BANGALORE, India -- Timken India Limited, a subsidiary of The Timken Co., has announced that it will invest the amount of Rs. 360 million, equivalent to approximately $8 million, to expand tapered roller bearing manufacturing capacity in India. Timken India Limited will be installing machines for this expansion at Chennai.

The project, scheduled to begin production in the second quarter of 2011, will enable a capacity increase of 2.4 million races of up to-8–inch tapered roller bearings. This size is used in construction and other off-highway vehicles as well as heavy trucks and other commercial transportation systems. The expansion is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2011.

"We are witnessing a steep increase in demand for Timken tapered roller bearings in and outside India," said Ajay Das, managing director of Timken's operations in India. "A fast-growing economy, like India, warrants an even faster development of infrastructure and our products are targeted to meet this distinct upward trend in consumption. To match up with the increasing demand, we will be continuously looking to ramp up capacity."