U.S. metalcasting's future by design: a product engineer sheds light on the future of customer/supplier relationships and the need to increase communication.

The U.S. metalcasting industry has begun to see an upswing in lousiness after a five-year lull. and a recent industry outlook has forecast continued growth through 2008. But now is not the time for U.S. facilities to get comfortable in their position, according to Dan DeChant. engineering manager at the Baldor Electric facility in Fort Mill, S.C. An increasingly competitive global environment is creating a higher demand on metalcasting firms to constantly reexamine their business plans and process capabilities.

DeChant has worked with casting suppliers for 20 years, 15 of those with Baldor Electric, a manufacturer and designer of industrial electric motors, drives and generators. He sees plenty of opportunity for U.S. metalcasters to grow in what has been a shrinking market, and one of the keys to the U.S. metalcasting industry's prosperity is a closer relationship between customer and casting supplier. Many U.S. facilities have recognized this shift in the industry and have made adjustments to better meet customer needs.

"American foundries are converging better in process capability and process control, Even the cosmetics have improved--you don't see grind marks anymore. They've gotten things like that down to a science," DeChant said. "And they're willing to experiment, They can do alternate, more complicated designs in gating and risering as well as more complex shapes, which is something you can't get from offshore foundries. U.S. companies realize they are more custom-oriented than high volume."

De Chant touched on a thence that could be the saving grace in a market that is becoming increasingly competitive on a global scale. Base price is not the only card in the deck when it comes to finding a good value, and, according to DeChant, U.S. metalcasting facilities that strive to review and refine their capabilities and business operations will succeed in the face of international competition.

"I would hate to see the U.S. foundry business continue to spiral down, and I don't see why they can't be competitive," DeChant said. "We don't want to go overseas to purchase castings. The goal is to keep U.S. foundries going. We've had to move patterns from foundry to foundry, partly because of plant closings. But the good out of that is what's left is a lot of good foundries with good quality castings and dimensions, improved consistency and improved capability."

Adding Value

If U.S. metalcasting facilities can't compete against lower labor costs in other countries, they certainly can compete in customer service and value-added capabilities. With his experience, DeChant has seen his share of metalcasting companies" modes of operation. The best companies, he said, are strong communicators who are willing to experiment and become involved in the design process.

"The best foundries we work with will bid and then give a pre-evaluation of how the part will work with the engineering people. They will work with designers on where the part is going to be chucked for machining, examine the issues of gating, porosity and hardness, and basically communicate how they're going to process the part," DeChant said.

An active line of communication between the supplier and the customer can cut costs and headaches at both ends. Buyers want to make sure the part meets design specifications, but DeChant said most are willing to make a change that would improve castability without detracting from the physical properties of the part.

"Foundries should clarify where they will put the gating and the risering and how they'll control the part for shrinkage. We know there will he some variation, but let us know where that will occur," DeChant said. "If something with the pattern is going to make the part particularly hard to cast, we want to know about it. Maybe it can be fixed before production."

Although this level of communication is ideal, DeChant pointed out that it isn't always present in the real world. Design engineers should involve the metalcasting facilities more of- ten and earlier in the process, but suppliers also should fill in the customer on decisions made during production and speak up when a pat tern won't work.

"A lot of times communication is a one-way street, unfortunately. We throw the drawing over the wall and expect (the metalcasting facility) to do it," DeChant said. "But there are still a lot of decisions made on the component in the foundry, and we're usually not in the loop on these decisions."

Starting on the Same Page

A pre-evaluation is the best way to clear the air about a part and get the customer and supplier on the same page for production. If DeChant could have his way, this soon will become the industry standard in U.S. metalcasting.

"This is the future of foundries," DeChant said. "If they don't do this. they won't be competitive. Foundries need to take the time to give feedback on patterns. If a pattern turns out to result in a lot of parts going to scrap and the percentage of scrap continues to increase. foundries have to say, 'Listen, we'll absorb the cost of a pattern change if you'll look into one.' A better pattern would result in less scrap, which in the long run will save us and the foundry a lot of money. But the foundry has to tell us these things."

In order to make production run smoothly, casting suppliers and buyers should negotiate the process. Metalcasting facilities need to get clarification on the pattern and ask if it is realistic for the pattern to be changed. And as part of the pre-evaluation, this step should be taken before the first piece test.

"A common problem is metal-casting facilities will wait until the first piece is produced to find out if changes need to be made." DeChant said. "That's too late in the game."

Following the lead of the customer also is a way to stay competitive. The customer needs more than just the lowest price available. It needs short leadtimes, high-quality and less machining. A metalcasting facility that recognizes this and works to meet these customer needs will stay well ahead of the learning curve. Baldor Electric promises its own customers a two-week leadtime. Because nearly every product Baldor manufactures uses a casting, Baldor needs a casting supplier that can offer a leadtime that fits within this company promise.

"Less than a two-week leadtime is what foundries should be shooting for. If they drive toward that, they will be more profitable and competitive," DeChant said. "You have to be able to make quick changeovers. In the electric motor industry, we're moving more toward custom products, niche markets. We're going to be doing a lot of specialty products and foundries have to adapt to the volume fluctuation."

Many metalcasting facilities have taken cues like this from their customers to be more competitive in today's environment and are becoming more value-added in their capabilities. However. as business enjoys an upswing, metalcasting facilities should also he wary of using the boon as a chance to relax their competitiveness.

"Foundries can't get lax because business picks up," DeChant said. "They have to stay on top of the game and continually look for ways to improve and make better business."

For More Information

"Succeeding with Concurrent Engineering," E. Vinarcik, Modern Casting, Feb. 2005, pg. 36-38.

Visit www.baldor.com for more information on Baldor Electric, manufacturer of industrial electric motors, drives and generators.

Dan DeChant, Engineering Manager

Baldor Electric, Fort Mill, S.C.

Education: Univ. of Wisconsin-Platteville--B.S. in mechanical engineering.

Experience: Started his career as a design engineer at Doerr Electric, Cedarburg, Wis., moved on to work for Emerson Electric, St. Louis, and began designing for Baldor Electric in 1989.

Family: Wife and two children.

Company Information

Founded: 1920 in St. Louis, now headquartered in Fort Smith, Ark.

Primary Market: Industrial electric motors, drives and generators.

Company Reach: 16 manufacturing plants (15 in the U.S., one in the U.K,) 40 U.S. sales/ warehouses, 25 offices serving international markets.

The Next Generation of Metalcasters

The lack of younger, skilled workers entering the metalcasting industry has become a cause for concern as many career metalcasters near retirement. Baldor Electric's Dan DeChant, of Baldor Electric, said the industry should work closer with educational facilities to promote metalcasting as a career choice.

"The industry should make foundries more appealing. They're cleaner now and higher tech. Students need to be shown that," Dechant said.

One solution is starting up more apprenticeship-type programs, where students would learn the skill and art of metalcasting from a seasoned professional. With a college course curriculum that is shamefully light on the metalcasting process, most students with an engineering degree have very little knowledge of metalcasting and even less ambition to work for a metalcasting facility.

"Right now, college doesn't really get into metalcasting," Dechant said. "If professors came to facilities now and saw how different it is compared to years ago, they'd see a change. It's a different industry, and I think we should go back to apprenticeships in high school and college. People need to understand that it's not the dirty, grimy job it used to be. And the industry should promote the changes."

Shannon Kruse, Assistant Editor