In 2005 Cadillac Castings, a manufacturer of ductile iron automotive castings, was scheduled to close. Losing the plant would devastate the town of Cadillac, Michigan, so state and local officials worked together to help make it possible for a local buyer to acquire the plant – saving jobs and the local economy.

The challenge for the new owner was to quickly implement a strategy that would help them become competitive as a US company in a global castings market. One of the key issues they targeted was finding ways to cut maintenance costs and maximize plant up-time.
Brooks Lucas, Cadillac Castings facility manager, was eager to find a product that could replace the belt conveyor chain drive systems they were using throughout the plant. Lucas says his maintenance team spent too much time working on the alignment, lubrication and other maintenance issues associated with all of the components that make up the chain drive.

Lucas found what he was looking for in the new DODGE Motorized TORQUE-ARM (MTA). “The MTA helps to reduce costs because it comes as a one-piece unit that eliminates the need for all the connected components,” says Lucas. “The fewer components the better – it means less things that can fail and less parts to maintain.”
According to Lucas they are also saving valuable installation time with the MTA because the product is so easy to work with. “The compact arrangement of the MTA makes it a practical solution for replacing the bulky older drive systems we have been using,” says Lucas. “Plus the mounting position of the MTA is optimal because the unit mounts off of the head-pulley, rather than directly above or below the belt.”

But perhaps most important to Lucas is that the MTA is engineered to perform even in the harshest conditions. “This is especially important to us because we have a unit running in the bottom of the foundry where conditions are extremely dusty and abrasive,” says Lucas. “This is where the single unit design and the superior sealing system really makes the difference.”

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