Many aluminum castings produced in the Minneapolis facility feature intricate cores. “It is a huge advantage,” Krings
said. “When we’re building a tool, our engineers are close by. They can walk across the street to be sure it’s being built to specifica- tion. We have operations people who can make recommendations depending on the process or equip- ment that will be used.” Beginning in 2015, CPP-Minne- apolis has started to position itself as a central source for certain pattern and tooling projects within CPP’s sand division. “Our goal is to make the pattern shop the go-to shop for CPP’s entire sand division, so we will be able to quote, tool and build various patterns for our sister foundries,” Krings said. Te transition, including an
expansion in the amount and types of projects, has been relatively smooth, thanks in part to existing capabili-
ties that have been reinforced through investment in technology. “It helps having a knowledgeable
patternmaking staff and all the neces- sary CAD tools,” Krings said. “But since [CPP’s purchase], we’ve been upgrading our mills and CNC capabili- ties so we have been able to accommo- date that kind of work without asking for $3 million in immediate upgrades.” Located in a developed area of Minneapolis just five miles from the airport and 10 miles from downtown, the metalcasting facility has expanded over the years to occupy as much of the available space as feasible. Onsite expansion is not a viable option, so CPP engineers have shifted focus to streamlining operations and improving throughput. “We’re focusing on various pro- cess engineering projects in an effort to improve efficiency in specific
areas,” Schneider said. “For exam- ple, we had 3M here looking at a new abrasive that would cut faster. We’re looking to save minutes that will add up—that’s how we’ll increase our capacity. We need to be technology driven.” Capital expenditures for the
second half of 2015, for example, aim to reduce a bottleneck in the heat treatment department—which runs 24/7 while most departments run two 10-hours shifts. CPP-Minneapolis hopes to increase throughput with the installation of another furnace by the end of the year. “The rules are different,” Krings
said. “In the last decade, we’ve tightened out belts, we look at things in a more meaningful mat- ter. We are positioned to succeed because we are more informed. We’re working smarter.”
September 2015 MODERN CASTING | 27
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