CANTON, Ohio, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Timken Company announced that Kenneth L. Hopkins has joined the company as director - automotive strategy development. He will report to Jacqueline A. Dedo, president - Automotive, and will have responsibility for developing the long- term strategy for the company's global Automotive Group, which had 2003 net sales of $1.4 billion.

"We are pleased that Ken is joining our team. He is an accomplished leader with expertise in engineering, sales and marketing," said Mrs. Dedo. "Ken will play an integral role in further developing our strategy for profitable growth in our Automotive business."

An automotive veteran of more than 14 years, Mr. Hopkins joins Timken from Motorola, where he was director of global marketing. Mr. Hopkins spent previous years as sales vice president at Covisint, director of commercialization at Johnson Controls and as a sales manager at Bosch.

Mr. Hopkins earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. He will be based at Timken's Automotive sales office in Detroit, Mich.

The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR, www.timken.com) is a leading global manufacturer of highly engineered bearings and alloy steels and a provider of related products and services with operations in 29 countries. The company recorded 2003 sales of $3.8 billion and employed approximately 26,000 at year-end.

Timken is the registered trademark of The Timken Company.

For Additional Information: 
Christina Tharp, Manager - Marketing Communication, (330) 471-3294, or visithttp://www.timken.com/media

Investor Contact: Kevin R. Beck, Manager - Investor Relations, (330) 471-7181

SOURCE: The Timken Company