Articles: Industry News

Mark Lamoncha, CEO and president of AFS Corporate Member Humtown Products (Columbiana, Ohio), was appointed to the Ohio State Board of Education by Governor John Kasich. His term began January 2, 2019 and runs through December 31, 2022.  The board is made up of 19 members – 11 who are elected and eight who are appointed by the governor. 

Sundaram-Clayton Limited, an Indian manufacturer and supplier of aluminum cast products, announced plans to expand its Dorchester County (South Carolina) operations. In a news release, the company said it will invest $40 million and expects to create 100 new jobs.

CEO Kevin Brown has bought Omaha Steel Castings (Wahoo, Nebraska).

According to the Lincoln Journal-Star, Brown purchased the company from Allan Lozier. Brown had been running the company since June 2014.

“I am very appreciative of the confidence shown in me by Allan with this sale,” Brown said in a news release. “His belief in and support of Omaha Steel has been critical over these last four years.”

Omaha Steel was founded in Omaha, Nebraska and moved to Wahoo in 2014. 

According to local newspaper and broadcast reports, Doncasters Southern Tool (Oxford, Alabama) is planning on adding at least 50 jobs through a $4.7 million expansion of its plant that also saw equipment upgrades.

The Anniston Star reported that the Oxford (Alabama) City Council approved a $93,700 property tax abatement for the company. That action was taken in December.

Petmin USA, a subsidiary of South African company Petmin, is planning to build a new pig iron plant in Ashtabula, Ohio.

Bradley Doig, president and CEO of Petmin USA, told the Star Beacon the proposed $474 million facility would be Petmin’s first in the U.S. The proposed plant would produce nodular pig iron, which is used in castings for automotive, aerospace, rail, construction, and other industries.

St. Paul Foundry has been awarded certification to AS9100 Rev D by Orion Registrar, Inc. AS9100D is a comprehensive quality management system (QMS) certification that qualifies St. Paul Foundry to supply cast components for advanced military and aerospace applications.

St. Paul Foundry is a 150-year-old manufacturer of brass, bronze and aluminum cast components. 

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced AFS Corporate Member Waupaca Foundry, a Hitachi Metals company, plans to expand in the city of Ironwood. According to a news release, the project is expected to generate an investment of $4.3 million and create 61 jobs.

“Waupaca Foundry’s decision to establish a facility in Ironwood is great news for Gogebic County and will mean good jobs for many of the talented workers in the region,” Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said. “We applaud the company for choosing to locate here and are thrilled to welcome them to Michigan.”

Nucor Corporation (Charlotte, North Carolina) announced it is acquiring Corporacion POK, S.A. de C.V. (POK), a fully integrated precision castings company with a facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. POK produces complex castings and precision machined products used by the oil and gas, mining and sugar processing industries.

In December, Clinkenbeard relocated to a 40,000-sq.-ft. facility in South Beloit, Illinois. The new facility is twice as big as the previous facility, and includes space for engineering, machining, a mechanical mockup build shop, and a foundry pattern shop.

In addition, several upgrades to the business have recently been made. The company recently installed a DMG Mori 5-axis milling center and a DMG Mori turning center.

During the G-20 talks held over the weekend in Argentina, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to halt new tariffs and not increase tariffs already in place.
 
The U.S. had been scheduled to increase tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods from 10% to 25% on Jan. 1. The agreement keeps those tariffs on thousands of products, including hundreds of types of Chinese castings at 10% for at least the next 90 days while the countries negotiate further.