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.
AFS Corporate Member Hunter Foundry Machinery announced it is celebrating its 60th anniversary. In 1963, Al Hunter had an idea for a new type of automated green sand molding machine and founded the company the following year.
Hunter’s machines have evolved the foundry industry during the last 60 years with many refinements and technological improvements. Focused solely on the foundry industry, Hunter has more than 1,900 molding machines and mold handling systems installed around the world today.
AFS Corporate member AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company’s “Right Way” Next Generation Melt Project is one of 33 projects selected for award negotiation by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). In total, the selected projects are eligible to receive up to $6 billion to accelerate decarbonization projects and provide American manufacturers with a competitive advantage in the emerging clean energy economy.
r Grede received the 2024 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award, which honors a select group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to energy efficiency and the transition to a clean energy economy. Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners.
AFS Corporate Member Superior Graphite has reached an agreement with Unimetal to divest its recarburizer business.
Unimetal will take over the Desulco trademark, the X-Carb brand, and commercial operations, using the Superior Graphite Heat Treatment process.
“These products will perfectly fit into our portfolio for metallurgical applications”, says Alan Yung, CEO of Unimetal.
The Manufacturing Leadership Council announced AFS Corporate Member Humtown is among the finalists in the 2024 Manufacturing Leadership Awards for their outstanding achievements in the Transformational Business Cultures Category.
“This is the team of finalists who is leading us all into a new and better direction in the manufacturing future,” said Humtown President Mark Lamoncha.
AFS Corporate Member Bingham & Taylor honored its workforce on National Employee Appreciation Day, observed annually on the first Friday of March––but the company says it extends staff recognition beyond just a single day. To further its mission of fostering a culture of collaboration, Bingham & Taylor has dedicated years to developing and enhancing the C2ARES values program, a cornerstone of its corporate culture. The initiative, shaped by both executives and staff, stands for Collaboration, Creativity, Accountability, Respect, Excellence, and Sustainability.
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.