Articles: Industry News

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 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. 

Private-equity group Stellex Capital Management has acquired two Pittsburgh-area manufacturers: a ferrous foundry and a forging and machining business, from Arcosa Inc. Both of the acquired companies supply a range of components for railroad and industrial buyers. McConway & Torley is a steel foundry with plants in Pittsburgh and Kutztown, PA, and 60,000 tons/year of melting capacity from three electric arc furnaces. Its cast products include couplers for freight trains and transit cars, knuckles and coupler parts, yokes and followers, striker parts, and draw bars.

In 1909, AFS Corporate Member Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF) got its start as the Manitowoc Brass Foundry Company and made castings for Harley-Davidson, Wisconsin Motors and Evinrude Outboard. Abraham Schwartz renamed the company Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in 1912 and began expanding product lines and offerings, including opening a brass and bronze foundry in the mid-1920s, which primarily served Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company. 

The Ohio State University’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME) is leading a project to improve the cybersecurity and operational efficiency of 3D-printed sand molds used in metal casting.  

AFS Corporate Member South Milwaukee Foundry announced completion of several large capital improvement projects. It is part of the Appleton Group owned by global automation company, Emerson. 

To date, the 150,000-sq.-ft. foundry has:

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.