INDUSTRY FACES


Fulton Helms Booming ME Global During Major Expansion A third generation metalcaster, Andy Fulton, president


and COO of ME Global Inc., Minneapolis, has been with the same company since he graduated college in 1976, but its structure has changed significantly in the last 37 years. Started as family-owned Minneapolis Electric Steel in 1917,


the steel casting company is now part of an international wear parts provider based out of Santiago, Chile, that consists of two casting facilities in the U.S., two in Chile, and a licensee in Mexico, among other manufacturing and product services organizations. After serving as vice president of sales and marketing for ME Global, Fulton became president and COO of the company in 2011, just as its Duluth, Minn., and Tempe, Ariz., facilities mounted major multimillion- dollar expansions to increase capacity for the booming mining and metals processing industry. “Te Elecmetal Group is a well- established conglomerate in South America and has continued to make investments since they’ve purchased us [in 2001],” Fulton said. “Tey’ve


provided more than $60 million in capital investments, along with the working capital to grow the business.” In 2011, ME Global underwent a $23.4 million expansion


at its facilities in Duluth and Tempe, which resulted in a 20% capacity increase. Another $12.2 million was invested in 2012 to add a third arc furnace and additional heat treating capacity in Duluth to keep pace with molding capacity increases from the earlier expansion. ME Global Inc.’s performance has


been growing rapidly as high metal prices spur demand for increased mining and metals processing. Te Duluth facility has more than doubled its workforce in the last four years, and ME Global has matching increases in total sales for the North American metalcasting and grinding media operations. “It’s grown significantly,” Fulton


Andy Fulton (right), with plant manager Bill Grau, has overseen significant investment and expansion at the ME Global Duluth facility in the last two years.


said. “Elecmetal has a long-term vision for the business. We have per- formed well, and they see the wisdom in reinvesting and optimizing Duluth and Tempe.”


24 | MODERN CASTING November 2012


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