To succeed in today’s business climate, it is increasingly important that companies offer something better than and different from their competitors. To Christer Gyberg, president of the SKF Industrial Division, this is nothing new. He recently told me he sees differentiation as an exciting challenge and is convinced that companies can differentiate by redefining, renewing and rethinking both their products and their service offerings. At SKF, he puts this theory into practice on a daily basis.

   In fact, Gyberg’s thinking on differentiation is very similar to that of marketing guru Philip Kotler. In this issue’s Outlook, you can read Kotler’s views on the importance of showing customers new ways to use products, how to use them more efficiently and how they can help solve customers’ problems.

   This issue of Evolution also seeks to provide some good examples of what SKF means by these parameters of differentiation.

   The first case story looks at Husqvarna, a Swedish company that makes chain saws and constantly works to make the saw bodies more compact. The new SKF Integrated Compact Oil-Sealed bearing unit, ICOS™, helps achieve this goal, serving as a good example of how a product can be renewed.

   The second example deals with Leroy-Somer, a French company that helps develop electric vehicles for the automotive industry. Here, the SKF sensorized bearing the company uses is a good example of rethinking a product to give extra benefits to the customer. In addition to movement, the bearing also provides an electric signal for a control system.

   Finally, the third case story focuses on German steelmaker Stahlwerke Bremen, which operates its continuous casters around the clock, every day of the year. Its choice of an SKF system solution with a bearing arrangement combining CARB and a spherical roller bearing, has allowed it to improve performance by up to 50 percent in various segments a good example of redefining a product through a joint effort.

   With this focus on differentiation, it’s only logical that Evolution looks a bit different, too. And if you want to make yourself look different, you might find some inspiration in the article on Technogym, an Italian manufacturer of fitness equipment.

   The next Evolution will focus on partnership how we work together with customers on a long-term basis, from prototypes to service market. Meanwhile, please don’t hesitate to contact your nearest SKF office or authorized distributor for more information.
Janerik Dimming  
Editor-in-chief