Articles: Industry News

Dee Manufacturing, an affiliate of AFS Corporate Member Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, is 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.

Druid Capital Partners and Elyton Capital have 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 plans to retain all 145 Franklin Iron employees. A Druid Capital spokesperson told the journal that FIW is hiring for select positions at its locations in Thorsby and Aliceville, Alabama.

A Northwestern University project––including work by Dr. David Dunand, professor of materials science and engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering––is 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, an Austin, Texas-based private equity firm, has 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. 

A Northwestern University project––including work by Dr. David Dunand, professor of materials science and engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering––is 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.

AFS Corporate Member Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co. (Charlotte, North Carolina) purchased AFS Corporate Member Neenah Enterprises, Inc., (Neenah, Wisconsin) effective July 13. 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. 

AFS Corporate Member Craft Pattern & Mold, a manufacturer of prototype machined castings in Montrose, Minnesota, has 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.

Through its Foseco brand, Vesuvius is investing in manufacturing and engineering initiatives throughout North America that: reduce customer lead time, deliver continued product innovation, and offer sustainable consumables and solutions for customers to reduce their environmental footprint.

Ontario-based Linamar Corp. has formed a new medical manufacturing group, MedTech, which will focus on leveraging its expert capabilities in precision manufacturing to pursue opportunities in the medical device and precision medical component markets.

Ferroglobe PLC, a producer of silicon metal, silicon-based alloys, and manganese-based specialty alloys, announced a memorandum of understanding (MO”) with REC Silicon in which Ferroglobe commits to leverage its asset platform in the U.S. to supply high purity silicon metal to REC Silicon aimed at jointly establishing a low-carbon and fully traceable U.S.-based solar supply chain.