AFS Corporate Member General Kinematics broke ground in August on a 42,000-sq.ft. plant expansion at its Crystal Lake, Illinois, corporate headquarters. The manufacturing addition will be part of its existing 220,000-sq.-ft. space to facilitate increasing demand and more extensive equipment offerings for the mining, foundry, and recycling industries.
Articles: Industry News
AFS Corporate Member The Lawton Standard Co. has recently added American Iron & Alloys, LLC (AIA), located in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to the Lawton Standard family as part of its expansion strategy. AIA processes and distributes continuous cast iron, bronze bar, tubing, and other metal components. It also provides metal finishing and other services to the North American market. AIA primarily focuses on ductile and gray iron in round, square, and rectangular bars under the well-known Versa-Bar brand. The bars can be processed into cut-length, tubed, milled, or slit to plate configurations.
Amsted Global Solutions (AGS), part of AFS Corporate Member Amsted Rail, announced an agreement October 27 by which it has become the exclusive distributor for all manganese steel wear products made by the Frog, Switch & Manufacturing Company (Frog Switch). Chicago-based AGS is a supplier of large, highly complex castings, springs, and components for industrial applications.
P&THE Manufacturing LLC, which purchased Ross Aluminum in April, is investing $5.4 million into the plant, reported WHIO TV 7. Ross is an aluminum foundry based in Sidney, Ohio.
“The expansion and revitalization of the Ross plant brings 175 jobs and the newest aluminum casting technology to keep this staple of the region growing and competitive in the global marketplace with talent from Ohio,” said JobsOhio CEO and President J.P. Nauseef.
General Motors plans to invest $45 million at its Bedford, Indiana, aluminum diecasting foundry to expand the facility’s production capacity of EV drive unit castings that will be used in the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV full-size pickups. GM reported in November that work at the facility would begin immediately.
12.14.22: Fusium acquires BSL Casting
Effective November 1, AFS Corporate Member Fusium has acquired BSL Casting, a steel foundry based in Rimouski, Quebec, that will continue to operate under its existing name.
Fusium was created in 2018 following the acquisition by the owners of Saguenay Foundry of TMA Foundry in Trois-Rivières. The acquisition of BSL Casting allows Fusium to become a more flexible supplier for its existing customers.
11.11.22: EHS Conference highlights best practices and innovations; recognizes industry achievements
Metalcasters heard the latest regulatory news, discussed recent advancements in best practices, and explored new technologies and services from industry suppliers at a pair of EHS conferences last month. Well over 100 people attended the 34th Environmental, Health and Safety Conference and its sister event, the 2022 Safety 101 Seminar, both hosted by AFS at the Milwaukee Hyatt Regency October 2-6.
11.07.22: Simpson Technologies joins Norican Group
AFS Corporate Member Norican Group, home to DISA, ItalPresseGauss, StrikoWestofen, and Wheelabrator, has acquired U.S.-based Simpson Technologies, an AFS Corporate Member that makes equipment for the mixing, dosing, handling, reclamation, and analysis of sand. The 110-year-old family business is based in Aurora, Illinois, and has subsidiaries in Germany and India. It has a significant footprint in both foundry and chemical process industries.
AFS Corporate Member Victaulic, a manufacturer of mechanical pipe joining, fire protection, and flow control solutions, has acquired the business assets of Tennessee Metal Fabricating Corp. (TMF). The acquisition supports the company’s growth in the infrastructure market and increases its capacity for large-diameter piping solutions.
The addition of the TMF business includes three buildings totaling 125,000 sq.ft. and over 36 acres of land.
AFS Corporate Member Waukesha Foundry was presented with a 2022 Energy Efficiency Excellence Award after completing upgrades to its facility and processes to make the 110-year-old foundry more energy efficient.
The award is from Focus on Energy, a statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource program funded by Wisconsin’s investor-owned energy utilities and participating municipal and electric cooperative utilities. The group works with eligible residents and businesses to install energy efficiencies and renewable products, according to a press release.