ACCURIDE’S TURN


AROUND


The major wheel end component manufacturer saw value in investing in its casting supply businesses to support the corporation’s goal to grow globally.


SHANNON WETZEL, SENIOR EDITOR W


hen Accuride Corp.’s board of direc- tors brought in Rick Dauch to lead the wheel end component manufac- turer as its new president and CEO in 2011, the objective was to turn the business, which had recently gone through bankruptcy, into an international


company. Six months later, after touring the various machining, assembly and metalcasting plants, Dauch approached the board with a hard truth: T e company was not in shape to go global. “I said, let’s put that talk on hold, because our current operations were substandard, especially at Brillion Iron Works and Gunite,” he said. “The board’s reaction was silence. Some of the members at the time were creditors from the bankruptcy and had not done a deep dive into the organization or operations.” Dauch, who came to Accuride with 16


years’ experience in automotive supplier com- panies, had taken the closer look, and he was dismayed with the shape of the company, particularly the plants in Brillion, Wis. (Brillion Iron Works), and Rockford, Ill.


(Gunite), that supplied iron components for the wheel end business, as well as for outside customers. “Brillion had tired equipment, an


Rick Dauch, Accuride president and CEO


ineff ective layout and a challenged operation,” Dauch said. “Both Brillion and Gunite were losing money.” Headquartered in Evansville, Ind., Accuride Corp. was formed in 1986 as a primarily steel wheel business. In 2005, it acquired Transpor- tation Technologies Industries, which added several busi- ness units, including Bostrom Seating, Brillion Iron Works, Fabco Automo- tive Corp., Gunite Corp. and Imperial Group. In 2009, it


Mar/Apr 2015 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 23


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