Articles: Industry News

Gränges, a Swedish aluminum supplier of rolled aluminum products for heat exchanger applications, specialty packaging and niche markets, says it will invest $33 million to expand its aluminum continuous casting operations in Huntingdon, Tennessee, to meet growing demand from North American customers. The expansion includes investment in buildings and a new casting line. When completed, the casting capacity in Huntingdon will increase by about 25,000 tons per year and will enable higher capacity utilization in the downstream rolling and slitting operations.

Madison-Kipp Corp. (MKC) (Madison, Wisconsin) has acquired the assets of a Richmond, Indiana, diecasting facility, which the company says expands its geographic footprint and allows it to better serve its customers. The transaction is part of a program to enhance MKC’s manufacturing capabilities; combined with the recent addition of seasoned leaders in engineering and manufacturing, MKC says it has the capacity to remain a highly reliable and technically sophisticated supplier of complex parts to new and current customers.

According to a release from Advancing Medical Innovations (AMI) in Hingham, Massachusetts, Performance Compounds Inside (PCI) has made historic advancements in metallurgy with its 3PRE Technology, a novel and proprietary process of activating antimicrobial properties. 

AFS Corporate Member Midvale Industries, a supplier of industrial process solutions, celebrates its 120th anniversary this year. It began in 1901 as a local foundry and mining supplier and today offers an expanded offering to clients across the U.S., including process solutions for foundry, die casting, aerospace, automotive, medical, metal finishing, manufacturing, painting and other industrial operations.

AFS Corporate Member Ermak Foundry & Machining (Chaska, Minnesota) has acquired Patriot Foundry & Castings and RDS Dock Hardware of Franklin, New Hampshire. Customers will benefit from the combined capabilities to produce nonferrous products from green sand molds, no-bake/air set, permanent mold/gravity-fed die-cast, and the associated services of machining, heat treating, precision grinding, painting, anodizing/plating, and assembly. 

In 1921, a salesman for the foundry industry, also an engineer, launched Smith & Richardson Inc. (Geneva, Illinois) to manufacture one product––a chaplet for use in casting. Since then, leveraging the founder’s skills in sales, marketing and technical expertise, AFS Corporate Member S&R has grown into a leading ISO 9001:2015-certified manufacturer of precision-machined parts and the only chaplet manufacturer in the world with multiple locations.

Northeastern-Ohio based Webster Industries, Inc., an AFS Corporate Member that makes conveyor chains, sprockets, vibrating conveyors and specialty castings, has acquired Action Equipment Company (ACTION), a manufacturer of vibratory conveying and process equipment. The combination will allow Webster to expand high-quality custom design offerings and vertically integrated production capacity, while fulfilling innovative product and service needs for the combined global customer base.

AFS Corporate Member Progressive Foundry, a ductile and gray iron matchplate job shop about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, is approaching completion this May on two-thirds of a three-phase, $6.8 million renovation of its Perry, Iowa, facilities. The company serves a variety of markets including different types of pump companies, industrial vacuum and blower systems, municipal castings, agricultural, heavy truck and industrial burner systems.

A new Pillar Induction furnace with 1-ton melting capacity has been installed at AFS Corporate Member Kimura Foundry America, Inc. (Shelbyville, Indiana). The addition enables Kimura to meet customer demand for heavier casting parts, particularly in the construction, agricultural machinery, power generation, oil & gas, pump and compressor industries. The foundry also expects to improve pouring efficiency and casting turnaround thanks to the high-capacity furnace’s ability to pour multiple parts simultaneously.

TRM Equity has acquired Elyria Foundry and Hodge Foundry (Elyria, Ohio), a company specializing in ductile iron castings up to 200,000 pounds and serving many markets including defense, oil and gas, construction equipment and mining. Elyria Foundry has operated since the early 1900s and has developed a strong technical and metallurgical team that drives its success.