Intermet to open second PCPC manufacturing plant.

Intermet Corp., Troy, Michigan, announced the opening of a second casting plant dedicated to the firm's pressure-counter-pressure casting (PCPC) process. The plant is located in Jackson, Tennessee, adjacent to one of Intermet's existing aluminum casting facilities, and will initially support a new steering knuckle program for the Dodge Durango beginning in June of next year.

When completed, the plant will feature PCPC cells designed to accommodate larger aluminum structural components such as suspension control arms and light-truck steering knuckles. The plant, which is being designed with the latest developments in lean manufacturing and one-piece workflow, will have the capacity for up to 20 casting cells and heat-treatment systems. Initial castings from the first machines installed in the 75,000-sq-ft plant were made last week.

"We took an existing building that was constructed in 1999 with aluminum melt and other support equipment already in place, and strategically redirected it toward a new Intermet advanced process," said Thomas Prucha, vice president of technical services at Intermet. "It demonstrates the flexibility of our team, and that we can embrace new technologies while delivering results in a short timeframe."

The company's first PCPC plant in Stevensville, Michigan, which began aluminum steering knuckle production in 2001 for a large General Motors light-vehicle platform, is continuing at full capacity.