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Caterpillar Wins Caster of the Year
MODERN CASTING has selected Caterpillar’s Mapleton, Ill., facility as this year’s Metalcaster of the Year for innovatively re-engineering two of its sand casting lines in order to become more flexible without making an over- whelming capital outlay. In 2005, Caterpillar was faced with a
decision regarding the facility—recapi- talize or start a joint venture in Mexico. The final vote was to invest in Mexico, and 70% of the business at Mapleton was to be moved across the border. “Originally, when we made the
decision to do [the joint venture], we thought [Mapleton] would be able to subsist on what was left—predomi- nately engine liners and large cylinder
Automotive systems supplier Mar-
tinrea International Inc., Vaughan, On- tario, Canada, has submitted the most
blocks,” said Gary Bevilacqua, facility manager. “It would have left us at about 40,000 tons per year. But when we started to peel back the layers, it was clear we couldn’t be profitable.” Those 40,000 tons were all that were
produced in 2009, down from 155,000 tons in 2006. In addition to the bulk of the work going to Technocast, some other small and mid-size castings were outsourced to other global companies. But instead of closing up shop, en-
gineers at the Mapleton plant found a way to redesign the facility producing low- and medium-run blocks, heads and commercial castings. The result was a plant with two re-engineered production lines and a
favorable bid for insolvent Honsel AG, Meschede, Germany, which produces automotive metal castings.
streamlined employee workforce of 450 (down from 1,000) that is profit- able at 40,000 tons/year of gray, ductile and compacted graphite iron castings. According to company executives, the goal is to produce in the range of 80,000 tons annually, and it projects to reach that number in 2011. Past winners of the Metalcaster of
the Year award include U.S. Pipe’s Marvel City Mini Mill, Birmingham, Ala.; Signicast, Hartford, Wis.; In- termet’s Stevensville, Mich., facility; Blackhawk de Mexico, Santa Catarina, Mexico; General Motors’ Saginaw Metal Casting Operations, Saginaw, Mich.; and Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato, Minn.
METAL Martinrea to Buy Metalcaster Honsel
Honsel develops and manufactures aluminum and magnesium products using high pressure diecasting, per- manent mold casting and sand casting, as well as extruding and rolling. The company produces engine products, such as blocks, cylinder heads and oil pans; transmission products, such as housings and control parts; suspension products, such as engine cradles; and body parts, such as front boards and extrusion profiles. Martinrea partnered with Anchor-
age Capital Group LLC to bid for the assets of Honsel, which is in insolvency proceedings. Martinrea and Anchorage have been selected by the administrator in the insolvency proceedings to final- ize a purchase agreement. According to a press release issued by Martinrea, the company expects the deal to be completed soon. Anchorage acquired a significant
portion of Honsel’s debt in the sec- ondary market and is reported to be familiar with its assets and operations. After Honsel’s emergence from Ger- man insolvency proceedings, Martin- rea will own 55% of the company, with Anchorage owning the remaining 45%. Honsel has seven production sites
globally, including four in Germany and one each in Spain, Mexico and Brazil. The company employs approxi- mately 4,000.
METAL 14 Metal Casting Design & PurChasing July/august 2011
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