Motion Asia Pacific and SKF have formalised a new partnership that will give industrial customers in Australia and New Zealand access to the full SKF product portfolio – combining Motion’s national reach across Australia and New Zealand with SKF’s global innovation in bearings, condition monitoring, lubrication and reliability systems.
Two industrial leaders – Motion Asia Pacific and SKF Australia – have announced a strategic partnership that will significantly expand product availability, technical support, and innovation for customers across key sectors including mining, manufacturing, energy, agriculture, and food and beverage.
The partnership, which leverages Motion’s distribution footprint and customer relationships with SKF’s global product range and R&D (research and development) capabilities, is positioned as a direct response to market demand.
“This is a customer-led strategy,” Motion Asia Pacific chief executive officer Heath Fitzpatrick said.
“Our customers are constantly asking for Motion to supply the full SKF suite of products and solutions, and now we can. It just makes sense for us to align.”
The announcement follows longstanding relationships between the two businesses, including a major distribution arrangement in the US between SKF and Motion’s North American operations.
“We’ve enjoyed a great relationship with SKF in the US, and now we’re expanding this into the APAC region,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s a logical next step, built on shared values and a mutual focus on delivering real value to customers.”
For customers, the partnership means greater access to SKF’s full industrial offering – from bearings and housings to condition monitoring, lubrication systems and maintenance products – through Motion’s established network of branches and digital channels.
“From May 2025, our customers will have access to the full SKF range through Motion,” Motion executive general manager for product management and marketing Brett Jennings said.
“This isn’t about shelf space – it’s about solving problems and adding value.”
SKF’s local leadership echoed the focus on outcomes.
“SKF has a wide portfolio of products suited to segments like mining, oil and gas, and food & beverage,” SKF Australia interim managing director and business controller Nicole Rosa said.
“What this partnership does is bring our global offering closer to the customer, through Motion’s reach.
“Together with Motion, we can co-innovate – combining our local teams, engineering expertise and global R&D to deliver customised products and solutions that meet evolving customer needs.”
The partnership also aligns with broader industry trends towards predictive maintenance and digitally-enabled reliability solutions.
“SKF has huge amounts of application data and technical capability, and this partnership is about unlocking that value for customers in Australia and New Zealand,” SKF Australia–New Zealand head of distribution and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) Vis Reddy said.
“The industry is shifting towards predictive maintenance and machine learning – and we’re enabling customers to tap into that, not just for innovation’s sake, but to reduce failures, cut downtime, and improve efficiency.”
Motion’s technical team are positioning the SKF range as a natural extension of their customer-first model, focused on delivering smarter, more efficient, and more complete solutions.
“Adding the SKF portfolio means Motion can now offer a full package to both the MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) and OEM markets,” Motion category manager – bearings Tony Tormey said.
“Offering a wider range of solutions for our customers’ rotating equipment.”
SKF distribution development manager David Hofstede echoed similar sentiments.
“This is about matching the right product to the right application – and doing it with deep technical support,” Hofstede said.
“We’re not just rolling out product. We’re bringing in teams, training, and connected technology support, so that customers get more than just supply – they get insight, reliability, and efficiency.”
Fitzpatrick said the partnership is an expression of Motion’s long-term purpose.
“It’s not just about moving parts – it’s about helping customers improve efficiency, limit downtime, and monitor performance. That’s what sustainable growth looks like, and that’s what this partnership is designed to deliver,” Fitzpatrick said.
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