WALHALLA - Oconee County has finally netted Project Trout, which means at least an $18 million investment at the Timken plant on Torrington Road.

While Timken and Oconee economic development officials would not comment on the exact number of new jobs, reports during the 13-month process to land the expansion project have said that as many as 200 jobs could be available. The project was code-named Project Trout.

"With the continued support of the community, we will advance our efforts to strengthen the performance of our manufacturing operations in Walhalla," said Roger Ellis, vice president of operations for Timken’s Automotive Group. "Timken appreciates the strong relationship we have with Oconee County."

Walhalla Mayor Lamar Bailes also praised the community’s relationship with Timken, which serves the automotive, industrial, aerospace, rail and super-precision industries.

"I’m extremely pleased with their announcement," Mr. Bailes said. "Our relationship is great, couldn’t be better. They’re providing new jobs in our neighborhood. They’re great community members. They donate a lot to the community, a lot that is not known, the athletic department, just a whole list of things they’ve done in a quiet manner."

Mr. Bailes also credited plant manager Jim McCoy with his work during the restructuring of Timken’s automotive business and the push for jobs and expansion in Walhalla.

"It’s to Jim McCoy’s credit the plant has done well," Mr. Bailes said. "He has been a super person to work with and he is the reason they’re expanding here."

Jim Alexander, executive director of Oconee County’s Economic Development Commission, said Timken is expected to complete its construction in the next few months.

"We’ve gotten good support from many, many team members including the (South Carolina) Department of Commerce," Mr. Alexander said. "We certainly welcome the jobs here in Oconee County."

The Walhalla plant manufactures bearings and was acquired by Timken in 2003 in its acquisition of Torrington from Ingersoll-Rand. The plant was opened in 1960 and currently employs about 380 workers. In announcing its third quarter results, Timken reported sales of $1.27 billion, up slightly from the same period a year ago. The company achieved third-quarter net income of $46.5 million.

The expansion at the Walhalla plant is part of a plan to address declines in the North American automotive market and includes closing some operations in Laurens County.

"We are taking actions to adapt to the decline in demand and will continue to pursue structural changes to bring our automotive business to profitability," said James W. Griffith, president and chief executive officer.

The Automotive Group’s third-quarter sales of $363.6 million were 11 percent below the same period a year ago. The decline in sales was the result of significant reductions in vehicle production by automakers headquartered in North America. Timken has operations in 27 countries and 27,000 employees.

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