July 19, 2004

The Muskegon Chronicle
By Dave Alexander
Chronicle Business Editor

Michigan occupational health officials like to say that safety pays.

The workers and managers of the Johnson Technology Inc. plant in Norton Shores can attest to that. The plant has earned the state's highest workplace
safety and health award.

And as Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration Director Dough Kalinowski earlier this month awarded the jet engine parts maker a Michigan Voluntary Protection Program Star Award, company President David Yacavone announced a $3 million equipment purchase that will create up to
15 jobs.

Yacavone credits the management team and plant workers for saving money and becoming more efficient through improved safety. That has allowed the plant to be competitive and continue to grow since it went into operation in 1998 with an initial 30 employees.

"It has been the involvement of everybody," Yacavone said. "Safety does pay. It reduces your overall business costs for disability and worker compensation. You don't have business interruptions nor lost time."
The 90 workers at the Norton Shores plant worked 88,300 hours in the last year with only one "recordable accident." Yacavone said a worker got a metal shaving in his hand using a shop rag.

The $3 million investment in the plant at 600 Norton Center will bring in new equipment to increase production of jet engine nozzles. Up to 15 new employees will be needed to fill orders for a General Electric aircraft engine going on a new 70-seat Bombardier regional jet. Johnson Technology parts are already on the new 50-seat regional jet now being flow by Northwest Airlink out of Muskegon County Airport, Yacavone said.

Johnson Technology also has a plant in Muskegon's Port City Industrial Park, which also a year ago won the state's star safety award.

"We are feeling very fortunate having been as successful as we have been in creating jobs," the company president said. Johnson Technology's success is in contrast to other Muskegon County and West Michigan manufacturers that have been in recession in the past three years.

Johnson Technology has been fortunate to be in a particular type of aircraft engine since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which was a huge setback to the aviation industry. Johnson Technology provides new and spare parts for both military jet engines and new fuel-efficient commercial aircraft -- two aircraft
segments doing well since Sept. 11, Yacavone said.

Johnson Technology won the eighth and now the 13th star award granted by MIOSHA since it began the voluntary safety audit program in 2000. Another recent winner was Howmet Castings in Whitehall.

Johnson Technology is a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Electric Co. but the Muskegon operation stands on its own financially, separate from the huge family of GE companies.