The SKF Group has acquired DEI (Development Engineering International), a highly regarded maintenance engineering consultancy company based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company, which has a turnover of some 10 million US dollars and employs 70 staff, is a pioneer of condition monitoring and condition-based maintenance in the offshore oil and gas industry. DEI is also active in other industries, developing maintenance strategies for plant and equipment worldwide.

SKF has built a strong reputation in providing product and engineering solutions to problems in rotating and related equipment, by supplying components as well as a highly skilled field service engineering capability. DEI has specific competencies and a sound track record in condition-based maintenance. These qualities will support SKF in bringing its Integrated Maintenance Solutions to customers in maintenance and repair operations. This is part of the SKF Proactive Reliability Maintenance programme.

The acquisition of DEI follows SKF’s strategy to sell not only bearings and seals but also mechanical services, preventive and predictive maintenance, condition-monitoring solutions and performance-based contracts in order to provide total life cycle management. The benefit to customers is greater plant reliability, which in turn raises productivity levels and improves competitiveness.

All these activities form part of SKF’s Trouble-Free Operation marketing platform for the industrial aftermarket, which it is developing in conjunction with its 7,000 distributors worldwide.