On June 15, 2001, Ohio Governor Bob Taft toured General Motors Defiance Powertrain to get a first-hand look at new, state-of-the-art technology for the manufacture of aluminum engine castings, an upgrade that is saving jobs. “GM is a valued member of Ohio’s business community and I applaud the company’s strong commitment to our state,” Taft said. “I am pleased to be here . . . to help celebrate this new technology that preserved approximately 300 jobs in northwest Ohio.”

GM invested $160 million to renovate and upgrade the two million square foot Defiance facility. The new “lost foam” casting technology produces cast aluminum blocks and heads for truck and SUV engines. The cylinder block and head castings made in Defiance, which are shipped to the GM engine plant in Tonawanda, N.Y., for machining and assembling the company's Vortec Inline 5 and Inline 4 engines, are expected to consume at least 40 million pounds of aluminum annually. The State of Ohio provided assistance to the project with $600,000 in business development funds and an additional $600,000 in Ohio Industrial Training Program funds.

"It is a great tribute to our workforce to have Governor Taft join us . . . as well as many other government officials and community leaders,” said Homi Patel, former vice president and general manager of GM Powertrain manufacturing. “I extend my sincere appreciation of their ongoing cooperation which helped ensure the future of the plant and the preservation of jobs.”