September - Products/Services - Midwest Manufacturers' Association

More documents

Recommendations

Info

S HOP CONTENTS <strong>September</strong> 2012 TALK 3 Featured Member: CAST Corporation 5 AMFA General Meetings 6 MMA Autumn Golf Social 8 New Member Corner 9 AMFA and IRRRB to Exhibit at FabTech Expo 11 AMFA-ET Golf Social Recap 14 Grow Minnesota! 17 Membership Directory AMFA AMFA Shoptalk Advertising Rates www.amfa-mn-wi.org Toll Free: 877-330-2632 midwest@runestone.net AMFA Mission: AMFA is a member driven organization helping to strengthen and grow the manufacturing and fabrication industries in Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin. Shoptalk: Member Ad Rates one six twelve month months months 1/8 page $30 $125 $200 1/4 page $50 $225 $375 1/2 page $85 $400 $675 Full page $150 $700 $1200 A bonus is offered for members who purchase advertising space at the time of their membership renewal: Save ten percent on the prices listed above. Fees for nonmembers to advertise in Shoptalk will be determined by the AMFA Marketing/Public Relations Committee on a case-by-case basis. SEPTEMBER 2012 SHOPTALK Page 2
Featured Member: CAST Corporation The AMFA featured member this month is CAST Corporation. Located in Hibbing, MN, CAST Corporation has a unique business model with three indirectly related specialties: manufacturing tooling for foundries, reselling castings, and production machining. CAST Corporation was founded in 1995 by Tim Bungarden, current owner and President, and a partner who is now deceased. The company operated for ten years from a rented facility in Buhl, MN, with a focus on building tooling for foundries. The decision to service the foundry industry was a natural one for Bungarden, whose family owned and operated Municipal Castings in Madison, MN, during his “growing up” years. (The manufacturer of manhole covers closed its doors in 2010.) As such, Bungarden had considerable foundry experience under his belt when he went off to college to acquire a Metallurgical Engineering degree. After a fouryear stint with Northern Castings Corporation (also located in Hibbing), he was ready to put his entrepreneurial skills to the test, and CAST Corporation was born. CAST Corporation has occupied a 27 acre site in Hibbing since 2005. The existing 13,000 square foot facility is undergoing expansion this summer (with assistance from long-time AMFA member IRRRB), to bring total facility size to 21,200 square feet upon completion. Tool and die making continues to be a primary focus for the company. The custom-built patterns and molds they produce are used by foundries to form material into a particular shape. Some foundries build the tooling they need in-house, but many prefer to outsource this service to a company like CAST Corporation and benefit from their expertise in the industry. CAST Corporation specializes in disamatic patterns, match plates, core boxes, and wood patterns. The tool and die department is equipped with CNC machining centers, EDM capability, and CMM measuring for quality control. Additional services beyond tool and die have been added in due course as the marketplace reflected certain needs. In 2008, CAST Corporation acquired an existing Hibbing-based company called Power Play <strong>Products</strong> and continues to operate this division under that name. Power Play is a re-seller of castings used by the utility industry (telephone and power), such as the clamps that are attached to the top of a utility pole to guide the wire. In addition to utilities, customers from industries like mining, industrial, recreation, and automotive rely on CAST Corporation’s knowledge to source their casting needs. Bungarden likens this arrangement to that of the insurance industry, in that most of us rely on our insurance agent to shop the market for us because the agent is more informed about that particular industry. The customer may be in need of one casting or thousands, from aluminum to gray iron to high chrome iron … CAST Corporation has the insight to determine which foundry can best meet a particular need. CAST Corporation also offers complete CNC machining capability to complement their tooling and casting sales. The shop floor is equipped with CNC operated lathes and vertical and horizontal mills. They occasionally manufacture from bar stock, but most of the work in this department involves secondary operations on castings that were made elsewhere. CAST Corporation has been the supplier of a product called Truncated Domes since 2009. The Truncated Dome is an ADA compliant detectable warning plate that is popular in the roadway and commercial construction industries due to its lightweight design, easier installation, and better concrete retention properties. The modular pieces (typically 2’ wide and 2’ to 5’ long) are used anywhere that “traction bumps” are needed, such as street ramps, boat launches, and bike paths. The modular pieces are produced at a foundry and then brought to CAST Corporation for secondary work, assembly, and shipping. Continued on page 4 SEPTEMBER 2012 SHOPTALK Page 3
Page 1: S HOP Arrowhead Manufacturers & Fab
Page 5 and 6: AMFA in September... What: Membersh
Page 7 and 8: AMFA and ET Seek Nominees for Joint
Page 9 and 10: AMFA and IRRRB to Exhibit at FabTec
Page 11 and 12: AMFA-Educational Trust 14th Annual
Page 13 and 14: Better, faster, more efficient prod
Page 15 and 16: It is all About Cash Flow Contribut
Page 17 and 18: AMFA Membership directory Accuflex

September - Products/Services - Midwest Manufacturers' Association

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?