Industry News

Bradken’s Specialty Products North America (SPNAM) business has been sold to Los Angeles-based investment firm TerraMar Capital. SPNAM manufactures highly-engineered, large, complex, mission critical castings for customers in defense, specialized industrial, rail and transit markets.

The locations in Tacoma Washington, Atchison Kansas, St. Joseph, Missouri, and London, Ontario are included in the acquisition. Due to the divesture from Bradken, they have taken the name Vulcan Metals Corp.

AFS Corporate Member Waupaca Foundry is one of 22 employers statewide recognized as a 2024 Vets Ready Employer by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and its Office of Veteran Employment Services (OVES). The annual award recognizes Wisconsin employers that have gone above and beyond to hire and support veterans and their families.

Approximately 10% of the foundry’s workforce are veterans of the armed services, and several team members have been employed while on active duty with the National Guard. The firm employs 3,500 people nationwide. 

AFS Corporate Member McWane Ductile of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, was among the winners of OSHA’s 2024 “Beat the Heat” contest. The annual contest highlights strong efforts to help protect workers from heat hazards.

This is the second consecutive year that one of McWane Ductile’s foundries have earned the recognition––in 2023, McWane Ductile Ohio in Coshocton won the award.

Senior leaders from across the U.S. Army gathered early in December at AFS Corporate Member Rock Island Arsenals Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center for a two-day war game about advanced manufacturing.

The session focused on enhancing and synchronizing efforts so the Army can best leverage technology to achieve its modernization and readiness goals. Advanced manufacturing is viewed as a potential game-changer for how the Army designs, produces, delivers, and sustains materiel capabilities. 

Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell visited AFS Corporate Member EJ in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on December 13. In addition to touring the operations, Pinnell discussed infrastructure, workforce, and area housing issues. 

AFS Corporate Member Kent Foundry has received local municipal go-ahead for a $10- to $12-million expansion to its Greenville, Michigan, plant. Plans for the project will likely be unveiled in the late first quarter or early second quarter. 
On November 19, the Greenville city voted unanimously to approve establishment of an industrial development district for Kent Foundry.  Kent Foundry, a manufacturer of gray and ductile iron castings is owned by Canadian-based parent company Canerector Inc. of Toronto. 

Effective January 1, 2025, Tinker Omega Sinto will become a part of the Sinto America Group under Roberts Sinto in Grand Ledge, Michigan––both AFS Corporate Members. At that time, all incoming orders for equipment and parts will be manufactured at Grand Ledge.

Members of the current sales team will continue representing Tinker Omega product lines and spare parts. The company will maintain a sales and engineering office in Springfield, Ohio, after manufacturing has transitioned to Grand Ledge. 

AFS Corporate Member Premier Aluminum has completed 365 consecutive days without an OSHA recordable incident.
“This milestone represents more than just numbers – it’s about our people going home safely to their families every day,” said General Manager Russ Detiege. “It’s a testament to our team’s dedication to creating and maintaining a culture of safety excellence.”

The company says the achievement is noteworthy given the complex nature of aluminum manufacturing operations, which involve heavy machinery, high-temperature processes, and precise handling requirements. 

AFS Corporate member SUN METALON INC., a pioneer in the metal recycling and refining industry, announced the successful closure of a $21 million Series A funding round, bringing total capital raised to $30.7 million. 
Headquartered in Chicago, SUN METALON says it aims to revolutionize the metal industry by delivering innovative, energy-saving, and CO2-emission-reducing solutions for sustainable metal manufacturing and recycling for metal casting, die casting, and machining operations involved in automotive, construction machinery, heavy industry, and steel manufacturing.

Nordstern Group in Winnipeg, Canada, parent company of AFS Corporate Member Sure Cast Aluminum Foundry, has purchased a building to add to its primary manufacturing campus. A $7.5-million renovation is underway that is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025.