News & events


THK invests in new facilities

Fourth Quarter 2004 News & events

THK, a leading international manufacturer of linear motion systems has expanded its UK operation by moving to new purpose-built headquarters in Milton Keynes. The new facility is part of an ongoing global expansion programme and is intended both to support the continued growth of the organisation in the UK and to improve still further the range and quality of the technical and engineering services offered to customers throughout industry.

The new facility measures approximately 1700 m² and has been custom-built to THK's specification to provide extensive office, warehousing, engineering and training areas. The building has also been given a high BREEAM rating - this registers the energy and environmental efficiency of the building and considers a variety of factors including pollution, land use, management, ecology, transport and location.

Branch manager, Andy Sim, explains that, "The new headquarters form a key part in our long term global and European expansion programmes. These consider four key areas of our business: customer processes, operation, work processes, training and learning. Our objective over time is review and enhance all areas of our business to ensure we continue to provide ever higher levels of technical innovation, product choice, quality and customer support.

"For example, the latest £1,3 million investment in the new UK facilities will enable us to control our stockholding, expand our training resources and improve factors such as response to enquiry times, order pro-cessing and application engineering."

The latest investment in the UK follows the recent expansion of manufacturing facilities in Alsace, France, and the announcement of plans to develop the plant into one of the largest centres of linear motion production and expertise in the world.

Andy Sim explains that, "Our plant locations are key to the business' reputation and performance. We have eight manufacturing plants in Japan, further factories in the USA, Europe and China, and additionally a sales network with over 40 branches around the globe; with these kinds of facilities we can provide the best level of local service to our customers wherever they may be."

SKF, one of the world's largest and most experienced manufacturers of quality bearings and associated products and sealing systems, and supplier of power transmission products and couplings, recently acquired the sole distribution rights for the THK product range in sub-Sahara Africa.

About THK

THK was founded by a joint investment between Toho Seiko and Miyairi Valve Seisakusho in March 1973 in Tokyo, Japan. THK America was founded in March 1981 in Chicago, then followed the founding of THK Europe in October 1982 in Dusseldorf, Germany. THK went on to acquire a list of premises in Italy, Sweden, France, Canada, Los Angeles and China. In July 1989, THK established its first UK office in Milton Keynes.

For more information contact Grant Baxter, SKF South Africa, +27 (0) 11 821 5300, [email protected], www.skf.com



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Hydraulic & Automation Warehouse revitalises partnership with KTR Systems
Bosch Rexroth Africa News & events
Hydraulic & Automation Warehouse (HAW) has rejuvenated its relationship with KTR Systems, a leader in drive technology, brake systems, cooling systems, and hydraulic components.

Read more...
From the editor's desk: A good servant and a bad master
Technews Publishing News & events
In our new AI-generated world it was inevitable that the Nobel Committee would have noticed. Now two pioneers of artificial intelligence, John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton, have won the Nobel Prize ...

Read more...
Celebrating 65 years: rebuilding and redefining its legacy
Axiom Hydraulics Editor's Choice News & events
Founded in 1959 by Neill Simpson, Axiom Hydraulics has grown into one of South Africa’s elite hydraulic companies. Over the past six and a half decades they’ve weathered many challenges, but none as devastating as the fire of 2023.

Read more...
Eskom Expo International Science Fair honours top young scientists
News & events
Excitement filled the air as the 44th Eskom Expo International Science Fair (ISF) opened its doors, welcoming young scientists with an electrifying line-up of activities, including robotics and coding workshops, and riveting science shows.

Read more...
Bolt and Engineering: Blazing a trail of innovation and excellence
News & events
Bolt and Engineering Distributors is proud to have been the Trailblazer sponsor of the 2024 Southern African Institute of Steel Construction Steel Awards, held in Johannesburg in early October.

Read more...
Young robotics team takes world title
igus News & events
In an inspiring demonstration of innovation and teamwork, Texpand, a young South African robotics team, recently made history by winning the 2024 FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships.

Read more...
Cogged raw edge belts
SKF South Africa Shaft power components
SKF’s cogged raw edge belts are ideally suited for essentially any industrial application that runs on ISO wedge and classical V-belt pulleys.

Read more...
Bosch Rexroth Africa announces retirement of COO, Mike Harrison
Bosch Rexroth Africa News & events
Bosch Rexroth Africa would like to announce the retirement of one of its stalwarts. Group chief operating officer, Mike Harrison will retire at the end of the year. His retirement marks the end of a remarkable career spanning 34 years.

Read more...
Taking reliability to the trenches
SKF South Africa Shaft power components
SKF’s maintenance-free Y Bearing Unit has significantly extended equipment uptime for key customer Gibela, a leading level 5CE CIBD-rated civils company with more than ten years of experience in the field.

Read more...
Selection of two-port valves: an open and shut case
SMC Corporation South Africa News & events
Little consideration is generally given to 2-port valves because they are often perceived as simple devices that only open and close to control downstream fluid supply. Although this is mechanically true, choosing the optimal 2-port valve for your application can make a big difference, saving space, weight and energy consumption.

Read more...