aluminum and magnesium,” Newby said. “We’ve identi- fi ed potential weight and cost savings, so we’re work- ing with a foundry on it.” For the automotive and
commercial vehicle markets, General Products machines engine, driveline and chassis components. For aerospace and defense customers, it produces parts for propul- sion engines, auxiliary power units and fl uid management systems. T e company’s industrial business is still in its infancy. “We’d seen the [risks] of being an automotive com- pany,” Maroney said. “In the next two to four years, we expect commercial vehicle to remain strong. Class 7 and 8 trucks have beaten all expectations. It’s been getting stronger for three years, and it’s still growing.” When General Products is not
buying parts from metalcasters to match its customers’ growth, it is working with them in some capacity— partnering to fulfi ll orders or selling machine services outright. “T ere’s no pride of ownership for
the Tier 1 status, although we do end up in the same forums,” Newby said. According to Maroney, a good rule of thumb is the machine shop should take the lead when the machining operation adds the most value, and the metalcasting facility should have the lead when casting costs more than ma- chining, because the job manager will mark up the operation the company does not perform. Whatever the relationship with the metalcasting facility, General Products’ customers remain the same: OEMs in the four markets the com- pany serves. Sometimes, the OEM will have an existing relationship with a metalcasting facility and dictate that all parts be procured from that facility. Other times, General Products will have to rely on a casting facility with which it has an existing relationship or vet a new one. “T ere is huge variability in the success of metalcasters,” Newby said.
Nov/Dec 2011 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 29
patterns and then do the op- timization. Invariably, those companies end up adding metal here or there to elimi- nate shrink. T ose activities are detrimental to us as a machine shop because we have to take the metal off . T ey pay to put it on, and we pay to take it off .” T e company cur-
General Products added 22 new machining centers last year and expects to add an equal number in 2012.
“Some foundries do an excellent job of developing the castings up front. Some aren’t as sophisticated. T ey make the
rently buys castings from six metalcasting facilities, with several new suppliers potentially coming online. T e company’s largest single casting supplier is T yssenKrupp Waupaca (although the company declined to put a specifi c number on its overall metalcasting spending).
General Products requires that its suppliers work closely with it on all programs, become involved early on
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