Stark-based Timken Co. suing to prevent auto 'supply chain hostage'
JACKSON TWP. – The Timken Co. has filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania-based Meadville Forging Co. "to stop a supplier from holding an automotive supply chain hostage." The Jackson Township-based manufacturer of engineered bearings and industrial motion products originally filed the complaint in federal court and then refiled it Nov. 2 in Stark County Common Pleas Court . Meadville Forging's general partner, Keller Group Services, is an Ohio corporation. Meadville Forging Co. is the sole source of forged cups and hubs that Timken uses to assemble wheel bearing hubs for the Ford Motor Co.'s F-150 and Ranger Super Duty trucks, Expedition and Navigator SUVs, and the Bronco Raptor off-road SUV. According to the complaint, the forging company stopped shipping parts to Timken on Oct. 29 after demanding a lump-sum of $8 million; a 48% price increase with pass-through costs for steel, freight and processing; and other terms. The parts are delivered on a "just-in-time basis," so Timken does not have significant inventory. The company has 34 open purchase orders for Meadville Forging parts valued at $3.8 million. "Because MFC stopped shipping, Timken's bearing-assembly production for Ford will begin to stop as soon as November 6, 2026, and shipments to Ford
