Jun. 10—Etobicoke, Kokomo casting plants earn safety awards
From molten metal to award medals, two of Stellantis' North American casting plants have been recognized with safety awards from the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA).
The Etobicoke Casting Plant (ECP) in Ontario, Canada, and Kokomo Casting Plant (KCP) in Kokomo received three awards in the annual NADCA Safety Award Program. The program recognizes facilities across North America "with a strong emphasis on their employees' safety and well-being."
For the second year in a row, ECP was awarded the Perfect Award, based on its 2022 safety record. The Perfect Award recognizes companies that maintained a safety record during the year with zero lost days/ transfers/ restrictions as documented by the data submitted to NADCA.
For the ninth consecutive year, KCP received the Outstanding Award and, for the third time overall, received the Progress Award for Safety Improvements based on the plant's 2022 safety record. The Outstanding Award is given to companies with employee days away from recordable injuries or illnesses averaging less than 2.1. The Progress Award is given to a company that has shown improvement of 25% or more compared with the prior year.
On Aug. 1, 2022, Stellantis announced a $99 million investment in three North American plants for production of a new 1.6-liter, I-4 turbocharged engine that has both direct fuel injection and flexibility for hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) applications. Nearly $2 million will be invested at Etobicoke to support the development and installation of new tooling and equipment upgrades for production of the oil pan for the engine. More than $14 million will be invested at Kokomo Casting to convert existing die-cast machines and cells for production of the engine blocks.
On Feb. 28, Stellantis announced that it will invest a total of $155 million in three Kokomo plants to produce new electric drive modules (EDM) that will help power future electric vehicles assembled in North America and to support the goal of 50% battery-electric sales in the U.S. by 2030. The EDM gearbox cover will be cast at the Kokomo Casting Plant. Production is expected to start in the third quarter of 2024, following retooling.
As award winners, ECP and KCP will be highlighted in Die Casting Engineer magazine and recognized at this year's Die Casting Congress & Tabletop Show from Sept. 19-21 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
NADCA was founded in 1989 to support and promote the die casting industry throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.