editorial E
Think About Communication
T ‘‘
he annual casting competition is a showcase for metalcasting’s latest and greatest. And this year’s winner, the oil pan for John Deere cast by Aarrowcast Inc., Shawano, Wis., is no
exception. By incorporating multiple components to increase performance and reduce cost, this cast component is another shining example of what can be accomplished when the designer and metalcaster work together to secure a solution. And that really is the story with this oil pan
casting. Both John Deere and Aarrowcast brought their expertise to the table during the product development process to solve design, production and quality issues. Even though the process required a couple years and several iterations to achieve a fi nal component, the result validates their eff orts. “T is part took us out of our comfort zone, and as
a result, we’ve changed our entire system to work with our customer up front to ensure success at launch,” said
While these two phrases aren’t exact quotes,
Ask yourself if you could achieve what John Deere and Aarrowcast achieved with your global suppliers.”
Aarrowcast engineering manager Jim Olson. In today’s marketplace, the push for open, up-front
communication is critical, especially in the product development stage for castings. T e lack of strong communication between buyer and supplier in global sourcing situations is one of the reasons many fi rms have returned to localized sourcing as much as possible. But the reality is not all casting buyers have read
the headlines and realized the off shore sourcing movement isn’t as perfect as everyone once thought. Your fi rm may still enforce a corporate-wide edict that a certain percentage of sourcing must be from low-cost countries. Or maybe your fi rm is similar to one I encountered recently at which I heard the following statements:
“U.S. metalcasters have a lot of catching up to do.” “U.S. metalcasters have to improve to compete with
plants in China, India and Mexico.”
they are paraphrases of a discussion with a group of experienced casting buyers. T ese buyers said they want to purchase in the U.S. but they just weren’t able to fi nd suppliers off ering the total package (price, technology and/or capabilities). Even though these buyers require smaller runs of many diff erent materials and sizes, global sourcing is the more attractive option to them. If you are one of the fi rms still thinking like this group of buyers, ask yourself if you could achieve what John Deere and Aarrowcast achieved with your global suppliers. In the last few years, manufacturing in the U.S. and North America has
seen a resurgence in both production and reputation as most fi rms have refocused on regionalized sourcing, reshoring castings with regularity back from low-cost sources. Many of the conversations appear to have turned from casting price to total cost of acquisition, so costs like defects, shipping and engineering time are being factored into the fi nal decision. T ese are the conversations that lead to innovation. T ese are the conversations that lead to a Casting of the Year.
Alfred Spada, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
If you have any comments about this editorial or any other item that appears in Metal Casting Design & Purchasing, email me at
aspada@afsinc.org.
May/Jun 2014 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 5
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