Power Transmission Engineering Magazine
www.powertransmission.com/articles/5401

Timken Expands Service Center in Washington to Deliver More Repair Capabilities

October 28, 2015
The Timken Company recently opened a 70,000-square-foot, motor and gearbox repair facility adjacent to its existing service center in Pasco, WA. Built to enhance service to Timken Power Systems’ (TPS) customer base throughout the Pacific Northwest, the $7 million investment gives the facility additional capabilities to repair large electric motors, wind turbine generators and industrial gearboxes under one roof.

“We continue to grow our Timken Power Systems offering of services, working to provide customers in demanding industries with full drive train repairs – including gearboxes, motors, generators and large-diameter bearing repair,” said Carl Rapp, vice president of the Timken Power Systems business. “This investment extends our U.S. regional service center network capabilities and positions us to more completely support our industrial customers in the Pacific Northwest to help them optimize their equipment lifecycle performance.”

Leveraging the legacy regional strength of the H&N Electric services brand, TPS’ Pasco service center houses some of the broadest repair capabilities in the region, able to serve customers in the wind energy, power generation, oil and gas, mining, pulp and paper, and agricultural sectors. Its efficient layout optimizes space and features large-capacity cranes, lathes, ovens, VPI tanks and boring mills. With this equipment, TPS is capable of repairing electric motors up to 5,000 horsepower  and wind turbine generators  to meet developmental demands of 5 MW and larger. Additionally, the facility performs complex industrial gearbox repairs to the standards of Philadelphia Gear, the gear brand that stands at the center of the Timken Power Systems portfolio.

The well-equipped facility features: fifty-ton crane lift capacity with 35 feet clearance under hook; twenty work station jib cranes; large-capacity vacuum pressurized impregnation (VPI) system with a 10-foot diameter and 24-inch shaft well, capable of processing a rotor/shaft length up to 14 feet; large-capacity burn and bake capability; enhanced machining capability provided by a 70-inch swing lathe, 60-inch horizontal boring mill, surface grinder and a 72-inch radial drill press; large-capacity dynamic balance capability on isolated and thickened slab; magnetic particle inspection; large-capacity 5,000 horsepower motor and gearbox test center capability; and dedicated production bays for large and small/medium sized motor repair cells.

“Our team has been eager to expand deeper into the Northwest market. We’ve been a leader in the wind market sector for some time and we recognize the larger industrial opportunity here,” said Nathaniel Glessner, Timken manager of the Pasco facility. “It’s exciting to now be able to develop that potential and offer existing customers larger motor/generator repair capacity as well as introduce new capabilities to a broader market.”