Who we are

Drawing on its experience as an OE supplier to car manufacturers around the globe, SKF is a major supplier of high quality components for the vehicle aftermarket.  Since inventing the world’s first self-aligning ball bearing over 100 years ago, SKF has evolved into a knowledge engineering company whose expertise and experience contributes to engineering innovations in just about every industry, from aerospace and wind-energy to automotive and virtually every type of industrial operation.

SKF automotive heritage

In 1914, SKF saw potential in the growing automotive industry. How did it react? The company officially registered “Volvo” on June 15, 1915 and eventually introduced the company’s first car, the Volvo Jakob, in April 1927.

The name “Volvo” had a symbolic connection to SKF’s entire operation. Volvere is the infinitive form of the verb “roll” in Latin. Conjugating volvere to its first-person singular form changes it to volvo or “I roll” in English.

In the 90+ years since, SKF has continued to play a major role in the continuing evolution of vehicle technology, from the first use of sensors for safety innovations such as anti-lock brakes to the use of mechatronics in steering and brake systems.