EDITORIAL
Nuggets to Chew On A
ll issues of MODERN CASTING should be created equal. While we strive to make sure our readers find
many articles of value in each month’s issue, we know that once in a while an issue may favor an iron reader one month and a permanent mold guy the next. This month’s issue is the epitome of what
we strive for when pulling together a magazine as it has plenty of material for everyone to chew on. And, some true nuggets of wis- dom exist in these articles that you should be sure to examine.
“Demand is starting to outstrip supply as the supply needed to service the market is not as readily available as it has been in the past. While this will equal itself out, cus- tomers are starting to look back to North America for supply. As a result, suppliers are starting to see some fruits of their hard work in the never-ending process improvement demanded by customers.” —Jerome Harvey, CEO, Harvey Industries
A dynamic leader, Harvey
provided me several quotes for both the story on p. 24 and this editorial page. This one reinforces the fact that our industry is coming into a unique position as cast- ing demand outstrips supply in many markets. As this is expected to continue through the next several years, metal- casters have the opportunity to capitalize. Your operations should be as efficient as ever. So if you stick to strategy and the castings that fit your op- eration and grow production smartly, success can follow.
Midea provides you 12 questions to ask when investigating the software to help you choose the correct fit for your operation.
“[Scrap companies} aren’t adding any value. More and more found- ries are becoming smart enough and big enough that they are going to the manufacturing companies directly.” —Tom Cobett, consultant
Cobett’s comment from
“Some true nuggets of wisdom exist in these articles that you should be sure to examine.”
our article on the state of alloy supply on p. 20 speaks to how some metalcasters are dealing with the rising cost of raw materials. Co- bett believes going directly to the manufacturing source of steel scrap can result in a 25-30% savings, and a more predictable supply. But his comment is just a snippet of what has been shared in our three-part series on raw material trends (the first two parts on sand and melt additives appeared in the July and August issues). As global economies continue to heat up, we must stay ahead of our raw material supply across the board, or we might find our furnaces without metal and/or mold lines without sand. I told you there is a lot
to chew on in this issue of MODERN CASTING, and I only have hit three of the articles. It is up to you to find the rest.
“If you are worried about price, lease the [cast- ing process modeling software] or talk to the vendor about creative ways to finance it. You will find it’s worth the investment.” —Tony Midea, product development manager, Foseco
In our article on p. 28, we detail many of the software packages available to your operation.
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.
September 2011 MODERN CASTING | 9
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