General Motors will invest $63 million in its Saginaw, Mich. casting
plant to produce cylinder heads for 3.6-liter high-feature V-6 engines
by utilizing a new semi-permanent mold process.
The investment includes plant
renovation and installation of new tooling and machinery to support the
new casting process. Construction is slated to begin in the spring of
2009, and targeted for completion in January, 2011. The project will
retain about 130 hourly employees.
“This investment would not
be possible without the involvement of employees at this facility, who
have dedicated themselves to improving the quality of our products and
the efficiency of the operations here at Saginaw Metal Casting
Operations,” said Arvin Jones, GM Powertrain manufacturing manager for
castings and components. “Their efforts have contributed to GM’s
competitiveness and our turnaround in North America.”
The GM Powertrain Saginaw
Metal Casting Operations management, UAW Local 668 and IAM Local 2839
leadership successfully negotiated competitive operating agreements that
improve operational effectiveness. The agreements also address processes
and methods to improve production quality and safety of the operations.
“On behalf of GM, I
commend the United Auto Workers, UAW Local 668, IAM Local 2839 and
Michigan ’s leaders on the state and local levels. Working together we
were able to build a competitive business case to support this
investment in Michigan. The $63 million investment announced today
brings GM Powertrain’s total Michigan investments in the past year to
more than half a billion dollars,” said Jones.
“GM’s continued investment
in its Michigan manufacturing facilities is good news for Michigan
jobs,” said Governor Jennifer Granholm. “The cutting-edge technology
that’s going into this facility not only solidifies the plant’s future
in Saginaw, it’s symbolic of the kind of high-tech, advanced automotive
manufacturing that can help grow jobs in Michigan tomorrow.”
Saginaw Future, along with
the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, were able to assist in
securing a Michigan Economic Growth Authority Tax Credit that benefited
the project. The
Saginaw Midland Bay Michigan Works committed $50,000 in Incumbent Worker
Training Funds in order to help train Saginaw Metal Casting employees.
The semi-permanent mold
process, considered to be the most reliable process for casting cylinder
heads, utilizes a water cooling process to produce a high integrity
microstructure, thereby increasing the material strength. The 3.6-liter
high feature V-6 engine has applications in the GMC Acadia, Saturn
Outlook and Buick Enclave.
GM’s Powertrain Saginaw
Metal Casting Operations (SMCO) facility opened in 1918, and is General
Motors' largest aluminum producing facility. Notably, the new
semi-permanent mold process becomes the fourth method for casting
aluminum at SMCO. The plant employs 924 hourly and 167 salaried workers
and has an annual payroll of $100 million. In 2006, more than 421,646
aluminum engine blocks and 1,872,336 aluminum engine cylinder heads were
produced at the facility. Aluminum blocks and heads manufactured at SMCO
are used in the Vortec 4200 I-6 engines that power the Chevrolet
TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy; and the Vortec 4800, 5300, 6000 and 6200 V-8
engines that power GM’s fullsize SUVs and pickups such as the Chevrolet
Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche and Silverado; GMC Yukon, Yukon XL and
Sierra; and Cadillac Escalade, ESV and EXT. |
Rex Blackwell, plant manager for
GM Powertrain - SMCO, announces
the
$63 million investment.
GM Powertrain - SMCO team
who helped
to bring the
investment to Saginaw.
GM Powertrain - SMCO employees
examine a 3.6-liter high-feature
V-6 engine cylinder head.
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