The Timken-XEMC joint venture bearing manufacturing facility in China has reached an important milestone by delivering its first ultra-large bore wind turbine bearings.

Timken XEMC Hunan Bearings Co. Ltd. is an 80/20 joint venture between the Timken Company (USA; NYSE: TKR) and XEMC Windpower Co. Ltd. (a division of Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Co.; website; 5251R9N7).

Located in Xiangtan, China, the USD $38 million greenfield manufacturing plant is dedicated to producing ultra-large-bore precision bearings for wind turbine shaft applications.

The venture was originally announced in 2007; groundbreaking took place in 2008 and construction began in early 2009.

article: Timken and XEMC in wind energy joint venture
article: Groundbreaking for Timken-XEMC in China
Founded in 1936, XEMC brings to the table its ability to leverage a strong position in China's heavy equipment, large electrical component, and direct-drive wind turbines. XEMC Windpower turbines are installed in the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and China. For the offshore UK wind power market, XEMC is reportedly considering building a $150 million facility in Ireland. XEMC recently acquired the Dutch wind turbine company Darwind [ website ], which developed a 5 megawatt offshore unit.

Timken brings expertise in alloy steels, bearing and power transmission system design and engineering, and precision manufacturing knowledge. Combined, the two hope to be able to design and build more durable, reliable, high performance designs for XEMC's turbines.

The bearings produced by Timken-XEMC are massive double-row tapered roller bearings with an OD of nearly 2 meters.

See Leong Fang, President of Timken China, said: "We have brought more than a century of power-transmission and materials expertise to this partnership, striving to meet sustainable energy needs in China. This new investment in Xiangtan is dedicated to help provide an environmentally sustainable source of power for China's rapidly expanding economy, in line with the Chinese government's goals of increasing capacity in renewable energies. Those renewable energies -- and wind energy in particular -- deploy emerging technology to which Timken can make a significant contribution."

The first bearing tooled up and reaching production at Timken-XEMC is a customized main shaft bearing, designed for XEMC Windpower's existing 2 megawatt direct-drive turbines.

This particular application is important because the quality and precision needed for both multi-megawatt and direct-drive main shaft turbine bearings have been elusive for China's domestic manufacturers, resulting in troublesome and unreliable turbines. XEMC is one of only two major manufacturers in China successfully rolling out direct-drive turbines.

Meanwhile, the multiple advantages of large direct-drive turbines have combined to make them the favorite wind energy generation technology and the most likely to gain government support in installation contracts. XEMC currently produces 2 megawatt direct-drive turbines for land-based installations -- it delivered 31 turbines in June alone -- and with Darwind has a massive 5 megawatt turbine for offshore installations.

With Timken now in production, Schaeffler recently introduced its own solution for precision main shaft bearings.

article: Schaeffler introduces stiffer wind turbine bearings
China's central government has established a goal that, by 2020, wind turbines are to provide at least 30 million kilowatts of electrical power. The majority of these new wind power generators are expected to be small, low-tech, domestically designed and manufactured units similar to those available for the past several years.

However, the government has also seen it must shift its emphasis to high-output wind generation facilities for any chance to meet the 2020 goal with efficiency and reliability. These advanced turbines and power grids require several leaps in technology. Extremely precise, highly engineered components, instrumentation, and advanced electrical control systems must be deployed -- technologies which matured in other parts of the world but eluded proper development by China's domestic manufacturers, creating opportunities for companies like Timken.

Timken's focus on wind turbine bearings extends beyond its deal with XEMC, however. The company has had a wind power bearing production facility in Wuxi, and also produces them at plants in Chennai, India and Ploiesti, Romania. U.S. production capacity is being expanded at plants in Asheboro and Tyger River, both in North Carolina.