Mathews & Thoe, Tours Highlight AFS Southeast Regional in Chattanooga.

Held on May 7-9 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the 69th AFS Southeastern Regional Conference drew 225 industry officials. In addition to a program that featured 24 speakers and tours of Mueller Co. and U.S. Pipe & Foundry, foundry executives George Mathews, Jr., Georgia Ductile, and Gary Thoe, Waupaca Foundry, provided attendees with the keynote speeches.

With the regional marking his reappearance on the foundry meeting circuit, Mathews retraced his founding of Internet Corp. and then discussed his new foundry startup in Georgia.

"I was on the sidelines for years, and figured 'why not do it again?' "he said. "We saw a need for a ductile iron operation that could provide the type of customer- and product-focus that can be obtained through a greenfield startup."

Located in a 65-acre empowerment zone in Cordele, Georgia, the 150,000 sq-ft foundry (vertically parted, green sand molding) has begun producing ductile iron castings for Tier 1 chassis, powertrain and axle components. Plans call for a second mold line in early 2002, with two additional lines planned for 2004.

Admitting that the quality standards are tougher than when he left the industry in the 1990s, Mathews noted that Georgia Ductile is relying heavily on lean manufacturing and computer-controlled principles as well as state-of-the-art production technology. "You must have the lowest cost producer results to compete today," he said.

Mathews believes the consolidation of the industry will continue and that the focused foundries will be the survivors. "There will be fewer of us in the final day of combat," he said.

Thoe covered Waupaca's commitment to workforce development, an element he said was of no small consequence in its growth from a 13-man shop to a seven-facility corporation. With the exception of the acquisition of Stahl Specialty last year, the company's entire growth has come from within. "People are our most important asset," he said. "Our employees know by our actions that we value them as keys to our success."

Thoe described the company's aggressive program for "staffing up" its greenfield foundry in Tell City, Indiana, several years ago. Involving a strenuous screening/testing process as well as relocating employees to Wisconsin for three months to learn Waupaca's techniques and culture, he said that the success of the program is evident by the fact that the plant reached profitability in its fifth month, and that 84% of the initial hires are still there. A similar program is being used for its new 250,000-sq-ft foundry in Etowah, Tennessee.

The conference's opening day also featured presentations on "How's Business?" by modern casting/Engineered Casting Solution's Mike Lessiter and "A Time of Change" by new AFS President Don Huizenga, Kurdziel Industries, Inc. A total of 18 technical and management sessions spanned the remaining two days of the conference.