AFS unveils CD-ROM to promote metalcasting.

In March, the AFS Marketing/Management Services Div. unveiled its new CD-ROM titled "Metalcasting - Giving Form to Innovation" to promote the foundry industry. In conjunction with the January launch of its new quarterly magazine Engineered Casting Solutions, AFS has developed and released two new marketing tools this year for the metalcasting industry.

Distributed for the first time at CastExpo '99 in St. Louis, the metalcasting CD uses a combination of foundry video footage, computer animation, casting photos, and a descriptive audio narrative, text and statistics to educate current casting customers, potential metal casting users, design engineers, university engineering faculty and students, trade and vocational education programs, and government officials about the benefits provided by metal castings and the foundry industry. Funding for the CD was supplied by the AFS Chicago Chapter, AFS Research Board, Northern Illinois Univ. and the Illinois Interfirm Collaboration Effort.

The CD's presentation is composed of six sections - the case for castings, economic importance, environmental issues, technology and processes, foundry markets, and typical careers - that are accessible on the computer screen by clicking the mouse. When one of the six sections is highlighted, subcategories to the section appear, each containing photos, text and narration about its topic. In addition, throughout the entire CD presentation, historical information about metalcasting scrolls across the top of the screen.

For current and potential customers and design engineers, the presentation promotes metal castings as a viable option when designing components and provides photos and descriptions of components converted to castings. For engineering students and faculty and other education programs, the opportunities and benefits of a career in metalcasting are explored. For government officials, the CD's presentation demonstrates metalcasting as a foundation of manufacturing and as an environmentally-focused industry.

In addition to seeing that the CDs are distributed to instructors and legislative officials, foundries are encouraged to purchase the CDs for sales presentations and to provide complimentary CDs for customer use. While intended to promote the use of all castings, the CD's presentation also can be customized for an individual foundry's sales objectives. Foundries may customize the CD with their logo and/or include information within the text and visuals of the CD footage. This includes: the foundry's logo appearing for 10 sec as the program boots up; the foundry's logo appearing with a 75-word personalized message when the user exits from the presentation; and a URL hot link to the foundry's web site.

For further information about customizing or receiving copies of the CD (free copies are available as limited supplies last), contact David Kanicki, AFS vice president of marketing and communications, at 800/537-4237 or fax at 847/824-7848.

AFS would like to thank the more than 90 foundries and supplier companies who contributed videos, photos and other materials for the development of the CD. Special thanks goes to: CMI International, Inc.; The Dotson Co.; Ford Windsor Aluminum Casting Plant; The General Casting Co.; Magma Foundry Technologies, Inc.; Piad Precision Casting Corp.; and Superior Aluminum Castings, Inc.