In 2018, Timken acquired Cone Drive. a leading provider of precision motion control technology solutions. The acquisition not only expands Timken’s technological capabilities in precision drives, but also strengthens their joint competitiveness in key markets such as renewable energy and automation.
Cone Drive celebrates a milestone 100th anniversary in 2025. Since its founding in 1925, Cone Drive has witnessed the evolution of industrial drive technology across the board, thanks to its superior double-envelope worm gear technology and a spirit of continuous innovation. Discover the industrial power that changed the world, and let’s step into the 100-year story of Cone Drive.
01 A Legend from History
Headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, USA, Cone Drive has manufacturing facilities in the United States, China and Europe and serves customers worldwide.
Dedicated to designing and manufacturing highly customised solutions for complex engineering applications such as precision drives, Cone Drive has empowered the global market with professional, reliable industrial drive products for over a century. Today, through close cooperation with Timken’s global team, Cone Drive continues to promote the localisation process in the Chinese market, providing Chinese customers with efficient and accurate precision drive solutions.
02 Core technologies and service areas
Coenjo has a core double envelope worm drive technology that provides excellent transmission efficiency, high torque output and long service life through a larger contact area and optimised load distribution. This core technology gives Coentra’s products significant advantages. Today, the company offers a wide range of highly engineered precision motion control technology products for the global market, including worm gear drives, harmonic reducers and precision rotary actuators for a wide range of applications in renewable energy, industrial automation, robotics, aerospace, medical devices and more.
03 Key application cases
Globally, Cohen & Zhuo has made precise efforts and has a series of successful cases in the key fields of solar energy, automation and construction machinery.
>> Solar tracking systems:
Coentrao’s slewing drives are widely used in solar power plants to ensure that solar panels always face the sun accurately and maximise power generation efficiency.
Based on Coenjo’s technology and market solutions, Timken has rapidly entered the solar market, playing a significant role in more than one-third of the world’s large-scale solar projects since 2018. Timken sees renewable energy, including wind and solar, as one of the growth markets to focus on.
>> Industrial & Construction Machinery:
Coentrao has stood out in the highly competitive market and deepened its long-term strategic cooperation with a number of headline construction machinery companies around the world. The company’s slewing drives are used in industries such as cranes and aerial work trucks, providing high-torque and high-precision drive solutions.
>>Automation and Robotics:
Cone Drive has several leading brands in the automation industry, with extensive capabilities for integrated supply solutions in the mechanical power transmission field.
In 2022, Timken acquired SPINEA to further expand its presence in automation. Through Cone Drive, Timken has integrated the full range of SPINEA brand products to provide the market with TwinSpin series gearboxes, DriveSpin series actuators and other products. These products are widely used in robotics and automation, intelligent logistics vehicles (AGVs, unmanned forklifts, etc.), machine tool manufacturing, and other fields.
04 Together
In recent years, Timken has continued to invest in Cone Drive’s production capacity and technology upgrades, and Cone Drive’s global manufacturing and R&D sites (such as the China plant, Conejo) have been integrated into Timken’s global supply chain, strengthening its ability to serve markets in China and the Asia-Pacific region. Click Factory Tour｜Inside Cone Drive’s Jiangsu plant, ‘Drive’ for a sustainable future, to learn more about the manufacturing strength of Cone Drive’s China plant.
After joining Timken, Cone Drive has further enhanced its influence and customer trust in the global market by sharing Timken’s brand resources and global sales network, bringing more competitive services to customers.
Cone Drive’s 100-year journey is a history of continuous innovation and pursuit of excellence. Standing on the new starting point of the 100th anniversary, Cone Drive will continue to increase its investment in R&D to inject new vitality into industrial development with precise motion control technology; and to promote global industrial development with more advanced technology and smarter products. In the Chinese market, Cone Drive will continue to give full play to the advantages of local manufacturing and provide customers with solutions close to local needs.