Not long ago, I happened to run across a March 1972 issue of Foundry Magazine in the AFS Library. The magazine had a seven-page article about what it described as the first-ever foundry industry group meeting in Washington.
This article is of keen interest because one of the American Foundry Society’s major events nowadays is the annual Government Affairs Fly-In. This meeting covered in the 1972 article may have been the genesis of our Fly-Ins. 

The event in question was held January 17–19, and the keynote address was given by Burleigh Jacobs (Grede Foundries), who would become AFS President that year. I had the privilege of meeting Burleigh during his later years and relished the chance to hear some of his memories from his time as a prominent leader in our industry and in our association. 

A total of 160 persons attended the 1972 event. Some 20 attendees from Wisconsin had a breakfast meeting with senators and representatives from that state. A dinner speaker was Undersecretary of Commerce James T. Lynn. A Cleveland native, Lynn later became HUD secretary and OMB director. 

The magazine said there were 4,900 U.S. foundries at the time, employing 300,000 workers, with 82% of companies employing fewer than 100 workers. Most Modern Casting readers are aware that over the five ensuing decades, the global foundry industry has seen a major consolidation, with fewer foundries producing significant casting tonnage. That consolidation actually was occurring in Europe just as fast if not faster than in the United States, where we still have a significant number of family-owned foundries. Today, the U.S. foundry tally is just over 1,700 facilities, and our industry accounts for 492,000 jobs directly and indirectly. 

According to the article, EPA, OSHA, inflation, and export/import access to raw materials were among the key issues discussed at the 1972 event with senior government officials. EPA and OSHA were, of course, brand new during the Nixon administration, and over-regulation of business was a massive concern. 

It is interesting to see how similar some of the issues are more than 50 years later. The five key issues pressed at the June 10–11 Government Affairs Fly-In were:  

1. Restore Pro-Growth Tax Policy.
2. Combat Trade Cheats.
3. Energy Accessibility and Reliability.
4. Rebalance Regulations to Strengthen Manufacturing.
5. Modernize America’s Workforce Development System. 

AFS is also asking Congress to provide additional funding for the AFS-led Aluminum Casting Performance Initiative that is now underway, executing key research projects that will have tremendous benefits for national defense and the metalcasting industry. 

The Washington representative for foundries in 1972 was Walter Kiplinger. He represented several associations including the National Foundry Association, a forerunner of today’s AFS. 

These days, AFS has expert representation from two organizations. Stephanie Salmon lobbies for AFS through her company, Potomac Government Relations. On environmental issues, AFS is represented by Jeff Hannapel, Christian Richter, and The Policy Group.

Combined with the congressional relations efforts of AFS members themselves, the various state metalcasting associations, and the work of the AFS national team, this makes for an assertive government relations program. And in any given year, AFS exerts provide influence on several dozen specific policy issues that go to the heart of the success of America’s metalcasters.