On 1 May the gates will open on Expo 2010 Shanghai China, heralded as the biggest World Expo in the 150-year history of such events. Nations and major international organizations such as the United Nations, the Red Cross and a few global giants, appointed as official sponsors or suppliers, will participate with their own pavilions. Other companies, including SKF, will share in their home countries’ ventures.

World Expos – also known as World Fairs – date back to 1859, when the first World Exhibition took place in London. Numerous such “world” events have followed, giving rise to landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris. World Expos are now regarded as the Olympic Games of economy, science and technology.

Sweden will participate in Expo 2010 with a 3,000-square-metre pavilion. SKF is one of the partners in the Swedish effort. The official theme for Expo 2010 is “Better City, Better Life”, reflecting the fact that half the global population lives in cities, and that the challenges of urbanization are well known. Although Sweden is not facing the magnitude of problems associated with mega-cities, its efforts to create sustainable urban environments can serve as inspiration.

The theme for the Swedish participation is “Spirit of Innovation”, and its pavilion will be a permanent exhibition open to the public. The pavilion is being built in shape of a plus sign, with alleys between the houses. On the top floors of three of the pavilion’s blocks will be a large multipurpose conference area; on top of the fourth will be a terrace for receptions, dinners and so on.

SKF will be integrated into the permanent exhibition in the pavilion and will also arrange customer meetings and seminars with special exhibitions, receptions, internal conferences and meetings in the conference area. The SKF brand and some innovations will be on display for the 3 to 4 million visitors that are expected to pass through the exhibition area in the Swedish pavilion during the six-month period. The main purpose of SKF’s partnership in this event is to strengthen the SKF brand and its position as the top knowledge engineering company in the Chinese market.