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DuPont Employees Honored for Developing Flint Renewal Program

14 October 1997

DuPont Employees Honored for Developing Flint Renewal Program

    FLINT, Mich., Oct. 14 -- A team of DuPont employees was
recently honored for transforming the former DuPont paint facility in Flint,
Mich., into the Riverview Industrial Park, which generated nearly 100 new jobs
in the area.
    The award -- the 1997 DuPont Safety, Health and Environmental Excellence
(SHE) Award -- celebrates a significant contribution that illustrates the
DuPont commitment to safety, health and the environment.  This year's winners
selected the Flint Neighborhood Coalition to receive the award of a $5,000
donation from DuPont, and will present the award to Coalition Executive
Director Glenora Roland at a recognition luncheon on Oct. 24.

    Renewing a Valuable Site
    When DuPont Automotive discontinued paintmaking operations at the Flint
site in June 1995, a DuPont team was charged with dismantling and removing
existing equipment and buildings.  Instead, the group decided to renew the
site, creating a positive return for the business and providing the community
with an environmentally and economically viable operation.
    As a result, 80 percent of the process, lab and service equipment was
reused, and tenants were found for 40 percent of the building space that had
"continuing value."
    "DuPont played an integral role in the Flint community through its paint
facility operations and enjoyed a long-time commitment to the city's economy,"
said Lou Savelli, vice president and general manager of DuPont Automotive.
"We hope the renewal of the site will further the economic stability of Flint
and provide other companies the opportunity to use and re-shape the space to
meet their needs now and into the 21st century."
    The project also demonstrates the success of Michigan's 1996 Brownfields
Redevelopment Acts, designed to balance environmental protection and economic
development while reducing urban sprawl, maximizing existing infrastructure
use and creating jobs.  The regulations help return property to productive use
sooner and at a lower cost, according to the state, and has reduced by 50
percent the average bond amount needed for site reclamation grants.
    The success of the DuPont renewal program can be seen in several areas
including:

    Safety, Health and Environment
    * Achieved "goal is zero" safety excellence in removing raw materials,
products and waste; cleaning and re-using equipment; recycling obsolete
material; and abating and demolishing buildings with:
    * no injuries to site or contractor personnel;
    * no employee exposure;
    * no spills or fires.
    * Transformed an existing industrial site into new business uses,
preserving greenspace elsewhere.

    Business
    * Demonstrated a new paradigm and best practice for renewing manufacturing
sites that can be applied in future DuPont programs, as well as by other
companies.
    * Avoided spending up to $15 million in new investment by re-using
equipment.
    * Provided a positive revenue stream that is more than offsetting the
costs of continued ownership of the site.

    Public/Community
    * Retained a viable and attractive site for sustained industrial operation
that will provide employment and tax revenue for the community.

    With world headquarters in Troy, Mich., DuPont Automotive offers more than
100 product lines to the global automotive industry, including plastics,
advanced composites, finishes, fibers, fabricated products, refrigerants,
specialty chemicals and lubricants.  DuPont worldwide automotive sales were
$3.8 billion in 1996.

SOURCE  DuPont Automotive