New products are the lifeblood of any automotive parts supplier, and Baker said his plant is winning its share. The plant plans to take on production of HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) and other components for the hybrid-electric Chevrolet Volt and Cruze and the Cadillac CT6. Parts for the Chevy Equinox will launch next year, he said.
With some 1,100 workers currently, Behr is the largest manufacturer within Dayton city limits and one of the biggest in Montgomery County. And the plant payroll will get bigger, Baker said.
“Within really the next six months, we intend to hire upwards of about 120 people,” he said.
Starting wages for production workers are $11.65, rising to $11.90 in 90 days. For skilled jobs, wages start at $19.70 to $19.92 and can rise quickly, said Ellyn Chaney, the plant’s human resources manager.
“We’re competitive in the market,” Baker said. “We’re winning the new business. I think the customers are starting to turn over their product lines. In the depths of the recession, nobody was doing new product models.”
Controlling costs through investments in robotics and automation help make the plant competitive, Behr officials said. Production workers have embraced the “Kaizen” lean manufacturing regimen, Baker said.
But Chaney said the business is also working with Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation to control worker coverage and program costs.
“We tried to find the best discount program that would best suit this facility in order to get cost reductions based on our (workers compensation) premiums,” she said.
As a result, the plant is on a “stepping stone to get self-insured” when it comes to worker compensation expenses, Chaney said.
“We’ve been able to significantly reduce our premium and our costs through the BWC based on that,” she said.
In February, MAHLE announced plans to acquire Delphi Automotive’s thermal business, a deal said to include 13 plants, including the Delphi plant on Northwoods Boulevard.
Baker said the anti-trust process for the proposed acquisition won’t be complete until July, and he wasn’t free to comment on how Delphi workers in Vandalia may fit into MAHLE Behr Dayton.
“At this point I can’t speculate on what might or might not happen,” Baker said.
He added: “We think they (Delphi properties) will be part of our family July 1. That’s what we’re anticipating.”
With the new products, the Webster Street plant is rapidly filling, Baker said. In time, workers may make greater use of an adjacent north complex, he said.
And capital investments into the plant should total $10 million a year for the next five years, Baker said.
MAHLE Behr customers include GM, Chrysler, Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner Truck and PACCAR Truck, among others.
A strong automotive buying climate helps Behr and all suppliers, Baker said.
“They (customers) are making money; they’re turning over the (new) products, Baker said.
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