SKF, Sweden, has further boosted its presence in Latin America, with a two-year contract to supply a wide range of bearings and support services to CMPC, one of the major Chilean pulp and paper companies.

CMPC is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of pulp, tissue, forestry, and paper and packaging products. The company operates in eight countries in Latin America, employs more than 17,000 people and exports to customers around the globe.

CMPC’s facilities in Latin America include extensive and sustainably managed forestry plantations, plus a range of saw, pulp, containerboard, corrugated, plywood, and tissue mills. The company also has plants for molded products and recycling, plus a paper distribution business unit.

Throughout, the focus is on quality and efficiency, with the reliability of every production system being critical. Francisco Javier Morales, assistant manager for procurement at CMPC, explained that "we operate a lean business model, with all of our production lines being optimized to maximize output as safely, efficiently, and sustainably as possible. We therefore work closely with our suppliers to ensure that this philosophy is reflected across the supply chain and build strong relationships with strategic partners such as SKF."

The new agreement between CMPC and SKF means that SKF will become a supplier of bearings, housings, and accessories for all of CMPC’s plants in Chile. The list of specified SKF products includes: spherical roller bearings, deep groove ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, self-aligning ball bearings, and CARB toroidal roller bearings, plus a variety of linear motion and sealing products.

Oscar Olivares Reyes, key account manager for pulp and paper at SKF, highlights the fact that "many of these products are used in extremely demanding applications, with extremes of temperature and humidity, and are installed in areas that are difficult to access. Our reputation for product quality and reliability, plus our long track record of supplying bearings to the pulp and paper sector, therefore played an important role in helping us secure the new contract."

Morales added that "our decision to be a partner with SKF was also based on their ability to provide a range of training, technical support, and consultancy services, which will help us optimize plant efficiency and reliability even further."