SKF is constructing a Skr360m facility at Schweinfurt in Germany that will test large bearings used in wind turbine main shafts.

The Swedish company said the centre will reduce testing times and will be able to simulate real-life conditions.

The centre will have two LSB test rigs, one of which will be dedicated to bearings used in wind turbines.

Work on the facility started last summer and it is expected to be complete in the first half of 2017.

The company said it is also trialing a bearing health management system for the wind industry. The technology called SKF Insight is self-powered and uses wireless sensors to provide monitoring data via the internet.