New HQ brings parts, research, training together for Timken
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Upon opening its new world headquarters earlier in 2014, Timken brought under one roof all of its processes from research and development through testing and more.
The logistical move along with a focus on advanced product quality process helped Timken better understand where it stands in the marketplace, including with one of its recent product unveilings, hub units for the Ford Super Duty (F-250 through F-550).
“It’s a very, very tough part to manufacture, and when you think of the economy lines we’ve mentioned, there aren’t a lot of people trying to reverse engineer this,” Scott Russell, product manager, which hit the market in the last few months.
The 94 mm tapered hub unit covers 10 part numbers and exceeds OE marks, including still rotating at -40 degrees F. “It’s attractive across a couple different (platforms),” Russell adds.
Unveiling the new hub unit for the Ford Super Duty fits into Timken’s other recent move to focusing more on the medium duty aftermarket. Robyn Berni, principle, Mobile Aftermarket Marketing, says that arena is interesting because there is overlap between personal light duty trucks and commercial models. The cataloging of the vehicles, Classes 3 through 6, also is closely guarded by the OEMs.
She points out that hub sets for Classes 3 through 5 are existing knowledge for Timken’s customers, but Class 6 now offers a new market for them to reach. The average age for vehicles in these classes is 12 years, with a 7 percent growth projected through 2020.
These two growth areas alone are benefiting from the new world headquarters, as is the company’s training program, Timken Tech Series. Rick Domin, senior product analyst - Auto Aftermarket, reports that Timken is using the program to educate technicians on features and benefits of Timken products as well as how to install them properly.
“We are focusing a lot on training distributors and end users,” he says, adding the training covers light and commercial vehicles. “We’re trying to get out to distributors and installers to utilize this and learn from it.”
Training is free, and once completed, users receive a patch and certificate. In just the last two years, 3,500 people have been certified, 77 percent of whom are technicians or students.
The courses take between six and eight hours total to complete, and those who complete them before the end of 2014 will be entered into a drawing for a $500 gift certificate. The courses and links to Tech Tips and Tricks of the Trade videos all can be found at www.timken.com/techseries.
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