editorial E
Speaking of Adding Value
W ‘‘ hen economic
times were good in the mid-2000s, it seemed every metalcaster in the
business was putting new value-added services on its list of capabilities. T en the Great Recession struck. As the economy spiraled downward in late
2008-early 2009, manufacturers buckled down and did what they could to scrape by. Some buyers and designers of castings apparently forgot about all the metalcasting industry has to off er during that time. In talking to buyers of castings and their suppliers during the recent 2012 Metalcasting
Of the 1,618 metalcasters included in our database, 57.2% offer either rough or fi nish machining. In six other categories, at least one in every three casters adds more value.
Congress (post-show coverage on p. 44), I discovered a disconnect. Metalcasters, for their part, were still trumpeting their ability to add value in a variety of ways. Buyers had a diff erent take. Several end-users I talked to said they didn’t believe—or weren’t aware—that most metalcasters do in fact off er value-added services. How do we know the metalcasters are telling
the truth? Consider the entries in the 2012 Casting Competition (winners on p. 24). Nearly every casting in the fi eld included some sort of value-added proposition—heat treating, assembly, painting, machining or design services. Or look at the three metalcasters highlighted in our feature on a New Orleans pump station (“City- Saving Castings,” p. 36). T eir ability to provide design services, in-house heat treating, advanced patternmaking capabilities and sophisticated nondestructive testing allowed the Army Corps
of Engineers to complete a vital project in an extremely tight timeframe. Still not convinced? Have a look at the data. One of the sections of our Casting Source Directory questionnaire asks metalcasters what value-added services they off er. Of the 1,618 metalcasting facilities included in our database, 926 (57.2%) indicate they off er either rough or fi nish machining (whether in-house or delivered via a partner). In six other categories, at least one in every three metalcasters says it adds yet more value: • Pattern shop (45.6%). • Engineering and design (44.3%). • Painting (36.3%). • Assembly (35.3%). • Welding (39.8%). • Heat treating (45.2%). With this many metalcasters performing value-
added services, the only issue now is for buyers and designers to take advantage. Sit down with your casting suppliers and fl esh out what you can do as a team. With metalcasters content and willing to talk about everything they have going on, now is the time to maximize your relationship with them. Ask your metalcaster’s engineering team if a
cast-in insert could save you on post-processing costs or if the supplier can apply a coat of paint at a lower cost than a third party. Once you have your suppliers going, the only problem might be making them stop.
Shea Gibbs, Managing Editor
If you have any comments about this editorial or any other item that appears in Metal Casting Design & Purchasing, email me at
sgibbs@afsinc.org.
May/Jun 2012 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 7
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