SSKFExecutive Cockpit

CFO — Finance, Cash & Capital

Quality of earnings, 13-week cash, leverage runway, working-capital unlock and the value levers behind margin expansion and the fortress balance sheet.

AB SKF (SKF Group) · FY2025 (Jan–Dec 2025, audited anchor)
World's largest bearing maker today — clear #1 in industrial bearings
37,271 employees · 90+ sites · 130 countries
Executive read· the answer, then the moves

Net debt of SEK 12.1 bn sits at 0.8× adjusted EBITDA against the 3.0× ceiling — a fortress (incl. pensions & leases) that funds bolt-ons and post-spin optionality, not a deleveraging problem. Normalizing DSO to 60d releases ≈ SEK 1.3 bn and works down SEK 2.4 bn of >60-day receivables, while SEK 12.5 bn of available liquidity (≈ 7 weeks of cover) carries the separation working-capital build.

6 of 8 headline metrics improving vs prior · still off target: Adjusted Operating Profit SEK 11.7 bn vs SEK 12.2 bn, Adjusted Operating Margin 12.7% vs 17.0%, DSO (Days Sales Outstanding) 65d vs 60d

Do now — ranked by urgency
  1. 1
    Pull working capital — drive DSO 65→60dWatch
    Why it matters

    Closing the DSO gap releases ≈ SEK 1.3 bn of one-time cash; SEK 2.4 bn is already >60 days overdue and at collection risk.

    What's driving it
    • DSO 65d vs 60d target · NWC 30.4% of sales
    • Overdue (>60d) SEK 2.4 bn of SEK 16.3 bn AR
    FYI
    • Brand/business unlock to a 55d stretch ≈ SEK 2.6 bn
    • Owner: Treasury
  2. 2
    IAC guidance BSEK −2.5 to −3.0 for 2026Watch
    Why it matters

    Keep separation spend inside the announced envelope; track footprint payback quarter by quarter.

    What's driving it
    • Items affecting comparability
    • Signal: Alert
    FYI

    Separation plus Americas footprint consolidation front-load costs (Q2 2026 IAC −1,004, roughly half separation / half footprint).

  3. 3
    DSO 65 vs 60 target — NWC 30.4% of salesWatch
    Why it matters

    Tighten OEM terms & collections; unwind the separation WC build in H2 2026.

    What's driving it
    • DSO
    • Signal: Alert
    FYI

    >60d AR ≈ MSEK 2,400; the separation working-capital build dented H1 2026 operating cash flow (Q1 −446).

  4. 4
    RecondOil & remanufacturing circularity — PlannedWatch
    Why it matters

    Unbanked margin until captured — rightsizing & footprint fund the >17% post-spin frame.

    What's driving it
    • SEK 120 M run-rate targeted
    • Signal: Savings program
    FYI
    • Circular offers scaling from pilot to plant-scale; supports the clean-growth pillar.
    • Owner: CFO
Adj. operating profit
SEK 11.7 bn
12.7% adj margin (12.3% prior) · reported down on FX
Available liquidity
SEK 12.5 bn
≈ 7 weeks of disbursements
Debt capacity to 3.0× ceiling
SEK 35.2 bn
≈ 8.8× annual capex of optionality (bolt-ons / buyback)
Working-capital unlock
SEK 1.3 bn
DSO 65→60d target
Quality of earnings

Reported → Adjusted operating profit

SEK 3.9 bn of items affecting comparability (34% of adj.) — the audit-grade walk.

Driver bridge

Adj operating profit — prior to current year

Currency translation vs. organic volume / price / mix vs. cost programs & lower material costs vs. divested businesses — FY2024 → FY2025.

Treasury

13-week direct cash flow forecast

Above minimum

Net weekly cash (bars) and ending cash (line) vs. SEK 4.0 bn minimum. Forecast trough: SEK 8.5 bn.

SEK 9.0 bn
Opening cash
SEK 23.5 bn
13-wk collections
SEK 23.6 bn
13-wk disbursements
SEK 9.0 bn
Closing cash
Capital structure

Leverage runway vs. ceiling

Net debt / adjusted EBITDA against the 3.0× ceiling — a fortress with wide headroom, held through the separation.

Headroom = optionality

Balance-sheet optionality

Debt capacity to 3.0× ceiling
SEK 35.2 bn
8.8× annual capex — backs bolt-ons & buyback potential
Net Debt / Adj EBITDA0.8x
Covenant Headroom2.2x
Interest Cover (EBITDA / financial net)9.3x
Net Cash Flow After InvestmentsSEK 6.9 bn
Where the cash is trapped

Working-capital cash unlock

SEK 2.6 bn opportunity

Normalizing laggard businesses to a 55-day DSO releases ~SEK 2.6 bn of one-time cash.

SKF Vertevo75d
SEK 1.3 bn
SKF62d
SEK 1.3 bn
Kaydon58d
SEK 18 M
Cooper (split-roller)56d
SEK 1 M

Concentrated in the automotive OEM book and SKF Vertevo (long platform terms) plus the separation working-capital build — the fastest cash win this year as the build unwinds in H2 2026.

Revenue quality

Aftermarket engine & margin

Aftermarket & services revenue growth and where adjusted operating profit is generated.

Aftermarket & Services Revenue
SEK 33.5 bn
▼ 4.0% vs priorTarget SEK 36.0 bn
Aftermarket & Services Mix
37.0%
▲ 5.7% vs priorTarget 40.0%
Net Revenue Retention (top accounts)
106.0%
▲ 1.9% vs priorTarget 110.0%
Dividend Payout (of adjusted net profit)
45.0%
▲ 7.1% vs priorTarget 50.0%
Aftermarket engine

Aftermarket & services bridge

Trend

Aftermarket & services growth

By segment

Adjusted operating margin

Collections

AR aging

Total AR SEK 16.3 bn

Current daysSEK 9.6 bn
1-30 daysSEK 2.9 bn
31-60 daysSEK 1.4 bn
61-90 daysSEK 1.5 bn
90+ daysSEK 900 M

Overdue (>60d) = SEK 2.4 bn at collection risk.

By channel

Receivables & credit watch

Channels ranked by DSO and credit/churn risk.

ChannelRevenueDSORepeatCredit/Churn
Automotive OEMsSEK 17.4 bn75d101%Medium
Industrial OEMs (machinery · aero · rail · energy)SEK 27.0 bn68d104%Medium
Services & performance contractsSEK 11.1 bn60d112%Low
Vehicle aftermarket distributorsSEK 8.6 bn58d107%Low
Industrial distributors (17,000 locations)SEK 27.6 bn55d108%Low
Brands

Brand & business economics

Margin, DSO normalization and cost capture (since scaled → current).

Brand / businessSinceRevenueAdj profitDSOIntegrationCost captureStatus
SKF1907SEK 65.6 bn8% → SEK 10.6 bn7062d95%90%Integrated
PEER2008SEK 900 M10% → SEK 120 M5550d92%85%Integrated
Lincoln2010SEK 2.5 bn14% → SEK 450 M6052d100%95%Integrated
Alemite2010SEK 600 M12% → SEK 90 M5852d100%92%Integrated
Kaydon2013SEK 2.2 bn16% → SEK 380 M6558d96%88%Integrated
@ptitude / IMx / Axios (condition monitoring)2015SEK 2.9 bn18% → SEK 610 M5044d88%80%In progress
RecondOil2018SEK 150 M5% → SEK 15 M4540d70%55%In progress
Cooper (split-roller)2020SEK 450 M15% → SEK 80 M6256d84%70%In progress
SKF Vertevo2026SEK 23.6 bn4% → SEK 896 M7875d78%60%In progress
Supply

Supplier terms & risk

Steel & input spend, DPO (working-capital lever), delivery and risk.

SupplierCategorySpendDPOOTIFScoreRisk
Bearing-grade steel (EU mills · green & recycled programs)Bearing steel (primary input)SEK 18.0 bn60d94%86Medium
Components, cages & sealing materialsComponents & materialsSEK 8.0 bn55d92%84Medium
Energy & renewable electricity (91% renewable)EnergySEK 4.5 bn30d97%88Medium
Contract manufacturing & MRO (incl. Industrial→Vertevo transfers)Contract manufacturing & MROSEK 3.8 bn40d90%80High
Logistics & freight (airfreight-avoidance directive)LogisticsSEK 3.2 bn45d91%82Medium
Lubricants, chemicals & process mediaChemicals & lubricantsSEK 2.5 bn50d93%85Low