Timken Invests $75M in Wind, Solar Energy Markets

Timken is going all-in on the renewable energy market, stemming from its 2018 acquisition of Cone Drive.

Timken Poijl

NORTH CANTON, OH — The Timken Company, a global provider of engineered bearings and power transmission products, on Wednesday announced more than $75 million in capital investments through early 2022 to increase the company's renewable energy capabilities across its global footprint.

"This has been a breakout year for us in renewable energy markets," said Richard G. Kyle, Timken president and chief executive officer. "Through both innovation and acquisitions over the last several years, we've become a leading supplier and technology partner in wind and solar energy and it's resulting in record sales and a robust pipeline of opportunities. This latest round of investments represents our confidence in the future growth of our wind and solar business as the world continues to transition to renewable energy sources."  

To serve Timken's global renewable energy customers, the company has developed an extensive network of engineering and innovation centers and manufacturing facilities located throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Timken will use the announced $75 million investment to:

  • Expand its state-of-the-art and LEED-certified manufacturing facility in Xiangtan, China, where it makes engineered bearings for wind turbines.
  • Continue to scale-up its production capacity at sites in Wuxi, China, and Ploiesti, Romania, where Timken manufactures engineered bearings for wind turbines.
  • Consolidate multiple sites into a new, larger campus in Jiangyin, China, to increase production capacity, broaden the product range and improve productivity for precision drives used in the solar energy market.
  • All of the above investments will include advanced automation and manufacturing technologies.

Timken's wind energy product portfolio includes engineered bearings,  lubrication systems, couplings and more. Timken has been active in the wind market for more than 10 years and is now a critical design and manufacturing partner to many of the world's largest turbine and drive manufacturers.

Timken's 2018 acquisition of Cone Drive launched the company's leading position in the solar energy sector. Timken develops and manufactures precision motion control products that provide solar-tracking system positioning for both photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) applications.

"Timken is known throughout the world for our ability to solve our customers' most difficult friction management and power transmission challenges, and that includes deploying our advanced engineering and manufacturing technologies to help produce the world's most efficient and reliable wind turbines and solar energy systems," Kyle said. "By continuing to invest and advance our technology, Timken will help the renewable energy industry improve efficiency, reduce cost and promote the growth of solar and wind energy sources."

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