The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
DANA REACHES A MILESTONE
Company marks 100 years in Pottstown
POTTSTOWN >> The auto industry has changed significantly in the last 100 years. What hasn’t changed is the contribution made by the Dana Inc. Pottstown plant and its employees.
Dana Inc. is marking its 100th year in Pottstown this month.
“Celebrating 100 years is an outstanding achievement and I couldn’t be more proud of the legacy that our employees and retirees have built throughout the last century,” said Plant Manager Eric Phillips, adding the achievement shows the resilience of the employees, especially since the company serves customers primarily in the Midwest.
“To be able to support them and ship product to those customers over 100 years over the distance says a lot about the performance of the plant and the workers,” he said.
The 500,000-square-foot facility is Dana’s oldest facility and manufactures driveshaft components for the light-vehicle market.
The Center Avenue facility currently has 350 employees making the individual components for the universal joints, which are sent to other Dana facilities to be assembled.
“Today, bearings are the heart and bloodline of the plant. We do roughly 45 to 48 million bearings a year,” Phillips said during a presentation to visitors Oct. 3.
“Are we competitive? That is our best product. We beat China, Thailand, we’ve had one customer go to another plant to get parts from India, then came back and asked if we had capacity, because we beat their price. That’s how competitive we are.”
The company has held several events recently to mark the 100th anniversary.
A celebration on Saturday, Oct. 5, was just for employees and retirees, and featured tours, food, music, activities and a car show on the property. Phillips estimates that between 700 and 1,000 attended. The company estimates that 700 invited guests turned out for the event.
“We have had nothing but great feedback and comments. The employees and retirees enjoyed coming to the plant and seeing where their significant other works. They thought the plant looked great,” he said.
Attendees had the opportunity to view the photo museum, located off the lobby, and featuring historic and current photos and information. A number of people found their names or photos on the wall — and those of some of their family members.
On display at the car show was a 1910 Chadwick Model 19 car, one of only three remaining. The car was made in the factory Dana purchased and remains in today.
A number of retirees at the event said they have fond memories of their time at Dana.
“All of my friends were here (at Dana),” said Bruce Wambach, who has 53½ years of service and worked at Dana from 1965 to 2018
“It just took me one song on my AM radio to get to work (from home)” said Wayne Strogus, an employee from 1971 to 2003.
“I like the people and it paid the bills. It was a great place to work,” said Dan Ciccone, who with 52 years of service worked at the plant from 1964 to 2017.
At least one current employee is working toward a milestone of his own — longest employment.
With 51 years and counting, James Repko is in second place for the employee with the most years of service.
“I’m waiting to retire until I get to the number one spot. Right now, I’m in 2nd place. The employee in the first place has 54 years of service,” he said. Repko started at the plant in 1968.
The day before the employee event, Jim Kamsickas, president and CEO, Dana Inc. visited Pottstown — meeting with employees on the first and third shifts. Kamsickas received a tour of the facility, and spoke with employees about the history of the industry and key milestones of the company.
He also thanked employees for their continued support and congratulated them on reach