From the Editor Sustainability
Recently, you have been hearing the term sustainability used to describe the various approaches that must be taken to ensure that we survive as an industry, a country and as a planet. In his 2010 Hoyt Memorial Lec- ture at the 114th Metalcasting Congress in March, Gary Gigante, Thys- senKrupp Wau- paca President & CEO, stated that, “Synonymous with sustainability, green technology is broadly defined as technology that when properly imple- mented, allows an organization to meet its present needs without compromising its future needs”. He went on to present the idea that, “Sustainability and the ap- plication of green technology means find- ing smarter ways to use our finite natural resources, both in manufacturing materi- als and in the energy reserves used to ma- nipulate them.” In the past, we often have rushed to embrace the next new binder system or manufacturing approach, often without considering its impact upon sustainabil- ity. While its implementation may have resulted in some short-term benefits such as improvements in cycle time or manu- facturing costs, when considered in total- ity, we often would find that the tech- nology came with issues such as: odors, emissions and even recyclability or dis- posal. Some technologies were found to be a drain on available human and tech- nical resources. Organizations struggled to launch the technology in the time- frame required, consuming time, cash
and even delaying product introduction resulting in customer dissatisfaction and loss of future business. Do you have the right people, can they embrace change, are they properly trained, do you have a
The bottom line is any course you chart and decision you make requires you to do your homework and investigate and utilize the multitude of resources available for this effort.
strategy for implementation and can you accept some missteps and failures? Just as a continuing course to try the latest and greatest can often make a company a can- didate for Chapter 11, a try nothing new approach can also lead to a short future. As my former boss, Ray Witt, used to say, “I don’t want to be the first to try it, just the best second.” You, as a leader at your organization, should consider that sustainability does not just apply to “green” thinking. It also means charting the right course and making the correct decisions concerning many facets of your business. It might mean making plans to exit a current man- ufacturing approach, like an existing core binder system, for what could be more
Thomas Prucha
Editor International Journal of Metalcasting AFS Vice President of Technology
tprucha@afsinc.org
International Journal of Metalcasting/Summer 10 5
environmentally friendly or less energy intensive. It also could mean experiment- ing with a new alloy, metal or product line. As another former boss, Gary Ruff, stated, “You should be the one to decide when it’s time to put yourself out of business, not your competi- tion”. The bot- tom line is any course you chart and decision you make requires
you to do your homework, and investi- gate and utilize the multitude of resources available for this effort. As we have put forth in our mission statement, the IJMC focus is to lead the transfer of research and technology for the global metalcasting industry.
It is a
resource that AFS has made available to you to assist in your efforts to help make our industry informed and sustainable. So whether you are just trying to keep abreast of the latest developments or dis- cover new information that could assist your company’s current activities or fu- ture direction, we hope that you continue to make the IJMC one of those valuable resources and recommend us to your friends and colleagues.
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