With the move, OSCC abandoned green sand molding and installed two nobake molding lines at its new facility in order to centralize its sand system to feed both lines.


The options for existing facili- ties in the area proved difficult. Unlike many communities in other Midwestern states, Omaha is less of a manufacturing hub. Simply put, OSCC had limited options to find a new home near the city’s metropoli- tan center. “We looked at all the remaining


industrial sites in Omaha,” Baines said. “We are zoned as heavy indus- trial and there were virtually zero sites left. Te infrastructure necessary— with electricity, water and gas—is pretty significant and that just did not exist. We were very concerned about a large cost to do something, and the size of the property for future expan- sion was important.” Redirecting its efforts toward a


newly built facility, OSCC manage- ment began exploring areas surround- ing Omaha, including Wahoo, a small community of 4,500 people located 36 miles to the west. Te potential site offered ample land and the necessary utilities, though relocating to a small town could present challenges in terms


22 | MODERN CASTING October 2014


of retaining present employees and attracting new talent. OSCC purchased 20 acres of


farmland outside Wahoo in early 2012 and broke ground in Septem- ber of that year after months of site preparation work. Baines, who has been with the


company since 1974, and the rest of the OSCC management group had plenty of experience with the idiosyncrasies of the Omaha facility. To that end, they were well-aware of improvements that could be made in planning a casting operation basically from scratch, though budget and space were still pertinent concerns. “Our number one objective was to


create a very workable, simple process flow for all our castings,” Baines said. “We wanted castings to move in a theoretically straight line versus the very complicated flow system we had in the old facility.” Te Wahoo facility planned to


have a single production line with two nobake molding lines (large and small). A single melting system


(with two 2-ton and two 0.5-ton induction furnaces) would sup- port the parallel lines, while the green sand operation was scrapped entirely. Producing castings between 1-600 lbs., OSCC wanted to focus on quickly filling orders within a wide variety of industries. “We moved away from the green


sand operation and converted those patterns to the nobake,” Baines said. “We wanted to centralize our sand system to feed two lines. Green sand couldn’t be a part of that.” Te two molding and pouring


lines feed a single shakeout sys- tem and four shot-blast machines. Finishing operations include heat treatment and a total of 18 finishing stations (including welding, grinding, plasma and arc booths).


A New Home & New Ownership From the time work began on the


Wahoo site in 2012, unexpected dif- ficulties and expenses began to take their toll on OSCC’s original budget of $12 million.


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