Articles: Industry News

Shinhwa Auto USA Corp. announced last month it will invest $114 million to expand its manufacturing operation in Auburn to support the production of electric vehicle parts.

The growth project will create 50 jobs and add a new 170,000 sq.-ft. production building on Shinhwa’s campus in Auburn Technology Park West. The expansion will be the South Korean company’s third since selecting the Alabama city as the site of its first U.S. plant in 2019.

AFS Corporate Member The Ford Meter Box Co. Inc. (Wabash, Indiana) will expand and modernize its foundry operations and increase downstream production capacity.

The 125-year-old firm manufactures waterworks components for private and public infrastructure markets. Its production departments encompass foundry, machining, assembly, warehousing, and supporting skilled trades operations.

Ford Meter Box plans to construct a 300,000-sq.-ft. state-of-the-art nonferrous foundry on a 90-acre site in Wabash’s northeast industrial park, pending local approvals.

Linamar is constructing a 91.5-sq.ft. Giga casting facility in Welland, Ontario, Canada, that’s expected to be completed January 2024 and operational in 2025, according to a report by Dave Johnson in the Welland Tribune.  

Serving the automotive, agricultural, and industrial sectors, the company will purchase high-press diecasting equipment for the new facility—each weighing in excess of 6,000 tons, a category with just 25–30 machines in use worldwide. 

AFS Corporate Member The Lawton Standard Co. has added AMSCO Wear Products, Inc., located in Wilmington, Delaware, to its family. AMSCO has been providing cost-effective, wear-resistant steel since 1915. AMSCO’s products include wear parts for steel recycling, mining, and waste-to-energy industries.

SinterCast set a series production all-time high of 4.1 million Engine Equivalents in June, surpassing the four million Engine Equivalent milestone for the first time. This followed production of 3.9 million Engine Equivalents in May, marking an end to the variable production that affected the first four months of the year. 

Nemak Wisconsin has received municipal approval to begin construction of a 49,500-sq.-ft. expansion of its manufacturing facility in Sheboygan. 

The addition will be located on the north side of the existing facility, with 35,300 sq. ft. dedicated to a diecasting production area with storage. The space will accommodate two 4,500-ton diecasting machines and auxiliary equipment.
Construction started last month and is expected to be completed by September 2024. 

Messe Düsseldorf, host of trade fairs in the metalcasting industry, says it will expand its portfolio with the addition of GIFA Mexico. The event will take place October 16–18, 2024, in Mexico City.

AGCO Corp. recognized two foundries among its eight Supplier of the Year awards: Ferroloy Inc. and American Castings.

“AGCO is pleased to recognize our suppliers, who have helped us proactively meet farmers’ needs across North America,” said Tim Millwood, AGCO senior vice president and chief supply chain officer. “Our suppliers are essential to AGCO’s ability to deliver farmer-focused solutions to sustainably feed our world.”

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.