SKF (www.skf.com) is increasing its “capacity to innovate” by opening a new European Test Centre dedicated to high-speed aeronautical bearings.

Located at the SKF Aeroengine site in Valenciennes, France, the test centre will enable full-scale high-speed bearing testing under representative operating and environmental conditions.

Rutger Barrdahl, head of aerospace at SKF, said: “Our customers are looking for weight savings, increased service life and better lifetime predictability to improve the operational, economic and environmental performance of their aircraft.”

SKF has been selected for several projects in the European Clean Sky 2 programme — a public-private partnership between the European Commission and the European aeronautics industry targeted with achieving its environmental-
performance aims.