The Timken Company began where traditional success stories usually end, at the conclusion of a long and profitable career. This was when Henry Timken, a visionary and innovator in carriage manufacturing (then one of the fastest growing industries), patented a tapered roller bearing. The next year, 1899, he formed a company to produce his new product, establishing a bedrock value – innovation – that continues to drive Timken today.

Henry solved a problem that had plagued carriage builders for many years: how to transport heavy loads while expending less energy and experiencing fewer breakdowns. Henry’s tapered roller bearing was the key; it could sustain forces from all directions, making turning much easier even under great weight.

Henry was able to showcase the new bearing’s potential when his two sons outfitted a freight wagon with the innovation, then hauled exceptionally heavy cargo to the railroad station. An alert constable noticed the overweighted wagon being pulled by only two mules and arrested the driver for cruelty to animals. Henry’s son went before the magistrate and won acquittal for the driver, while gaining early publicity for the energy-saving invention.

To this day we pursue Henry Timken’s vision of energy-saving possibilities by applying our expertise in friction management and power transmission to solve new problems.

Our products and services enable better performance from customers’ equipment and products, reducing heat and energy consumption, while extending maintenance intervals and system reliability. Timken is where our customers turn for improved efficiency and longer-lasting, safer products that make the world a better place.