University of Northern Iowa announced Jerry Thiel, director of Metal Casting and Foundry 4.0 Centers for 32 years will retire on effective August 30. UNI noted his work at the centers has contributed significantly to the success of both programs.
Thiel has a diverse industrial background and has held management positions in the metal casting and related industries for over 49 years. He started at the University of Northern Iowa as a foundry specialist in 1992.
AFS Corporate Member Grede, a partner in the mobility industry, donated $10,000 and over 350 volunteer hours last fall to Go Baby Go, an international collective of people on a mission to provide mobility to children in need.
Believing that mobility is a human right, and that with kids, play is paramount, Grede held an all-day event at its Southfield, Michigan, headquarters where employees partnered with Go Baby Go to build and modify 10 power ride-on cars for toddlers with mobility impairments in the metro Detroit area.
The International Journal of Metalcasting (IJMC), a peer-reviewed research journal published by the American Foundry Society and Springer Nature Publications, is celebrating its 17th year of publication and is on pace for a record 600 submissions in 2024.
According to Journal Citation Reports, IJMC’s Impact Factor held strong at 2.6 in 2023 compared to 2022 despite the negative impacts of the pandemic on most trade journals. These metrics highlight IJMC’s growing importance and recognition within the global research community.
AFS Corporate Member Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF) has acquired ATEK Metal Technologies of New Hampton, Iowa. The acquisition expands WAF’s current operations while deepening its reach into key markets including motorsports, transportation, agriculture and the medical industry.
AFS Corporate Member McWane Ductile has completed a new section casting and annealing operations building at its Coshocton, Ohio, facility.
Aimed at meeting the increasing demand for ductile iron utility poles, the concept and scope of the project began over two years ago.
AFS Corporate Member Waupaca Foundry Inc. was one of 14 companies nationwide recognized for its outstanding, industry-leading accomplishments in decarbonization, energy and water efficiency, or waste at an individual facility. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Better Building Initiative’s Better Plant recipients were announced at the annual Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit on April 3. This is Waupaca Foundry’s third time to receive this honor.
AFS Corporate Member General Motors recognized RYOBI DIE CASTING (USA), Inc. as a Supplier of the Year for 2023. GM recently celebrated honorees at the 32nd annual Supplier of the Year event in Miami, Florida.
General Motors has recognized its top global suppliers of 2023 during its annual Supplier of the Year recognition event. In total, 86 suppliers were recognized with a Supplier of the Year award, and an additional eight Overdrive Awards were handed to suppliers who far exceeded expectations. This is the 5th consecutive year RYOBI has received the award.
AFS Corporate Member Unimetal USA, a global provider of carbon products, says it will acquire AFS Corporate Member Larpen Metallurgical Service, a North American supplier of carbon products.
With a 62-year history, Larpen has a strategic network and is positioned near river and ocean ports.
With a global workforce of 2,000, Unimetal manufactures and handles millions of tons of low sulfur green petcoke and calcined petcoke.
Georgia Southern University received the Foundry Educational Foundation overture grant to build 20 Foundry In A Box kits for high schools in the Statesboro region. The first kit was delivered to engineering teacher John Hendrix at Portal Middle High School.
“The students really enjoyed it. I had several say they thought they wouldn’t like it but at the end they were telling me how fun it was,” said Hendrix.
AFS Corporate Member Eagle Alloy hosted a visit from its Michigan State Representative, Luke Meerman, and his son Kennett. Rep. Meerman has fought against damaging regulations that present obstacles for the company and the metalcasting industry in general.
“As a fifth generation dairy farmer, Rep. Meerman is intimately aware of the challenges that face small businesses, and we thank him for his efforts on our behalf,” said Jeff Cook, chief sales and marketing officer Eagle Alloy.