While Stellantis’ commercial results in the United States are extremely concerning, the brand can rejoice in having once again achieved significant safety results at two of its main casting plants in North America. Both the Etobicoke Casting Plant (ECP) in Ontario, Canada, and the Kokomo Casting Plant (KCP) in Indiana, have been recognized for their exceptional commitment to workplace safety by the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA). Additionally, the ITP plant in Indiana recently celebrated 9 years without accidents.
Stellantis’ safety results in North America are excellent, according to the NADCA
While Carlos Tavares is in the United States to address the humiliating sales results, the Etobicoke Casting Plant has won its third consecutive Perfect Award. This is a truly remarkable achievement, highlighting the plant’s commitment to maintaining maximum safety in the work environment.
The Perfect Award is given to facilities that report zero lost days, transfers, or restrictions due to work-related injuries or illnesses. Throughout 2023, ECP once again managed to reach this milestone, demonstrating the evident effectiveness of its safety protocols.
Simultaneously, the Kokomo Casting Plant extended its impressive streak of successes by obtaining its tenth consecutive Outstanding Award. This award is tasked with recognizing facilities that have consistently demonstrated a superior safety record over an extended period. KCP’s decade-long achievement is a remarkable testimony to the plant’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the well-being of its employees.
The NADCA Safety Awards program has a specific task: to reward facilities across North America that prioritize employee safety and well-being. The recognition of ECP and KCP within it, consequently, highlights the attention that Stellantis seeks to maintain high in order to deliver a safe work environment to its workers. All this without any impact on production quality standards, which are also extremely high.
Stellantis’ statements on the awards received
Naturally, Stellantis was quick to highlight its satisfaction with the recognitions obtained. Mike Resha, Senior Vice President, North America Manufacturing of the group, commented in particular: “Achieving prestigious awards like these from NADCA is a testament to our employees’ unwavering efforts towards safety. They strive to ensure a safe work environment while maintaining the highest quality standards. I’m proud of everyone’s dedication, both at Etobicoke and Kokomo.”
The Etobicoke and Kokomo casting plants, after all, represent an integral part of Stellantis’ broader strategy aimed at achieving 50% battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales in the United States and Canada by 2030. In the new three-year collective agreement with Unifor, Stellantis committed to maximizing the use of existing equipment at ECP, with particular attention to the transition towards electrification. A program that should materialize with the production of cast beams for battery trays, supported by a 34 million Canadian dollar investment.
Kokomo Casting is called to play a fundamental role in the production of electric drive modules (EDM) for future electric vehicles in North America. Stellantis has allocated $155 million US dollars to three Kokomo plants, with the intent of providing the best possible support for the initiative. The production of EDM transmission covers at KCP should begin during the third quarter of this year.
In addition to these electrification efforts, Stellantis, in August 2022, announced a $99 million investment in three North American plants. The sites will be destined for the production of a new 1.6-liter turbocharged I-4 engine, which will also be used in hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV).
This investment includes nearly $2 million for Etobicoke, to develop and install new tools and equipment for oil pan production, and over $14 million for Kokomo Casting, in this case for the conversion of existing machinery for engine block production.
Both ECP and KCP will be mentioned in Die Casting Engineer magazine and awarded at the Die Casting Congress & Exposition, as contest winners. An event which will have Indianapolis, Indiana as its location, from September 30 to October 2. The event has been designed as a meeting of industry leaders, with the precise intent of celebrating progress in die casting and recognizing actors who have managed to make significant contributions both in terms of safety and innovation.
UAW attacks Stellantis after the death of Antonio Gaston at the Toledo plant
The news regarding Stellantis’ collected recognitions comes at a very particular moment. The death of Antonio Gaston, a worker at the Toledo, Ohio plant, has in fact prompted the United Auto Workers (UAW) president to point the finger at Stellantis.
The incident occurred inside building number 7, positioned in the southern wing of the plant, where the Jeep Gladiator is produced. According to initial reconstructions, the victim was crushed by a vehicle. Naturally, investigations will have to be conducted to establish what actually happened, but the episode immediately caused considerable noise.
Not only has it prompted local authorities to intervene immediately, but also Shawn Fain to threaten a strike, although in this case the cause would be found in the delays for the reopening of the Belvidere plant in Illinois. Statements that have pushed the company to affirm that UAW cannot strike citing these delays, demonstrating the tense climate between the parties.
A climate evidenced by the words that the UAW number has dedicated to the tragic incident: “Corporate greed is the problem.” Many observers were quick to connect these harsh words to the wave of layoffs that is also hitting the group’s U.S. plants.