Last Friday, the Case IH Racine manufacturing plant hosted the fifth of six stops on the Case IH Red Power Tour, a nationwide dealer and customer event that highlights the Case IH solution for meeting stringent government emissions regulations and reveals new 2011 Case IH Steiger and Magnum tractors. It also included a report on new investments in the company’s southeastern Wisconsin manufacturing facilities.

Steve Tyler, who oversees the plant where Case IH Magnum tractors have been produced since their introduction in 1988, spoke of significant company investments in the facility. "Case IH is spending nearly $5 million in our Racine facility to accommodate the production demands of the new 2011 Magnum tractors," Tyler said. "We're proud to make this investment in the community and this facility so that this world-class manufacturing facility and its products may remain a source of pride for employees and the community."

Previously certified ISO 9001, just last month, the Racine Tractor Plant was certified ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 and prestigiously named a "plant of excellence" by SGS (Societe Generale de Surveillance), a leading company in the field of inspection, verification, testing, and certification.  This honor has been bestowed on only three other CNH plants in the world and is the first CNH plant in North America to achieve such a distinction.

Application for the two certifications allows the company to identify and assess workplace risks and environmental impacts and to define its policy, organizational structure, responsibilities, functions, activity planning, procedures, and resources. It can thus put into practice a system for workplace environmental, health and safety management which entails ongoing review, updating and assessment.

Not only will the Racine Tractor Plant be optimized for minimum environmental impact, the tractors being manufactured there will be too. Starting with 2011 model year equipment, Case IH high-horsepower tractors — including the Racine-built Magnum — will feature SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) systems to meet government-mandated emissions regulations. The latest step, Tier IVa, in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) quest to reduce exhaust particulate matter and nitrogen oxides is dramatically tougher than previous standards and required innovative, special technology from manufacturers.

In fact, the SCR technology Case IH is using to meet these standards is so innovative that the air leaving the exhaust of the tractor is actually cleaner than the air going into the engine — all while increasing engine horsepower and improving fuel efficiency.