Industry News

Ancient Celtic history was brought into the present at AFS’s 2022 CastExpo in Columbus, Ohio, during the Steel Founders Society of America (SFSA) annual Cast in Steel competition––this year’s challenge: to use modern casting tools and technologies to creatively design and produce a functioning version of a Celtic Leaf Sword. Following a day of rigorous testing by judges on April 22––performed in front of a large audience––University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Pioneers team emerged as the Grand Prize Winner and was honored at a ceremony on April 24.

Sure Cast Foundry Inc., an AFS Corporate Member in Blaine, Minnesota, has relocated into its newly constructed 19,000-s.f.-facility across the street from its former plant. The additional 5,000 s.f. provides storage and office space not previously available to staff and includes a conference room for hosting customers. Designed with the future in mind, the new facility is ready for further expansion of 10,000 s.f. off a rear wall––the foundry’s goal is to vertically integrate with its own machine shop in the near term.

General Motors is planning a $51 million upgrade at its aluminum die casting foundry in southern Indiana to support manufacturing of the upcoming electric Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

GM said it will install state-of-the-art equipment at its sprawling Bedford plant, which this year began producing electric drive unit castings for the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup and 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV, The Herald-Times reported.

Production of the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup will begin in December at GM’s Factory ZERO assembly plant, located in Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan,

AFS Corporate Member Benton Foundry, Benton, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $3 million grant through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), according to Senator John R. Gordner (R-27) and Representative David Millard (R-109). 

The company’s footprint will expand by 70,000 sq.ft. and new robotic equipment will be installed. This will result in at least 50 new jobs and an increase of daily production to 200 tons, an increase of 50 tons per day. 

Industrial Opportunity Partners has sold AFS Corporate Member Aarrowcast Inc. to Charter Manufacturing, a producer of carbon-steel bar, rod, and wire products headquartered in Mequon, Wisconsin. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. 

The Lawton Standard Co. recently added the facilities and employees of QESC (Quality Electric Steel Castings, Houston, Texas) to its growing casting business. The new site will operate as a sister operation to The C.A. Lawton Co., De Pere, Wisconsin; The C.A. Lawton Co., Minster, Ohio; Temperform, LLC, Novi, Michigan; and Penn-Mar Castings, LLC, Hanover, Pennsylvania. Each company will access the other’s products and benefit from adopting best practices across the family.

Acme Alliance LLC, (Northbrook, Illinois) received the 2021 National Metalworking Reshoring Award in recognition of its success bringing manufacturing back home to the U.S. The award was presented at FABTECH on September 14.

The award is given annually in recognition of successful reshoring and honors companies that have effectively brought back to the U.S. products, parts or tooling made primarily by metal forming, fabricating, casting or machining, including additive manufacturing. Both OEMs and suppliers are eligible. 

AFS Corporate Member Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF) (Manitowoc, Wisconsin) has purchased Wabash Castings in Wabash, Indiana.

Madison-Kipp Corp. (MKC) (Madison, Wisconsin) has acquired the assets of a Richmond, Indiana, diecasting facility, which the company says expands its geographic footprint and allows it to better serve its customers.

AFS Corporate Member Ermak Foundry & Machining (Chaska, Minnesota) has acquired Patriot Foundry & Castings and RDS Dock Hardware of Franklin, New Hamp-shire. Customers will benefit from the combined capabilities to produce nonferrous products from green sand molds, no-bake/air set, permanent mold/gravity-fed die-cast, and the associated services of machining, heat treating, precision grinding, painting, anodizing/plating, and assembly.