Making new business opportunities is an important part of remaining competitive. Look at the companies that are diversifying their product range or services to reach new markets. One such company is Brazil’s Votorantim Group. In 1936, when it was a modest textile manufacturer in rural Brazil, it diversified into cement production. Today cement is the foundation of its business and the product that has helped it become one of Brazil’s largest conglomerates. Votorantim expanded its base globally through acquisitions and joint partnerships, and now its business units focus on market segments rather than geography.

Typically known as a producer of sugar cane and coffee, Brazil has diversified into new crops at a rate matched only by the expansion of its farmlands. The biggest growth has been in soya. This issue looks at soya crushing operator Bunge Alimentos, which collaborated with SKF distributor Trevotek. On page 14 – 17 you get a good idea of the savings the company achieved through its integrated solution. In the past, production loss through stoppages was as much as 10 percent a year. With the Trevotek deal, that’s been reduced to just 0.5 percent. These improvements in efficiency and savings have made Bunge’s plants in Brazil among the most productive in the world, and its crushing plant has become a global benchmark.

Meanwhile, virtual manufacturing is a growing trend in automation, helping to make the manufacturing process more efficient. Products are being rushed to market faster than ever before. In the near future it will be possible to control production at a factory by sitting in front of a Web browser. Mobile phones, clothes, newspapers and yogurts have all been whisked from one place to another by powerful and intelligent networked systems. That’s virtual food for thought.

If you are interested in finding the right SKF solution for your business, please contact your local SKF organization, distributor or dealer. Local contact details can be found at www.skf.com. If you wish to read about a particular application or technology developments in your field, please log on to evolution.skf.com.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Evolution. The magazine celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and we look forward to another 10 years together with all our valuable readers. With this first issue of 2004, thousands of new readers join us as we launch a Russian language edition of Evolution.

Don’t miss our next issue where we focus on a company’s greatest asset – people. Take care, and see you soon.