the prices that historically have been available. Tere is a movement in the sand mining industry for
some suppliers to reduce their availability to metalcasters. From both the sand supplier and the foundries themselves, we have seen a demand to go from processed silica sand to lake sand. We have looked at it. We had the opportunity because we have both, and we offer the availability for our customers that are seeing the opportunity. We also work with our customers on grade distribution
and screen size distribution so we can supply their needs. We are able to meet their needs and the needs of our other customers. We have to be active with our foundry customer base to be able to do that.
What products does your company supply to the metalcasting industry, and what markets do you serve?
We supply industrial sand and resin coated sand for core and mold production. We also supply an environmentally friendly resin, a liquid resin, for core and mold production. We have 10 mining operations around the U.S. and 21
additional processing locations around the world. We have 33 distribution terminals around the country. We have a total employment of just under 700 people worldwide. We are a privately held company in a strong growth pattern. We have well over doubled our size since 2004. We are the third largest industrial sand company and have the largest foundry distributor network in the U.S. We are the largest supplier of sand to the foundry industry and the second largest supplier of resin coated sand to the industry. We are committed to working together with our foundry distributors and metal- casters to further advance sand technology. We sell to foundries primarily in the U.S. and Canada,
but we also have metalcasting customers in Mexico, China, India and Europe. We opened our Wedron, Ill., plant in 1890, and it has been operating since then. We have been supplying the foundry market since about 1900. We have been supplying the Chinese market for the last seven to eight years, primarily focusing on their automotive engine production. We have been supplying Japan for 30 years. Au- tomotive has been our largest casting industry. In addition to being automotive-driven, pipe for housing and miscella- neous industries like agriculture also have played a role.
What are the trends you have observed among your customers in the metalcasting industry?
We sell a lot of different grades of sand to the foundry
industry, so when you look at the overall trends, you see both sides. Tere has been a trend in the foundry industry to go to finer sands to improve surface characteristics as we try to get closer to as-cast dimensions. And then of course in other product lines, particularly nobake molding lines, there is demand for coarser sand for greater permeability. In the U.S. industry, you have seen a lot of contraction. A
lot of foundries have closed or consolidated. We have seen a growth in foundries with specialty needs, be it specialty sands or molding equipment. We are in the enviable position that we are a source of
一种向铸造厂减少型砂供应的趋势。从型砂供应商和铸 造厂自己来看，需求从处理的石英砂转向湖砂。我们一 直在关注这件事。我们有机遇，因为我们拥有这两种 砂，而且我们向看到这一机遇的顾客们表示供应型砂的 可行性。
我们还和顾客一起进行品级分类和粒度分布，这样 我们就能提供顾客所需的砂子。我们能够满足他们的要 求，也能满足其他客户的要求。我们必须和我们的铸造 客户们保持密切联系。
贵公司向铸造厂提供什么产品？贵公司服务于什么市 场？
我们为制芯和造型提高提供工业用砂和树脂覆膜砂。 我们还提供一种用于制芯的液态的环境友好型树脂。 我们在美国运营有10个矿，全球有21个。在美国我 们有33个分销点，在全球范围内总共有接近700人的员 工。我们属于私营公司，正在迅猛成长。从2004至今， 我们公司规模扩大超过2倍，是世界第2或者第3大工业 用砂生产公司，是铸造业最大的砂子提供商，第二大树 脂覆膜砂提供商。我们一直致力于与铸造厂和砂子工艺 共同促进型芯砂技术的发展。
我们主要向美国和加拿大的铸造厂提供产品，但我们 在墨西哥、中国、印度和欧洲也有铸造客户。在1890 年我们创办了伊利诺伊州的韦德伦工厂并且一直运营 至今。我们从1900年开始向铸造市场供货，并在最近7 、8年开始向中国市场供货，主要集中在汽车发动机生 产商。我们已经向日本供货30年。汽车已经成为我们最 大的铸造业。除了汽车发动机外，房屋管道和如农业等 杂项行业也有所涉及。
在您的铸造行业客户中，您观察到了什么趋势？
我们向铸造厂销售不同品级的型砂，所以当你观察其 整体趋势时，你能看到两种趋势。在铸造行业，有一种 趋势就是通过更精细的型砂来改善铸件表面质量以便更 接近铸态尺寸。当然，在其它生产线，特别是自硬砂型 生产线，则要求更粗糙的型砂以便透气性更好。 在美国工业界，我们经历很多次经济紧缩，许多铸 造厂关闭或者合并。我们发现，铸造厂的特殊需求在增 长，例如特色型砂或者造型设备。
我们是好型砂的源头，令人羡慕。所以相比于大多数 公司，我们能够更大程度地推动我们的产品。因此，虽
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FOUNDRY-PLANET.COM | MODERN CASTING | CHINA FOUNDRY ASSOCIATION Fall 2011
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