INDUSTRY NEWS
J.L. French Wins New Ford Programs, Will Invest $18 Million J.L. French Automotive Castings
Inc., Sheboygan, Wis., announced it has been awarded several new con- tracts by the Ford Motor Co., Detroit, and will invest $18 million into its Sheboygan operations to accommo- date the work. “Tese programs will support over
100 J.L. French jobs when they get to full volume,” said Tim Kellner, vice president of human resources. Te aluminum diecaster said in
a press release it most recently was awarded the new Ford six-speed front wheel drive transmission case and re- lated converter housing. Te products will be mated to Ford’s new inline four-cylinder engines and will be used in vehicles like the Escape, Fusion, Edge and Explorer. J.L. French expects to begin
production on the parts in its She- boygan operations in June 2011 and is projected to ramp up to 700,000 units per year by 2013. Te transmission represents approximately 30% of all transmissions to be produced by Ford. Last year, J.L. French was awarded
three rear wheel drive transmis- sion cases that are being cast at the company’s Gateway Avenue plant. Te rear wheel drive transmission cases will be used in the Mustang and F-150 models, among others. Produc- tion on the parts started in September 2010 and will escalate to full volume
J.L. French will produce the transmission case and related converter housing for the new Ford Escape, among other models.
by the third quarter of 2011. “These programs are strategi-
cally important to J.L. French as we reposition the company into becom- ing a world-class medium to large aluminum die cast and machining supplier,” said Tom Musgrave, J.L.
French’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. In addition to its two manufactur-
ing facilities in Sheboygan, J.L. French operates facilities in Glasgow, Ky., and Ansola, Spain, as well as a joint venture in China.
ME Global to Spend $23.4 Million on Two Expansions
ME Global Inc., Minneapolis, has announced a $23.4 million expansion at its metalcasting facilities in Duluth, Minn., and Tempe, Ariz. Te company said the investment,
which has been authorized by its board of directors, will result in a 20% capac- ity increase at the production facili- ties. Construction on the expansions is expected to begin in March and be completed by the fall of 2011. ME Global produces impact and
abrasion resistant castings used in crushing and milling applications.
8 | MODERN CASTING April 2011
Te Duluth and Tempe metalcasting facilities support mining activities pri- marily in North and South America. Te company also produces parts for customers in Asia, Africa, Australia, Indonesia and Russia. “Te increases in domestic and
foreign demand for our products, as well as from our current customer base, have ME Global approaching its current capacity,” said ME Global President Andy Fulton. ME Global is owned by Compañía Electro Metalúrgica S.A. (Elecmetal),
Santiago, Chile. In addition to its cast- ing plants in Duluth and Tempe, the corporation has a licensee in Mexico and two additional metalcasting facili- ties in Santiago, Chile, that serve the Latin American market. “Tis is the largest single capital in-
vestment in the [Duluth and Tempe] facilities since Elecmetal purchased the business in 2001,” Fulton said. “Te expansions will not only allow for increased capacity and process optimi- zation, but also maintain environmen- tal compliance.”
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