKF surprised the industry by shuttering that Aiken plant after only eight years.

article: SKF closing Aiken hub assembly plant