SKF AB (Sweden; Stockholm: SKFB; 5251R9N7) has opened its latest Global Technical Center, this one in Shanghai, China. It joins three others in Bangalore (Global Testing Center), India; North America and Europe.

The Technical Center, separate from the company's Solution Factory concept, provides testing services and works with customers to help them develop more advanced technical knowledge for their design, process, and validation phases.

In addition, the Technical Center is able to conduct bearing testing and failure analyses; it also has fully equipped chemical and metallurgical labs.

In its first phase of operation, the Technical Center in Shanghai will focus only on SKF's automotive bearing business and seal business. Resources to help customers with industrial bearings and seals will be added later in 2010.

Tom Johnstone, SKF President and CEO, said: "The new center will significantly reduce the lead tie for our customers and ensure that we continue to develop value-added solutions for their current and future requirements. It enables us to more effectively bring innovation and technical knowledge closer to our customers in China. We have had a very good development of our business in China and this investment, combined with our other recent investments, will help us continue this development."

The Technical Center differs from the Solution Factory in that the Solution Factory is a way to introduce customers to SKF's wide range of products and services by bringing them all under one roof, while still providing an array of direct services such as relubrication and refurbishing. SKF also recently added a wind energy service center to its Solution Factory in Shanghai.

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