EDITORIAL
Metalcasting Is a Livelihood I
n this issue’s cover article “New Melt- ing at Fonderie Laperle” on page 28, the metalcasting facility’s president, Tom
Leonard, talks about the importance of the operation to the community. “These are high-paying, skilled-labor jobs,”
he said. “We want to keep the foundry going and keep Canada working. It’s a middle-class job. There’s nothing more middle class than a foundry worker.” I love this quote. I’ve heard variations of this in many metalcasting facilities across North America, and the statement tells us several things: • The jobs in metalcasting can support a family and home ownership.
• Working at a metalcasting facility means health insurance and peace of mind.
• Metalcasting bolsters a critical sector of the economy that the Pew Research Center says is shrinking.
• Some jobs in metalcast- ing might be physically demanding but they also require problem- solving and critical thinking, which can be personally rewarding.
• Metalcasting gives a career path, whether it starts in the shop floor or the office. In short, metalcasting is
local community, lawmakers and job candidates. And don’t
forget to tell your current workforce, as well. Let them know there’s op- portunities for growth at your company, both in terms of climbing up the ladder and across the bridge to new markets and new technologies. Remaining stagnant won’t
Innovating your business is what keeps your workforce well-paid and well-motivated.
a livelihood. I have met metalcasting executives who
started at the company in all different areas of the business, from the grinding room to engineering to human resources. They worked hard, partipated in development opportunties, took on increasingly more supervisory roles and eventually became one of their companies’ top leaders. Metalcasting work is not a dead-end job, and I encourage you to be like Leonard and talk about it. Keep bringing it up—to your
keep your employees from falling out of the middle class. T at’s part of what
Leonard was talking about regarding Fonderie Laperle’s jobs. Innovat- ing your business is what keeps your workforce well-paid and well-moti- vated. To keep the busi- ness strong and healthy, Laperle invested in new technology that will allow it to be more fl exible to meet new customer and market requirements.
Enjoy this issue, and as always, you can share
your metalcasting facility’s story by sending me an email at
swetzel@afsinc.org.
Shannon Wetzel, Managing Editor
If you have any comments about this editorial or any other item that appears in Modern Casting, email managing editor Shannon Wetzel at
swetzel@afsinc.org.
March 2017 MODERN CASTING | 9
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