The Hindu Business Line : Timken shifting manufacturing to India

Mobile school: Mr David L. White (left), Director-Sales & Marketing, Timken, and Mr Gordon Robinson, Managing Director, Timken, at the launch of distributor training school vehicle.

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Pune, Aug. 17 Cost competitiveness is driving bearings manufacturer Timken to move eastwards and shift its manufacturing footprint from the US and Europe into India and China.

The company also expects to put up more facilities in India that are appropriate to meet the growing domestic demand.

“This is not an either-or option, and we will invest in both countries,” Mr Gordon Robinson, Managing Director, Timken India Ltd, said.

Domestic plans

On its India plans, he said the Jamshedpur facility, where capacity has recently been enhanced, is a global source for 130 mm rail bearings.

A second plant at Chennai that will go into production by early 2008 will manufacture 300-350 mm bearings for both domestic and export needs.

“The infrastructure boom will drive the demand for bearings, and see more plants in India. We will build facilities appropriate to the demand,” he added.

Today the company launched a fully equipped van that will traverse across the country and serve as a mobile school to train and update distributors and end users on how to improve service and enhance the life of the bearing.

‘roaming academia’

Mr David White, Director, Sales and Marketing, said Timken is launching the ‘roaming academia’ outside of the US for the first time.

It will draw upon 50 years of experience and the curriculum used for training in the US.

The company launched seven new product lines during the past year, and expects to launch one new product every quarter, Mr White said, adding that its onsite maintenance service MillTec is its fastest growing business unit. It added two more clients in Jindal and Essar Hazira during this year.

Timken expects to earn revenue of Rs 350 crore through its Indian operations during this year and grow at a pace twice as fast as the markets are growing in the next few years, Mr Gordon said.

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