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Casteel Reporter
April 15, 2017
Last month introduced the idea that to improve our business performance and reputation, we should strive to be smart, clean and friendly. Smart manufacturing is now in fact a current buzzword. Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things, IoT, are the topic of considerable press and promotion. This month the Casteel Commentary reflects on the opportunities in smart manufacturing for steel foundries…
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March 15, 2017
Steel casting producers need to be seen as valued members of their community, contributors to our standard of living and advanced in technology. One approach is to make our companies exemplars of clean, friendly and smart manufacturing. The Casteel Commentary this month introduces the possibility of transforming our image through ordinary improvements that will better our financial results as well as our value to our community…
January 15, 2017
This month’s Casteel Commentary reviews last year’s ideas from January about business in 2016 and proposes new directions for 2017. On the whole, I expect 2017 to turn out better than we have expected in our SFSA forecast. We will see growth as expected but I anticipate we will see double digit improvement from 2016 by the end of 2017…
Market Forecast
October 15, 2016
The 2017 SFSA Market Forecast.pdf
This month’s Casteel Commentary reviews an analysis of the SFSA forecast data and its correlation with macro-economic factors that should be related. The forecast numbers seem reasonable for the total market and for most of the major segments.
August 15, 2016
The steel casting business is a tough business in good times. In trying times like now it can be brutal for us to survive. The Casteel Commentary discusses some of the structural reasons behind our challenges and the volatility of our markets. We have good reason to be optimistic about our future but need to manage our current circumstances to survive…
June 15, 2016
We are surviving in a rapidly changing commercial environment. Venerable foundries are closing. Senior experts are retiring. New employees are difficult to recruit, difficult to retain and difficult to understand. Customers are both less capable and knowledgeable and more demanding. Suppliers to our plants are facing the same severe conditions as we are and yet they are critical to our success. How do we move forward? What are the critical leadership needs of our plants and our industry?
May 15, 2016
For most steel foundries, the majority of their work are proprietary products. The development of the casting in conjunction with the customer has developed a particular production process and tooling that provides the components they require. Because of this we need to recognize that we are proprietary source and mutually dependent. Our customers need us to operate profitably so we can continue to reliably and quickly meet their product requirements…
March 15, 2016
The development of the future workforce is challenging in good conditions and becomes daunting in these poor times. To help, SFSA is hosting training webinars to help members train their employees. These webinars are recorded and available on our website. We also think it will be helpful to recognize Master Craftsmen in our industry. This month’s Casteel Commentary asks each SFSA member to consider nominating one of their highly skilled workers for this honor…
Directory Information Form
January 15, 2016
SFSA Directory Information Form
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