Industry News

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. 

SMG Group announced the acquisition of AFS Corporate Member Hunter Foundry Machinery Corporation, a global maker of matchplate molding machines, mold handling equipment and sand casting technology for the global foundry market.  

AFS Corporate Member Benton Foundry was recently honored as one of eight manufacturers receiving a 2024 Manufacturers and Employers Award from the Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Association  on April 10. 

UNITECR 2025, the 19th Unified International Technical Conference on Refractories, announced a call for papers for next year’s event, inviting experts, researchers, and professionals from across the refractories industry to present their ground-breaking work.

Next year’s UNITECR is being hosted by ALAFAR (Latin American Association of Refractories Manufacturers) and takes place 27-30 October 2025 in Cancun, Mexico. Deadline for abstracts is December 20.

AFS Corporate Member HA-International, LLC (HAI) has made a significant investment in the construction of a new, state-of-the-art feeders production plant at its manufacturing site in Oregon, Illinois. 

“This investment is about more than just infrastructure—it’s about delivering even greater value to our customers,” said CEO Gordon Mc Neilage.

The facility will integrate sustainability practices, prioritizing energy efficiency and supporting the company’s broader goals of reducing its environmental footprint.  

AFS Corporate Member Erie Bronze and Aluminum Co. was featured in an episode of Fox Business Network’s acclaimed series, “Manufacturing Marvels” on September 30. 

The segment showcased the foundry’s innovative approach to manufacturing and showed a behind-the-scenes look at its state-of-the-art facilities and technologies.

The AFS CastExpo show (Atlanta, April 12–15) will include a keynote lecture on manufacturing reshoring––AFS Member foundries are invited to share a customer success story for this important plenary presentation.

“Reshoring Update for North American Foundries” will be presented April 15 by Harry Moser, founder of The Reshoring Initiative. Please email him with a summary of a how your casting customer successfully reshored some or all of its business back to North America: harry.moser@reshorenow.org.   

FEF Key Professor and Virginia Tech Professor of Practice Alan Druschitz, who runs the school’s Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry, and student Victoria Rambo recently assisted the National Museum of the Marine Corps in creating replica pieces for a new exhibit. 

Druschitz and Rambo created molds of metal missile fins, then poured molten metal into the molds to create lightweight replicas for the museum. Rambo used the experience to write and present a paper, a highlight for her resume when she enters the industry’s job market.