4 Jun 2019
Gothenburg, Sweden – Swedish engineering group SKF is moving ahead with plans to close down its production facility in Stonehouse, UK, the company said 17 May.
The supplier of bearings, seals and mechatronics originally announced the decision in December last year, as part of a wider bid to consolidate its aerospace manufacturing footprint in Europe.
Following a statutory period of consultation, SKF confirmed that it would close the plant on 31 Dec 2021.
The unit employs 185 and is “a major supplier” of bearings to Rolls-Royce Engines, Pratt and Whitney, GE, and other international aerospace companies, according to SKF’s website.
“This consolidation is necessary in order to secure a continued competitive offering for the aerospace industry,” explained Bernd Stephan, president, automotive and aerospace in December last year.
The aerospace industry, he explained, is ‘shifting away from legacy engines and aircraft to more modern ones.’
“We will be able to make better use of more modern machines and manufacturing technologies at our sites in other parts of Europe,” he added.
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