Dayco has announced that associates at its Springdale, Arkansas, tensioner manufacturing facility and technical center have surpassed 1 million work hours without a single lost time accident, an achievement last met at this location in March 2011.
“The people of Dayco’s Springdale plant and technical center can be very proud of their environmental and safety records. To achieve the 1 million-hour milestone requires commitment, teamwork and great attention to detail in every activity,” said Robert Crist, vice president of North American operations for Dayco. “Thanks to all past and current associates in Springdale for their personal contributions in this worthwhile effort. Around the world, at every Dayco factory, in each moment of every day, safety is first. It is that important.”
More than 170 Dayco associates at the Springdale plant and technical center have established an active safety committee, conduct monthly training and weekly pre-shift safety talks, and conduct an annual safety awareness week, resulting in an elevated safety program. This effort has established the mindset that safety is never only one person’s responsibility, but is shared amongst everyone in the organization.
“At Dayco, we make the safety of our employees and the environment a top priority. The 1 million-hour achievement shows the corporate and site commitment to provide its associates with a safe workplace,” said Garrett Stricker, environmental, health and safety manager for Dayco. “In manufacturing, an uncontrolled hazard is an accident waiting to happen. This achievement reiterates our focus on safety within the manufacturing environment and Dayco’s ‘safety first’ mentality. This is a milestone on the path to an incident-free workplace.”
Dayco started its tensioner assembly operations in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in August 1985 in a partnership with the University of Arkansas. Working with University of Arkansas Engineering students, a program was designed to assist new industries in developing products and processes. The plant grew rapidly and by August 1986 the plant was making its first shipments of belt tensioners to major automotive and industrial vehicle and equipment manufacturers worldwide.
After several expansions and moves, Dayco opened the Springdale Plant after outgrowing its previous facility in July 2000. Associates working at the 100,000-square-foot plant manufacture, assemble and distribute a wide range of tensioners for automotive, industrial and aftermarket customers.
Opened in 2007, associates at the 35,000-square-foot technical center conduct critical research, development and advanced engineering testing to support Dayco’s global business.
