July 21, 2006 — The Timken Company announced plans to invest approximately $5 million in a new induction heat treat line at its steel plant in Canton, Ohio.

The new line, which will help Timken increase its capacity for heat-treated steel bars and tubing, will harden (quench and temper) bars and tubes up to 7 inches in diameter. It also will be capable of other heat treatments, such as normalizing and stress relieving.

"The added capacity will allow us to capitalize on significant opportunities in the global energy, industrial, automotive and distribution markets," said Linn Osterman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Timken's Steel Group. "This investment represents our continuing search for value-added opportunities as part of Timken's broader strategy to drive profitable growth."

The new line will boost overall plant capacity across size ranges up to 11 inches in diameter. Installation is expected to begin in January 2007 with completion by the end of March 2007.

"This state-of-the-art facility will help us meet our customers' needs," said Nick Luchitz, Vice President of Manufacturing for Timken's Steel Group. "We are continually looking at ways to enhance our manufacturing technology to support our customers."

Timken is a leading international supplier of highly engineered bearings, alloy steels and related products and services. In 2005, Timken had sales of $5.2 billion and 27,000 employees.