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The SKF Group is the first major bearing manufacturer tohave been granted approval according to ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems. The certificate is the most comprehensive of its kind and covers more than 60 SKF production units in 17 countries. The SKF Engineering & Research Centre is situated justoutside Utrecht in The Netherlands. In an area of 17 000 square metres (185 000 sq.ft) some 150 scientists, engin- eers and support staff are engaged in the further improve- ment of bearing peformance. They are developing techno- logies aimed at achieving better materials, better designs,better lubricants and better seals – together leading to aneven better understanding of the operation of a bearing in its application. This is also where the SKF Life Theory was evolved, enabling the design of bearings which are even more compact and offer even longer operational life. SKFhas developed the Channel concept in factories allover the world. This drastically reduces the lead time from raw material to end product as well as work in progress and finished goods in stock. The concept enables faster and smoother information flow, eliminates bottlenecks and by- passes unnecessary steps in production. The Channel team members have the know-ledge and commitment needed to share the responsibility for fulfilling objectives in areas such as quality, delivery time, production flow etc. SKF manufactures ball bearings, roller bearings and plainbearings. The smallest are just a few millimetres (a fractionof an inch) in diameter, the largest several metres. SKF alsomanufactures bearing and oil seals which prevent dirt from entering and lubricant from leaking out. SKF’s subsidiaries CR and RFT S.p.A. are among the world’s largest pro- ducers of seals.

Needle roller bearings (4703 /IE) - 5564 1

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