. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inDuStrY neWS
U.S. Foundry Confirms Purchase of TRW Automotive Plant
Municipal castings supplier U.S.
Foundry, Medley, Fla., has confirmed it purchased the Warrenton Casting Cen- ter, Warrenton, Ga., in early summer. According to a U.S. Foundry spokes-
person who did not wish to be named, the ferrous metalcaster purchased the plant, closed in early 2009 by former owner TRW Automotive, Livonia, Mich., in order to enter into commercial casting markets and long run produc- tion not possible at its existing metal- casting facility in Medley. The facility’s purchase price was not disclosed. TRW operated the Warrenton Cast-
ing Center as a gray iron automotive facility with a reported capacity of 600 tons per day. The facility employed about 215 on two shifts and operated two automatic molding machines, four 10-ton induction furnaces and four
core machines. TRW used the plant to produce parts for electronic, steering, braking and occupant safety systems for vehicle manufacturers. U.S. Foundry currently is in the pro-
cess of evaluating the Warrenton facil- ity’s equipment and infrastructure and expects to have enough of the plant’s capacity sold to officially start pro- duction by the first of 2011. The U.S. Foundry spokesperson said the facility was shut down efficiently and in good working order. The spokesperson also said U.S. Foundry expects to produce more than the capacity reported by TRW at the time of the plant’s closing. “We think it’s a good time to get into
commercial castings, and it also is a good [metalcasting facility] to develop some products that we were not able to develop in Medley,” he said. METAL
New Grede Wins Navistar Contract, Gains Caterpillar Certification
Grede Holdings LLC, Novi, Mich.,
announced it was awarded a multi-year contract by Navistar Inc., Warrenville, Ill., and a bronze certification from Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill., as part of its Supplier Quality Excellence Program. The contract with Navistar is for
the truck company’s new turbodiesel medium-duty engine. In a company statement, Grede indicated it would produce parts for the Navistar 2010 MaxxForce 7 V-8 engine from its Wauwatosa, Wis., and Iron Mountain, Mich., casting facilities, as well as its Menomonee Falls, Wis., machining operation. The engine will launch this summer in a number of commercial truck and school bus applications. “It is critical that Navistar has engine components for its MaxxForce 7 that can achieve durability and reliability requirements and meet stringent fuel economy and clean air standards,” said Vito Parente, Grede’s vice president of sales for heavy truck and industrial cus- tomers. “Grede has a long-standing re- lationship with Navistar and is pleased to partner with them on this important new engine.” The Grede statement said the con- tract is the largest per-truck content
September/OctOber 2010
award the company has won. Grede also supplies Navistar with ferrous cast- ings from its Biscoe, N.C., plant and lost foam castings from Columbiana, Ala. Grede also recently announced it
was named a 2009 Navistar Diamond Supplier for exceeding the customer’s performance expectations last year Grede’s Bessemer, Ala., plant re-
ceived the Caterpillar certification. The plant supplies housings, brackets and supports, hubs, and elbows for trans- mission and hydraulic systems used in Caterpillar industrial equipment. “Our Bessemer facility received the
award because it exceeded Caterpil- lar quality and delivery performance requirements,” said Todd Heavin, Grede’s senior vice president and chief operating officer. Heavin said the Bessemer plant is
the first Grede facility to receive the Caterpillar certification, which means the facility will receive preferred status on new business, and that more facili- ties should follow in 2011. A manufacturer of components for
the transportation and industrial mar- kets, Grede was formed in 2010 through the combination of the former Grede Foundries with Citation Corp. METAL
FOr DeSign engineerS & purchaSerS 11
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