In August, AFS Corporate Member Decatur Foundry Inc. (DFI) in Decatur, Illinois, will go live with its new molding building, which replaces a molding facility lost to fire in May 2019. Most of the job shop’s molding is floor molding, and formerly, coremakers shared mixers with the molders, said CEO Rex Ragsdale. In the redesigned space, which, at 16,640 sq. ft., is 14 ft. wider than its predecessor, the east side of the building is dedicated to floor molding, offering increased capacity with 10-ton hoists in both bays.
Articles: Industry News
Diecaster Pace Industries has relocated its Arkansas headquarters to Novi, Michigan. The move is expected to create more than 60 new jobs in Novi initially while generating a total private investment of $1.9 million with the support of a $250,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant approved by the Michigan Strategic Fund.
Michigan was chosen for the project after considering Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, or remaining in Fayetteville. Pace has a workforce of 360 employees in Detroit and Muskegon.
AFS Corporate Member MetalTek International (Waukesha, Wisconsin), manufacturer of critical metal components that power, protect and connect the world, announced that its Carondelet Division in Pevely, Missouri, has gone 2.5 million total hours worked without a lost time safety incident—this period extends over seven years at a plant where 120 people work across three shifts. A lost time safety incident causes an employee to be unable to perform his or her job for at least one day.
Franklin Bronze Precision Components (Franklin, Pennsylvania) announced its achievement of ISO 9001:2015 Recertification.
“Continuous improvement is a huge part of our commitment to our customers,” said Jeff Marling, quality manager. “We are always exploring new ways to drive down nonconformities and improve efficiencies.”
CaneKast and its companies Ermak Foundry & Machining, Patriot Foundry & Castings and RDS Dock Hardware have acquired Superior Aluminum Castings of Independence, Missouri.
“Four years ago we started acquiring nonferrous foundries because we believe in local manufacturing," said Reg Zeller, CaneKast CEO and owner. "We are building a network of facilities that will provide the benefits of a small business yet have state-of-the-art technology typically only found in large conglomerates. Superior is a great fit to help us achieve this vision.”
AFS is issuing a call for papers and presentations for the 126th Metalcasting Congress/CastExpo 2022, April 23-26, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.
AFS Corporate Member Dotson Iron Castings (Mankato, Minnesota) has donated the company’s archives of historically important documents and photographs to the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, according to the Mankato Free Press.
MSU President Richard Davenport said the archives, representing the largest single donation to the center in the past 20 years, will be a valuable asset for current and future students and scholars.
05.12.21: Rolls-Royce to design, manufacture propellers for U.S. Navy’s Constellation (FFG-62) frigates
Rolls-Royce has reached an agreement with Fincantieri Marinette Marine to design and manufacture up to 40 fixed-pitch propellers for the U.S. Navy’s Constellation-class (FFG-62) guided missile frigate program.
Fincantieri was awarded the shipbuilding contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in April 2020 to design and build the first FFG-62 class frigate. The program of record is for a total of 20 ships, with the first to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2026.
AFS Corporate Member Metal Technologies (Auburn, Indiana) has acquired AAASE’s Mexico machining operations in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, which will do business as Metal Technologies Maquinados de SLP (MTMS)––the existing management team remains in place going forward.
AFS Corporate Member Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF) (Manitowoc, Wisconsin) has purchased Wabash Castings in Wabash, Indiana.
“We are excited to grow our operations and expand on the success of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry,” WAF CEO Sachin Shivaram said in a news release. “Wabash Castings is renowned for their ability to produce high volume, complex castings. Their facility forms a perfect complement to our existing breadth of production lines. This acquisition will accelerate our growth in the electric vehicle and consumer goods markets, among other exciting opportunities.”