Feb 2 2011
The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR) announced that it will invest approximately $35 million to install a high-volume, in-line forge press at its Faircrest rolling mill facility in Canton, Ohio.
This investment comes on the heels of the $50-million commitment in capital improvements initiated at the end of 2010 at the company's other steel facilities in Canton. The investments reflect the significant increase in demand Timken has seen for its high-performance steel across all markets.
Slated to begin operation in early 2013, the addition of the in-line forge press will generate value by increasing capacity, lowering costs through improved yield, expanding product capabilities to meet ultrasonic specifications that are more demanding and reducing cycle times for larger products.
"This open-die in-line press will be the first step of the forge-rolled process for all Faircrest products." said Tom Moline, vice president of manufacturing. "Adding this step prior to rolling will provide better yield and production efficiencies to significantly improve our operations."
The investment will provide particular value to customers in markets where Timken's high-performance steel products are most critical to performance in extreme operating conditions, such as oil and gas, heavy machinery, wind energy and power generation.
"We are making this next investment with the needs of our customers foremost in mind," said Sal Miraglia, Jr., president of Timken's Steel Group. "In turn, this will contribute substantially to our long-term competitiveness, which is critical to jobs and performance."