Timken to Celebrate Distributor Training School 50th Anniversary

Over 26,000 students have received training from the award-winning school since its inception CANTON, Ohio, March 1, 2006 .In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of its popular Distributor Training School, The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR) today announced its "Train for Daytona" promotion. Open to any past, present or future training school student, one lucky person will win a grand prize NASCAR weekend at the 2007 Daytona 500 next February. The prize package consists of three nights' accommodations, two reserved front stretch grandstand tickets for both the NASCAR Busch Series race and the Daytona 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race, admission to a hospitality area and pit credentials. To register, all students must log on to www.timken.com/distributortrainingschool and share their favorite memories and how their training has contributed to the success of their careers or companies. The best entry will be chosen by the school's staff on Dec. 1, 2006. Founded in 1956 by the Fafnir Ball Bearing Company, the original distributor training school was a course designed for distributors of Fafnir(R) ball bearing and housed unit products. Now in its 50th year, the traveling school provides comprehensive bearing instruction to personnel from Timken's authorized distributors. At a two-and-a-half-day course, students learn about bearing fundamentals, including design, nomenclature, calculations and proper application and maintenance practices. An overview of Timken(R), Torrington(R) and Fafnir(R) products is also included. "I've worked at a distributor for over 20 years, and Timken's distributor training school is one of the best educational tools I've come across," said Robin Guy, account manager for Applied Industrial Technologies in Akron, Ohio. "I've been through the school twice and the instructors do a great job of educating the students about different types of bearings and how they fit into industrial applications." Having taught more than 26,000 students, the school has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles across the United States and Canada and has also made stops in China, Mexico and Europe. The program has been praised by its students for its ability to provide a strong knowledge base and the necessary tools to help them better serve their customers. In fact, Timken's Distributor Training School was recently honored with the Progressive Distributor Manufacturer Product Training Award. "Our distributor partners turn to Timken for training because we've leveraged our knowledge of friction management and power transmission to develop a strong curriculum," said Vincent J. O'Reilly, the school's current instructor. "The mission of the school has always been to shed light on all aspects of bearings and related products to create a better-educated distributor." For more information on Timken's Distributor Training School, including the 2006 schedule, contact your Timken salesperson or visit www.timken.com/distributortrainingschool.