Released on March 11, 2008

Saginaw Metal Casting Operations (SMCO), Saginaw, Mich., has stopped production temporarily in the wake of a worker strike by another major General Motors (GM) supplier, according to a spokesperson.

“Our current casting lines are down, but we are continuing work on our new business projects,” said communications coordinator Lucy Hellickson.

Local news reports indicated that GM’s Bedford and Defiance, Ohio, metalcasting plants have slowed production due to the supplier strike, though officials at the plants did not reply to requests for more information.

The strike, at American Axle & Manufacturing, Detroit, has continued at five United Auto Workers-represented facilities in Michigan and New York since the end of February. During the two week strike, production has been affected at GM’s various assembly and manufacturing plants. In total, 29 plants have slowed or stopped production.

SMCO, which was awarded MODERN CASTING’s 2007 Metalcaster of the Year Award, invested $92 million last year to bring precision sand casting into its facilities and added semi-permanent molding lines to the floor, as well. The launch of the products produced on those lines will continue on schedule, according to Hellickson.

Not all of SMCO’s approximately 900 workers were sent home on March 10, the first day of the production halt, Hellickson said. Training, maintenance and other planned activities will continue.

“We don’t know how long our people will be on layoff because we have no control over this,” Hellickson said, reading from an approved statement.