EDITORIAL Pick a Caster, Any Caster W
e pride ourselves on providing you, our readers, with practical examples of successful metalcasting facilities to emulate. We do this through met- alcaster profile articles, case study
features and product innovation pieces. From our perspective, one of the great ways to learn and improve is by studying how industry leaders have achieved their success. This issue of MODERN CAST-
ING is the epitome of this ap- proach. You will see four differ- ent articles that profile casting industry achievements. • RIA Undergoes Military-Style Makeover (p. 24) profiles the U.S. Army’s metalcasting facil- ity and its struggle to be a jack of all trades while also being a competitive supplier. Accord- ing to Rock Island Arsenal (RIA), “We’re not in it to make a profit. We are in it to be a supplier of choice for the military, and it doesn’t matter what the cost is.”
• Cutting Binder Emissions (p. 28) takes a look at the Landshut, Germany, BMW casting facility’s conversion to 100% inorganic binders and whether this is a one-time achievement or a trend waiting to happen. According to one industry expert, “The only question is can you make the incremental improvements in organic emissions fast enough to comply, or will you have to make the switch to inorganic? The better organics become from an environmental standpoint, the tougher it is going to be to make that decision.”
• In SDI Holds Concrete With Casting (p. 32), a casting end-user is profiled to help metalcasters further understand how their customers think when designing and sourcing components. “We definitely consider [design for castability] when drawing up a part,” said the casting end-user. “We consider where the parting lines are and what will and will not work.” That is music to a metalcaster’s ears.
• Small and mid-size metalcasters struggle with the documentation requirements of many of their larger customers. Decatur Integrates Its Quality
Take the words of wis- dom shared by those profiled, and review the status of your operation through their eyes.
Standards (p. 37) looks at how one caster improved transparency with an internally developed quality system. “When customers come to visit and perform audits, we can show them the standard operating procedures and work instructions, which builds trust in the process,” said Decatur Foundry. “It also helps customers to know our [shop-floor]su- pervisors are the authors of the procedures.” They are four
diverse manu- facturers, each with a unique achievement to share with you. Take the words of wisdom shared by those profiled and review the status of your operation through their eyes. Is there something you can apply to your own facility
to increase productivity or improve efficiency? Is there an idea to rip out and store in the memory bank for a future modernization project? In our industry, every advantage helps you compete in the global marketplace, and the secrets learned from these articles can provide you that extra edge. We would love to hear about the achievements
at your firm. Feel free to email me or any mem- ber of our staff with your successes so we can continue the metalcasting industry’s tradition of sharing common problems and working toward common solutions.
Alfred T. Spada, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
If you have any comments about this editorial or any other item that appears in MODERN CASTING, email me at
aspada@afsinc.org.
MODERN CASTING / February 2010
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