In 1917, the company began steel- and tube-making operations in Canton to vertically integrate and maintain better control over the steel used in its bearings.

[5][non-primary source needed] Timken entered international markets in the early 1900s, establishing a presence initially in Great Britain, France and Germany.

[7] Timken entered the Great Depression in a strong financial position and its performance placed it in the ranks of the most solid, well-managed industrial firms of the 1930s.

[9] Following the war, much of the machinery shipped to Europe under the Marshall Plan was Timken-bearing equipped, helping Timken establish a broader presence in a bearing market where European competitors had dominated.

To further expand and strengthen its position in the attractive linear motion space, Timken acquired iMS in 2021 and added Nadella's complementary product portfolio in 2023.

[17] Today the company engineers, manufactures and markets bearings, gear drives, automated lubrication systems, belts, chain, couplings and linear motion products, and offers a spectrum of powertrain rebuild and repair services.

[18] Timken products are used in a variety of diversified markets including food and beverage, energy harvesting, marine vessels, mining, agriculture, construction, civil aerospace, defense and commercial vehicles.