Industry News

AFS Corporate Member ASK Chemicals, a supplier of foundry chemicals, announced it entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the industrial resin business from SI Group (New York).  ASK Chemicals and SI Group have agreed on the purchase of SI Group’s industrial resins business and associated manufacturing sites in Rio Claro, Brazil; Ranjangaon, India; Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa, as well as licensed technology and multiple tolling agreements globally. The transaction is expected to close later this year.

AFS Corporate Member Waupaca Foundry, a Hitachi Metals company, opened its manufacturing plant in Ironwood, Michigan.

The facility will process castings produced in Waupaca, Wisconsin. The facility is expected to create 61 new jobs and an investment of $4.3 million and covers 50,000 sq. ft.

The University of Northern Iowa’s Additive Manufacturing Center, located at TechWorks (Waterloo, Iowa) hosted a three-day camp for Cedar Valley students interested in STEM.

Focusing on a “Jurassic Park” dinosaur theme, Panther Park 3D was one of many camps offered by the STEM program at UNI and granted students the opportunity to broaden and develop their STEM interests and skills with an immersive 3D printing and design experience involving dinosaurs.

AFS Corporate Member Victaulic (Easton, Pennsylvania) has purchased Globe Fire Sprinkler ( Standish, Michigan).

“The addition of Globe’s fire protection sprinkler volume and engineering capabilities will provide the scale and skills necessary to be a true leader in all aspects of the fire protection industry," Victaulic CEO John F. Malloy said.

Steven Worthington, who will serve as president of Globe Fire Protection, echoed that excitement.

Allegheny Technologies Incorporated announced it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its cast products business to Consolidated Precision Products Corp. (Cleveland).

CPP operates 16 global facilities manufacturing products primarily for the aerospace, defense and industrial industries and is a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm. The transactionis expected to close in the early part of the third quarter 2019.

Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow (LIFT), a national manufacturing innovation institute operated by the American Lightweight Materials Innovation Institute (ALMMII), announced it is loaning its tilt-pour casting machine to Michigan Technological University to enhance teaching and research at the school’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Foundry.

Speyside Foundry Holdings (Ann Arbor, Michigan), a portfolio company of Speyside Equity Fund I LP, announced the acquisition of AFS Corporate Member Weatherly Casting and Machine Company (Weatherly, Pennsylvania) and Hazleton Casting Company (Hazleton, Pennsylvania).

Both transactions were completed June 12.

The northern Michigan company invested heavily in a new state-of-the-art facility, showing its commitment to its core customers and the whole industry.

When AFS Corporate Member EJ broke ground on its new metalcasting facility in February 2017, it was an important milestone for the company and its commitment to its future and the industry as a whole.

MacLean Power Systems announced a $5.3 million investment to upgrade equipment and the 67,000 sq. ft. foundry in Alabaster, Alabama. The current foundry employs 90 and sits on 22 acres.

In a news release, the company said the the investment will "bring advanced aluminum mold making and mold handling operations to the foundry, which now offers aluminum casting and fiberglass products finishing and assembly." Development will begin in the middle of 2019, and production is expected in the first quarter of next year.