In 1999, a history of the Timken Company was released, honoring the company’s centennial anniversary. It was titled "From Missouri to Mars." Henry Timken had patented a method for making tapered roller bearings in St Louis in 1899, and within a hundred years, Timken bearings were being used by NASA for the Mars rovers. Today the Timken company operates in thirty countries and has four segments: Mobile Industries, Process Industries, Aerospace and Defense, and Steel (although as of June 2013, the company was considering spinning off the Steel unit). Timken’s success stems from its innovations and smart management. Timken was listed on Forbes list of 400 Best Managed Companies as well as its list of 100 Most Trustworthy Companies in 2009.
As early as 1901, Henry Timken saw how his company would be intertwined with the automotive industry. He moved production of Timken bearings to Canton, Ohio, since it was equidistant to steel manufacturing Pittsburgh and Detroit, the center of the automotive world. When Henry Ford introduced the Model-T and production line assembly of automobiles in 1908, Timken sales took off.
With war brewing in Europe, Timken opened a steel plant realizing that steel would be harder to obtain during the war years. Following the war, Timken began to expand into manufacturing components for other industries such as mining, farm equipment and railways. In 1925, Timken bearings were used on railroad cars for the first time. The following year, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul Pacific Railroad bought Timken bearings for its high speed trains, realizing that Timken’s mechanically efficient design would allow the trains to move faster.
In the 1930’s Timken expanded further, beginning to produce bearings for propeller driveshafts, which were purchased by the United States Navy. The Navy proved to be a valuable customer when World War II broke out.
Timken still manufactures parts for military applications today, including bearings and transmission systems for helicopters and bearings for missile guidance systems. They also produce parts for civilian applications including transmission systems and bearings for construction equipment, locomotives, agricultural equipment and, of course, passenger cars and trucks.
Need Timken Parts?
At 1A Auto, we carry a variety of Timken wheel hubs and bearings, differential bearings, axle bearings, and driveshaft parts for many vehicles. If you are looking for Timken branded automotive parts, then you have come to the right place here at 1A Auto!
