Scottish deal makes SKF `the UK`s largest` in condition monitoring

SKF has bought the Aberdeen-based maintenance engineering consultancy, Development Engineering International (DEI), for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition is part of SKF`s plan to expand from selling bearings and seals, to offering services such as maintenance and condition monitoring. According to Phil Knights, president of SKF`s service division, the deal makes SKF the largest condition monitoring service company in the UK.

DEI, which employs 70 people and has a turnover of around £6m, was a pioneer in condition-based maintenance for the offshore oil and gas industries. Dr Brian Murray, who founded the company in 1981, will continue to run the business. He predicts that DEI "will benefit from the resources, credibility and contacts that come from being part of a large global organisation".