SKF has bought Gamfior, an Italian company specialising in high-speed motorised spindles and ballscrews for the machine tool industry. Turin-based Gamfior employs 180 people and has annual sales of around £6.8m.

The acquisition, in line with SKF`s strategy to move further into mechatronics and products with higher added value, makes it one of the world`s leading suppliers of machine tool spindles. Earlier SKF, bought Gilman in the US and Revolve in Canada and has its own spindle plants in Germany and Japan.

SKF`s linear motion and machine tool business now employs 1,530 people and has annual sales of £170m.

SKF has formed a strategic alliance to unite its Dymac condition monitoring operation with Meggitt`s Vibro-Meter business. The alliance will combine the companies` offerings into a single machinery management range. They will share development expertise and customer support activities, with Vibro-Meter concentrating on OEM accounts while SKF focuses on end-user applications.