INDUSTRY NEWS LETTERBOX Don’t Downplay Foreign Competition, Tight Margins on Wheels


Tank you for the article on the wheel market (“Wheel Market Shak- en, Rebounding Quickly,” November, p. 30), but I disagree with the analysis. Tere was little mention of the


huge impact of low cost imported wheels from Asia that have displaced the North American wheel manufac- turing capacity. In addition, the forged wheel market currently is robust with the need for low mass wheels with the coming fuel economy requirements that the government has legislated. Te article implies a rebounding


North America wheel manufacturing market where the reality is the market has been devastated. Only the major


Single Crystal Offers Grain Structure Tips


I enjoyed the article on single crys-


tal casting (“How It’s Done: Single Crystal Casting,” August, p. 32). It was an eye opener. At Temco Engineered Products, we make stamp steel and die castings for the truck industry and talk about grain structure occasionally. Lately, we have been having weld issues and have been looking at the grain structure. I recently did a presentation to our


front line supervisors on what grain structure really meant. Te image of the turbine blades from the article was particularly telling, and I think it will be beneficial to share it with our production team in the future. Jeffrey Davis


Temco Engineered Products Clackamas, Ore.


CORRECTION In the news item “Bronze Statues


Cast for Canadian Icon” (Nov., p. 21), it is indicated Stephen Harman’s art cast- ing facility is called Red Deer. Te facil- ity is in fact located in Red Deer.


January 2012 MODERN CASTING | 13


wheel manufacturers with efficient processes can operate, but they do so with low margins that don’t support growth or investment. I expect the fu-


ture does not look favorable when Asia recovers from the current manufactur- ing concerns in Japan and Tailand. James McKeon


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