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One of the key challenges facing the steel casting industry is recruiting and retaining the next
generation of staff. While finding talented technical people is difficult, developing skilled workers must be done by us. The SFSA Board has committed to developing an apprenticeship program for
members to use to develop skilled workers for our plants. This month’s Casteel Commentary outlines
the approach proposed for this effort…
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The Casteel Commentary considers the opportunity to eliminate a significant competitive barrier to
using steel castings, the divorce of machining from the casting operation. If the foundry supplies the finished machined component, they have assumed most of the quality risk and that is of value to the customer. By integrating machining and casting the foundry is capable of creating a more efficient and higher quality process. With the loss of expertise in our customer’s organizations, taking the casting design and machining as a core part of the business will make us more competitive…
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NFFS Foundry Noise Exposure Seminar information
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This month’s Casteel Commentary addresses the lack of subject matter experts in industry. This is
systemic and provides a window of opportunity for us. If we as suppliers have the expertise, we can
make it difficult to move our products to alternative suppliers offshore or other processes…
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As an annual practice, I have reviewed last years prognostications and added new ones for this year.
I believe the market will slow midyear but that 2012 will exceed 2011 in demand and production of
steel castings…
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As a culture we have insisted that all go to college and have not provided for the development of skilled craftsmen. Unfortunately this will limit our ability to compete…
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The 2012 SFSA Market Forecast as presented at the 2011 Technical & Operating Conference
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We as an industry are facing this challenge of how to replace tribal knowledge…
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Infrastructure investment is likely to be more than a temporary political game. Like steel foundry capacity, most capital infrastructure was installed in the 60’s and 70’s. There is a growing need for reinvestment in infrastructure at every level. This should provide growing business demands for steel castings…
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We need to prepare to recapitalize and improve our capability to succeed in the global marketplace. Economic growth will require more and bigger equipment and there is likely to be a short supply in steel castings to support this need. In particular, complex, high quality, reliable steel castings will be in demand…
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