SKF recently hosted its yearly virtual Tech & Innovation Summit, bringing together industry leaders and experts to showcase technologies, products and solutions designed to help close the energy efficiency gap in industrial operations.
Under the theme ‘Closing the energy efficiency gap’, the company presented tailored solutions that improve energy efficiency, reliability and uptime across various applications including data centres, industrial electric motors, heavy industries like mining and pulp and paper, and digitally enabled operations.
“Electrification, digitalisation and the rapid growth of energy intensive infrastructure are transforming industries. Customers are under increasing pressure to improve performance while reducing energy use. Closing the energy efficiency gap by moving from energy-efficiency ambition to measurable operational impact is crucial for sustainable growth. We remain committed to helping customers minimise friction and transform their operations to strengthen competitiveness and sustainability”, said Rickard Gustafson, president and chief executive officer of SKF.
The Tech & Innovation Summit highlighted SKF’s commitment to addressing real-world challenges through deep application expertise and proven customer-centric innovation. “Our products and solutions are developed to address the operational challenges customers face every day: from thermal management in data centres to reliable performance under variable loads in motors and mills.
By combining deep application knowledge with advanced product development and digital technologies, we help customers reduce energy losses, improve reliability, simplify maintenance and unlock measurable efficiency gains in their day to day operations”, says Annika Ölme, chief technology officer and senior vice president.
A replay of the summit is available on the SKF website for on-demand watching. Products and solutions showcased at the Tech & Innovation Summit include:
• SKF magnetic bearing solutions for data centre cooling: High speed motors with magnetic bearing technology for centrifugal chillers, enabling friction-free and oil-free operation and fast restarts after power interruptions. Designed to maximise energy efficiency and uptime in cooling systems that account for up to 30 to 40% of data centre energy use, with up to 12 dB noise reduction and supported by advanced software based monitoring and diagnostics.
• SKF hybrid ceramic bearings for industrial electric motors: A new optimised hybrid ceramic ball bearing supporting next-generation IE4 and IE5 electric motors by eliminating electrical erosion, offering up to eight times longer grease life, lower friction and up to 25% higher operating speeds than standard steel bearing. The solution enables more energy-efficient motor designs with a compact footprint, global availability and cost savings.
• SKF’s Aptitude Insight for condition monitoring: A unified, scalable and cyber-secure platform for on-premises, cloud or SKF SaaS that connects operational and information technology environments. Aptitude Insight replaces multiple point solutions with a single platform, embedding decades of SKF expertise into automated workflows and enabling advanced diagnostics, edge analytics and AI-ready insights.
• SKF circular solutions: Bearing remanufacturing that restores products to original geometrical specifications and full performance while reducing carbon footprint and energy use by up to 90% compared to producing new bearings. Remanufacturing shortens lead times, reduces material consumption and is backed by SKF warranty and documented CO2 savings, supporting customers’ transition to circular operations.
• AI for the pulp and paper industry with Product Assistant: SKF’s AI-powered Product Assistant helps engineers and maintenance teams quickly access trusted SKF knowledge about products and applications, right when they need it. AI removes everyday friction by answering questions instantly, guiding product selection and supporting reliable decisions in demanding operating environments. The result is higher productivity, improved uptime and more sustainable operations, helping the industry run smarter, safer and more efficiently.
SKF’s Tech & Innovation Summit 2026 demonstrated how technology leadership, combined with application expertise and digital intelligence enables customers to perform today while transforming for a more energy efficient and sustainable future.
| Tel: | +27 11 821 3500 |
| Email: | samantha.joubert@skf.com |
| www: | www.skf.co.za |
| Articles: | More information and articles about SKF South Africa |
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