Manufacturer announces expansion of North Charleston operations

SKF Aero Bearings, a global leader in bearings and anti-friction solutions for aerospace, automotive and manufacturing processes, is expanding its North Charleston operations, a move that is expected to create about 100 new jobs over the next five years.

Officials with the Gothenburg, Sweden-based company, which opened a service center in North Charleston in 1999, credited their relationship with the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and its efforts to create an aviation/aerospace cluster in Charleston County as critical to their decision to invest an additional $6.5 million in the region for expansion.

“Without question, the alliance’s work to create an aviation cluster is extremely important to our long term strategy in this region,” said Kaj Thoren, president of the SKF Aero and Steel Division. “The more people you can bring here, the more aerospace and aviation-related investment who you can bring here, the more successful we will be as a company.

“But more than being the beneficiary of these efforts, we want to be a partner in creating this cluster, ensuring enduring economic benefits both for the region and for ourselves,” he said.

Thoren also repeatedly emphasized that the company, which currently has 40,000 employees worldwide, hopes to continue its expansion here.

“Many of our other facilities around the world are already expressing an interest in relocating to Charleston,” he said. “As a result, we consider this current expansion only a second phase of our relationship with this area, with more to come in the future.”

SKF is completing construction of a new 32,000-square-foot facility in the Pepperdam Industrial Park to house its MRC Bearings subsidiary. MRC currently manufactures specialty bearings for the aviation industry at a plant that is closing in Jamestown, N.Y.

The new facility is located next to the existing 12,000-square-foot SKF Aero Bearing Service Center. The $4 million, 30-employee facility houses an FAA-accredited service center performing inspections and remanufacturing services for the commercial airline industry.

Charleston County Council Chairman Leon Stavrinakis said SKF’s announcement is a vote of confidence in the county’s business climate. “As SKF continues to grow its world-class North Charleston facility, it’s going to bring even more high-paying, innovative engineering jobs to our region,” he said. “In that sense, this investment represents hope not only for us, but for future generations of Charleston County residents.”

Thoren said SKF first began looking at the Charleston region as a possible site location for its operations in 1999. At the time, it was one of five locations that were actively competing for its investment.

Among the factors he cited as important to its decision to open its original service center here were Charleston’s climate, business-friendly attitude and cultural amenities, such as its restaurants.

Jack Bellomo, director of operations for the service center, said as SKF expands, it will develop its local workforce through its internal training program, as well as through training programs offered in collaboration with the alliance through the Trident Technical College.

“It’s a partnership that’s been very successful in growing workers for us in the past,” he said.