Under a recent contract award from Ford Motor Co., Metaldyne will be manufacturing front spindle assemblies at its New Castle Machine and Forge operation in Indiana. The plant was a joint venture of Metaldyne and DaimlerChrysler until Metaldyne bought it outright at the end of 2003.

The front spindle is composed of machined castings, a machine stem, and ball joints. Production is scheduled to begin in July, and the units will be part of a future Ford truck design.

Tim Leuliette, Metaldyne chairman, president, and CEO, said, "This new business award demonstrates Metaldyne's commitment to expanding the New Castle facility's customer base beyond DaimlerChrysler. By combining the New Castle plant's capabilities with Metaldyne's existing chassis products, we add value to our customers' global chassis applications."