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Japan ’ s Ryobi Ltd is to expand its Shelbyville operations in the USA , creating up to 150 jobs . The company will invest $ 97.5 million into Ryobi Die Casting USA , purchasing and equipping a 350,000ft 2 facility adjacent to its campus in Shelbyville . The facility will allow Ryobi to grow its structural and engine block diecasting to increase production to process 500,000 castings annually by 2018 . With construction expected to begin this autumn , the company plans to begin operating the facility by late 2017 . www . ryobi . com
Componenta is planning to transfer production from its Heerlen foundry in The Netherlands to Weert . The Heerlen production facility will close by the end of 2017 . Cost savings associated with this initiative are valued at approximately € 5 million annually . www . componenta . com
India ’ s foundries are hopeful that recent guideline changes from the Central Pollution Control Board will improve their ability to conduct profitable business . According to these revised guidelines , foundries with a capacity of less than five tonnes / h will now be upgraded to an ‘ orange category ’ instead of red , as is currently the case for all Indian foundries . The orange category requires companies to apply for ‘ Consent to Operate ’ every 10 years , instead of every five years for red category businesses . www . indianfoundry . org
Ajax TOCCO Magnethermic has named Joe Hawkins as General Manager of Aftermarket Sales . Mr Hawkins brings over 20 years of induction melting and heating expertise to the company . His entire career evolved within the metals industry , beginning with Lectrotherm Inc in 1991 and most recently as Director of Sales for ReMelt Scientific . A subsidiary of Park-Ohio Holdings Corp , Ajax TOCCO Magnethermic designs and manufactures induction heating and melting equipment for various industries and applications throughout the world . In addition , the company provides a range of services including laboratory process development , preventive maintenance , equipment repair and parts , coil repair facilities and installation services . www . ajaxtocco . com
Custom-built foundry to bolster UK steel casting innovation
The advanced steels castings facility at AMRC Castings .
The first custom-built steel foundry to be commissioned in the UK since the early 1980s has been unveiled at AMRC Castings , part of the University of Sheffield ’ s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre ( AMRC ) with Boeing . The facility consists of two Inductotherm air melting induction furnaces , with a combined 2.8 tonnes melt capacity , able to produce cast parts with a finished weight of up to 1300kg . The £ 600,000 investment will allow the AMRC Castings group to conduct innovative research
Telford aluminium casting project unaffected by Brexit
Artist ’ s impression of Magna International factory in Telford .
A Canadian engineering giant that is building a huge factory in Telford says it does not expect its plans in the UK to be affected by Brexit . Magna International announced that it was to open a 225,000ft 2 aluminium castings facility on the T54 Business Park , creating almost 300 jobs for the town . The company also took over the pressings specialist Stadco last year and is building a and product development projects in collaboration with its industrial partners for the benefit of industry sectors in which castings are or could be used in the future . The organisation develops castings technologies and provides design and manufacturing consultancy services for aerospace and other high value manufacturing sectors . The advanced steels casting facility is fully operational and is being used to contribute to a collaborative project for the energy sector .
role as a key supplier to Jaguar Land Rover thanks to its presence in Telford . Following the result of the EU referendum , a newspaper in Canada speculated over the future of the site but Magna has now moved to reassure its UK workforce over its plans for the future . In a formal statement , the company said : “ At the moment we see no immediate effects on
“ Using the new facility alongside our MEGAshell process allows us to put our technical expertise to full use and conduct pioneering research for the energy sector into producing cast steel components that are more cost- and timeeffective to manufacture ” commented Ryan Longdean . The MEGAshell process is a novel ceramic shell moulding and casting process that provides improved dimensional accuracy and superior surface quality compared to traditional sand moulded castings . Combined with the advanced steels casting facility , AMRC Castings is the only UK organisation able to produce a ceramic shell big enough for such research projects , producing specialist cast components from material grade duplex 4A steel in a one-piece ceramic mould . The foundry facility will also enable the advance of research into the composition of materials . Development programmes such as these will provide a knowledge bank of process and materials data , leading to the development of new material grades and optimised material chemistries for advanced castings . www . amrc . co . uk
our business in Great Britain . It is too early to comment on possible future impact and anything further would be speculation at this point . As a global operating company , Magna is prepared to adapt to economic and political changes .” Magna subsidiary Cosma International , which took over Telford body panels specialist Stadco last year , is to invest millions in the new factory , which is thought to be the region ’ s second biggest automotive development behind JLR ’ s own engine plant nearby , alongside the M54 . Work is expected to begin in the autumn on the site , with production up and running early in 2018 . The site is initially planned to provide castings for Jaguar Land Rover ’ s assembly plant in Castle Bromwich . And the company will have been calmed by JLR ’ s own announcement that it too is not planning any major changes to its plans in the wake of the Brexit vote . www . magna . com
Cast Metal & Diecasting Times July / August 2016