established in 1889), Pier has accumulated a core customer base consisting of regional clients. Grilz admit- ted the company, which operates four green sand casting lines and one nobake line, was little known prior to 2008 beyond its geo- graphic sphere. In order to compete on a


national level, the president and chief operating officer wanted to increase the facility’s profile, starting by dispatching an aggressive sales force led by an outside salesperson and a new engi- neering team. One of the engineers works full-time running solidification mod- eling software, and another mans the design software. Te 55-employee company first used the software on all of its new parts and now


uses the technology to re- engineer old patterns. “In our journey to


become a leader, we took a larger [facility] approach in a small job shop environment,” Grilz said. “We need to provide all of the tools large [metalcasters] offer. At Pier, we take a unique approach to product design. We are firm believers in value- added, value-engineered castings. We work with our customers every day to add value. It is important to us that we deliver to our cus- tomers the optimum casting for their application.”


Pier operates one nobake sand casting line in addition to its four green sand lines. The company uses simulation software for complex parts.


March 2011 MODERN CASTING | 27


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