INDUSTRY NEWS
GM to Invest $215 Million in Saginaw Metal Casting Operations General Motors announced it will
invest about $215 million in its Saginaw Metal Casting Operations, Saginaw, Mich., to update the plant for produc- tion of future engine blocks and heads. “We look forward to continuing our
long and proud heritage of in-house casting for key components,” said Di- ana Tremblay, GM’s global chief manu- facturing officer. “We believe these operations really enhance our ability to provide more fuel-efficient engines to our customers around the globe.” According to a GM press release,
the investment is expected to create or retain 275 jobs at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations. Te plant, which currently has 630 employees on two shifts, builds a variety of aluminum engine blocks and cylinder heads for GM products, including the Buick LaCrosse and Chevy Malibu. Te investment is the latest devel-
opment in a growth pattern exhibited by Saginaw Metal Casting Operations since GM emerged from bankruptcy in 2009. In June, GM announced the facility had won a job exporting
aluminum castings for a new engine. Tat work was part of a $65 million investment to build additional Ecotec four-cylinder engines in New York and Tennessee and created or retained 53 jobs in Saginaw. “Tis announcement is another ex- ample of a positive trend that is occur- ring at GM,” said Joe Ashton, a United Auto Workers union vice president representing the employees in Saginaw. “Saginaw is like so many communities in the Midwest that have suffered the loss of their manufacturing jobs.”
South American Tupy Buys Mexico-Based Cifunsa, Technocast Grupo Industrial Saltillo S.A.B. de
C.V., Saltillo, Mexico, announced it has reached an agreement to sell its iron block and head business, which includes Cifunsa Diesel and Techno- cast, to Tupy S.A., Joinville, Brazil. “We reached an agreement
with Tupy to sell [only] the blocks and heads business produced [on] horizontal molding lines,” said Luis Arenas, strategic planning manager for Grupo Industrial Saltillo’s foundry
sector. “Te auto parts business produced on vertical molding lines we are keeping and strongly invest- ing in with the recent expansion of our facilities in Saltillo and Irapuato and the agreement we reached with Xignux in August for the acquisition of Tisamatic, a Mexican foundry that produces auto parts like rotors, brake drums and clutch plates.” Technocast is a joint venture
Grupo Industrial Saltillo launched
in 2007 with Caterpillar, Peoria, Ill. Te acquisition of Technocast and Cifunsa Diesel will move Tupy into the Mexican market, further opening North America to the South Ameri- can company. According to a statement issued
by Cifunsa, the deal is expected to be completed in the next three months. Operations of all plants involved are expected to continue as usual during the acquisition period.
Metalcasting Injury Rates Climb for First Time Since 2004 Injury and incidence rates in the
metalcasting industry increased 11.5% in 2010, coinciding with an overall incidence rate increase in domestic manufacturing, according to the latest data from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Te 2010 metalcasting industry rate, 9.7 cases per 100 full-time workers (an
All Manufacturing
Metalcasting Facilities Iron Metalcasters Steel Metalcasters
Steel Investment Casters Aluminum Metalcasters Aluminum Diecasters
8 | MODERN CASTING December 2011
11.5% increase from 2009), remained below 2008 levels. Te metalcasting industry also saw a rise in cases where an employee spends restricted or trans- ferred days away from a job, from 4.6 in 2009 to 5.1 in 2010. Te metalcast- ing industry reported declining injury and illness rates from 2005-2009. Iron metalcasting facilities reported
Recordable Injury and Illness Cases Per 100 Full-Time Workers Facility Type
2009 4.3 8.7
11.3 7.7 8.2 9
7.2
2010 4.4 9.7 12
10.4 6.1 8.9
10.9 All Manufacturing
Metalcasting Facilities Iron Metalcasters Steel Metalcasters
Steel Investment Casters Aluminum Metalcasters Aluminum Diecasters
the highest injury and illness rates (12), and non-aluminum nonferrous diecast- ing facilities recorded the largest in- crease, a 36.8% jump from 2009. Steel investment casting and non-diecasting aluminum plants improved safety rates. Te recordable injury and illness
cases for all manufacturing increased 2.3% in 2010, from 4.3 to 4.4.
Days Away, Restricted or Transferred Employees Per 100 Full-Time Workers Facility Type
2009 2.3 4.6 5.4 4.1 4.9 5.9 3.4
2010 2.4 5.1 5.6 6.7 4.1 4.7 5.7
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