Investing in the Future of Commercial Air Travel

Airline traveler numbers are back to 2019 levels and increasing. But even though the Covid era has passed for the commercial air travel industry, that period of slow-down, still has aircraft manufacturers playing catch-up. 

With supply chains tight and demand increasing, airlines are looking for supply chain resiliency by expanding their core supply base, consolidating around a few highly efficient “do-it-all” engines and trending toward smaller, single-aisle jets with better fuel efficiency. 

From engines to landing wheels to cabin interiors, aircraft manufacturers rely on Timken products for their designs. The company played a key role in transforming commercial air travel starting in 1935 and is meeting the current moment by increasing manufacturing capacity and making significant aerospace investments. 

Meeting customers with flexibility — and uncompromising quality

There’s nothing simple about manufacturing bearings for the aircraft that millions of people fly on every day. “Aerospace bearings are feature-rich, with stringent tolerances, frequent inspections and detailed traceability requirements,” says Abby Causey, manager of the Timken manufacturing facility in Shiloh, North Carolina. 

Each customer comes with specific requirements, which add complexity and time. “We meet those challenges with strong processes and a continuous improvement mindset,” she says. “Investments in our plant help us improve reliability and yields and reduce lead times and cost.”

“Our flexibility and expertise, as well as our commitment to uncompromising quality, make us an ideal aerospace partner.”

Dave Prock
Application Engineer

Today, Causey’s team sees more prototype requests for customized bearings. “Sometimes customers are on tight schedules — maybe they’ve tried to make the bearing elsewhere and failed. We do our best to condense our lead times and deliver what they need when they need it,” she says.

“The aerospace industry is customer-centric by nature,” says Dave Prock, application engineer. “Our flexibility and expertise, as well as our commitment to uncompromising quality, make us an ideal aerospace partner.”

Meeting a revolution with proactive investments 

Prock, along with Timken’s application engineering team, are Timken’s customer liaison driving development and manufacture of mainshaft bearings for next-generation aircraft engines. “These new engines represent a significant advancement over previous platforms,” he says. “They’re making fundamental changes to engine architecture to make them more efficient and more powerful.”

For example, aero designers hope to reduce fuel and carbon dioxide emissions by developing engines that support both hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuels. And, engine manufacturers are looking for manufacturing capacity, as well as quality and engineering expertise. 

“Our impressive delivery scorecards and reputation for quality have given us an advantage with our engine customers,” says Katherine Wiley, account manager. “And now, our proactive investments are positioning Timken to be more than a bearing supplier. We’re really a long-term partner.” 

“The work being done on the aircraft engine main shaft team to develop our manufacturing capabilities is impressive,” says Prock. New equipment and technology support the demanding main shaft positions in those new engines, as well as upgrades to the gearbox and landing gear bearings that Timken is known for. 

“It’s proof that we are a strategic partner who invests proactively,” says Wiley. “At Timken, we live this every day — new assets acquired, new resources being put on projects, that continuous focus on values and quality.”

“Key customers are directly impacted by these investments, and it shows the significant role that aerospace plays at Timken. After more than a century of hard work and innovation, there are still more amazing breakthroughs to be had — and that makes it exciting.” 

Timken aerospace engineers are the go-to team for leading aircraft manufacturers, including those working on electric flight. Read more.