Casting a new vision: INTERMET meets OEM needs with its network of manufacturing facilities

Automotive Industries, Oct, 2003

INTERMET, a leading supplier of cast-metal components, is meeting the challenges of an ever-changing automotive industry head-on with advanced technologies and second-to none manufacturing resources.

Twenty INTERMET manufacturing plants are strategically located around the world. Fifteen casting plants and two machining operations are located near major North American automotive manufacturing centers. Eleven of these are in the south and southern midwest.

With an eye to the future, INTERMET opened a new technical center in Lynchburg, Va., in 1998. In 2000, the technical center, serving automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, was doubled in size. Expanding upon its design and engineering capabilities, the technical center now includes advanced testing and evaluation for its cast-metal automotive components.

"With this facility," says Thomas E. Prucha, INTERMET's vice president of technical services, "we now have the ability to optimize component design for any vehicle type and for applications ranging front powertrain to chassis and suspension."

A research foundry,, also in Lynchburg, provides material and process development services. An engineering group operates out of the company's Troy, Mich., office and to better serve customers globally, INTERMET recently opened engineering centers in Germany and Japan.

INTERMET's manufacturing resources are not limited to well-placed facilities. Innovation and a wide range of material and process choices keep the company one step ahead of a market consumed with lower costs and lighter weights.

PCPC, for instance, is the only process in North America selected to produce aluminum front steering knuckles over the past two years. MADI is a revolutionary new material that provides the strength of steel forgings mid easy low-cost machinability. And, Blue Sand aluminum casting is a new, low-cost technology that replaces permanent mold and low-pressure processes for many structural applications.

The production of castings using a variety of materials--from ferrous metals to aluminum, magnesium and zinc--and a variety of processes provide customers the ability to decide on performance characteristics vs. cost using a single casting source. Referred to as the INTERMET Material-Process Continuum, this is key to the company's own strategic vision.

Focused on this vision, INTERMET is charging forward with expanded facilities, strategic locations and a growing selection of material, process and production technologies.