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Timken turns more to China

By Wan Zhihong (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-18 11:07

Turning to quality

Founded in 1898 by Henry Timken, the Timken brand has been around for over 100 years. One reason, Gresh explains, is its focus on quality.

"Quality has been a core value of the company," he says. "It's a key element of our brand, and the promise we make to our customers."

As the company grows, quality is particularly important when they launch new products or enter new markets.

"When we acquire a plant, it must earn the right to use the Timken brand," he says. "We won't give the Timken mark until the product meets our performance standards and has consistency of quality."

Take Timken's first plant in Yantai. For the first five years, it didn't mark its' products with the Timken brand until it felt they had the processes and capabilities in place to meet the Timken standard.

Today, all the products from Yantai carry the Timken brand and meet the global quality standard of the company, similar to their plants in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

"In fact, now a bearing component made at Yantai can be paired with its match from any other Timken plant and both will fit together," Gresh says.

Apart from quality, Timken also places a strong emphasis on creativity.

"We share a 107-year-old history that was founded on a creative solution to an age-old problem," he says. "In 1898, Henry Timken, our founder, developed a technology that allowed fewer horses to pull heavier loads."

That product, he says, was the tapered roller bearing. "Today we are still the world leader in that product line. In fact, we are a leader in bearings of all types, as well as special steels and related products and services."

Gresh says that initial dedication to improving product performance has inspired generations of Timken engineers to innovate.

"Since first coming to China, we have always applied our technical knowledge creatively," Gresh says. "Earlier this year we established an engineering training centre of excellence, to train both our young Chinese engineers as well as to adapt our technology to the needs of our Chinese customers."

He says the first group to benefit from that training has just graduated from the Timken training program.

Promoting the brand

Timken has initiated several programmes to promote its brand in China. This year it started a unique art design competition to encourage China's engineering students to showcase their own creativity.

The competition, named "Art of Engineering" has involved 10 of China's leading universities with engineering faculties. The top prize is a trip to the United States to visit Timken's headquarters. The competition started on August 18, 2006.

The competition has China's students create their own pieces of artwork. The judging panel includes Chu Yangming, deputy director of the Beijing World Art Museum, as well as the Timken-commissioned, renowned artist Jiang Qiong-Er. The winning pieces of art will be announced in November, Gresh says.