Trading, both as a business and a pastime, is used to great benefit by many people in society today. Take, for instance, the cyber world, a dynamic force of the 21st century. I can now buy and sell goods from continent to continent on the Internet while sitting in a café with a coffee or on the train using my laptop. These are just some examples of how, through technology, trading is easy and accessible to me, regardless of my geographical location. We have come a long way indeed.

Welcome to the fourth issue of Evolution 2003. Here we take you on a journey that looks at trading, past, present and future. SKF has been in business since Sven Wingquist founded the company in 1907. The company has since grown from its Swedish origin to become a leading supplier of rolling bearings, seals and related business on the global market.

SKF is evolving into a solutions provider of innovative products and services, where a “knowledge-sharing culture” is the key to enhancing future business performance. (Read about knowledge management on page 16.) If knowledge meets a business need externally, then this is a service that can be shared, even traded. Quickly finding the right people and the right information ultimately provides a major return.

Trading was quite a different story, however, in the 17th and 18th centuries. (See For all the tea in China on page 14.) During the “golden age” of China trade, European merchants sailed the East India route to trade with China. One of the trading vessels from this era, the East Indiaman Götheborg I, built in 1738, has been recreated, inspired by the wreckage of the original ship. It has been built at a cost of 35 million US dollars and will be the first replica of its kind to make the historical journey to Asia, on a trading mission planned for 2004. Read all about this exciting project and the upcoming voyage in Winds of the past on page 10.

Evolution takes you from the 17th century to the 21st century, and the mountains of northeastern Mexico. This area is in the thick of Mexico’s growing export business. Here, Compañia Papelera Maldonado S.A. de C.V. produces paper products, and its aim is to export 40 percent of its specialty paper. With an integrated maintenance solution, arranged by SKF and local distributor Rodamientos y Accesorios S.A. de C.V. (Ryasa), the focus is now “profits up, costs down and keep those exports rolling.” Read about the successful cooperation on page 7.

Apart from historic trading vessels, on page 4 we also feature the vehicle of present and future trading – the Internet – in the article Instant commerce. Nowadays, trading systems allow lightning-fast, round-the-clock trading in stocks and bonds from anywhere on the globe. Modern technology has had many impacts on the trading world, and geography is becoming irrelevant.

To find the right SKF solution for your business, please contact your local SKF organization, distributor or dealer. Local contact details can be found on www.skf.com. If you wish to read further material relating to this or past issues of Evolution, please go to evolution.skf.com. Customer magazines are a powerful tool in knowledge sharing. At Evolution’s Web site you can also order free regular print copies of the magazine for yourself and your colleagues. In our next issue, we look at how businesses are moving into new markets.

Take care, and see you soon.