Timken to expand Jamshedpur unit

Bearings manufacturer Timken India plans to expand its operations in the country by increasing its capacities at its plant in Jamshedpur, creating new capacity at a greenfield facility in the Chennai special economic zone (SEZ).

The company is also consolidating its position in the automobile sector and the core sector in India by introducing newer product lines in the country.

Timken India's managing director Gordon Robinson told reporters on Friday that the company has invested $27 million in the Chennai plant which will mainly support the demand for high-end bearings from Timken's global clients.

A part of the production at the Chennai SEZ will also be sold in India if there is a need, he clarified.

Robinson informed that the company had also planned to expand the capacity at its Jamshedpur plant by investing around $12 million.

"The expansion at Jamshedpur is an ongoing process and more investments will come in the next few years," he indicated, adding that the company is open to set up more plants in the country if the market requires.

Robinson said that the company will move more products from its facilities in the US and Europe to China and India as the market in these regions are showing a strong growth.

He said there are plans to introduce into India one product line every quarter.

Timken India's director of sales and marketing David White said the company sees significant opportunities in the automotive, steel and heavy industry and the upcoming windmills manufacturing business.

He said the newly-started services business of the company has been doing well as it is the fastest growing activity at Timken India. The company has so far bagged four contracts and presently earns 5 per cent of its revenues from this business, he informed.

On extending the business, he said the company will focus on industries where the aftermarket for bearings is active and there is a high incidence of replacements.

Robinson inaugurated a mobile distributor training school (DTS) which will tour the entire country to train staff at the distributor's office to handle and maintain the bearings supplied to customers.

The DTS is a fully-equipped van armed with a wide range of diagnostic gadgets and service tools.

The van will be utilised as training aid by expert trainers to regularly update the sales force of the distributors and in the long run, the end-use customers with the latest in friction management and innovations in the Timken's range.