Timken Takes Marine Turnkey Solutions to New Level

The world gets smaller every day as populations grow larger and more connected, and the commercial marine market  is an important macroeconomic driver. Offshore wind turbines wouldn’t exist without massive construction ships, and tidal energy presents another growing market for workboats. Ninety-five percent of internet communications depend on the boats that lay and maintain submarine fiberoptic cables, and marine transportation is essential to geographies in need of agricultural commodities.

With 125 years of expertise in markets such as rail, automotive and aerospace, Timken is well-equipped to serve the commercial marine industry . Today, marine vessel propulsion manufacturers come to Timken for everything from drivetrain to deck equipment solutions. PT Tech clutches, brakes and torque limiters can be found throughout these boats, as well as Timken engineered bearings, Lovejoy and Torsion Control Products (TCP) couplings, Groeneveld-BEKA lubrication systems, and more.

In 2023 Timken further solidified its position in the market with the acquisition of Lagersmit, a Netherlands-based maker of specialty sealing solutions for stern tubes, thrusters and bulkheads for commercial and industrial workboats.

“We plan to leverage Lagersmit’s marine position and use our global expertise and manufacturing investments to provide scale and support for customers around the world.”

Jason Rebucci
President of PT Tech, TCP and Lagersmit

“We plan to leverage Lagersmit’s marine position and use our global expertise and manufacturing investments to provide scale and support for customers around the world,” says Jason Rebucci, president of PT Tech, TCP and Lagersmit.

Marrying whole-system ingenuity with micro-level technical expertise

The three businesses that Rebucci leads are all known for their system-engineering expertise. Timken’s technical and manufacturing investments offer great synergies, giving them the ability to drill down to the technical details of material properties, enhanced coatings and manufacturing processes, and take those system-engineered solutions to another level.

Marrying Timken’s technical capacity with the whole-system expertise of companies like Lagersmit and PT Tech is a powerful thing, says Rebucci — especially when you add Timken’s global investments.

“The Lagersmit acquisition puts us in a position to bring turnkey marine solutions to customers in all regions of the world, wherever boats are being built,” says Rebucci, “and Timken already has great relationships with distributors and boat servicers around the world. Those channels offer opportunities for growing the Lagersmit business and offering customers a one-stop-shop for marine parts, wherever they might need them.”

Leading marine into a new era

“With this acquisition, Lagersmit customers gain access to a global organization and thousands of Timken employees who are excited about serving them as marine technology evolves over the next few decades,” says Rebucci.

The world is using energy differently, and marine is exploring alternatives to fossil fuels too, he says. “Timken’s sweet spot is solving next-generation problems, and we look forward to leading the global marine market through that shift, so that boat builders can continue their work of making the world smaller and more connected.”

See all the ways Timken’s industrial motion portfolio is serving today’s commercial marine industry.

Published: 2024/04/2