Timken to Add $35-Million In-Line Forging Process

The Timken Co. plans to add forging capability to its steel bar manufacturing process with an investment of approximately $35 million for a high-volume, in-line forge press at its Faircrest plant in Canton, Ohio. Timken's Steel Group is an electric steel operation with a melting capacity of 1.5 million tons/year. It manufactures alloy steel bars and billets, as well as alloy and carbon steel seamless tubes. The new installation will be part of $50-million capital improvement program for Timken’s three operations in Canton that it announced late in 2010. Since 2006, Timken has invested over $200 million in its Steel Group, including two heat-treating lines, a scrap logistics system, a long-length tube line, and a small bar mill. Other investments planned as part of the latest capital program have not been announced. The new in-line forging press will start operation early in 2013. The technology and equipment supplier for the in-line forge press were not released. "This open-die, in-line press will be the first step of the forge-rolled process for all Faircrest products," according to v.p. - manufacturing Tom Moline. "Adding this step prior to rolling will provide better yield and production efficiencies to significantly improve our operations." Timken stated the in-line forge press will increase its production capacity and lower production cost by improving yield, expanding product capabilities to meet more demanding ultrasonic specifications, and reducing cycle times for larger products. Forged steel bars will be particularly valuable to Timken’s customers that produce products for “extreme operating conditions,” including those in the oil-and-gas, heavy machinery, wind energy, and power-generation markets. "We are making this next investment with the needs of our customers foremost in mind," stated 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."