Articles: Industry News

Tooling Tech Group (TTG), a provider of highly-engineered tools and automated assembly equipment to a wide range of industries, has announced Tooling Tech Custom CNC, quick-turnaround machining services for precision parts in sizes up to 150” x 100”, delivering tolerances within 0.005 +/- 0.001.

MacLean Power Systems, (MPS) a manufacturer of products for transmission, distribution, substation, and communications infrastructure, has completed the purchase of AFS Corporate Member Dotson Iron Castings, a ductile iron foundry located in Mankato, Minnesota.

AFS Corporate Member Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co., a manufacturer of cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings, announced the purchase of 80 acres of land in Maize, Kansas, a suburb of Wichita, to build a new $80 million manufacturing facility.

The expansion, which received local, county and state government support, is expected to create 50 new, full-time positions in Maize. Construction on the Maize facility, the company’s seventh plastics plant in the U.S., is expected to begin in January 2024 with completion anticipated in early 2025.

MxD has launched the Curriculum and Pathways Integrating Technology and Learning (CAPITAL) skills development program. The CAPITAL program, supported by $6.2 million in federal funding, is designed to address the anticipated shortage of two million manufacturing workers and provide resources directly aimed at meeting current and emerging workforce needs.

The 5th annual Cast in Steel competition put on by the Steel Founders Society of America (SFSA) brought the wow factor this year, attracting 34 teams from 31 universities to give their best shot at creating an African spear point. This year’s grand prize winner, announced April 25 following performance testing the day before, was the Steel Broncos team from California Polytechnic University-Pomona including Alexander Ann, Elise Boyd, Anthony Landaverde, William Manzon, and Nikole Sauter.  

McWane Poles, part of AFS Corporate Member McWane Inc.’s family of companies, has opened its newest ductile iron utility poles facility in Provo, Utah. The $18.5 million investment complements McWane’s existing presence in the area and marks the second facility dedicated to poles.

MacLean Power Systems, (MPS) a manufacturer of products for transmission, distribution, substation, and communications infrastructure, has completed the purchase of AFS Corporate Member Dotson Iron Castings, a ductile iron foundry located in Mankato, Minnesota.

The 5th annual Cast in Steel competition put on by the Steel Founders Society of America (SFSA) brought the wow factor this year, attracting 34 teams from 31 universities to give their best shot at creating an African spear point. This year’s grand prize winner, announced April 25 following performance testing the day before, was the Steel Broncos team from California Polytechnic University-Pomona including Alexander Ann, Elise Boyd, Anthony Landaverde, William Manzon, and Nikole Sauter.  

Embrace Software Inc., a provider of business software solutions, has acquired Guardian Software Systems, Inc. (“Guardian”), a developer of ERP and MES software tailored for the metalcasting and foundry industry. This acquisition will expand Embrace’s product offerings and strengthen its position in the manufacturing software market.

ABB plans to invest approximately $170 million in its U.S. electrification and automation businesses, which includes a $20-million expansion of its North American robotics headquarters and manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, to be completed by the end of 2023.