The Timken Company announced today a plan to begin closing the Canton bearing manufacturing operations. The company expects most of the production to be shifted to its other U.S. plants. Current employment at the three Canton bearing plants is 1,300 people. Timken employs 4,800 in Stark County, Ohio and approximately 26,000 worldwide. The Canton-based steel operations are unaffected by this decision.
"We have been meeting with the union for more than eight months to discuss how to make our bearing operations competitive in our changing global marketplace," said James W. Griffith, president and CEO. "We are disappointed that our talks with the union did not lead to the changes necessary to make these facilities viable. Therefore, we will begin moving the products to plants where they can be manufactured competitively."
"We continue to take a close look at our manufacturing network to create focused factories that are globally competitive and better serve our customers," said Mr. Griffith. "The acquisition of The Torrington Company has provided more options that allow us to produce these products competitively. We expect no disruption of supply during this transition."
The company will now meet with the union about this decision. More specific information will not be available until after those discussions, including: the timing of the closure; the impact on employment; and the magnitude of the savings and charges for restructuring and implementation, which could be material.
In September 2003, the company began a series of meetings with the union and associates in the Canton bearing operations to discuss what needed to be done to make the plants competitive. At that time, the company made it clear that the Canton bearing operations could not continue to operate in their current form. The company indicated it was willing to make the investments necessary to create a focused, competitive operation in the Canton bearing plants if these investments were accompanied by contract modifications. Since then, the company and the union have been unable to agree on the necessary changes.
Production at the Canton bearing plants has declined 27 percent over the last five years as the cost structure of the operations made it difficult to win new business. The plan to close the Canton bearing operations is consistent with Timken's overall strategy to make the company more profitable, more customer-centric and better able to grow.
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