Special edition: Reports from IPPE
Timken looks to feed sector in market expansion plans
The Timken Company is an Ohio-based industrial manufacturer of a range of products including engineered bearings and power transmission brands used globally in several industries including agriculture and the food and beverage space. The company has more than 18,000 employees and operates in 42 countries.
It has been expanding in the food and beverage processing sectors. It was while working with partners in that space that it became apparent that the company could play a bigger role in feed manufacturing, said Drew Learn, manager of food and beverage markets, Timken.
The company is looking to feed production equipment as a potential growth area, he said. “This is a market we can win in.”
Timken has previously provided feed pelleting companies with robust equipment such as tapered roller bearings to withstand the rigors of the production process, said Learn.
"Now we’re trying to focus a little more on the handling, the moving and transferring of the feed … the conveying part of it.”
“It’s trying to capture a different customer,” he added.
The initial focus is working with companies in North America and Europe, however, that could expand to the global marketplace, said Learn.
A focus of its technology has been about reducing the need for maintenance and to limit unplanned downtime, he said. “The technology that we have allows customers to continue running and prevents unplanned shutdowns and unplanned maintenance - that is where we add our value to the equipment builder or mill runner."
“We have best in class sealing technology specifically designed for that environment – we know that feed is ground, and the particulate can get inside of things,” Learn said. “You don’t want that in between your running parts, you don’t want that in your gearboxes, you don’t want that in your bearings."
