Industry News

Waupaca Foundry Recognized by DOE

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.

‘International Journal of Metalcasting’ Continues to Expand

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. 

Unimetal USA Buys Larpen

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.

Grede Provides $10,000, Many Volunteer Hours for ‘Go Baby Go’

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.

General Motors Names Supplier of the Year

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. 

Georgia Southern to Build 20 Foundry in a Box Kits with FEF Grant

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.

Superior Graphite Divests Desulco, X-Carb Business to Unimetal

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.

Hunter Foundry Machinery Celebrates 60

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.