PRODUCT RESOURCE FILE TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION
LODGE INVESTS FOR THE FUTURE
PROGRESS WELL UNDERWAY WITH MULTIPHASE PLANT UPGRADES AND EXPANSION
Lodge Manufacturing Company, South Pittsburg, Tennessee, has begun a multiphase plan for expansion and upgrades to their existing, highly successful foundry. “Tis is more massive than anything we’ve ever done before,” stated Henry Lodge, President of Lodge Manufacturing and great grandson of the business founder, Joseph Lodge. “We are excited and we need this additional production.”
Te Lodge legacy dates back over 118 years. As the sole do- mestic manufacturer of Cast Iron Cookware the Lodge brand has grown dramatically over the last ten years, both domesti- cally and internationally. “Te recession has somehow helped cast iron cookware grow,” Henry said. “I suppose because of the versatility and value. We’ve added additional options with stainless steel and enameled cast iron, but it is the cast iron that keeps growing.” “In 2009 we looked at five year projec- tions showing sales would exceed current production capacity by 2015. Tat is when preliminary discussions started about our expansion,” Lodge stated. With this realization, Lodge had to consider current needs as well as future goals. In addi- tion to a significant increase in capacity there would need to be ongoing considerations to maintain employee safety, increase the effective use of labor, enhance operational efficiency and provide for continuous product quality improvements over- all while still allowing for future growth. Lodge approached Vulcan Engineering Co. to discuss the next steps in making expansion a reality. With a history of working with Vulcan on past projects, Lodge took into consideration the relationships built over the years as well as the consistency of work; from sound industry advice to the quality of process planning and engineering. “Clearly Vulcan has plenty of knowledge and experience. Tey work to identify the potential problems and bring them to us; we don’t have to find them later,” said Henry. “I knew we could trust them with this job, and I can sleep a lot easier,” stated Michael Whitfield, Lodge Vice-President.
“Vulcan listened to our needs and goals for the future. Tey developed two different approaches to achieve our desires, al- lowing us to decide which method would be the best fit. Our main operational requirements were that the foundry could not shut down during construction and that the newly expanded foundry be designed in such a way to allow for additional growth in the years ahead,” Whitfield stated. “Once we selected the plan Vulcan developed a reasonable, economic plan utilizing three distinct phases to achieve our overall goals. Te design was a structured approach to maintain ongoing existing capacity while installing the infrastructure for our future capacity requirements.”
LODGE MANUFACTURING COMPANY P.O. Box 380, South Pittsburg, TN 37380 423-837-7181 Fax: 423-837-8279
sales@lodgemfg.com
www.lodgemfg.com
METALCASTING EQUIPMENT, PRODUCTS & SERVICES 2014-15 23
Phase I began with the addition of new melting capacity by expansion and additions to the foundry building in such a way as to not only avoid disruption of existing opera- tions, but also improve melting efficiency and material flow through the process. Te new melting systems and metal delivery equipment began production earlier this year. Te initial phase will complete later this year with the startup of additional high volume fully automated sand, molding, pour- ing and casting handling systems. Phase I also incorporates all design and equipment specifications to allow for future expansions which will ultimately replace all existing mold- ing lines with new, state of the art, higher output equipment. With this design approach each additional phase com- pleted will further enhance efficiency and output of casting production. For each additional expansion, an entire mold- ing system will be replaced and prepared sand capacity will be increased for the additional demand created. Although prepared sand and casting tonnage will be increasing with each additional phase, the Phase I handling equipment has been designed and installed with the capacity to accommo- date full future demand of the foundry through Phase III. “With Phase I of the project nearly finished, Lodge is on track to continue with this plan of updating and expansion over the years to come. Tis will also make work easier on our employees in terms of environment and safety. Te lay- out leaves plenty of room to work.” In closing, Henry Lodge stated, “Te biggest plus is being able to meet customer demand. Customers, it’s all about the customers! We can be comfortable growing the business and accept new customers when we are confident we can meet the increased demand while also having the utility to grow even more. While it is all about the customer, it is our hard working and dedicated employees who have built the Lodge brand through qual- ity workmanship. We are not doing this just for now, we are thinking about 10-20-30 years ahead.”
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