Multi-industry components-maker Impro opens Mexico foundry Impro, Wanchai, Hong Kong—a global components manufacturer serving auto, engine, construction, and agriculture equipment, medical and energy markets—opened a new sand casting foundry located on almost 68 acres in San Louis Potosi, Mexico.

December 2021
Benton Foundry project receives state funding
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 funding was set to help the company expand its footprint by 70,000 sq.ft. and install new robotic equipment. 
 

Aarrowcast Inc. sold to Charter Manufacturing
Industrial Opportunity Partners 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. 
 

GM announces upgrade to Indiana foundry to support electric pickup
General Motors said it was planning a $51 million upgrade at its aluminum diecasting foundry in southern Indiana to support manufacturing of the upcoming electric Chevrolet Silverado pickup. GM said it would install state-of-the-art equipment at its sprawling Bedford plant, which began producing electric drive unit castings for the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup and 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV, The Herald-Times reported.

January 2022

The Lawton Standard Co. adds QESC, buoying casting growth strategy
The Lawton Standard Co. added the facilities and employees of QESC (Quality Electric Steel Castings, Houston, Texas) to its growing casting business. The new site was set to 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 now accesses the other’s products and benefits from adopting best practices across the family.

Canekast Inc. buys Cushman Foundry
Cushman Foundry (Blue Ash, Ohio) was acquired by AFS Corporate Member CaneKast. Cushman Foundry’s history stretches back over 30 years as an independent producer of high-quality aluminum castings for many industries, including the fire suppression, industrial fan, and control markets. Before that, Cushman Foundry was a captive facility for one of the current company’s largest customers.

February 2022

Farrar invests in upgrades
AFS Corporate Member Farrar Corporation announced plans to install a new molding line in Spring 2022 to increase capacity and improve efficiency at its ductile iron sand casting operation in Norwich, Kansas. The new molding line is the FBO-IIIS 20 x 24 from Robert Sinto Corporation and will provide the foundry a faster mold cycle, deeper draw, and reduced maintenance costs. The investment is part of a phased approach to make more castings with tighter quality and process controls.

New family owners at Tonkawa Foundry
The sibling owners of Tonkawa Foundry Inc., (TFI) Tonkawa, Oklahoma, sold their family business to Mauricio and Alhena Torres, who assumed ownership January 1. The couple relocated from Dallas with their daughter, Paloma. Having operated the foundry for over 40 years, Sandy Salisbury Linton and Jim Salisbury said they were pleased the company would remain a family-owned business.

Cast Corporation acquired by Group M7
The Metal7 Inc. division of M7 Group (Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada) announced its acquisition of the assets of the Cast Corporation foundry (Hibbing, Minnesota), which specializes in the design and manufacture of high-performance castings for furnaces, as well as special alloy castings mainly for iron ore pelletizing plants. The newly formed entity is CAST7 LLC.

March 2022

Grede rolls out e-mobility emphasis to grow automotive, industrial market share
AFS Corporate Member Grede Holdings LLC (Southfield, MI) announced a sharpened focus on e-mobility to leverage electric vehicle opportunities for the light vehicle, commercial vehicle, and industrial markets. Developing and quoting millions of dollars in cast iron solutions for the electrification market, the company said its increasing commitment aligns with a growing e-mobility market they expect will rapidly accelerate from 2025 to 2030.

Advanced Casting Research Center opens new metal processing facility
The Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRS) unveiled its new state-of-the-art metal processing lab at University of California–Irvine in March. Researchers, professors, and leading metallurgists from around the country gathered for the grand opening event.

Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry acquires Minnesota manufacturer
AFS Corporate Member Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF, Manitowoc, Wisconsin) acquired the assets of castings manufacturer DEE, Inc. in Crookston, Minnesota. The acquisition expanded WAF’s existing operations while creating new opportunities with the increased capacity.

April 2022

Linamar acquires full ownership of joint venture casting facility
Linamar Corporation acquired GF Casting Solutions’ 50% interest in the two companies’ 2015 joint venture, GF Linamar LLC (GFL) located in Mills River, North Carolina––as a result, Linamar assumed 100% ownership and operational control of the business. GF Casting Solutions (GF) is a division of Georg Fischer AG. Combining expertise in high-pressure diecasting and machining to provide lightweight solutions for automotive and commercial vehicle customers, GFL manufactures structural and powertrain components in aluminum and magnesium.

Gränges’ Tennessee investment to enable near-zero carbon solutions
Gränges announced an investment of $52 million to expand its recycling and casting operations in Huntingdon, Tennessee, enabling its market launch of near-zero carbon aluminum solutions in 2024 aimed at meeting growing demand for sustainable products in North America. The new center will be powered via renewable electricity as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Green Invest program.

Kimura Foundry America expands capacity with fourth 3D sand printer
AFS Corporate Member Kimura Foundry America, Inc. (Shelbyville, Indiana) installed a new ExOne S-Max 3D sand printer to increase capacity and meet diverse market demands for high quality castings with quick turnaround times. It is the fourth sand mold and core printer for the foundry’s U.S. location; the company also operates six at its headquarters in Japan.

May 2022

Sure Cast Foundry expands with new building, equipment
Sure Cast Foundry Inc., an AFS Corporate Member in Blaine, Minnesota, relocated into its newly constructed 19,000-sq.ft.-facility across the street from its former plant. The additional 5,000 sq.ft. 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 sq.ft. off a rear wall––the foundry’s goal is to vertically integrate with its own machine shop in the near term.

Auto supplier Shinhwa to invest $78 million in second Alabama facility
Shinhwa Auto USA Corp. announced it is adding a second auto parts manufacturing facility in Auburn, Alabama, as part of a $78 million growth project that will create 42 jobs over the next three years. The company will build a new 400,000-square-foot factory across from its existing location in Auburn Technology Park West.

June 2022

Kimura Foundry America starts aluminum casting
Kimura Foundry America, Inc. (KFA) (Shelbyville, Indiana) announced it has installed a new, 440-lb. aluminum melting furnace and has started aluminum casting. The company has been producing iron and steel castings using 3D sand printers with artificial sand since it was established in November 2018.

Craft Pattern & Mold acquires its fourth and largest 5-axis machining center
AFS Corporate Member Craft Pattern & Mold, a manufacturer of prototype machined castings in Montrose, Minnesota, installed the second-largest 5-axis machining center made by Haas. The UMC1250 has a 50-in. work envelope, expanding the company’s ability to prototype large, tight-tolerance castings with a single workholding setup, which translates into cost and time savings for customers.

University emissions project receives DOE funding
A Northwestern University project––including work by Dr. David Dunand, professor of materials science and engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering––was one of 30 selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to reduce industrial emissions and manufacture clean energy technologies. Working with Boeing and AFS Corporate Member Eck Industries, “Replacing Cerium with Energy-Efficient Mischmetal in Cast Aluminum Alloys for Aerospace Applications,” is receiving $500,000 of the $57.9 million funded by the DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office.

Blue Sage Capital invests in Baker Manufacturing Company
Blue Sage Capital, an Austin, Texas-based private equity firm, completed its investment in Baker Manufacturing Co., LLC, Evansville, Wisconsin, which makes residential, industrial, municipal, and environmental water well equipment and accessories, as well as specialized rotary gear pumps and ductile and gray iron castings. 

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry acquires Neenah Enterprises
AFS Corporate Member Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co. (Charlotte, North Carolina) purchased AFS Corporate Member Neenah Enterprises, Inc. (Neenah, Wisconsin). Neenah’s plants in Medley, Florida, Neenah, Wisconsin, and Lincoln, Nebraska, manufacture construction and industrial castings. Neenah has been operating in the construction castings industry for 150 years.

August 2022
 

SinterCast achieves production record
AFS Corporate Member SinterCast, a global supplier of process control technology for high volume production of compacted graphite iron (CGI), reported record series production in the second quarter of 2022, reaching 3.6 million Engine Equivalents and surpassing the previous quarterly record of 3.5 million Engine Equivalents set in the third quarter of 2019.

Potentia buys New England Foundry
Potentia Manufacturing Group purchased New England Foundry LLC, formerly the Anbar division of Edson International. Located in Taunton, Massachusetts, New England Foundry—which specializes in sand casting of aluminum, brass, and bronze chiefly for the marine market, as well as aerospace and industrial markets—continues to manufacture its products in its updated Taunton facility.

Ownership change for Franklin Iron Works
Druid Capital Partners and Elyton Capital bought AFS Corporate Member Franklin Iron Works, Inc. (FIW) and Alabama Castings, LLC—collectively known as “Franklin Iron.” According to reporting by bizjournals.com, new ownership planned to retain all 145 Franklin Iron employees. 

AFS-member foundry awarded state funding for expansion, job creation
Dee Manufacturing, an affiliate of AFS Corporate Member Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, was one of five companies to receive funding from the Minnesota Job Creation Fund and the Minnesota Investment Fund, according to an announcement August 18 from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Located in Crookston, Dee Manufacturing has been awarded $175,000, which will go toward facility expansion that’s expected to create 30 jobs in the next three years, with an average wage of $19.40 an hour.

Buck Co. expands casting capabilities with Richmond Foundry LLC
AFS Corporate Member Buck Co. Inc., in conjunction with its parent company, The Dixon Group, acquired Richmond Foundry LLC, a 50-year-old AFS Corporate Member in Dayton, New Jersey, that produces high-quality brass and bronze sand castings. Richmond’s 40,000-sq.-ft. facility added capacity and capabilities benefitting both companies’ customers.

McWane announces $45 million expansion
McWane Ductile Ohio—part of the McWane, Inc. family of companies––announced a $45 million total investment in its Coshocton County plant. Its investment has more than doubled since the initial $21.5 million collaboration was finalized with JobsOhio, the Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Southeast Economic Development (OhioSE) and the Coshocton County Port Authority, including a 1.372%, six-year Job Creation Tax Credit from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority. 

September 2022

Effort Foundry under new ownership
The Brynavon Group acquired AFS Corporate Member Effort Foundry, Inc. in Bath, Pennsylvania. Effort Foundry, Inc. has been in business since 1971 and produces castings for pumps, valves, power generation, and general industrial application in a wide variety of alloys including steel, stainless, ni-based, ductile iron, and gray iron. 

Sinto Smart Foundry coming to Purdue University
Sinto America and Purdue University finalized plans for integrating a Smart Foundry for Purdue’s “Smart Manufacturing” curriculum. The Smart Foundry classroom, comprising a fully functioning, production-capable, green sand foundry, will be located on the ground level of the new “Gateway” building in the heart Purdue’s campus in West Lafayette, Indiana. It will be a standalone metals processing laboratory fully integrated with the “Sinto Smart Foundry” solutions. 

Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry breaks ground on expansion project
Retirees joined with current employees of AFS Corporate Member Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF) to break ground on a new 55,000 square-foot expansion project at the Manitowoc, Wisconsin, foundry during a retiree/employee recognition and appreciation event on September 1. The new $20 million addition will create 80 new jobs and accelerate WAF’s growth in key target markets such as electric vehicles, medical equipment, and consumer products. The facility will be operational in the summer of 2023.

Northern Iron & Machine joins Lawton Standard Co.
Continuing its expansion strategy, the Lawton Standard Co. added Northern Iron & Machine (NIM), St. Paul, Minnesota, to its family of companies, increasing Lawton’s offerings by both size and method. NIM produces and machines high-quality, cast gray, as well as ductile, and austempered iron castings up to 250 lbs.

October 2022

Rolls-Royce  adds new facility, capabilities to Pascagoula Naval Site
Rolls-Royce has completed a major investment in its Pascagoula, Mississippi, site that will provide increased capabilities and capacity to support U.S. Navy programs. A new 26,000 sq.-ft. facility, with foundry and machining equipment provided by a U.S. Department of Defense DPA Title III grant, will increase the company’s ability to manufacture propellers and propulsor components for naval platforms.

Signicast expands offerings in Milwaukee
Signicast, a Form Technologies company, celebrated the opening of its latest investment casting facility in October. Milwaukee Finishing Complex (MFC) will round out the family of Signicast locations in the Milwaukee area, expanding secondary operations and other finishing services while acting as an extension of the Hartford and Brown Deer facilities.

Winsert buys Alloy Cast Products
Wisconsin-based Winsert, a global advanced manufacturer of critical metal parts for Fortune 500 OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, acquired Alloy Cast Products, Inc. (ACP), an investment casting and machining manufacturer of exotic cobalt alloys headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey. 

Victualic acquires Tennessee Metal Fabricating Corp.
AFS Corporate Member Victaulic, a manufacturer of mechanical pipe joining, fire protection and flow control solutions, acquired the business assets of Tennessee Metal Fabricating Corp. (TMF). The acquisition supports the company’s growth in the infrastructure market and increases its capacity for large-diameter piping solutions.

Tech Cast sold to  Daedalus Investments LLC
Tech Cast LLC was sold to Daedalus Investments LLC. The company will continue to operate under the Tech Cast name. Daedalus Investments is wholly owned by the current president and CEO, Steve Olson. Tech Cast is an investment steel casting foundry located in Myerstown, PA. They specialize in difficult castings and serve various commercial and military markets.   

Click here to view the article in the December 2022 digital edition.