Timken opens new small-bar steel rolling mill in Ohio

The Timken Company on November 13 officially opened a new $60 million small-bar steel rolling mill in Canton, Ohio, that has expanded its portfolio of differentiated steel products. The new mill enables the company to produce steel bars down to 1 inch in diameter for use in power transmission and friction management applications. The company expects this high-performance steel to meet the needs of a variety of customers in the bearing, industrial, energy, distribution and automotive market sectors, including transplant automakers.

“Our new small-bar mill is part of a strategic focus on driving differentiation in our steel products and expanding into new market sectors where we can grow profitably,” said Salvatore J. Miraglia Jr., president of Timken’s Steel Group. “When we create value for customers with our highly engineered steelmaking capabilities, we improve our ability to create value for our shareholders.”

Timken collaborated on the design and construction of the mill with Daido Steel Company Ltd., a leading Japanese producer with experience manufacturing special quality small-bar steel and serving demanding customers, including Nissan Motor Company, Honda Motor Company and Toyota Motor Corporation.

The new mill, originally announced in January 2007, consists of approximately 76,000 square feet to house expanded rolling, finishing and inspection capabilities and is part of Timken’s Harrison Steel Plant in Canton. Timken added approximately 30 new positions to operate the small-bar mill.