About Diamond-Drives

Diamond-Drives by Timken, a leading manufacturer of power transmission products, offers a broad line of superior quality precision roller chain, engineered class chain and augers engineered to drive the world’s toughest applications further.

Committed to High-Performance Drive Solutions

By bringing together Diamond® and Drives® products, we now provide the most comprehensive line of quality chain products and cutting-edge solutions with a combined nearly 200 years of advanced engineering knowledge and experience. Diamond-Drives is committed to manufacturing world-class products, outstanding engineering, manufacturing support and total customer service. At our manufacturing facilities in Fulton, Illinois, Clinton, Iowa, and Weifang, China, we utilize the highest quality materials, technologies, equipment and craftsmanship to produce high-quality chain products.

The Timken Company Mission, Vision & Values

Diamond-Drives embraces the Timken mission, vision and core values which guide us each day and drive our future. Such clarity keeps us successfully working together to make the world more productive and deliver value to our stakeholders.

Our Mission

To use our knowledge to make the world’s industries work better.

Our Vision

To be the global leader in bearings and mechanical power transmission, continually improving performance, reliability, and efficiency.

Our Values

Ethics & Integrity, Quality, Teamwork, Excellence

Our Guiding Principles

We passionately believe in treating people with respect; the power of innovation; growing as individuals and as a company; making the world a better place through our products and actions; and continuous improvement.

Engineering & Quality

From corrosive environments to heavy shock loads, we engineer the optimum chain for your application to help increase uptime and reduce maintenance costs. All high-quality must start with the right material selection and precise heat treatment for optimal performance.

Our entire range of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard precision roller chain, specialty chain, and attachment chain meet or exceed ANSI standard B29.1 and British Standard ISO 606:2015. Conveyor series chain meet ANSI standard B29.3. We also offer high strength chain that meet the new ANSI B29.28 standard. Drives’ engineered class chain is manufactured utilizing state-of-the-art equipment to a ensure a high-quality, high-value product.

Frequently Asked Questions

When were Diamond and Drives acquired by Timken?

Drives was acquired in 2011, while Diamond was acquired in 2019. Since 2019, we have been focused on combining operations.

Where are Diamond® and Drives® products made?

Our Fulton, Illinois, facility remains the global center of manufacturing and engineering excellence for Diamond and Drives Chain. We have expanded global chain operations to Weifang, China, at our facility that is wholly owned and operated by Timken. Our Clinton, Iowa, facility specializes in producing state-of-the-art auger products for OEM customers.

Where can I purchase Diamond® or Drives® products?

Our products are sold to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or through distributors. You can use our Distributor Locator to find an authorized distributor near you.

Is Diamond® and Drives® chain made the same everywhere in the world?

Diamond-Drives by Timken has manufactured in world markets for over a decade.

From the start of Diamond-Drives’ international operations until the present day, customers have counted on this straightforward fact regarding the quality of our products: Diamond-Drives has one – and only one – worldwide quality standard. Regardless of where a part is produced, it must meet precisely the same demanding tolerances and standards.

In addition to assuring customers of constant and consistent product and supplier quality, this philosophy provides complete  component interchangeability. A customer can purchase chain strands, attachments or connecting links produced in one country and confidently combine it with the same chain made in Diamond-Drives facilities in any other country.

How is Diamond® and Drives® chain made the same everywhere in the world?

Diamond-Drives facilities around the world produce hundreds of different chain sizes and styles. The design, production and assembly data for those chain products are shared globally via our centralized database. Every Diamond-Drives designer, process engineer, application engineer, and manufacturing employee draw from the same, common standards.

Having a single, unified set of specifications simplifies the process of evaluating our manufacturing processes. Every plant measures its performance against the same specs, and every machine meets our capability policy for quality and consistency. We check existing production equipment routinely and test each piece of new equipment to verify its ability to manufacture product that meets our specifications.

Do all Diamond-Drives manufacturing associates receive the same training globally?

Our production assets are operated by qualified and capable Diamond-Drives manufacturing associates who are dedicated to delivering consistent quality. We rely on standardized programs to identify and deliver the training needed to ensure that every manufacturing employee knows how to perform all job functions, including those related to maintaining consistent product quality. Diamond-Drives requires employees to stay current over time on changing standards and improved quality procedures.

Does Diamond-Drives use a global measurement standard?

To live up to our promise of product dimensional consistency, we must first achieve consistency in our measurement systems. Our precision-gauging system employs measurement system analysis to verify accuracy and consistency. This process, in conjunction with our global master calibration system, makes it possible to measure product to an exceptional level of accuracy and consistency.

Are all Diamond® and Drives® chains made to a single global quality standard?

The global quality standards in place in all of our design and manufacturing facilities ensure that every component, assembled chain and related product purchased by customers is made to a uniform level of quality. These standards are applied in every plant, without exception. We verify adherence through regular audits of our processes, quality systems and finished products. We engineer new parts for OEMs and we use this experience to create strict testing standards that all our products and suppliers meet.

How does Diamond-Drives ensure global, consistent steel quality?

The life and performance customers expect from Diamond® and Drives® chain relies a great deal on the quality of the steel used.

We purchase steel from carefully qualified providers.

They must successfully pass our supplier quality assurance approval process and meet our stringent specifications. When applicable, our scientists conduct metallurgical testing on both the raw materials and the finished chain to verify that the material meets our standards for cleanliness, hardness and depth.

Is Diamond-Drives’ chain marked consistently with the Diamond or Drives name?

Diamond and Drives brands are registered in many countries around the world. Only genuine Diamond and Drives products earn the right to feature our brand. When we acquire or expand production to a new Diamond-Drives manufacturing facility, we only mark the product with the Diamond or Drives name after we thoroughly test and inspect all products from the new plant. Each plant must provide proof that its products meet Diamond-Drives global quality standards before those products earn the Diamond or Drives name.

Customers know that only products able to meet Diamond-Drives promise of performance and quality bear the Diamond or Drives name.

What is the value of Diamond® or Drives® chain?

Maintaining our level of dedication to quality and consistency requires a significant investment. However, the added expense to protect the quality and trusted value of the Diamond-Drives product portfolio is more than repaid in the higher level of confidence the buyer has that Diamond and Drives chain will provide outstanding performance, reliable operation and long life – traits that bargain chain cannot guarantee.

Our most valued asset is our brand. Diamond-Drives by Timken continues to take the necessary measures to confidently tell customers that the quality of a Diamond or Drives product is the same no matter where in the world it is manufactured or purchased.

Our Company’s Roots – And Future

Diamond Chain Company got its start in 1890 as Indianapolis Chain & Stamping Company, manufacturing bicycle chain in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company’s founders selected the diamond as their trademark because it symbolized perfection. After being bought by plant manager L. M. Wainwright, the company was renamed Diamond Chain & Manufacturing Company. Diamond Chain’s products were integral in many historical breakthroughs, including the Wright Brothers’ first flying machine, Henry Ford’s first automobile, and numerous motorsport champion vehicles. Today, Diamond® high-performance roller chain is relied on by global power transmission markets. The company name continues to represent strength, durability, and serves as a constant reminder of the company’s commitment to producing the best quality products possible.
Drives, Inc. began operations in December 1959 in Fulton, Illinois, manufacturing steel detachable chain for driving mechanisms including elevators, spreaders, and other farm machinery. Throughout the years, the company expanded its capabilities as well as the footprint of its manufacturing plant and corporate offices to better serve its customers in the agriculture, oil and gas, mining, construction and other industries. To support the company’s growth in the auger industry, Drives also added new processes for mounting raw flighting onto shafts for agricultural OEMs, began mounting sectionals for heavier duty augers and made other key improvements. Over six decades later, Drives® chain and auger products are still trusted to deliver high performance for the world’s toughest applications.

Diamond and Drives are now together as part of The Timken Company’s growing portfolio of engineered bearings and industrial motion products. Diamond-Drives employs more than 500 team members with a combined manufacturing space of 562,653 square feet in Illinois, Iowa, and Weifang, China.

Historic Events

Important stories from Diamond-Drives history.

Drives Variable Speed Machine Used in 1969 Flood

As water rises due to the springtime snow melting, flooding is always a concern in river towns like Fulton, Illinois and Clinton, Iowa – where our facilities are located. Going down memory lane, we remember a time where Drives used their variable speed machine to fill 4,300 sandbags per hour.

Sand was dumped from trucks onto a conveyor and dropped into a hopper. Bags were fitted under the hopper tube and held in place by spring clips. After the bags were filled, they were put onto another conveyor and sent out to waiting trucks. The trucks then carried the bags to emergency sites along the river.

Henry Ford Purchases Bicycle Chain from Diamond in 1896

Diamond first got its start manufacturing and selling bicycle chain in 1896, as Indianapolis Chain and Stamping Company.

In a receipt dated May 28, 1896, Henry Ford purchased ten feet of bicycle chain from Indianapolis Chain and Stamping Co.

The Founding of Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909

Arthur Newby was the president of Indianapolis Chain and Stamping Company, which later became Diamond Chain. He was also instrumental in founding the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, along with James Allison, Carl Fisher and Frank Wheeler.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the Indy 500, a 500-mile annual automobile race located in Speedway, Indiana. The first race took place on August 19, 1909, and there continues to be an Indy 500 race at the track every year.

Diamond Chain Used by the Wright Brothers in 1919

Not many know that Diamond® chain was once used by the Wright brothers.

In a letter dated May 24, 1919, Orville Wright wrote to Diamond’s General Manager, L.M. Wainwright, “I have never forgotten the interest you took and the help you gave us when we were building our first flying machine.”

Industry Affiliations

Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA)

Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA)

Mechanical Power Transmission Association (MPTA)

Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association

European Transmission Distributors Association (EPTDA)

To learn more about our commitment to quality, visit the Timken website.

Careers with Diamond-Drives

Diamond-Drives is a world-class manufacturer of highly-engineered chain and part of the highly regarded corporate entity, The Timken Company. Grow your career and receive great benefits when you join the Diamond-Drives team!

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